WW Recipe Diva

Get him to the Greek!!!

2012-09-05T18:23:00.002-07:00

Best Greek Salad Dressing Ever!I think everything I post is the best ever. There are many things I make that never make it here. A few weeks ago my friend Darcie and I went on a shopping trip to Dallas. I had the best Greek Salad at Pappadeaux's while we were there, so I tried to recreate it at home. It's pretty close! I looked at several places for Greek dressing and it all had weird stuff I couldn't pronounce. While this takes more work than cracking open a bottle of dressing it's cheaper and much tastier. I keep mine in the fridge, it will last a few weeks. It makes a great marinade too but I don't want to "waste" it like that. For the dressing:1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best you can afford) 2/3 cup FRESH Squeezed lemon ( for the love of God, don't use the plastic lemon!!) 2 tsp Dijon mustard2 tsp oregano 1/2-1 tsp salt (salt with a half first) 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper 1 TB onion flakes 1 TB fresh parsley 3 garlic cloves, pressed. Salad:You'll need a crisp sturdy lettuce. Red leaf lettuce had become my replacement for romaine. It's what I used Roma tomatoes (I halve them, scoop out the seeds and salt each half, and let sit a few minutes before chopping) Greek Olives, pitted and halved Celery, thinly sliced Feta cheese crumbled green onions, green and white, chopped green and red bell pepper strips croutons Cucumber, seeded peeled and sliced Pappadeux's version has capers, which I liked but the ones I bought were too large and I didn't care for them so I left them out. In a blender, combine all ingredients but the oil. While blending slowly add the oil through the feeder opening of the blender. The key is to do this slowly so the dressing will emulsify. It takes patience which I find myself lacking, I usually get tired of dribbling and dump the oil in. You will do better though, because you are patient. You can also use a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and just shake the hell out of it. For each salad in a large bowl, toss the following: A couple of handfuls of Torn red leaf lettuce 4 Greek Olives, sliced 1-2 TB of feta cheese chopped tomatoes celery croutons green and red bell peppers 2 TB dressing Your salad will vary in points based on what you add. 2 TB of dressing is 3 points. The first time I made this I used leftover sirloin steak for my protein. Tonight I added shrimp. It's so good, I want to drink the dressing!!!

Ancho Shrimp over Chipolte Corn Cakes

2012-07-15T19:35:00.002-07:00

My friend Rachel told me about an awesome recipe from the Crisco website. I've tweaked it a little from the original. The original recipe calls for more butter and 1/2 cup of shortening for frying. I'm sure these would be great fried..but I can't afford the calories. You could make the corn cakes into corn muffins, bake 10-15 minutes at 350. The shrimp mixture is awesome over pasta. You could most certainly use fat free half and half or low fat cream cheese for the heavy cream. I always have more corn cakes than I need. I use them for breakfast and serve them with poached or over easy eggs on top. It's been a while since I've posted. I blame life. :) PS. Be very careful when you are handing the ancho peppers. I don't find them that spicy so I didn't think about touching them and then touching my face. I happened to have a fever blister and touched it with my pepper hands. I wanted to dunk my face in a bucket of milk. BE CAREFUL! I should have worn gloves, you definitely should. Ancho Shrimp over Chipolte Cheddar Corn Cakes Cakes1/3 cup scallions, chopped2 chipotle peppers, finely chopped.1 cup frozen corn1 tsp salt1 egg1 cup buttermilk3 TB sour cream1 1/3 cup cornmeal1/2 tsp baking powder4 ounces, Chipotle , shredded ( smoked gouda or smoked cheddar)1 TB butter, melted3 Dried Ancho Chiles, dried, stems and seeds removed3 garlic cloves, pressed1 lb shrimp ( deveined and shells removed, seasoned with salt and pepper)Preheat oven to 200.In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, corn, scallions, salt, baking powder, chipolte pepper, egg and buttermilk and cheese. Spray skillet with cooking spray, add 1/4 cup batter for each cake. Cook over medium heat, in batches 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Keep cakes warm in oven until ready to serve.Over medium heat, melt 1 TB butter. Add Ancho chiles and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook one minute, until fragrant. Add shrimp, saute until opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside. Add tomatoes, cook 5 minutes. Remove chile pods, add shrimp and stir in cream. Serve over corn cakes. Add scallions for garnishCalories 348.3 Fat 12 Carbs 35.6 Fiber 3.8 Protein 27.5 6 servings :3/4 cup Shrimp 2 corn cakes 9 Points PlusOne cake is 3 points, 6 points for 2. Nutritional information for two corn cakes.Calories 218.1 Total Fat 6.8 g Total Carbohydrate 31.2 g Dietary Fiber 3.0 g Protein 11 Cholesterol 35.1 mg Sodium 111.1 mg Potassium 255.1 mg Sugars 3.6 g

Chicken Baseball Cups

2012-03-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

If you have been on weight watchers for some time, you might have heard of Chicken Baseballs. I made a version with phyllo dough in a previous post. For some reason, I started out thinking I would make a pampered chef type ring, only to discover I needed two cans of rolls and I only had one. For some reason (in my fatigued mind) cutting out the dough into circles seemed like less work that pressing the dough into a square and folding over. They looked cute anyway. Artichokes and spinach would be good additions. You could use cheddar cheese and salsa instead of the veggies and parm.

Chicken Baseball Cups

6 ounces Chicken cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup onion, chopped and cooked
1/2 tsp garlic and onion Mrs. Dash (or your favorite seasoning)
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced and cooked
1 ounce freshly grated parmesan cheese
54 grams (1/4 container) of light chive and onion Philly cream cheese, softened
1 packaged reduced fat crescent rolls
1-2 Tb skim milk

Mix all ingredients, except crescent rolls. Set aside.

Carefully open crescent rolls, leaving in one piece pinch seams and roll out until uniform thickness. Using a biscuit cutter (bigger than the size of opening of the muffin tin, cut out 8 rounds. Re roll and cut 8 smaller circles for the tops. Press large circles in muffin tins. Use scraps to add to edges. Fill each cup with 1/4 cup filling, top with smaller circle of dough. For a shiny top, brush with egg whites or milk. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

For 8 Skinny People
Calories 151.2 Fat 6.3 Carbs 14.2 Fiber .4 Protein 9.4
4 Points Plus
4 servings 1 cup each

Calories 302.4 2 cups each
Fat 12.6 Carbs 28.4 Fiber .9 Protein 18.9
8 Points Plus

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

2012-03-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

If today everyone is Irish, then I declare these have no points! I adapted this from several different recipes. Also I can't add 2 sticks of butter to anything, the applesauce works well as a replacement for 1 stick of butter in the batter. They are moist and chocolately. I wouldn't serve these to children unless you want to take them to an AA meeting. Enjoy!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

2012-03-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Since it's 80 degrees here, it seemed liked soup weather. :) Actually, it was new wire day for my braces. It will be soup for a while. Trust me on the gravy mix. It's just a white sauce..

Broccoli Cheese Soup

6 cups water or chicken broth
8 ounces Cabot's 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
1 package Pioneer Biscuit gravy mix, mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
1/2 TB flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 TB dried onion flakes
1 TB dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam 1/4 pound of broccoli for 3 minutes, submerge into ice water. Set aside.

Boil remaining broccoli in water or broth. (I used water and better than bouillon) Add parsley, garlic and onion powders and onion flakes. Cook 15-20 minutes until decimated, or really tender. Transfer broccoli to a blender, add a cup of cooking water and carefully blend. If you have an immersion blender (I wish I did) skip the blender and blend in the saucepan.

Add 1/2 TB flour to shredded cheese and toss. Add broccoli back to cooking water and bring to a boil. Add in Pioneer's gravy mix, mixed with 1/2 cup of water to the broccoli. Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and steamed broccoli.

8- 1 cup servings
Calories 135.9 Fat 7.7 Carbs 8.0 Fiber 1.7 Protein
4 Points Plus

Stir before serving, the cheese tends to separate as it cools.

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Toss

2012-03-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a lot of chopped lately..tossing together what I have around the house. If you don't like asparagus, try spinach and artichokes, mushrooms, red bell pepper..whatever blows up your skirt. You might think 9 points is a bit high..eat a smaller portion for 6 but this is a meal on it's own. 9 points isn't too shabby. I prefer real food :)

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Toss

1 TB butter
1 ounce Mascarpone cheese
Pasta water
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
8 ounces asparagus, roughly chopped
1 tsp better than bouillon chicken base-
8 ounces cooked chicken breast
8 ounces Smart Taste Thin Spaghetti
1 TB fresh parsley
4 TB freshly grated parmesan cheese
Bring water and a healthy amount of salt to boil over medium high heat. Have a bowl of ice water on standby. Add asparagus and blanch 2 minutes, remove with slotted spoon to ice water bath.

Add pasta and cook according to package directions (Smart Taste cooks perfectly in 9-10 minutes). Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Turn heat down to medium low. In same saucepan, cook butter in garlic 1-2 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese, stirring until melted. Add better than bouillon, Mrs. Dash, parsley and add 1 TB of pasta water at a time until desired consistency.
Add asparagus and chicken, cooking until warmed through. Taste for seasoning. Add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt if necessary.

Add pasta, tossing to coat with sauce. Add 1 TB of cheese to each serving.

4 - 1 1/2 cups per serving

Calories 339 Fat 9.9 Carbs 46.1 Protein 23.2 Fiber 7.2
9 Points Plus
6 - 1 cup per serving
Calories 226.3 Fat 6.6 Carbs 30.7 Protein 15.5 Fiber 4.8
6 Points Plus

Serving Size: 4

Shrimp Creole

2012-03-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

I meant to make this during Mardi Gras to celebrate the wonderous foods of New Orleans but life got in the way. A lot of time I have big ideas of things to make and when it comes time to make it, it doesn't sound good anymore.

Shrimp Creole

1 Tbsp plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 TB tomato paste
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp thyme, crushed
1 tsp cajun seasoning divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 -1/2 tsp cayenne (1/2 cayenne will be really hot!)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp better than bouillon
1 cup beer
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat 1 TB oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and celery. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté for 1 minute.

Sprinkle the flour over vegetables and stir. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add beer. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning, cayenne, and salt, chicken base, Worcestershire and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a separate skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium high heat. Toss shrimp with 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning and 1 tsp of oil. Cook 2-3 minutes until pink and opaque. Top sauce with shrimp and serve over hot cooked rice.

Nutritional information for 3/4 cup sauce with 4 ounces of shrimp ( I had precisely 13 shrimp per serving)
Calories 236.9 Fat 7.9 Carbs 12.8 Fiber 2.1 Protein 21.5
5 points plus (does not include rice) A 1/2 cup brown rice is pictured.

A lot of times I use instant brown rice. I use chicken broth seasoned with garlic and onion powder and dried parsley to cook the rice in. It makes it a lot more palatable. My 1/2 cup of rice added 2.5 points.

Red Beans and Rice

2012-02-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

When I was 16 I spent a whole month in New Orleans. In August, in a house that only used air conditioning for company. I was not company. The food and the sights more than made up for it. My great aunt and uncle didn't take me to very many restaurants unless we were traveling but shortly after they took me to The Village Inn, for red beans and rice. I didn't know VI was a chain until many years later when we got one here. I ate a lot of meals over the course of the month but red beans and rice remains one of my favorite. We have a few cajun restaurants in town but I still only really like Popeye's. I thought my version came out similar. You can use dry beans but for some reason mine are always tough.

Red Beans and Rice

2 cans of red beans, rinsed
2 tsp olive oil, divided
7 ounces Turkey Smoked sausage, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 green bell peppers
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups water
3 tsp Better than Bouillon Ham Base
1/2 tsp thyme, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt to taste

Brown smoked sausage in 1 tsp of olive oil, in a large skillet over medium heat. Set aside. In same skillet, add onions, peppers and remaining 1 tsp olive oil. Cook 5 minutes until softened. add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add cajun seasoing and thyme. Stir in water, beans, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Simmer 20 minutes to combine flavor. Mash beans with a potato masher, add smoked sausage. Serve over rice.

6 1/2 cup servings.
Calories 266.5 Protein 10.9 Carbs 32.6 Fat 6.3 Fiber 8.7
5 Point Plus (without rice)

I only add about 2 TB rice per serving. Count for that accordingly.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I've posted anything. I haven't cooked a whole lot of new things. I've started back to school and avoiding homework takes a lot of my time.

My sweet boyfriend is sick and I guess that's why I made chicken noodle soup. Which is silly because 1. he lives in another state and 2. he is very sick and who knows if he could chew anyway.

To cook my chicken I poach it. There is a fine line between perfectly poached chicken and a rubbery chicken mess. I like to use tenderloins because, well they are tender. In a deep skillet with a lid add cold water to cover chicken, 1 stalk celery, 1/2 onion, a few cloves of garlic, a heavy dose of sea salt, 1 carrot, a bay leaf and I always add a splash of white wine. Cook over medium low until it barely simmers. Cover and turn heat to low, let set for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and cool, then shred. I strain the solids from water, add better than bouillon and voila flavorful broth!! I also cook the noodles separately. That way the noodles don't soak up all of the cooking liquid.

I normally use Reames Noodles you find in the freezer section, however the store was out :( The Amish noodles were a good substitute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

8 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded
8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups of water and 3 TB of better than bouillon chicken base)
8 ounces Amish Kitchen homestyle noodles
3 carrots, sliced on the bias..why not have pretty carrots?
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb
1 TB fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, add broth, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and Mrs. Dash. Cook 20 minutes until veggies are softened. Add chicken. parsley and noodles and serve.

8- 1 1/4 cup servings.

Calories 172 Fat 3.0 Protein 12.1 Carbs 22.4 Fiber 1.5 4 Points Plus

Cheesy Chicken Enchilda Casserole

2012-01-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but my niece does not like the word casserole. If you tell her it's a casserole she doesn't want to eat it. I wonder where she got this idea? She is 10, bless her cotton pickin heart so who knows. She happens to love my corn casserole with enthusiasm. So called this enchilada stuff if you must..it's good.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilda Casserole

10 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 can Old El Paso enhilada sauce (hot)
1 can rotel tomatoes and chiles, drained
1 can Campbells Fiesta Nacho cheese soup
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 TB chopped cilantro
4 ounces Cabot's 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divded
10 Misson Corn Tortillas extra thin, chopped

Combine soup, enchilada sauce, rotel, 2 ounces shredded cheese,cilantro, cumin and onions. Stir in chicken and tortillas.

Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish. Mine was a tad smaller than 13x9. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil. (I spray mine with pam, so the cheese does not stick)

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Whenever I need chicken for any kind of mexican type dish I use my baby crockpot which I think is 2 QTs, spray with pam, add chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cumin and oregano (or taco seasoning), smoked paprika and top with salsa. I cook on high for 4 hours..being very careful not to over cook. Let cool and shredd. It's great for chicken tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas and pretty much anything mexican.

6 servings
Calories 214.2 Protein 8.3 Carbs 20.4 Fat 8.7 Fiber 2.1

8 Servings Calories 160.6 Protein 6.2 Carbs 15.3 Fat 6.5 Fiber 1.6

Streusaled Cherry Chia Muffins

2012-01-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Remember Chia pets? Chia seeds are all the rage and they are they same thing that grows hair on your Chia pet.

These little seeds are miracles!! See my page on What is it and what do I do with it?

You can taste chia seeds and they are so good for you! They are the new flaxseed. To make chia gel mix 1/3 cup chia seeds with 2 cups of water. Let sit for 30 minutes. You will have Chia gel. This is a cool thing to do with the kids.

2 TB chia gel
2 TB butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp almond extract
1 TB light mayo

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.5 cup frozen cherries, thawed and coursely chopped

Streusal
1/2 cup flour
1 TB chia seeds
2 TB chopped and toasted pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TB melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter, sugar and chia gel. Add eggs,milk and mayo.

In a bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Fold wet into dry and just combined. Some ry spots are good, make sure not to over mix. Fold in cherries.

Combine all streusal ingredients with fork.

Pour batter in a greased 12 cup muffin tin. I use a large scoop, which make 12 perfect muffins. The cups should be just almost full. Add 1 TB of streusal to each muffin. Press down lightly.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 20 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Calories 231.6 Protein 4.9 Carbs 43.4 Fat 7.2 Fiber 2.5

Serving Size: 12 7 points plus..ouch! They are so good for you though, lightly sweet and filling.

Ham and Cheese Strata

2012-01-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

I've been lazy this past few weeks. Instead of making something for breakfast I've been grabbing something on the go which is a recipe for disaster. I had all sorts of things but they all required preparation. Even an almost instant smoothie seemed too daunting. I decided this week would be different. I'm lucky because at my job we have a full sized fridge and microwave. I'll bring in my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the whole week so I won't have any excuses.

My coworker made something like this earlier in the week so I thought I'd do somethings differently and see how it would turn out. She used grands biscuits and it was really buttery tasting and yummy. You could use any sort of bread you wanted. Any meat..go crazy and add some mushrooms, onions, peppers. Whatever you like go for it! I think artichokes, some softened cream cheese, sauted onions, bacon and spinach would be pretty stinkin awesome.

PS tell me if something doesn't seem right. I'm runnning on 5 hours of sleep and I've made two recipes tonight..plus zumba this afternoon. I'm.completely.exhausted.

Ham and Cheese Strata
8 reduced fat Crescent rolls, baked, torn into pieces
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1 cup fat free half and half
6 ounces lean ham, cubed
4 ounces Cabots 50% reduced fat cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 TB parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

In a "pammed" 13x9 pan, add crescent rolls.

In a large bowl whisk to combine half and half and spices. Add eggs and whisk until eggs are throughly beaten.

Add ham over crescent rolls. Add 2 ounces of cheese. Pour egg mixture crescents, ham and cheese. Add remaining cheese and cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.

8 Servings.

Calories 211 Protein 15.9 Carbs 16 Fat 9.3 Fiber 0

6 Points Plus

Other ways to connect with the diva

2012-01-04T20:36:00.001-08:00

Okay I feel ridiculous even calling myself "the diva" but I guess I did make a conscious decision to name my blog. Anyway, you can follow me o. Twitter #wwrecipediva or look up my Facebook page "Cooking with the Diva". There are more than one cooking with the divas so make sure it's me!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2012-01-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

I like to make this when I have leftover turkey or roasted chicken. If I don't have leftovers I use chicken tenders that I poach, not to confuse with boil. Rubbery chicken is not good. Just trust me on the gravy mix..I wouldn't steer you wrong. EVER. No matter how hard I try I can not write a soup recipe for 8 servings. If you need 8 servings, it would be one cup + 2 TB. :)
This is great with a salad for lunch or dinner.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1/2 cup chopped onions
2 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I like crimini aka baby bellas)
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 TB fresh chopped fresh parsley
8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water, 2 TB better than bouillon)
1/2 cup wine
I package Uncle Ben's Country Inn Wild Rice chicken flavored
1 cup french style green beans
10 ounces Chicken breast, cooked (after cooking weight) 12 ounces pre cooked weight

1 package Pioneer Biscuit Gravy mix combined with 1/2 cup cold water.

Heat oil in large pot. Add onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook 10 minutes until softened. Add garlic and parsley cook an additional minute. Add wine, cook over medium heat until wine reduces by half. Add chicken broth and seasoning packet from rice mix, cook 10 minutes until veggies are tender.
Bring to boil, add rice. Cook for 7 minutes. Add Chicken and green beans. Add Gravy mix/water. Cook until thickened, approx 2 minutes.

9- 1 cup servings
Calories 197.3 Carbs 22.4 Protein 10.5 Fat 5.4 Fiber 1.4
5 Points Plus

To calculate points I used the 2011 PointS Plus. I have yet to try the new system. I'm not sure if the calculations remain the same for the 2012 program.

White Chocolate Covered Lemon Truffles

2011-12-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

Every year I make Oreo truffles for Christmas and sometimes Valentine's day. My coworker really likes lemon so I thought I would try to make them with lemon cookies. I've seen lemon sandwich cookies before but I couldn't find any at the store. I used Lemon Coolers. A hard lemon cookie covered with powdered sugar. You will need a food processor to make the crumbs.

I made some of each kind and the chocolate ones were the only ones left. I don't think of lemon as a Christmasy flavor but everyone loved these. I just had a thought..what about gingerbread cookies instead of lemon? The possiblities are endless. I think these would be great with chopped dried blueberries on top. You could use vanilla wafers, a tiny bit of peppermint extract and crushed peppermint candies on top. Orange with cranberries.. Vanilla with pistashios and dried cranberries.

1 box Niche foods Lemon cookies, processed into fine crumbs
5 ounces light cream cheese, softened
2 TB butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup ghiradelli white chocolate chips
1 TB shortening
1 TB lemon juice
Lemon zest from one lemon, finely chopped. About one tablespoon.

Using an electric mixer combine all ingredients but shortening and white chocolate chips.

Using a small cooking scoop form dough into balls. Place them on a sheet pan that has been lined with non stick foil or wax paper. Insert a toothpick into each ball, going only half way into ball. Freeze for one hour.

Melt chocolate and shortening together on top of a double boiler. *I use a poor man's double boiler which is a sauce pan with a metal mixing bowl that fits perfectly on top.

Dip each ball into chocolate using a rubber spatula to help coat it completely. Tap on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Return to cookie sheet. Remove tooth pick from ball. I use another toothpick to help faciliate this. Using the chocolate coated spatula cover the hole with a small amount of chocolate. Top with your favorite adornments.

Makes 35 truffles.
Calories 76 Carbs 8.8 Protein 1.1 Fat 4.3 Fiber 0
Plus Points 2

Instant Smoothies! Almost.

2011-12-20T16:16:00.001-08:00

With the addition of braces I've been making a ton of smoothies. So I made a whole pitcher and poured it into ice cube trays. Now I add 6 cubes and 1 cup of liquid and blend. I add leaves of kale or spinach when blending for a nutritional boost. I haven't adding it then freezing. I like the freshness Kake adds. It's grassy but in a good way. I can taste the spinach. Which I like but not with sweet stuff. Maybe I used too much.

This is what I used for my smoothie cubes:

1 bag of frozen mixed berries
1 bag of strawberries
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
4 scoops whey protein
Water as needed to blend.

I removed all the seeds from my berries because I didn't want to pick them out later. Also I hate getting to the end of a smoothie and being left with a ton of seeds.

Blend your smoothie ingredients and pour into ice trays. Freeze. After the are frozen turn out into a gallon size zip top bag.

When you are ready to go blend up your cubes with 1/2 to 1 cup of water, milk or juice. I like to add chia seeds too.
Voila! Virtually instant smoothie.

Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

2011-12-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

I realize I say The Best ____ Ever a lot but really when I say it I mean it. These aren't your regular old cardboardy slightly sweet floured tasting gems. These cookies are sweet and slightly tangy. Add some icing and they are full of awesome! Both of these recipes are from Allrecipes.

White Velvet Cutouts
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla. Stir in the flour. Gather the dough into a ball and chill overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to a thickness of 3/16 inch. Cut into desired shapes and place onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool. Leave the cookies plain or decorate with your favorite icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

I have to play around with the amounts of milk and corn syrup to get the right consistency. I like to dip them in icing, dust with sanding sugar and pipe on accents with royal icing.

Aww look at my dutch baby..

2011-12-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Since Thursday I'm the proud new owner of braces. I've been living on soup and milkshakes. This morning I thought I might be able to manage pancakes but being a single lady I didn't want a ton of pancakes. So I made a dutch baby pancake which is more eggy and bit more dense than pancake. I like them. I added 1 TB of maple syrup but any sort of fruit pie filling would be awesome too.

Dutch Baby Pancake

1/2 cup skim milk
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup flour (sifted)
Dash of salt
1 tsp of vanilla, lemon or almond extract
2 TB sugar
1 TB butter

Preheat a cast iron skillet in a 475 degree oven.

In order to get a bigger puff make sure your milk is not ice cold and eggs are at room temp. You can warm the eggs by submerging them in hot water for a few minute.

Beat eggs with a whisk, add milk, sugar and extracts. Whisk in flour until batter is smooth.

Melt 1 TB of butter in cast iron skillet. Pour in batter and return to the oven. Lower temperature to 425. Bake 10 minutes until puffed and brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serves 4.

Nutritional information using egg beaters
Calories 121.7 Protein 4.6 Carbs 18.4 Fat 3 Fiber .4
3 Points Plus

Nutritional Information using 2 eggs
Calories 141.7 Protein 4.7 Carbs 18.2 Fat 5.5 .4
4 Points Plus

Moist Gingerbread with Orange Glaze

2011-12-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

All I have to say is YUM!!!

Gingerbread with Orange Glaze

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 TB ground cinnamon
1 TB ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Spray bundt pan or loaf pan or mini loaf pans with cooking spray

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, pumpkin and mix in the molasses.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 40-50 minutes , until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire wrack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar or glaze with the following.

Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 TB orange juice, drizzle over top of cake.

Serving Size: 24
Calories 170 Protein 1.7 Carbs 34.5 Fat 4.2 Fiber .5
5 Points Plus

With 1/4 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup of butter
Calories 154.8 Protein 1.7 Carbs 35.7 Fat 2.3 Fiber .5
5 Points Plus

Chopped, Home Version! Italian Wedding Soup

2011-12-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

I really didn't want to spend money on food when I had plenty of items in my pantry and freezer. So..this is what I came up with. I think IWS normally has beef meatballs and also shredded chicken in it but I only had chicken breasts. Really the only place I've eaten IWS is my workplace cafeteria so my soup was based on what I remember it to have in it and also what I had in my pantry. I used israeli couscous instead of anci de pepe but any small pasta would work. You could use rice even or leave it out all together.

I only had chicken breasts and pork chops in the freezer. Chicken made more sense. I used my food processor to ground the chicken. Cut your chicken into large pieces toss in the machine and pulse until it's not exactly meatpaste but well looks like ground chicken.

In the middle of making this I realized my breadcrumbs were rancid..yuck..so I used Sara Lee Delightful wheat bread instead. If I were doing all this on purpose (Ha!) I would use my food processor to make the bread crumbs , then toss in a chunk of parmesean cheese and then used it for my chicken.

Also, I would have liked the meatballs (chickenballs?) smaller but I was lazy and really 28 meatballs were 28 more than I wanted to make.

I added mushrooms because I need to use them and tossed in some sundried tomtatoes I had lying around. I had a can of hearts of palm and artichokes but I thought I might be crossing the line.

Good food is worth the work in my opinion.
You could always buy meatballs, bread crumbs and cheese in a cardboard can. I dare you.

PS. The meatballs were super awesome so I included the NI for just those in case you might want to make them for pasta or sandwich. I might not use beef to make them ever again. Really they were that good.

Meatballs
1 1/2 lb ground chicken breast
1 egg
2 slices day old bread, torn into pieces
1/4 cup skim milk
1 1/2 ounces parmesean cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB Italian seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash garlic and herb)
1 TB parsley, chopped fresh or otherwise
2 TB dried onion or 1/4 cup fresh
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves, pressed

Add milk to torn bread to create Panade* and set set for 5 minutes.

Then:
Combine bread/milk with all other ingredients all other ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes. (You could chop your veggies for the soup during this time) Using a 1 ounce scoop form meatballs. Broil 5 minutes per side or bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes. They will seem too wet, but trust they worked out fine.

Nutrition info for 3 meatballs,
Calories 124.8 Protein 21 Carbs 2.5 Fat 3 Fiber .4
3 Points Plus

For soup
2 celery stalks, diced
8 oz mushrooms,sliced (I like crimini, always)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (cover dried tomatoes boiling water, let sit for 5 minutes and drain)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 TB olive oil divided
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup Israeli couscou or anci de pepe or orzo
Saute mushrooms in 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Cook until mushrooms release water. Add in celery, onion, carrots, sundried tomatoes and garlic. Cook 5 minutes until softened. Add wine cook 1 minute, stir in broth.
Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add pasta to soup, cook for 7 minutes. Stir in Spinach and meatballs. Cook an additional 2 minutes to warm through and serve.
Makes 9 servings

Calories in 1 1/4 cup of soup and 3 meatballs 222.6 Protein 25 Carbs 15.6 Fat 5.4 Fiber 1.8 5 Points Plus

panada; panade
[pah-NAH-duh (Sp , ), puh-NAHD (Fr. , )]
1. A thick paste made by mixing bread crumbs, flour, rice, etc. with water, milk, stock, butter or sometimes egg yolks. It's used to bind meatballs, fish cakes, FORCEMEATS and QUENELLES. 2. A sweet or savory soup made with bread crumbs and various other ingredients. It may be strained before serving.

panada; panade*
[pah-NAH-duh (Sp , ), puh-NAHD (Fr. , )]
1. A thick paste made by mixing bread crumbs, flour, rice, etc. with water, milk, stock, butter or sometimes egg yolks. It's used to bind meatballs, fish cakes, FORCEMEATS and QUENELLES. 2. A sweet or savory soup made with bread crumbs and various other ingredients. It may be strained before serving.
~~From Epicurious~~

Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese icing or Christmas Goodies haveno points..right?

2011-12-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

Easy Potato Soup

2011-11-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

This was one of the first recipes I tried when I started Weight Watchers waaay back in 2002. You think I'd be thin by now. Nope, but I still love this soup. You can add up to 4 extra cups of broth to thin it a bit. It's fairly thick but I like it that way. I also like to add crumbled bacon, Cabot's light sharp cheddar cheese, light sour cream and green onions to garnish to make a sort of baked potato soup.

Easy Potato Soup

1 bag Ore-Ida Hasbrowns with peppers and onions
5 cups of water
1 package of Pioneer Biscuit gravy mix
1/2 cup water
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper..or none at all

Ignore the half piece of eaten cheese next to my salad.. Fromaggio Salsa Cliantro. YUM!

Combine 1 bag of Ore-Ida Hashbrowns with onions and peppers with 5 cups of water and 5 tsp of better than bouillon chicken soup base (or use broth instead of water). Simmer over medium heat for 30-45 minutes until thickened and hasbrowns break up.

Whisk 1/2 cup water into gravy mix and stir into soup. Cook until warmed through and thick.

You can add more water for a thinner soup. I have a cup with a salad so I can afford 4 Points Plus. It's excellent with some crispy bacon, cheese, green onions and sour cream for a spicy baked potato soup.

5-1 cup servings
Calories 179 Protein 2.4 Carbs 28.6 Fat 4.8 Fiber 2.8

4 Points Plus

Orecchiette, bacon, butternut squash in creamy browned butter sauce

2011-11-13T18:50:00.001-08:00

I came up with this dish after looking for some recipes that included pasta and roasted butternut squash. I wanted to use browned butter and some leftover marscapone and so I incorporated those into my dish. It was so good it should almost be illegal.

There is a fine line between carmelized and burned, as I learned when I made this. I bought precut and bagged butternut squash cubes and they were cut too small I suppose. They burned, I mean carmelized quickly. This dish is pointy but so worth it. I started out thinking I would use more butter, more marscapone and more cheese. I cut it back to a more manageable amount. Great for a special occassion.

2 slices applewood thick sliced smoked bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups butternut squash, cubed
4 cloves of roasted garlic, mashed
1 TB of butter
4 TB marscapone cheese
4 sage leaves
2 oz fontina cheese, shredded
freshly grated nutmeg ( a dash)
pasta water
salt to taste
1/2 lb orecchiette pasta, cooked 1 cup pasta water reserved

In a 350 degree oven roast bacon, squash and onions. (non stick foil is useful). Cook for 30 minutes unitl squash is softened and browned around the edges.

I

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a sauce over medium heat brown butter, add sage leaves and cook 1 minute. Remove leaves. Stir in marscapone cheese stirring until smooth. Add roasted garlic. Slowly add water until sauce is desired consistency. Stir in squash mixture and 1 ounce fontina cheese. Add salt to taste and nutmeg. I used about 3/4 tsp of salt. Pour into a greased broiler proof casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings.

Calories 435.7 Protein 15 Carbs 54.5 Fat 17.4 Fiber 4.7

Pumpkin Waffles with Cream Cheese "syrup"

2011-11-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Just because it's Christmas at Walamart and every other shopping venue doesn't mean it is. We haven't even reached Thanksgiving! So let's celebrate fall before we blink and it's over. PS You can use the batter for pancakes instead. Real maple syrup works too..I know I checked. YUM!!

Pumpkin Waffles with Cream Cheese "Syrup"
(Frosting for breakfast just sounds wrong)

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs, beaten
1 TB canola oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat heat waffle iron.

In a large bowl combine flours, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and baking soda, set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients (wet). Gently fold into dry ingredients being careful no to overmix.

Pour 1/4 cup batter for each waffle. My cheap aldi waffle maker cooked my waffles in 4 minutes. Usually once they are steaming they are down..

These are great to freeze and reheat in the toaster. Enjoy fall well into the spring..but I don't think they will last that long.

Serves 8, 2 waffles each
Calories 160.5 Protein 5.4 Carbs 29 Fat 3.6 Fiber 2
4 Points Plus

For Cream Cheese "syrup"

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TB corn syrup.

Stir corn syrup into the cream cheese, add sugar and whisk unitl smooth. Add water 1 TB at a time until desired consistency.

Yields 12 TB, 1 TB per serving.

Calories 67.1 Protein .7 Carbs 12 Fat 2 Fiber 0
2 Points Plus

Make your own Tazo Passiontealemonade

2011-11-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite drinks at starbucks. It's not as expensive as the coffee but it is much much more cost effective to make it at home.

Here's how.

Steep 4 Tazo passion tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Add tea to a 2 liter pitcher. Add the juice of 6-8 lemons, depending on how tart they are and how tart you like it. I start with 6 and taste. Add your sweetner of choice. I use 1 cup of splenda but sugar and agave work just fine too. Pour over ice and serve. If I'm feeling fancy I add lemon slices.

So pretty, refreshing, delicious and budget friendly!! On a side note my 3 old niece calls lemonade lemonlaid...so stinkin cute!