Pierogies and Peppers

This is a vegetarian, meatless meal for less than 400 calories!  It also happens to be Noom friendly in that the pierogies are a yellow food and the tomato sauce and veggie blend are green foods!

So I have thrown in the towel and have accepted that there is zero way for me to get an appetizing food photo when cooked bell peppers are involved.  I just don't know about photoshopping yet.  I will share the finished photo below but don't let it scare you!  It is good!

I was unable to get the tri-colored stir-fry pepper blend at my local store still during this pandemic shortage situation, but I went with the fajita blend that has just the red and green peppers and onions. 

I will say this is super, duper easy; Filling; and Flavorful!

One note,  the fennel seeds in this recipe need to be toasted and ground, so having a pestle and mortar handy, a spice grinder, or being prepared to use a little ingenuity is needed for that portion.   I used a wooden spoon to crush mine in the pan in which I toasted the seeds because my pan has a little texture to it, so this worked well for me.  You can grind them up using the bottom of a coffee mug where the cup edges are raw as well.  You can also crush with a hammer or mallet between two paper towels but you'll want to make sure you are on a safe surface for doing it this way.  Just crush up well after toasting in a pan.

To toast the fennel seeds, place them in a dry pan over medium-low heat and toast while either shaking the pan or using a wooden spoon keeping the seeds moving.  They will toast quickly once starting to change color so watch closely.  They will change color and become very fragrant.  This only takes about 2 to 3 minutes.

Because this recipe is an old WW recipe for an old points system, I will share the Winning Points I have noted.  For the Winning Points plan this dish is 6 points for 4 pierogies and about 3/4 cup of the pepper mixture. You should be able to figure out your points easily utilizing the new scan-in feature for the bag of pepper blend and the box of pierogies.

(See?! Colors look horrible when cooking peppers!)

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 (1-lb) bag frozen pepper stir fry (green, red, yellow and onions)
1 (16.9-oz) package frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper


Instructions:

First, toast your fennel seeds and crush as mentioned above in your dry frying pan while starting your water for boiling the pierogies to heating up to a boil.

Then spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over high heat.  Add the frozen pepper mix and saute until lightly browned slightly, about 10-12 minutes when all of the liquid is evaporated off.

You can add the pierogies to the boiling water as soon as it starts to boil.  Then you boil the pierogies until the water returns to a boil and continue boiling for another 3 minutes.

MAKE SURE TO RESERVE 1/4 CUP OF THE PIEROGIE WATER WHEN DONE TO ADD TO YOUR "SAUCE"

Add the reserved cooking liquid, tomato sauce, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper to the cooked pepper mix in the pan and simmer one minute.

Serve 4 pierogies with about 3/4 cup of the pepper sauce mix and voila!  Enjoy!

YIELDS: 4 Servings
SERVING SIZE: 4 Pierogies with 3/4 c peppers/sauce mixture

Nutritional Information:  332 Calories, Total Fat 7 g (3 g sat fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 1139 mg sodium, 55 g total carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 14 g protein, 179 mg calcium

Hearty Cheese, Turkey & Zucchini Supper Sandwiches for 10 Weight Watchers Smart Points and 6 Winning Points

Once again, my camera settings have changed and the coloring in the pics is slightly off, but that's life with my 11-year-old.

These open-faced turkey sandwiches are packed full of flavor because of the homemade chese sauce and the basil the zucchini cooked in.  I was a little hesitant about trying this one, but I am so glad we did.  So was Mr F.  He loved it.  One child ate it and liked it, one outright refused to even try it, and the other wasn't home, so no family rating on this one.

Because it's higher in points, go for low-point sides to accompany it.  A half of an English muffin would be half the points listed here and would make a nice lunch as well.

Because most of the butter that the zucchini is cooked in remains in the pan upon completion, I've taken the liberty of removing some of the points assigned to it in the recipe while allowing for some extra calories/points for the bit of butter on the zucchini.

You can probably lighten it up further by using light butter and low-fat cheese, but I already did this recipe using 1% milk and used whole-wheat English muffins.  Also...I didn't use all of the cheese sauce.  I just eyeballed it and estimate each received around 2 tablespoons of cheese sauce.


Ingredients:

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Sandwich Ingredients:

2 Tbs. butter
1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4"
1 tsp. basil leaves
4 English muffins, split, toasted
8 (1-oz.) slices of cooked turkey


Instructions:

In a 2-qt. saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and stir in flour, salt, mustard, and pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly (1 min).  Add milk.  Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (4 to 5 mins).  Boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese and chives until cheese is melted. Keep warm.

In 10" skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and stir in zucchini and basil.  Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until crisply tender (3 to 5 mins).  Place toasted English muffin halves on serving plate and top each half with 1 slice turkey, 1/8 zucchini mixture, and cheese sauce.

YIELDS:  4 servings
SERVING SIZE:  2 halves
POINTS:  10 Smart Points or 6 Winning Points

Chicken Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Sausage Breakfast Braid for 6 Points

Oh my gosh! This is a huge Family Favorite and it's only 3 Weight Watchers points per slice!  I've even made this just before going to bed and it heats up in the microwave just Fine the following morning because who likes to use an oven in the morning? Not me.

I'll take more photos of this one in the process of prepping in case anyone needs it the next time I make it.

I use a roll of sausage and double up the fixings for the sausage mixture portion so that I can then divide it up for different braids on different days. I just withhold the addition of the egg until after I divide the sausage mixture, rather than cooking up 4-oz portions of sausage. I have yet to find a version of the sausage with jalapeno peppers premixed into it so I just add my own jalapeno peppers to the pan as it is cooking.

Ingredients:

1 13.8-oz. can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking Spray
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
4 oz chicken sausage with jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Unroll the dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and pat into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage and cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir in eggs and cook 1-1/2 minutes or until set and remove from heat. (My version: Cook sausage, chopped jalapeno, and onion until cooked through/slightly browned for whole sausage roll and then divide mixture up into servings for this recipe. Add sausage back to pan and then add eggs.)

Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese lengthwise down center of dough leaving about a 2-1/2-inch border on each side.  Spoon egg/sausage mixture evenly over cheese and then top with cheddar over the egg mixture and top with jalapeno pepper.  (Since in my version I've added the jalapeno pepper into the sausage mixture myself, I do not add more jalapeno).

Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of the filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears (I recommend the shears!). Arrange strips over filling.  Press ends under to seal.  Brush with egg white and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes .  Cut crosswise into 8 slices.

YIELD: 8 slices

Servings: 4 servings
Serving Size: 2 slices

Points: 3 points per slice

Nutritional Information:  Calories 246, Fat 15.6 g (sat 6.3 g, mono 6.6 g, poly 1.5 g); Protein 15.9 g; Carb 11 g; Fiber 0.2 g; Chol 147 mg; Iron 1.2 mg; Sodium 516 mg; Calc 173 mg

Pizza Quesadillas for 6 Weight Watchers Points

These thick and hearty quesadillas are quick and easy!  For those in the Family who turn up their noses at the sight of mushrooms and green peppers, I limited their servings to just the cheese and pepperoni with a side of dippable raw veggies.  As you know, I'm on the hunt for meal ideas that can help me be successful and keep me from making more than one meal--one for me and one for "the others".

Since each quesadilla is 6 points and is cut into thirds, it stands to reason that each "wedge" (upon cutting them into thirds) is worth 2 points, so if you want to up your intake to 8 or 10 points if allowance permits, go for it!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 c fresh presliced mushrooms
1/2 c prechopped green bell pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
4 (8") 96% fat-free flour tortillas
1 c (4 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
20 slices turkey pepperoni (5 per quesadilla)
Pinches of garlic powder and/or onion powder
1 c pizza sauce such as Ragu Homestyle


Instructions:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes until tender stirring frequently. Stir in basil.

While cooking the peppers and mushrooms, coat one side of each of the four tortillas with nonstick spray and place the sprayed side down and dry side up on the counter/work surface.

When peppers and mushrooms are ready, divide this mixture up evenly among the four flour tortillas covering only one half of each tortilla.

Start your pizza sauce to warming in a small saucepan.

Top each vegetable-covered tortilla with 1/4-cup of mozzarella cheese and 5 slices of turkey pepperoni. Season each with pinches of garlic powder and/or onion powder to your personal taste.

Fold each tortilla in half and place two at a time into heated pan with the folded sides together creating a circle from your two now halves and brown each side.

YIELD: 4 servings
SERVING SIZE: 1 Quesadilla cut into thirds and 1/4 c sauce
POINTS: 6 points per quesadilla (and 2 points per wedge)

Nutritional Information:  Calories 283 (32% from fat); Fat 10 g (sat 3.9 g), Protein 16 g; Carb 33.2 g; Fib 4.6 g; Chol 26 mg; Iron 3.1 mg; Sodium 904 mg; Calcium 333 mg

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

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

Pumpkin Smoothie for 4 to 6 Weight Watchers Points

I modified this pumpkin smoothie into a pumpkin pie smoothie that has a hint of orange flavoring via the orange juice because it makes so much and the kiddos didn't really like it as written, so I'll include the original and how I modified it.  I added a dollop of whip cream on top for the kiddos too, but at 1 extra point, you may be able to do so on your own as well.

One servings of this smoothie gives you all the vitamin A you need for a day and almost half of your daily requirement of vitamin C!! BONUS! It also serves up 5 grams of protein!

The whole smoothie batch comes out to 24 points, so if you divide it up into 6 servings, each serving is 4 points.  Divide it up into 4 servings, and each serving is therefore 6 points.  Divide it into 2 and each serving is now 12 points.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can pumpkin, chilled
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk, chilled
1 cup orange juice, chilled
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium banana, cut into chunks (optional as written) (I added banana for body)
Ice cubes (optional, but I added for body)
Ground nutmeg or cinnamon (optional as written)  (I added 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
Orange wedges (optional as written)


Directions:

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, orange juice, brown sugar, and, if desired, banana. Blend until smooth.

If desired, serve smoothies over ice cubes or blend them in and sprinkle each serving with ground nutmeg and garnish with orange wedges threaded onto a skewer.

Serves: 4 - 6
Points: 4 servings=6 points each, 6 servings=4 points each

Nutritional Information:  188 calories, 5 g total fat (3 g saturated), 17 mg cholesterol, 71 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burger for 6 Weight Watchers Points

These turkey burgers are simply the best.  You can kick up the smoky spicy Flavor a notch with the addition of another chipotle pepper if you are really into spicy spicy.  There is nothing bland about this turkey burger, as it's absolutely Full of Flavor with garlic and onion powders and seasoning salt on top of the onion, cilantro and chipotle pepper! Delish!

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 chipotle chile in adobe sauce, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 toasted hamburger buns

Preheat your grill (outdoor or griddle indoor) and lightly oil grate.

Combine the ground turkey, onion, cilantro, chipotle chile pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Lawry's seasoning salt, and black pepper into a bowl and combine well.  Form into four equal patties.

Cook the patties on the grill until the turkey is no longer pink in the center, about 4 minutes per side.  Place the hamburger buns onto the grill when there is about 2 minutes grilling time left with the insides facing down to lightly brown/toast them.  Place the mozzarella slices on the patties and melt cheese.  Top with tomato and lettuce and condiments if you like.

Asparagus Chicken Fajitas for 6 Weight Watchers Points Each!

Here is a Filling veggie filled Fajita recipe that shakes up the standard sliced peppers version a bit for a nice change and variation. I added some Fajita seasoning from a store-bought packet for a little more Fajita Flavoring.  This recipe makes 6 servings/6 fajitas.

Each Fajita is 6 Weight Watchers points, so have two if points allow!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 pound fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
1/2 c fresh or frozen corn
1/4 c diced onion
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp pepper

12 flour 6" tortillas


INSTRUCTIONS:

Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and add the Italian salad dressing. Seal up the bag, manipulate the bag and contents to coat the chicken and refrigerate for at least 4 hours turning several times.

Drain and discard the marinade.  In a large, nonstick skillet, saute chicken in oil for 3 minutes.  Add the asparagus, peppers, corn, and onion and cook uncovered for 7 more minutes or until the chicken juices run clear and the vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir occasionally.  Stir in the lemon juice, garlic salt, and pepper.  Add in some extra fajita seasoning mix if desired.  Spoon 1/2 cup fajita mix onto each tortilla and fold. Done.

I figured the points as follows:

16 oz chicken breast for 16 POINTS

0 POINTS for the asparagus, peppers, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

1 POINT FOR corn

0.25 POINTS for onion
_____________________SUBTOTAL OF 17.25 POINTS=3 POINTS/SVNG

24 POINTS for marinade

4 POINTS for cooking oil

2 POINTS per tortilla
_____________________SUBTOTAL OF 28 POINTS FOR MARINADE PLUS OIL
                                          AND 2 POINTS PER TORTILLA

2 points per tortilla plus 3 points per filling plus 1 point for residual marinade and cooking oil equal 6 points per fajita.

Tailor-Your-Points Creamy Poppyseed and Pine Nut Chicken Salad Recipe Starting at 6 Weight Watchers Points

This is my new Favorite salad, and you can turn it into a wrap as well!  If you are like me and have avoided salads with Fruit in them, then now is the time to stop being that way and to expand your horizons.  Something about Fruit in a salad has just never sat well with me, but I'm challenging myself to try new things, and I am oh so glad I did!  (Yes, I'm the one with picky children and a picky husband to Feed--imagine.)

I've deconstructed the original recipe so you can Figure your points for individual serving sizes, so the points can be more tailored to your needs and Weight Watchers points allowances. Firstly, here is the recipe for making a huge meal salad for a group.

Ingredients:

8 cups torn salad greens (I used Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Lettuces)  0 POINTS
1 medium red pepper sliced 0 POINTS
1/4 c. finely chopped green onions (I probably tripled it because I love green onions) 0 POINTS
2 pkg (6 oz each) of Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, coarsely chopped 12 POINTS
2 cups halved red seedless grapes 2 POINTS
1 pkg 2 oz. toasted pine nuts, approximately 1/3 cup--6 POINTS (*see note below)
3/4 cup Poppyseed salad dressing, (Marzetti's) -- 2 POINTS/TBSP.

This bulk version adds up to be 22 points.  Figure your points per serving by dividing it into the total number of servings you wind up with.

* Note:  1/3 cup of pine nuts is 5-1/3 Tbsp of nuts according to my conversion chart so it therefore comes out to 5-1/3 points because each tablespoon of nuts is equal to 1 point.  The nutrition information on my bag of pine nuts indicates that the 1/4 cup serving size is 4 points, and my conversion chart tells me that there are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup, so that is how I come out to 1 point per tablespoon. 

Individual Serving Salad:





Salad greens in the amount you wish for 0 POINTS
Red pepper slices in the amount you wish for 0 POINTS
Green onions in the amount you wish for 0 POINTS
2 oz cubed/diced chicken breast for 1 POINT PER OUNCE=2 POINTS
1/2 c. sliced red grapes for 0.5 POINTS
1 Tbs. toasted pine nuts for 1 POINT
1 Tbs. poppyseed dressing for 2 POINTS or 2 Tbs. for 4 POINTS

As you can see, you can tailor your salad to suit your points allowance.  With 1 tablespoon of dressing, the individual serving salad above would come out to 5.5 points, and with 2 tablespoons of dressing 7.5 points.  If you add more grapes, which are 1 point per cup, or if you use more chicken, which is 1 point per ounce, then adjust your points accordingly.

I haven't tried this meal salad in a wrap form, but you can easily add the appropriate points onto your salad after Figuring them out using the nutrition information from your Favorite wrap wrapper....wrap wrapper. lol

Be careful when toasting your pine nuts, as they cook very quickly at a certain point. I recommend checking after 3 minutes of baking at 350 degrees F and checking every minute thereafter until they have reached a nice golden brown color.

Enjoy! I know I will!

Tuna And Wild Rice Salad

This dish was so Filling, I couldn't even Finish it, so if you are looking for a hunger buster, this is a good one!

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:
1 (6.2-oz.) pkg fast-cooking recipe of long-grain and wild rice such as Uncle Ben's
2 (6-oz.) cans low-salt albacore tuna in water, drained
1 (14-oz.) can quartered and chopped artichoke hearts, drained
1 (4.5-oz.) jar sliced mushrooms, drained

Dressing:
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper

Base and Topping:
8 romaine lettuce leaves
12 cherry tomatoes, halved


INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the rice according to package directions but leave out the fat (butter or oils)

Combine the rice, tuna, artichokes, and mushrooms in a large bowl and toss gently.

Make the dressing by combining the green onions, vinegar, oil, mustard, and pepper in a jar with lid for shaking or a bowl in which you can whisk together. Add dressing to the tuna mixture., tossing gently again.

Serve salad by lining the dish with lettuce, placing 1-1/4 cups of rice mixture atop the lettuce, and topping with halved cherry tomatoes.

YIELDS: 4 servings

POINTS: 6 points per serving

INFORMATION:  298 calories (15% from fat); 22.4g protein; 5g Fat (0.7g saturated); 43.7g carb; 2.3g fiber; 17mg cholesterol; 3.7mg iron; 1208mg sodium; 77mg calcium)

Poached Egg-Arugula Meal Salad for Only 6 Weight Watchers points!

I adore this meal salad. I can whip it up at any time of the day (and I just did)....breakfast, lunch, or dinner...take your pick. I can also prepare it with one egg for a single serving or double it up accordingly.


You can prepare your egg so that the yolk is runny in a number of ways, obviously, but I prefer to poach mine to save any points preventing pan-stick while saving the most yolk as possible.  The egg and egg yolk can be mixed into the greens to accent/blend with the olive-oil-vinegar dressing or be spread across the toast like I prefer to do to then cut up and have a little sumpin' sumpin' in every single bite.

Salad Ingredients:

1 poached egg for 2 points
1 slice of 1-point whole wheat toast for 1 point
1/2 Tbs. of whipped Land O Lakes sweet cream, salted butter for 1 point
1 ounce of baby arugula for zero points
1 ounce of shredded fresh Parmesan cheese for 3 points or 0.5 ounce for 1.5 points (optional)
salt
pepper

Dressing Ingredients:
equal parts white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil

For one serving:

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil for 4 points
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar for 0 points


Directions:

Toss 1 ounce of baby arugula with HALF of the dressing for 2 total points.  Place your buttered toast atop the arugula (now at 4 points) and the poached egg atop the toast (now at 6 points). Salt and pepper to taste. If points allow, you can add freshly grated Parmesan cheese accordingly.  If I were to add about 0.5 ounces, it would bring the total up to 7.5 points and a whole ounce up to 9 points.

If points allow, you can double up the eggs, butter and toast atop a 2-ounce, zero-point bed of baby arugula and use the whole single serving dressing batch above for a total of 12 points withOUT the cheese. Topping THIS with a whole ounce of freshly grated Parmesan cheese comes out to 15 points.

Yummy Balsamic Arugula Side Salad Recipe for 2 Weight Watcher Points Or A Meal Salad for 6

I tried a couple of new recipes a Few weeks back.  I found the main turkey portion a little bland so I combined it with my salad, and the next thing I knew I had a delicious meal salad, so I thought I'd share three new recipes with you. 

Because I do  not like walnuts, I use toasted, sliced almonds, but see below for some delicious embellishments for just a couple points more too!

Basic Balsamic Arugula Salad for 2 Weight Watcher Points

Combine the following dressing ingredients as early as possible or the night before to allow flavors to blend nicely together in a small jar or container that you can shake easily before application to salad.  If you want to divide this salad up for multiple meals, do not apply dressing to entire salad, as it causes wilting, but if you think the whole salad will be eaten up right away, go ahead and toss into salad mixture and serve immediately.

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar for 0 points
1 Tbsp. honey for 1 point
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley for 0 points
1 tsp. Dijon mustard for 0 points


Salad:

6 c. baby arugula for 0 points
1/4 c. sliced red onion for 1 point
1/4 c. shaved Parmesan cheese for 1.5 points
2 Tbs. chopped almonds for 2 points

Yields: 4 Servings
Points: 2 points per serving

A delicious variation for this salad for only 2 more Weight Watchers points per serving is adding pomegranate arils (seeds) at 1 point per ounce and toasted pine nuts at 1 point per Tablespoon as shown in this photo for a Grand Total of 4 Weight Watchers points!

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Turkey Tenderloin-Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:

2 turkey breast tenderloins (about 1 lb. total)
16 thin, fresh asparagus spears
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Split each turkey breast tenderloin in half horizontally. Now you have 4 turkey steaks. Pound each piece of turkey in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or baggies (to avoid splatter) and pound until about 1/4" thick.

Arrange 4 of the trimmed asparagus spears on the short end of each turkey steak and roll up. Secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary, but placing seem side down holds well.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and add turkey rolls. Cook until browned on all sides, turning to brown evenly.  Add broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper and bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink.

Transfer turkey-asparagus rolls to a plate, removing toothpicks. Cover and keep warm.

Boil liquid in skillet, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup and then spoon juices over turkey rolls.

Yields: 4 Servings
Points: 4 Points Per Serving

Nutrition Information: 176 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat fat); 68 mg cholesterol; 329 mg sodium; 3 g carbs; 1 g fiber; 28 g protein.


Now, for the meal salad, you combine the base salad recipe above (minus the pomegranate and pine nuts, although that may be good too) with the turkey-tenderloin recipe above as shown in the below photo for a total of 6 Weight Watcher Points!

Spicy Chicken Wrap Lunch for 6 Weight Watchers Points

I Found this in an old Weight Watchers recipe book dug up out of somebody's recycle bin.....their loss and my gain....but that could be the other way around. ;)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce
4 multigrain wraps, such as Flatout wraps
2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast
1 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1 cup sliced green onions (about 7)

Instructions:

To make the chili-garlic mayonnaise, mix the chili garlic sauce and mayonnaise together and set aside. Chop up 2 cups of roasted chicken breast (Fast tip, buy one of those pre-roasted whole chickens from the store for $5.99 to $7.99 and cut up the breast meat after removing skin.) Divide up the mayonnaise mixture by spreading it evenly over half of each of the 4 wraps.  Place chopped chicken breast evenly over the mayo mixture and add remaining ingredients evenly. Roll up and secure ends with toothpicks.

Yields: 4 wraps
Serving Size: 1 wrap
Points: 6

Nutritional Info:  289 calories, 10.1 g fat, 31.8 g protein, 24.2 g carb, 9.9 g fiber, 65 mg cholesterol, 2.8 mg iron, 887 mg sodium, 63 mg calcium.

Tuna Tomato for 6 Weight Watcher Points

You can probably manipulate the points by using a Fat-Free version of the ranch, but I don't have to right now on my current allowance, so I don't.

For this dish, all you need is:

1 nice firm and ripe whole tomato                  0 points
A 5-ounce can of albacore tuna in water        1 point/ounce (total 3.3 pts.)
3 Tablespoons of low-fat mayo                      (I add this w/the almonds to make a point)
A healthy pinch of toasted sliced almonds     (I add this w/the mayo to make 1 whole point)
1/2 Tablespoon of ranch dressing                   1 point
Lettuce                                                             0 points

My low-fat Hellman's mayo comes out to zero points per tablespoon, but I assign it a point for using 3 tablespoons and count the pinch of almonds with it as well.  Since it comes out to 5.3 points for me, I round up to 6 just in case.

I have no idea where I got this recipe from.  It was easy enough for me to remember and I like it enough to eat when not dieting.  I will also serve this up to the ladies who join me for a lunch.

When I was doing NutriSystem, this is one of the three options I had for the pouch of tuna salad they provided as a lunch.  Sometimes I used the almonds and ranch dressing and others I didn't, depending on whether or not I had the allowance of the Extras.  The other options I made for that tuna salad pouch were a simple tuna fish sandwich with onions added in, and this Tuna Melt recipe. 

In the picture above, I used too many almonds and too much ranch. I was winging it based on suggested serving sizes according to the packaging of the ingredients I used because I couldn't remember the points, but I adjusted the recipe I am sharing accordingly for your use.

Wash your tomato and cut off the bottom if it doesn't sit well without rolling.   Core the stem piece out. Cut your tomato into 8 wedges (think pizza style), but do NOT go all the way through.  Go about 3/4 the way down with each cut.  Then gently open the tomato so it rests all flowered out.  Fill it with your tuna mixture of all of the tuna fish and 3 tablespoons of lite mayo.  Top with a drizzle (no more than 1/2 tablespoon) of ranch dressing and a healthy pinch of toasted sliced almonds (no more than 0.12 ounces). Put a bed of lettuce down onto a plate and place your finished tuna tomato on top.  Cut with a knife and fork down and through the lettuce for each bite.

I will come back at a later date and show you another way to prepare and eat this dish. 

Voila! All done. 

A Paula Dean Recipe w/Weight Watcher Points! Pig on a Stick @1 Point Per Ounce

Pig on a stick doesn't sound remotely appetizing, but this Flavorful pork tenderloin (which I use whenever possible because it's very lean and 1 point per ounce) is a hit with my Family.  I found this recipe when trying to grow my pork tenderloin cooking recipe section by Paula Dean at PaulaDean.com.

It has a dipping sauce made out of orange marmalade, butter, jalapeno pepper, and lime juice.  The marmalade by itself, straight out of the jar, unadulterated, is 1 point per tablespoon and the whole tablespoon of butter is only 3 points.  Spreading out 1 tablespoon of butter amongst 18 oz. of marmalade probably makes the butter in a single-tablespoon serving of the dipping sauce scant, so I don't count it.  I make sure to not go to the end of my points range on days where I have something that *may* add a fraction of a point. The rest of the ingredients added to the dipping sauce are Free/zero points.  I usually don't use up a full 2-tablespoon serving of the dipping sauce with 4 ounces of the Flavorful meat.  So, voila! Four points for 4 ounces of meat and 2 points for 2 tablespoons of the dipping sauce, and together at 6 points.

I made this tonight with some brown-buttered gourmet potatoes and a yellow summer squash casserole.