Monday, December 31, 2007

Apple, Walnut, and Mixed Greens Salad with Zinfandel-Cranberry Vinaigrette (2.5 Points, 4 Points Plus)


I got this recipe from Cooking Light. I would suggest either not putting in the onions or not putting in the shallots. They were extremely overpowering and stunk up my kitchen for a few days!

(serving size: about 1 1/3 cups salad and about 1 1/2 teaspoons walnuts)

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup zinfandel or other fruity dry red wine
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon walnut oil
10 cup gourmet salad greens
3 cups cubed Gala apple (about 2 apples)
1 cup thinly sliced Walla Walla or other sweet onion (about 1 medium onion)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts toasted

Instructions
Combine cranberries and apple juice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain cranberries; discard apple juice. Set cranberries aside.

Bring wine and cranberry juice to a boil in pan, and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 8 minutes). Pour wine mixture into a medium bowl; add shallots, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk.

Tossing the cubed apples with lemon juice will help keep them from turning brown. If you prefer sharper onion flavor, use red onions instead of Walla Wallas.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Quesadillas (7 Points)

Ingredients
2 Fat free flour tortillas

1/2 pound Sweet potato
1/4 cup Black beans drained
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar cheese
Chili powder to taste
Cilantro to taste
Salt to taste
Cooking Spray as required




Instruction

Peel sweet potato and chop into small pieces. Boil for about 10 minutes or until very soft. Drain and mash with a potato masher.

Lay out one tortilla. Cover with 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato, 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup cheese, and salt, chili powder, and cilantro to taste. Cover with second tortilla.

Spray frying pan with a little fat-free cooking spray and fry your quesadilla a few minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and beans are heated through.

From:

http://shadesofjaim.com/recipes/blackbeansweetpota

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Broccoli and Carrots with Toasted Almonds (1 Point, 1 Points Plus)

Ingredients

1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 pound Carrot sliced
1 (12-ounce) bag broccoli florets (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup Chicken broth fat free, sodium free
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Cool completely, and set aside. Place carrots in a large saucepan of boiling water; cook 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Plunge into ice water, and drain. Place broccoli in boiling water; cook 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain. Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, broccoli, Homemade Turkey Stock, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 6 minutes or until carrots and broccoli are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately.


Nutritional Information

Calories: 54 (43% from fat)
Fat: 2.6g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.4g)
Protein: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 6.3g
Fiber: 2.3g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Iron: 0.6mg
Sodium: 130mg
Calcium: 36mg

Monday, December 3, 2007

Southwestern Skillet Macaroni & Cheese (6 Points)


Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup Elbow Macaroni Noodles
1 pound Ground turkey
1/2 cup Onion chopped
1/2 cup Bell pepper chopped
2 tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Salt
14 ounces Diced tomatoes
8 ounces Tomato sauce
4 ounces Green chili
1/2 cup Water
1 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions
1. Cook the macaroni according to package directions omitting the salt, if desired; Drain.

2. Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with a nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

3. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook, stiring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.

5. Add the macaroni and the cheese, stirring to combine.

from the Weight Watchers Stir It Up Cookbook

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Weight Watchers Low-Fat Chocolate Crunch Bars (2pts)

Ingredients

6 cups chocolate-flavor crisp rice cereal
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter
8 ounces large marshmallows (use half 16-ounce package)
1/3 cup reduced-fat semisweet chocolate morsels


Instructions
Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a saucepan combine the margarine with peanut butter; cook stirring constantly over low heat until marshmallows are melted.
Pour the cereal into the marshmallow mixture; stir with wooden spoon until well coated.

Add/mix in reduced-fat chocolate morsels. Press the mixture into prepared pan, using a rubber spatula to spread out. Cut into 24 bars.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Aw Maw's Potatoes (5 Points, 6 Points Plus)

Serving size: 2/3 cup

Ingredients

2 pounds unpeeled baking potatoes
Cooking spray
1/6 cup butter
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cover and chill. Preheat oven to 350°. Peel and shred the potatoes. Place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the milk, 1/2 cup cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook 8 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Pour over potatoes, and stir gently. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts.
(Cooking Light)

Nutritional Information

Calories: 213 (30% from fat)
Fat: 7g (sat 4.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 8g
Carbohydrate: 30.2g
Fiber: 2.4g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Iron: 1.2mg
Sodium: 541mg
Calcium: 174mg

Monday, November 26, 2007

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (7 Points)

Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds Chicken breast cut into 8 servings
2 cloves Garlic minced
1/2 cup White wine
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock fat-free, low sodium
1 teaspoon Dried basil
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes cut into slivers


Instructions
1. Heat oil in skillet. Add several pieces of chicken at a time. Brown evenly.
2. Transfer chicken to slow cooker as it finishes browning.
3. Add all ingredients except the sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Scrape up any bits fromthe bottom of the pan.
4. Pour over chicken. Scatter tomatoes over the top.
5. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.

Fix It and Forget It Lightly