Mexican Chili with Chipotle Cheese Toasts for 6 Weight Watchers Points

This old Weight Watchers recipe I got from a 2009 recipe book is yummy and quick.  Mr F LOVED it.  Sadly, the nutritional information does not include the sugar content and I'm unable to use the Weight Watchers recipe builder since it crashes my computer, so I don't have the Smart Points right now for it.

The kids, however, wouldn't go near this.  They're scared of the beans for some reason. What's a girl to do? I even tried to declare it tasted like a cheeseburger if you took a bite WITH the toast, but nope.  #PICKYKIDPROBLEMS

The chili alone is 4 points and the toast alone is 2, so together you have 6 points total.

Good luck finding Chipotle cheddar cheese slices because my store certainly doesn't carry them.  I went for regular cheddar and sprinkled some Chipotle seasoning on the bread slices before I topped them with cheese.


CHILI INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground round
1 c. prechopped onion
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup hot water
2 Tbs chili powder
1 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano


CHILI INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook beef and onion in a large saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble.  Drain, if necessary, and return beef mixture to pan.

Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

YIELD:  6 servings
SERVING SIZE: about 1 cup
POINTS:  4

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:  CAL 215 (31% from fat); FAT 7.5 g (sat 2.9 g); PRO 17.2 g; CARB 19.1 g; FIB 3.9 g; CHOL 37 mg; IRON 3.4 mg; SOD 934 mg; CALC 69 mg

**************************

CHIPOTLE CHEESE TOASTS INGREDIENTS:

6 (1/4" thick) slices of French bread
3 (1-oz.) slices Chipotle Cheddar cheese (such as Sargento), cut in half


CHIPOTLE CHEESE TOASTS INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from oven.  Place 1/2 slice cheese on top of each slice of bread.  Bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese melts.

Note:  I baked for the recommended time, but the bread did not brown.  It did, however, get crisp.  So I wanted to point this out so you don't wind up with little bricks you can't bite into by baking longer to get "toasted".  Next time i plan to try broiling to get a nice browned effect on top.

YIELD:  6 servings
SERVING SIZE: 1 slice of toast
POINTS: 2

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:  CAL 81 (37% from fat); FAT 3.3 g (sat 1.8 g); PRO 4.2 g; CARB 8.5 g; FIB 0.3g; CHOL 5 mg; IRON 0.5 mg; SOD 167 mg; CALC 81 mg

Turkey-Cheddar-Zucchini Burgers for 7 Weight Watchers Points

This is actually a Family Favorite.  Of course, I didn't share with anybody it had shredded zucchini in it until AFTER they were Finished.  You could peel your zucchini prior to shredding it so that the bits of green are never questioned in the First place, but I just gave it a go to see if I could pull it off.  For the burgers I served to the kids, I topped theirs with a thin slice of Mozzarella cheese to hide all that green, which worked.  I've also topped it with plain old American cheese slices too.

My husband declared this burger his favorite.  I felt it needed a little something, so next time I'm going to add a bit of onion powder to the mixture.

I apologize for the sickly flashlight glow cast upon this burger in the photo above, as it was dark and I tried to illuminate it from the side using a flashlight.  I assure you it was the standard turkey-breast-white in person with flecks of green rather than this strange color.

For juicier burgers, don't be tempted to press the burgers with a spatula while cooking. This common mistake actually robs the burgers of moistness by squeezing out the juices.  The zucchini and minced onion help to keep the burger moist.


INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground skinless turkey breast
1 small zucchini, shredded
1/2 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 c minced red onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c reduced-calorie mayonnaise
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
4 whole-wheat burger buns, split and toasted


INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat a nonstick ridged grill pan over medium-low heat
Combine the turkey, zucchini, cheese, onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl until blended. Shape into four patties.
Grill the patties until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, about 7 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ketchup and mayo in a small bowl and toast your burger buns with center sides up under the broiler for a few minutes on a baking sheet (watch closely so they don't burn).

Layer the lettuce, burgers, and tomato slices on the bottom of the hamburger buns. Top with the ketchup mixture, then the bun tops.

POINTS: 7
YIELD: 4 burgers

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 348 CAL; 12 g TOTAL FAT; 4 g SAT FAT; 80 mg CHOL; 105.3 mg SOD; 25 g CARB; 4 g FIB; 35 g PRO; 158 mg CALC

Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce and White Beans and Bacon All for 6 Weight Watchers Points

Here's another great-tasting recipe.  I'm not really a bean person, but this bean side-dish recipe is very Flavorful, so give it a go.  It also pairs very well with these chops, sauce and all.

INGREDIENTS FOR PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE:

4 (4-oz.) boneless, center-cut loin pork chops (1/2" thick)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooking spray
1/2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2/3 c. fat-free half-and-half
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE:

Sprinkle both sides of pork with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork, and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and done.  Transfer pork to a serving plate and keep warm.

Add broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Stir in half-and-half, mustard, and lemon juice.  Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for about 6 minutes or until slightly thick.  Spoon sauce over pork and sprinkle with parsley if desired.

YIELD:  4 servings
SERVING SIZE:  1 chop and 2 Tbs sauce
POINTS:  4

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  CAL 193 (30% from fat); FAT 6.4 g (sat 2.3 g); PRO 24.3 g; CARB 5.7 g; FIB 0 g; CHOL 65 mg; IRON 0.7 mg; SOD 539 mg; CALC 52 mg



INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE BEANS AND RICE:

Cooking Spray
2 slices lower-sodium bacon, chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 (15-oz.) can no-salt-added cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHITE BEANS AND RICE:

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bacon to pan and cook 3 minutes or until bacon begins to brown, stirring often.

Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.  Add beans, salt, and black pepper to pan.  Cook 2 minutes or just until thoroughly heated.

YIELD:  4 servings
SERVING SIZE:  About 1/2 cup
POINTS:  2

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  CAL 122 (39% from fat); FAT 5.4 g (sat 1.7 g); PRO 5.2 g; CARB 13.7 g; FIB 4.7 g; CHOL 8 mg; IRON 1.5 mg; SOD 249 mg; CALC 50 mg

Shrimp Spring Rolls for 3 Weight Watchers Points

These are my second go at Shrimp Spring Rolls.  The First recipe I tried was horrible.  It was so horrible tasting that Mr. F outright refuses to even try this.  The kids won't go anywhere near trying these, so it's a thing just for me.  This recipe is decent.  It's kind of like a wrapped salad.  The rice paper roll can take a little getting used to, or maybe I just need to know how to thin them out a little.

I would love to share the Smart Points to these, but the sugar content in this old Weight Watchers recipe I have is not included in the nutrition information and the online meal planning tool Freezes my computer, so I'll have to leave this one up to one of my readers to Figure out.


Ingredients:

6 oz. peeled cooked shrimp, chopped
3/4 c. precut matchstick carrots
1/3 c. minced green onions
1/4 c. julienne-cut cucumber (deseeded)
1/4 c. dry-roasted peanuts
5 (8-1/2") round sheets of rice paper
1 Tbs. hoisin sauce, divided


Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Add warm water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1". Place 1 sheet of rice paper in the water. Let stand about 10 seconds or just until soft.

Place softened sheet on a flat surface and spread about 1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce on bottom half. Arrange about 1/2 cup of the shrimp filling over bottom third of rice paper sheet.  Fold bottom of the rice paper sheet over the filling, presealing slightly.  Fold sides of the sheet over the filling, overlapping in center to form a tight roll. Roll up spring roll jelly-roll fashion, and gently press seam to seal. (You can watch some You Tube videos too for this.)

Repeat procedure with remaining rice paper sheets, hoisin sauce, and shrimp mixture.  Serve immediately, or cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate 30 minutes.

YIELDS:  5 servings
SERVING SIZE: 1 roll

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  CAL 160 (32% from fat), FAT 5.6 g (1.9 g saturated); PROTEIN 12.9 g; CARB 15.1 g; FIBER 2.6 g; CHOL 89 mg; IRON 1.8 mg; SOD 288 mg; CALC 34 mg