Made an awesome "side" dish tonight, but I will be making this again for sure--comfort food that could easily sub for mac-n-cheese cravings.
In the pan
Creamy Parmesan Orzo
1 TBSP Butter
1 C orzo
1 1/4 C reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 C water
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Cook dry orzo in butter for 3 minutes--STIR CONSTANTLY!
Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until orzo is done (liquid is absorbed~15 minutes). Remove from heat and add cheese and salt.
2 cups 1 serving = 1/2 C
5pts.+/serving
Worth every point.
Close up orzo yummyness
My dinner. Lentils from Tuesday, ciabatta roll buttered and cooked in a frying pan (like my mom used to make with rolls on Saturday mornings for my little sister and I), and orzo. This meal would have been totally on plan if I wouldn't have super-buttered the ciabatta roll. Whatever. It was DELICIOUS.
Got this recipe from my Great-Aunt's daughter when she had me, my mom, and my great-aunt over for dinner shortly after gramma passed.
I made the vinaigrette yesterday, and now I wish I would have had this instead of all the fatty cheesey-ness last night. This was just YUMMY and satisfying, and I don't have a gut-ache after eating a HUGE plate full!!
Heaven
My version (I will include details of the original immediately after!)
1/2 c sugar
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice + extra
1 TBSP shallot finely chopped + extra
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2/3 C olive oil (I would probably do less next time)
2-3 tsp. poppy seeds (holy crap these are expensive! Yummy, but expensive!!)
**UPDATE**
There is about 1 cup of liquid=about 60 teaspoons=One serving is about 4 teaspoons.
=Each serving is 3 Pointsplus.
*****
1 bag romaine lettuce
1 bag baby spinich
1 med fuji apple
dump of dried cranberries/pomegranates (from Trader Joe's)
Mix sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and salt. Add poppy seeds. Put all salad stuff together, drizzle with vinaigrette, and eat! YUM!
Notes:
I poured everything into a large canning jar to mix whenever I wanted to. It is fun to see the separation and then shake it up to mix it! There is MUCH vinaigrette left over, and I think this will last a LONG time.
Shaken!
Not shaken!
Original:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 TBSP fine chopped onion
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C vegetable oil
1-3 tsp poppy seeds
10 c romaine
cheese (Parmesan)
1 med apple
1 pear (I wanted to include pears, but mine weren't ripe enough yet)
1/4 c dried cranberries
cashews (YUK to these)
Mix sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and salt. Add poppy seeds. In a salad bowl, put cranberries, pear, apple, and cheese and drizzle with dressing (8-10 servings).
Thanks to Food and Wine (and one of my favorite Top Chef contestants--Kevin Gillespie) for this corn recipe**!! **L made this dish to go along with my burgers, and I had no idea what the point value was as I was shoveling it in--DELICIOUS. Fresh, creamy, summery, yummy!!!
Creamless Creamed Corn With Mushrooms and Lemon
Recipe by Kevin Gillespie
Close up in the pan!
(the anticipated time for making this was 40 minutes--it took L way over an hour--he is very thorough and wants to do things right. It was totally worth the wait!)
Ingredients
6 medium dried shiitake mushroom caps
Boiling water
10 ears white corn, shucked
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a bowl, cover the shiitake with boiling water. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, set a box grater in a large bowl. On the coarse side, grate 5 ears of the corn all the way to the cob. Using a serrated knife, cut the kernels from the remaining ears of corn. Using the dull side of the knife, scrape the juices from the cobs into the bowl.
Drain and mince the shiitake. In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the shallots, garlic and shiitake and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to high and when the oil sizzles, add the corn and its juices. Cook, stirring, until the corn is thick and shiny, 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice, season with salt and pepper and serve.
6 Servings ~1c/serving--4pts/serving (too good and a solid serving of yummy veggies to be too disconcerting)
Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground lean turkey
1Tbsp minced garlic (+more)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c teriyaki sauce
1/4 c scallions chopped (+more)
1 large egg white
Pre-bite deliciousness. I took one picture so I could hurry up and take a bite!
Directions
Mix all ingredients together until just combined.
Make sure grill is ready to cook meat. (spray grill with cooking spray--not the actual patties...learned THAT one the hard way!)
Make into 4 LARGE or 5 medium patties (I actually used a scale and made two 4oz. patties and three 5oz. patties.)
Grill burgers until fully cooked about 5-7 minutes per side.
5 burgers = ~5 pts/burger
This my own variation of a WW recipe, and I thought these were excellent. L grilled them perfectly--they weren't too dry--which can often happen with ground turkey. The meat was VERY flavorful with all the added deliciousness, and I had mine with a 1 point sandwich thin and added sauteed mushrooms and onions--totally not needed. L, who normally LOADS up his burger, ate his "naked." YES!!!!!
I was super hungry, so that is why there is a bite out of it. Also, yes, this is in a serving dish. Every single one of our plates were dirty so we really did this meal up in style. L's meal was on a serving platter. We are really the most sophisticated eaters ever.
1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
1 pound(s) button mushrooms, about 24 large mushrooms (I am not sure how that many fits in a 1lb package, but whatever. L got me one package with 13 mushrooms)
1 Tbsp. olive oil *3 cloves garlic chopped *1 shallot chopped
¼ cup(s) onion(s), chopped (I used red)
¼ cup(s) sweet red pepper(s), chopped (I didn't use these)
10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I used fresh that I chopped--probably about 4 ounces of fresh? I suck at measuring though)
2 ½ slice(s) whole-wheat bread, chopped into bread crumbs (No bread--mine went moldy (gross), so I used 1/4 c Italian seasoning Progresso bread crumbs)
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, or Cajun seasoning (didn't use)
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (didn't use) *my personal additions
•Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
•Remove mushroom stems from caps and finely chop stems; reserve caps and set aside.
•Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. **This is also where I sautéd the shallot and garlic**Sauté mushroom stems, onion, pepper and spinach until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.
Also pre-oven--close up!
•Stuff each mushroom cap with 2 tablespoons of filling mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed sides up, on jellyroll pan. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes; serve warm. Note: The mushrooms can be stuffed in advance, covered, refrigerated and then baked later in the day to save on last minute preparation time.)
13 mushrooms = 1 pt./mushroom (GRRRRR--if I would have used less bread crumbs, it could have been less!)
Post-baking. YUM YUM YUM!! L even liked them!!!
Delicious. Definitely didn't need all the breadcrumbs, but they are a nice addition. YUM! I am going to definitely make these for the girls of book club!!
4 ½ cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 2 pounds) (I used 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes)
⅓ cup finely chopped onion (I used red onion)
½ cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I think even more would be awesome)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced radishes
Place potato in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool; cover and chill. Stir in onion.
Combine mayonnaise, chopped fresh chives, fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle radishes over potato mixture just before serving.
YUM!!!
This makes 8 servings (1/2 c/serving), and is 2 pts./serving.
Really light, refreshing, and VERY summery! Not too onion-y, and the lemon is super good!
Dang. I know I am getting obsessed here--the fridge is CRAMMED with leftovers from my "projects," but when I saw this recipe on the WW boards this morning, I knew I had to try it...even if I didn't have all the ingredients. I was going to just make 1/2 the recipe, but--I AM a WI girl to my core, so I went forward...probably not the best idea since my tweaks increased the points by 2/serving, but really--the recipe was easy, and I'd totally make this again.
*4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 1/4 cups fat-free milk (Ran out of milk at 1 2/3--all I had was 1/2 and 1/2--so, I used 1/3 cup of it. Sigh.)
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened (+an additional pinch because I was short 1/4 c milk.)
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (+probably more)
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (+MORE!!)
* 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I had 1 cup of low-fat Mexican shredded cheese, and then used 1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese).
The finished product...
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.
7 cups=1 cup/serving : 8 points/serving...
DELICIOUS. The Dijon adds an awesome flavor, and easily could be a side dish 1/2 the amount and 1/2 the points. This was really easy to make, and I am satisfied on this cloudy Oregon day!!
So..not the cleverest title, but whatever.
The first time L and I went to dinner, he took me here. Beyond. Amazing. His mom and step dad are best friends with the head chef/owner and his wife, and it is like we are royalty when we go there. It is a rare occasion--not just on our cholesterol/fat levels, but our checking account--but SO worth it when we go.
Why this background? Well, I have been taking Prednisone for the past three days, and still have three more days to go. I don't feel myself, my knee still effing hurts, and, sick as it sounds, I want to get back outside and walk/jog. I feel loopy in the head, jittery, I am sleeping like crap--I took Benadryl last night to get a full 6 hours unlike the previous night of 3. Basically, I don't feel like myself. At all. I have already eaten 16.5 points (leaving me with 15.5), and it is only 2:41 PM, but I am hungry, and crave non-stop eating.
So I made focaccia.
I revisited my autographed (AWESOME) Paley's Place Cookbook, and made the dough. I've made this once before, and it is amazing, and once I know how many slices I can get, I will know the point value more accurately. As of now, the whole thing will be at least 24 points. And, as crappy as I feel right now, knowing this will help. Immensely.
I can't post the recipe. I'm sorry. I'd rather have you go out and get this AWESOME cookbook--seriously. The goat-cheese walla-walla onion tart is TO DIE FOR. Definitely not on plan, but amazing. The recipies aren't pretentious nor are they only for the "foodie." This is one of the huge reasons I am such Paleys' supporters. Vitaly and Kimberly Paley are amazing people who love food, and love to share that passion with others. The cookbook is an awesome read--beyond recipes, and basically, my favorite cookbook--even if I am not skilled (or confident) enough to make all the dishes included.
P.S. He's been on Oprah, Martha Stewart, and is pretty much famous. AND L's parent's hang out with them all the time. It is pretty cool. (Yeah, I am in awe of famous people (chefs) and any entourage.)
