Again, I pilfered a recipe. Krista posted this today, and I couldn't get to the store fast enough. So, after the gym, I did.
I was going to post this tomorrow, but I just ate some of this for a "dessert" (I am semi-hungry and still have 8 pts. left for the day), and it was SO GOOD I couldn't wait to post.
My mom used to eat jicama like it was an apple. She'd try to get my sister and I to enjoy it like she did, but what did I want with a vegetable that was like a fruit that was sort-of-tasteless, when there were Ranch Doritos around?
Maybe too much cilantro, but it was perfect for me!
So, it's been a while since me and jicama have hooked up. And, I won't wait so long again. If you look past what a task peeling the bad boy is, jicama really is an interesting legume.
Combine jicama with my favorite fruit--fresh pineapple--some cilantro and fresh lime juice and the result is a fresh, crispy, sweet, mild, citrusy, springy treat.
I am a baby with spice, so I didn't include a pepper like Krista did--so feel free to ramp up the heat with your own tweaks.
Jicama-Pineapple Salad
(adapted from Krista at Guerilla Gourmet)
1/2 fresh cut pineapple (chop it up)
1/4 ~ of a jicama (after peeling and chopping up)
Cilantro (I think I used about 1/4 C)
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime
Mix together. Let sit (I can't wait to try this tomorrow!!). Eat. Feel free to salt to taste. Me? I thought it was perfect.
Servings? Who cares, eat the whole friggen bowl if you want to! Get this: 0 POINTS!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it is DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks Beth for the idea!!
Yummy, fresh, and lots of veggies!!!
Grain Salad
Grain:
2/3 C red quinoa rinsed (this was all I had)
1 C beef broth
In a small pan, bring broth with quinoa in it to a boil. Simmer for 18-20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Let cool. (I didn't do this.)
Veggies:
1 can artichoke hearts drained
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added) drained
1 C frozen corn
1 GIANT cucumber
1/8 C chopped cilantro
2 stalks celery chopped
1/8 red onion chopped
Cucumber, celery, corn, red onion
cilantro, artichokes, tomato
Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
Mix all together. Salt to taste.
6 servings (1 cup/serving) = 2pts+/serving! YES!
I would probably add black beans next time, but I just wanted to finish this salad so I could eat it. It is GOOD. I can't wait to see how awesome it will be after it sits overnight!
More brownish I'd say. It wasn't as scary as I anticipated. I actually thought it was good. I didn't like how it smelled though. Yay for straws.
I will admit that it didn't make a life-altering change as I saw/felt, but maybe this was because I didn't drink it immediately in the morning? I don't know. It did fill me up for several hours. And, it was nice getting in 3-4 servings of fruits and veggies in one shot.
My first Green Monster
1TBSP flax seeds
2 C baby spinach
1 handful frozen peaches
1 handful frozen blueberries
1 banana
1 C skim milk
I forgot that I made these on Superbowl Sunday.
They sucked. I didn't like them at all. YUK. Maybe it is because I didn't have dry mustard? Either way, I think if I want fried onion rings, I'll save up some points and have REAL ones.
Make sure to use THICK onion slices--the thin ones got super dark and were gross.
2 large onion(s), Spanish, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and separated into rings
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk (Didn’t have in the house, so I made my own: 1TBSP vinegar into a measuring cup. Add milk (I used skim) until 1 C. Let sit for 5 minutes. Use.)
1 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs (I used ½ C panko & ½ C seasoned bread crumbs)
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, dry mustard and salt. Add onions and toss to coat.
Pour buttermilk into another large bowl, add onions and toss to coat (use your hands for the best result).
Place bread crumbs in another large bowl, add onions and toss to coat. Transfer onions to prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Yields about 1/2 an onion per serving.
Flavor Booster: Give onion rings more crunch and fiber by using homemade multi-grain bread crumbs. Place 2 slices of toasted multi-grain bread in a food processor or blender and mince using on/off pulses.
4 servings 6pts+/serving
**There was a great amount of extra coating. I only used 1 onion because I was nervous that these weren't going to go over well in my mouth. I was totally right.Yuk. L said that "they aren't too bad." Yeah.
I've been craving (big surprise) potatoes (and bread, but I need to avoid bread--it is just a train-wreck when I get near it!), so I tried a recipe tweaked from WW.
Easy!
DELICIOUS!
Low-points for the flavor!
Cooked too long. :(
2 potatoes cut thinly and evenly (I cut mine like fast-food fries)
4 cloves garlic diced (I love garlic)
3 tsp olive oil
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste (did I mention I love garlic? Just make sure you don't unscrew the lid, and dump a pile of garlic powder on the potatoes like I did.)
My plate of YUMM!!!!
Preheat oven to 450. After cutting up potatoes, put on paper towels to dry them. Then put them in a bag (the potatoes, not the paper towel) and add the garlic and olive oil. Close bag and shake around to make sure mixture gets on all the tatoes. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil (I would probably spray the foil with Pam next time) and spread potatoes evenly on foil. Put in oven. If you are me, you sit upstairs and blog for 25 minutes and don't flip them over, go downstairs to a house that smells of garlic, and then realize that the fries were just a little overcooked. But, they were crispy (which I love), and delicious, which is all I care about.
Ideally, cook 10 min, flip. Cook 10 more minutes, flip again. Cook 10 more minutes (depending on the thickness/size of your potatoes, you'd have to adjust).
I called it 2 servings (1 per potato) 4 pts+/serving.
Totally worth it. Also, I am doing this with sweet potatoes next week for sure!!
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).
I'm not going to lie, my gramma LOVED to eat. She loved food, and loved to bake. She was definitely a food pusher, all the way up to the end, and I know that my portion control/lack of ability to recognize fullness comes from her. She always let us know that we were welcome to eat ANYTHING we wanted to when we were visiting, and even when I would explain that I had joined WW and was trying to be careful with what I ate, she still offered me bites of her dessert (and meal) when I'd sit with her as she ate to help her. Last night, after spending the day with her, I went for a LONG jog/walk. Today, when I got back after she passed, I started these two recipes in order to fight the urge to get in my car and drive to Culvers and then Belts (an amazing ice cream local joint).
I've never had acorn squash. I've also only made pancakes with Bisquick. But I needed to do something, because going to bed at 4:30 in the afternoon just isn't a good solution.
(**Note after eating. Dear Acorn Squash, I love you. A great deal. YUM!)
Acorn Squash
Pre heat oven to 375 - 400 degrees F.
Scoop the seeds out of each half with a spoon
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. honey (on one half)
1 tsp. maple syrup (on the other half)
1 tsp. brown sugar--each half
salt and pepper
Place upright on a greased cookie sheet and roast for about 1 hour or until tender when flesh is poked with a fork. (I used a glass bread tin)
Each half = 3 pts. each
Pre-oven
Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits (recipe halved as per the Bisquick box)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Post-oven.
1 c reduced fat Bisquick 1/3 c skim milk
1/4 c shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
garlic powder
minced garlic (my addition--I super-heart garlic)
Bake 8-10 minutes (recipe suggested on a cookie sheet, but I used a muffin tin)
6 biscuits: 2 pts. each
My dinner! I ate the Maple Syrup one--YUM!!
Dessert= Moonstruck Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Truffle. OMG. TO. DIE. FOR. YUM. Totally worth 2 points!!!
The biscuit was a little dry, but really, they hit the spot, and for two points, I'm not complaining.
While my version turned out slightly different, this meal was awesome, hearty, and super-perfect for a chilly fall evening/morning!
AND...my sister liked it too!! (not a minor feat let me tell you!)
Crock Pot Awesomeness
2 Honeycrisp Apples cut up (these were pretty big apples--grown in WI too!!)
2 Sweet potatoes scrubbed and cut up
1 yellow onion cut up
6 whole cloves of garlic
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 drumsticks (they still had the bones and skin) (*I was really looking for white meat since my sister doesn't like dark meat, but I wound up buying this chicken because it was from local free-range chicken farms that don't use artificial anything. While expensive for my limited budget at the moment, the extra money spent really is worth it to me--especially after watching Food Inc.)
Cinnamon (GENEROUS amount shaken all over the different "layers")
Put all components into crock pot (I pretty much STUFFED the crock pot to maximum capacity), layering the different ingredients with shakes of cinnamon.
I put the dish in the refrigerator overnight (I prepped all of this the night before), took it out before I left the house in the morning (at 6:25 am), and my sister had some when I got home at 6:45 pm and it was PERFECT. The meat fell apart, and the flavor was incredible. Hearty, sweet (but not too sweet), and a little savory all in one. YUM.
Mine reminds me of a stew--much more liquidy than I anticipated (thank goodness I didn't add any liquid!! Thanks Krista!), but totally forkable.
And beyond easy.
My sister estimated we will get about 10 servings from what I made.
10 servings=3pts. per serving. FRIGGEN AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No picture, because it is white and creamy, and looks like veggie dip. BUT, I wasn't expecting it to be SO good!! L's mom made this for a BBQ they had but she might have added water at the suggestion of her husband! :) I didn't, and I can't believe how perfect it is as a dip!!
Ok, this is almost as easy as what I normally do (light sour cream and ranch powder mix), but there is an additional step.
Indgredients
1 container low fat cottage cheese
1 packet hidden valley ranch powder mix
dill weed (I added a lot! I LOVE IT!)
Put all in blender, and blend until creamy smooth.
That's it! YAY!!
8 points TOTAL for the entire thing of dip!! Which, I'm sure I will probably get more than 8 servings, which is about a point or less every time I consume veggies and dip.
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.
This is one of the first WW recipes I ever tried. I LOVE IT!!!
Full tray of awesomeness!!!
8 ounces low-fat refrigerated crescent rolls
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 c reduced fat mayonaise
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing powder **I also add dill weed and garlic powder**
~~~
chopped veggies to your liking (I used green onions, carrots (thank you Nelson for the awesome mini-Cuisine Art chopper--it worked AWESOME for this!!), and broccoli. I thought about using tomatoes and green peppers, but I wanted to avoid potential sliminess.)
Preheat oven as per package instructions.
Roll out the crescent roll dough onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet, and
pinch together edges to form the pizza crust.
Bake crust for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. O
Remove crust from oven and let cool 15 minutes without removing it from the baking sheet.
In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch dressing mix (and any other spices).
Spread the mixture over the cooled crust.
Pile the veggies on!!
Close up with a piece taken out (YUM)
I got 12 square slices 3pts/square. There is a little bit of excess "sauce," which I think could reduce points/calories by reducing the cream cheese/mayo amounts. I love this recipe. It is crunchy, yet slightly sweet and slightly salty. YUM!!!
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 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (didn't have this, so I threw some garlic powder and oregano and onion salt in)
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoons table salt
¾ cup(s) dried bread crumbs, panko-variety suggested (I used 1 c panko)
2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 4 chunks, then each chunk halved (almost too much--I have extra zucchini slices after I ran out of egg whites and panko)
2 large egg white(s), whipped until frothy (almost soft peaks)
Pre oven
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.
Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.
Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. (I forgot to turn them, but they still turned out good.) Use this technique with any summer squash or eggplant. It also works great with thick-cut onion rings or even green tomatoes.
Crispier? Crank oven to 500 degrees and decrease time by 2 minutes. (I did it this way--YUM!)
Post oven
I got 24 slices of zucchini. DID I MENTION THAT EACH SERVING IS ZERO POINTS?!?!?! AWESOME!!! YUMYUMYUMYUM!!!!!
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!
Thanks Krista for this idea!! Mine is far from pretty--unlike Krista's, but I need to keep going with projects--the unemployment cloud is starting to get to me, and because I can't "train" with the C25K program until my knee feels better, I am starting to go mad! So I made these!!!
3 sweet potatoes--scrubbed and I poked holes in them, rubbed a bit of olive oil on them and sprinkled with Kosher salt.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion (chopped)
The sweet potatoes after cooking!
Put tatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, and bake for 1 hour. About 8 minutes before time is up, heat up oil, add garlic, saute for a bit, then add chopped onion--saute until they become slightly translucent, and then add mushrooms. Cook until you want the veggies to be done.
Slice tatoe--add topping, and I sprayed 3 squirts of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.
3 potatoes, 3 servings of "stuffing"= 4 points per serving
The stuffing
DELICIOUS.
YUM!!! The finished product with sprays of ICBINB!
You might want to wait slightly longer than I did to start shoveling. Because this tastes SO good, I have scorched my mouth on at least three separate attempts.
All I have to say is YUM!!! Sweet, savory, salty, all togther--and--really filling!
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ¼ lbs. tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped, keeping white parts and greens separate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups corn kernels (from about 8 ears)
I added these: *1 C Black beans *Cilantro (*Suggested adding)
Preparation
Whisk together oil, vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss tomatoes with dressing.
While tomatoes marinate, cook white parts of scallions in butter with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes.
Add corn and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool.
Stir together corn, tomatoes, and scallion greens.
Note: Corn can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.
**I didn't have enough corn, so I completely 1/2'd the entire recipe. Good thing--it makes a large amount!! I measured about 4 cups in total--each cup is worth 4 points--so less in a portion=less points. One could also not cook either the white onions or corn and leave out the butter which would also decrease points.
This is really refreshing and I really enjoy the flavors!Be sure to serve it COLD though! I don't think it would have been as good without the cilantro, nor as hearty without the beans. They are excellent additions!!
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