Monday, April 14, 2008

Spicy Polenta Tamale


Ingredients:
1 (18oz) tube of cooked polenta
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10oz) Enchilada sauce (I used El Paso, hot)
11 oz of frozen (thawed) or canned corn (rinsed and drained)
1 cup (4oz) soy cheese shreds (cheddar)
3 tbs Parsley flakes
1 tbs black pepper

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8X8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Cut Polenta into cubes. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then pour into baking dish.

Back 30-35 minutes uncovered.

Review:
Eric loved this. I thought it was okay...tasted a little salty to me (I think that was the enchilada sauce). Anyway, it was extremely easy, so good last minute meal on weekdays.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Cold Veggie Pizza


Ingredients:
1 tube reduced fat crescent rolls
1 (8oz) package fat free cream cheese
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
2 tbs fat free milk
Fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower)
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Open roll tube and spread over 13X9 pan sprayed with Pam. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Beat together cream cheese, ranch envelope, and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

Sprinkle with vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 6 servings
Per Serving Unofficial WW points = 2

Review:
This was a lot better than I thought it would be as I was making it. Next time though, I will use fresh veggies as all I had were frozen and I think it would be better with more of a crunch.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Spaghetti -Squash Bolognese

Ingredients:
spaghetti squash
ground turkey
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper (color of your choice)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Parmesan cheese shreds

Directions:
Heat oil in large pot. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Saute until starting to soften. Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly.

Add spaghetti sauce to pot and reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 1o min.

Cook spaghetti squash. Spoon sauce over squash and garnish with cheese.

Nutritional info:
Haven't figured yet.

Review:
Love it. Ana calls it "nooooodles," her highest form of compliment.
Great with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Jalapeno Poppers and Hot Wings

Hot Wings

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in nugget shapes
Fiber One Bran Cereal (ground to breadcrumb consistency)
Pringles light fat free potato chips, BBQ flavor
Franks Redhot Sauce

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Crush about 12 chips into 1/4 cup of cereal crumbs.

Dip chicken into Franks sauce, and then crumb mixture. Place on cookie sheet sprayed with pam.

Place in oven and bake 10 min, flip "wings," bake another 10 min or until crispy and chicken is cooked through.

Nutritional info:
Serving size = 5 wings. Cal 175, Fat 1.5g, Fiber 4g (Unofficial WW points = 3)

Review:
Excellent. For Ana, I dipped chicken pieces in egg beaters and then coated with crumbs as she can only handle so much heat.
Leftovers made an amazing spicy chicken sandwich the next day.

I'll be back for jalapeno poppers....

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Chili Dogs

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat hot dog bun
1 smart dog (veggie dog) or turkey dog
1 cup Amy's low fat black bean chili
1 slice soy jalapeno cheese
diced onions for garnish
Hot sauce on top (if desired)

Directions:
Really? I think we can all figure out how to make a chili dog.

Nutritional Info:
Haven't figured it out just yet but worth every point.

Review:
I think Analise and I have a new favorite meal.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Tofu-Noodle Casserole


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (14 1/2 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 oz dried whole wheat extra-wide noodles
1 (16 oz) package extra-firm lite tofu, drained, and cubed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
In slow cooker, whisk together the water and cream of mushroom soup. Stir in undrained tomatoes, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3 1/2 to 5 hours.

If using low-heat, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in uncooked noodles; cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more or until tender, stirring once halfway through cooking. Gently stir in tofu cubes, sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 6 servings
Per Serving (280 cal, 6g fat, 6g fiber) (Unofficial WW = 5 points)

Changes Made:
Added fresh sliced mushrooms when I added the noodles.

Review
This was very good. Perfect for an easy meal at the end of the day with minimal work. It could use some zip for some though. Maybe a sprinkling of crushed red pepper...I will try that tomorrow for lunch.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of dry black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14oz) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp finely shredded lime peel

Hot cooked brown rice
Snipped fresh cilantro
Chopped fresh jalapenos
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped onion
Lime wedges

Directions:
In large saucepan, combine 4 cups of water and beans. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

Place beans in slow cooker. Add broth, the 1 cup chopped onion, the bay leaves, finely chopped jalapenos, garlic, cumin, and lime peel.

Cover and cook on low-heat for 10-12 hours or on high heat for 5-6 hours.

Discard bay leaves. Mash beans slightly. Serve with hot cooked rice. Garnish with cilantro, chopped jalapenos, tomatoes, additional chopped onion, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 5 servings
Per serving (353 cal, 2g fat, 12g fiber) (unofficial WW = 6 points)

Changes made:
None

Review:
A favorite!!! Definitely double recipe to keep this around as long as possible.
Kind of weird, but Manda and I loved this with sliced banana.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Vegetable-and-Garbonzo Curry


Ingredients:
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup loose-pack frozen cut green beans
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (14oz) can vegetable broth
3 tsp curry powder
1 (14oz) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Combine all veggies in slow cooker. Stir in broth and curry powder.
Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2&1/2 to 3 hours.
Stir in coconut milk and basil.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Per Serving (219 cal, 7g fat, 9g fiber) (unofficial WW = 4 points)

Changes Made:
None

Review:
Great over brown rice. Double recipe as left overs are awesome for lunch.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Multigrain Pilaf

Ingredients:
2/3 cup wheat berries
1/2 cup regular barley
1/2 cup wild rice
2 (14oz) cans vegetable broth
2 cups loose-pack frozen edamame
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter or margarine
3/4 tsp dried sage, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Rinse and drain wheat berries, barley, and wild rice. In slow cooker, combine everything.
Cover and cook on low-heat for 6-8 hrs or high heat for 3-4 hours.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 12 servings
Per serving (169 cal., 4g fat, 5g fiber) (unofficial WW= 3 points)

Changes Made:
Eric and Ana enjoyed theirs with shredded Parmesan on top.

Review:
This was better than I thought it would be. Makes a great side or main dish.