Skillet Green Beans with Spiced Walnuts

I'm forever looking for an interesting way to serve green beans. I like them, but am not a fan of just steaming them or blanching them. I want flavor with them. 

Enter this recipe.  I pulled it out of my Light and Healthy 2011 cookbook from America's Test Kitchen.  Their recipes are so thorough and thought through. 

What I really liked about this recipe is you have a super hot pan which flash cooks the beans and they get brown and crunchy.  Yum.

Super easy, and low calorie.  130 calories per serving.

Skillet Green Beans with Spiced Walnuts

Photo by Life is Full 2011

Recipe from Light & Healthy 2011
Serves 4

• 1/4 c walnuts, chopped coarse
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of cayenne
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb green beans, trimmed (I cut mine in half too)
• 1/4 c water

Toast the walnuts in a 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Don't turn your back on them, they can burn quickly.

Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, ginger, cayenne, and 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Transfer the walnut mixture to a bowl and set aside.  Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

Heat the oil in the skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add the green beans and 1/8 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 4-6 minutes.

Add the water, cover and cook until the green beans are bright green but still crisp, 2-3 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and continue to cook until the water evaporates and the beans are crisp-tender and lightly browned, 3-5 minutes longer.

Off the heat, stir in the reserved walnut mixture. Season with salt and pepper if need be.

Shrimp Cocktail Salad with Lemon-Horshradish Vinaigrette

Shrimp cocktail....YUM.  Big fan of shrimp cocktail.  Even just little bite size pieces of shrimp to dip in cocktail sauce makes me happy. Which is why when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it for a number of reasons.

First - um shrimp cocktail!

Second - low calorie. Just 204 calories for this salad.

Three - did I mention shrimp cocktail.

There is a bit of prep of the shrimp and sometime it needs to sit before eating it. I didn't notice that when I started this recipe so I didn't let my shrimp sit for as long as it probably could.

Bottom line...super easy recipe and super delicious. I made no real changes to this recipe besides adding a cucumber and croutons to the ingredients.  What? I had the cucumber that had to be used and how do you eat a salad without croutons?

Photo by Jenn Wraspir

Shrimp Cocktail Salad
Recipe from Cuisine at Home
Serves 6
204 calories - according to my WW app it's about 5 points

For the vinaigrette, whisk together:

• 1/3 c prepared horseradish
• 1 T minced lemon zest
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• 3T no salt added ketchup - missed this and so used regular ketchup
• 3T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp each kosher salt and ground pepper

For the salad; heat:

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 lemon, halved and juiced
• 1 T old bay seasoning
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1 1/2 lb shrimp; deveined and shelled (about 30 shrimp)

12 c thinly sliced romaine lettuce
4 c chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)

So whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set it aside.

Heat the garlic, onion, bay leaf, lemon halves, old bay, salt and peppercorns in a large pot of water of high; bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Add shrimp, cook until pink and opaque (2-3 minutes). Transfer shrimp to a bowl of ice water; drain. Toss shrimp in vinaigrette, cover and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Toss in romaine and tomatoes just before serving.

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

I've heard of black bean sauce but have never tried it. Black bean sauce - found a lot in Chinese food - is made from Chinese black beans, which are fermented and seasoned with salt and spices. It's surprisingly good. Salty though so don't add any salt to the recipe until you taste it. I could only find the black bean sauce with garlic - which you can't go wrong with garlic right?

It's a Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight recipe.  And it is definitely better than take out.

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Recipe from WW Take Out Tonight

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 T black bean sauce
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T dark sesame oil
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 lb white mushrooms
• 1/4 lb fresh snow peas, trimmed and halved
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced

JW Note - I cut the snow peas and the carrot both on the bias. It's got a nicer look to it. If you care about that stuff.

Combine the chicken with 1 T cornstarch in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 T cornstarch, the broth, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet of medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles.  Swirl in the sesame oil, then add the chicken. Stir fry until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic; stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, snow peas and carrots; stir fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth mixture boils and thickens, and the chicken is just cooked through 1-2 minutes.

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing - Low Calorie

I'm a big fan of ranch salad dressing. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the "fat-free" version of it. It just doesn't taste right to me. And so I've been searching for a salad dressing that might substitute for the creaminess of the ranch and not have all the calories.

Enter this creamy Italian dressing. Good, but not great. It has a WAY too mayonnaise - y flavor that makes it not taste like "dressing" but mayo.

I made a few adjustments and it's better, but I'm not convinced it'll get repeated ever. 

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
83 calories per serving. The recipe doesn't say how much is a serving, but it says this recipe makes 6 servings.

• 1/2 c light mayo
• 3 T skim milk
• 1 T grated onion (I added about 2 T to help cut the mayo flavor)
• 1 T white wine vinegar (I added about 2 T for the mayo flavor issue)
• 1/8 tsp each sugar, garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper (I did about 1/4 tsp of each accidentally. I thought it was the 1/8 tsp but it wasn't)

Whisk it all together. Put it in the fridge and voila.

Weight Watchers Paella

I'm a big fan of paella.  I have been since our days in Spain when I tried to order in Spanish and asked the waitress if the paella has fishermen in it instead of asking if it had fish.  Fisherman, I'm sure, would have been a bit tough and gamey.

Anyhow, paella. So good and so flavorful, and soooo fattening.  My favorite paella has sausage in it, and chicken, and saffron, and shrimp, and bits of fish.  This Weight Watchers recipe is really tasty, and only 373 calories per serving.  According to the cookbook, one serving is 1/4 of the dish. that's a lot of paella.

I made a slight modification on the saffron front. I didn't want to afford saffron so I used Sazon rice seasoning. It has a combination of herbs and spices that really adds a  nice touch. I've used it in place of saffron in the past as well.

The other, unfortunate, modification I made was to the shrimp. I had purchase fresh shrimp but when I opened it to use it, it smelled too fishy and I just wasn't sure it was still good. I asked sister in law to bring shrimp. I didn't specify fresh so she brought can shrimp. It disintegrated in the paella.

Oh and I didn't add the mussels.

Paella
Recipe from WW The New Complete Cookbook
Serves 4

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped (as you can imagine, I didn't add this)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c long grain white rice
• 1/4 lb thin sliced chicken breasts or tenders
• 3 c reduced-sodium chicken broth (if you use the Sazon seasoning, its important to use the low sodium for this so the paella isn't too salty)
• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on if desired
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 1/2 lb medium mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 2 T chopped parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in rice and chicken; cook, stirring, until chicken is golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Stir broth, shrimp, black pepper and saffron into the skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Add mussels to skillet. Cook, covered until all liquid is absorbed and mussels open, about 5 minutes longer. Discard any mussels that do not open. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

BBQ Flank Steak

My college friend M came over for dinner on Saturday night. The MomUnit is also in town and all but demanded a steak of some sort.  Knowing M wasn't a picky eater the options were wide open.  I dug through one of my most recent Cuisine at Home cookbooks and found a BBQ Flank Steak recipe.  It comes with a Whisky Cola BBQ Sauce that goes over the steak. 

I'm a huge fan of whisky BBQ sauce. This one would have been good had I actually followed the recipe. But I got distracted and didn't. Shocking, I know.

As for the steak, I wasn't a huge fan of the rub. Too much paprika for me. I'd cut that back some the next time I made this. It was tasty though - but what's not to like about flank steak.

BBQ FLANK STEAK

Photo by Cuisine at Home

Recipe from Cuisine at Home
Serves 5

For the marinade, combine:

• 1 c cola (12 oz)
• 3/4 c pineapple juice
• 1/2 c cider vinegar
• 1/2 c whisky
• 3 T brown sugar
• 2 T chopped garlic
• 2 T minced fresh ginger
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce

For the spice mix, combine:

• 3 T paprika
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all the ingredients of the marinade. Score steak and place in the marinade, turning to coat. (or as I did it, I put it in a Ziploc bag). Chill at least 2 hours, turning half way through.

Remove steak from marinade, reserving the marinade for the Whisky Cola BBQ sauce (recipe below). Lightly pat the steak dry.

Preheat your grill.

Rub the spice mix onto the steak. Grill to your desired doneness basting with the BBQ sauce.

Serve steak with reserved BBQ Sauce.

JW note: I'm not a fan of cooking down a marinade a raw piece of meat has been in. For that reason I doubled the marinade and set half of it aside to use for the BBQ Sauce.

WHISKY COLA BBQ SAUCE
Reserved marinade from BBQ flank steak

• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/2 c diced onion
• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded

Boil reserved marinade, ketchup, onion and jalapeno in a saucepan over high het until thick, about 30 minutes. Strain sauce and discard the solids.

Use this to baste the flank steak.

Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream

That's a mouthful. And boy was it every a tasty mouthful. 

Photo by FoodNetwork

I've had this recipe and ones similar to it for years. It's such a simple recipe and a simple concept that I'm now wondering why it took me so long to make it. 

These were good potatoes.  I, naturally, didn't follow the recipe 100% - and it has to do more about lack of ingredients than me being me.  I didn't have enough garlic so didn't stuff these bad boys with said garlic. I used garlic salt with the melted butter and oil instead. Delicious.

Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream
Recipe from FoodNetwork

• 16 ounces red new potatoes
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Herbed Sour Cream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. Place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato. Toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter and top with Herbed Sour Cream.

Herbed Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Season, to taste, and refrigerate until use.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I've had chicken saltimbocca several times in my life. Each time it's been presented a bit different. Sometimes the ham and sage are tucked into the chicken breast, sometimes they are layered on top.  Regardless it's always been delicious.

This recipe is quick, simple, and just the way I like my chicken dishes.  It's got great flavor and the marsala wine adds to the complexity of that flavor - I think.

Its a quick weeknight meal that can be paired with any veggies and some type of pasta. I made it with French green beans mixed with pesto (I know - amazing right? It wasn't my idea - I read it in a cookbook and thought "How have I never thought of that?") and mashed potatoes. 

I actually followed this recipe too. It's that good.

Chicken Saltimbocca
Recipe from WW Take out Tonight
Serves 4

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper
• 2T olive oil
• 8 oz button mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 c dry Marsala
• 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2 oz prosciutto, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2T chopped fresh sage (you HAVE to use fresh sage. It really makes the flavor pop)
• 2T unsalted butter

Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise (basically butterflying them). Pound each piece with a meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick; season with salt and pepper.

Sauté 2 breasts pieces in oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned, 3-5 minutes. Turn and cook 2 more minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Sauté remaining chicken in the same way; keep warm.

Sauté mushrooms in the same pan over high heat until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add more oil if needed.

Deglaze the pan with marsala, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, stir in prosciutto, sage and butter until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon sauce over warm chicken breasts.

Cilantro-Buttermilk Skirt Steak

This past Sunday I hosted a small gathering for Easter with just family. I like ham, but am not a huge fan of ham for Easter. I know, weird. I figured I could be as different as I wanted. 

For days leading up to Sunday I couldn't figure out what I wanted to make.  It wasn't until Sunday morning that I found this recipe in my list of recipes to try.

The recipe itself was ubber easy.  And ultimately super flavorful. I misread the recipe and didn't get the scallions at the store.  In its place I used onion powder. I don't think that added enough onion flavor.  When I make this again I'll definitely get the scallions.

I also couldn't find any skirt steak. Naturally.  Instead I used flank steak. I'm don't think which beef, or chicken, product you use really matters with this marinade.

Cilantro-Buttermilk Skirt Steak

Photo courtesy of Everyday Food

Recipe from Everyday Food
Serves 4

• 1 c buttermilk
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 pound skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
• Vegetable oil, for grilling
• Salt and pepper

In a blender, combine buttermilk, cilantro, coriander seed, curry powder, and scallions and puree. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for serving. Pour half the remaining marinade into a shallow dish, arrange steak in a single layer, and cover with rest of marinade; let sit 30 to 45 minutes

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Remove steak from marinade, shaking off excess, and season with salt and pepper. Grill steak until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain. Season reserved marinade with salt and pepper and serve with sliced steak.

Orange Vanilla Fruit Salad

Ever had one of those recipes where you make it, you take a bite, and you just sit - momentarily stunned by the goodness that is the food that just hit your taste buds? This recipe was just that type of recipe.

A Pioneer Woman recipe and quite possibly one of THE best fruit salads I've ever had. Naturally it takes perfectly healthy food and makes it not so healthy, but it's worth it.

This fruit salad is essentially covered in a simple syrup that is infused with orange and vanilla...just stop and think about that for a minute.  Yah...exactly.

The salad was not overly sweet and was surprisingly refreshing.  I put it over angel food cake, and quite frankly I cold have done without the cake.

This recipe gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Orange Vanilla Fruit Salad
Recipe from the Pioneer Woman
Serves 12


Photo by Pioneer Woman

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• Juice Of 1 Orange
• Zest Of 1 Orange
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans, Caviar Scraped Out (or 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract)
• 4 pints Strawberries, Hulled And Halved
• 2 pints Blueberries
• 2 cups Red Grapes, Halved
• 2 cups Green Grapes, Halved
• Mint Leaves

Preparation Instructions

Place the sugar, water, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 to thicken slightly. Set aside to cool, then store in the fridge until cold.

Mix together all the fruit in a large bowl and pour the syrup over the top, tossing gently. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Jerk Chicken with Mojo Sauce

I'm not a huge fan of jerk chicken, or jerk anything really. It's usually too hot for me, yet there have been occasions where the jerk part isn't so much hot as it is flavorful.  When we were in New Orleans, for example, I had some jerk chicken that was in fact flavorful and not hot.

The star of this show was the mojo (prounced mo-ho) sauce.  Two terrific island delights, jerk seasoning and mojo sauce. Yum.  It wasn't quite like a vacation on the beach, but it was pretty darn close.

Jerk seasoning hails from Jamaica and is most often on grilled meats. Mojo sauce is a simple mix of orange and garlic.  It's used as a baste and glaze in this recipe.

I didn't have any chicken in the freezer so I used pork. I'm not sure that really makes that much of a difference what meat it gets put on and since I had pork...pork it is.

If you're not a fan of allspice this recipe isn't for you. It's very prominent in this recipe.  I most likely wouldn't make this recipe again - though only because I have hundreds of chicken/pork/meat recipes to make.

Photo by Jenn Wraspir

Jerk Chicken with Mojo Sauce
Makes 4 chicken breasts

For the Mojo sauce -

• 1/4 c frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T honey
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

For the Chicken -

• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat grill to medium-high heat
Whisk together all the ingredients for the mojo sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Combine brown sugar through nutmeg in a separate bowl.  Rub it on the chicken coating it nicely.

Grill chicken. Baste the chicken with the mojo sauce as you grill it.

Jenn note - I kept some of the mojo sauce on the side to use as a dipping sauce with the chicken - or um pork in my case.  

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham and Cheese

Just looking at that photo and I salivate.  This meal has everything in it I love...chicken, ham, fontina cheese and pesto. Yum.

I made this last night and while I didn't cook my chicken all the way through and apparently attempted to give myself food poisoning, the flavor was delicious. Super simple to make, and assuming you bake your chicken thoroughly, not going to poison you.

I made my own pesto.  Pesto is so easy to make that I find it unnecessary to buy store made pesto.  Besides once I make pesto, I make enough for three or four servings. That's a win-win to me. It freezes real well too.

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

Photo courtesy of Can You Stay for Dinner.com

Courtesy of Can You Stay for Dinner? Original recipe is here.
serves 2

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~6 ounces each)
• 2 thick slices smoked ham
• 1 ounce fontina cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought seasoned bread crumbs [JW note: When I make this again, I don't think I'll use any breadcrumbs.  I didn't find it added much - but then again, I used store bought instead of homemade - which always makes the difference
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it thinly open like a book, taking care not to slice completely through both sides of the breast. Evenly distribute the ham, cheese, and pesto among one side of each opened chicken breast. Fold the empty sides over to cover the filling. Dredge each filled chicken breast in a shallow bowl filled with the breadcrumbs. Place them on a greased wire rack set on top of a roasting pan. Lightly brush the tops with the olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Southeast Asian Pork Loin

I'm not a huge fan of the pork loin so I made this with pork chops ( cut about an 1" thick). I know the loin and the chop doesn't taste that different. The loin is so big though and chops are perfect for a single gal.

This dish was super flavorful and super easy. I think the marinade would go well with chicken too.

Photo courtesy of Epicurious

Southeast Asian Pork Loin
Makes 6 servings

• 1/3 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c ketchup
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T chili garlic sauce (you can find this in the Asian food aisle usually)
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin (roast), trimmed

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Whisk together all the ingredients except the pork. Place pork and marinade in a ZipLoc for about an hour.

Grill pork, covered, over direct heat, for 20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes.  Before rotating, dip pork back into the marinade in a bowl; discard any remaining marinade after grilling.

[JW: I didn't really do this part since I was using pork chops. But hindsight being what it is, this would have been good to do and would have flavored them a lot more.

Continue to grill pork until an instant read thermometer registers 150 degrees. Remove pork from grill, tend with foil, and let pork rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I've seen these potatoes done on a number of Food Network shows and I kept thinking it'd be a fun little change to potatoes.  For Sunday Dinner - these made the rotation.

I made a couple small changes - shocking I know. I added parmesan cheese to the top of them when I put them in the oven.  Delicious.

These were super easy to make, but does take some time to cook them up. I used the bottom of a coffee cup to smash them since I didn't have a potato smasher like Pioneer Woman suggests.

Crash Hot Potatoes
Recipe by the Pioneer Woman
Serves 6

Photo by the Pioneer Woman

12 small yellow potatoes
Kosher salt
3 T olive oil
Fresh ground pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender, about 12 inutes.

Preheat oven to 475.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Using a potato masher, gently press each one. The top of the potatoes should be really textured.  Drizzle the tops with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.

Sooo good. You'll want to make them all the time.

Smoked Salmon Crostini

The photo for this recipe is what had me hooked.

Courtesy of MyRecipes.com

Don't those look delicious. I knew I had to make them. And voila, Sunday Dinner.

We had a small crowd this week so I knew these would work well.

Super easy to make, but does take some planning ahead. The salmon mixture needs to sit for an hour or so. Mine sat for about 4 and it was sooo darn good.

Smoked Salmon CrostiniRecipe from MyRecipes.com
Yields 24 servings - 2 crostini per person

1/2 c chopped fennel bulb (JW note: if you've not had fennel - try it. It has a light, licorice flavor, but is so refreshing in this type of recipe.)
1/4 c chopped green onions
1T extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 1/2 ts fresh lemon juice
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 lb cold smoked salmon, cut into thin strips
48 (1/2 inch thick) sliced french bread baguette, toasted
1/2 c light garlic and herb spreadable cheese
Dill sprigs for garnish.

Combine the first 8 ingredients (fennel through salmon).  Cover and chill for at least an hour.  Spread each toast slice with 1/2 tsp cheese, top each with 1 T salmon mixture. Garnish with dill sprigs.

Weight Watchers Turkey Enchilada Casserole

I worked from home today and figured I'd make this recipe since it had all the ingredients and had planned to make it last week. 

I'm not usually a fan of enchilada casseroles, and especially low cal ones.  This one, turns out is easy and darn good.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised how good it is.

There are a few things I'd change with this recipe, and did.

First, I put chili powder on the turkey.  Besides salt and pepper, I added the chili powder to give the turkey a bit more flavor. 

Second, if I made this again, I'd incorporate black beans somehow. I think they'd add a nice texture to this.

Again, super easy to make and well worth it.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Recipe from Weight Watchers
Makes 8 servings


Photo by Jenn Wraspir

1/8th of the casserole = 218 calories

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (the recipe actually says ground "skinless" turkey - I didn't know they made ground turkey with the skin)
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (10 oz) cans of enchilada sauce
1 (4.5oz) can of mild chopped green chilies
1 tsp red wine vinegar (interesting...I missed this when I was cooking)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
8 6-in corn tortillas, halved
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 7X11 inch baking dish with non stick spray; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 1 tsp of the oil, then add the turkey, half of the onions, half of the garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon until browned, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Swirl in the remaining 1 tsp olive oil, then add the remaining onions, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, oregano and cumin.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until well softened, above 8 minutes.  Stir in the enchilada sauce, chilies and vinegar; bring to a boil.

[JW note - its important for me to mention I didn't follow this recipe.  I added the chilies and spices to the turkey.  I hadn't read the recipe well enough.  I'm not sure it would make that much of a difference.]

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Arrange one-third of the tortilla halves in an overlapping layer on the bottom of the dish. Spoon one-third of the turkey mixture over the top; top with one=third of the sauce and sprinkle with one-third of the cheddar.  Repeat the layering twice. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

[JW note - I actually think sprinkling the casserole with olives and green onions would add some nice flavor too. I had my 1/8 serving with a bit fat-free sour cream too. Delicious!]

Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs

This weekend I redid my brandy snifter of recipes and put all the low calorie recipes in it.  The first recipe I picked out of the snifter was this Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs. 

I'm not usually a huge fan of ground turkey because the texture gets a little wonky to me. This recipe uses ground turkey with ground pork - so the texture is just fine for me.

As usual, I made a few "adjustments" to the recipe. Turkey, also, notoriously has not so much flavor. For that reason I tossed in some McCormick's Grill Seasoning.  I think it really made a difference.

This recipe makes a TON.  I most likely will do this for a Sunday dinner in the near future because of how much it makes. 

Best part about this recipe is it's 319 calories.  I used whole wheat pasta for the spaghetti.  You really can't tell the difference.

Photo courtesy of WW.com

Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs
Courtesy of WW Take Out Tonight cookbook
Serves 10

1 T olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground, skinless turkey breast (for the record, I didn't know they had ground turkey that included the skin.)
1/2 lb ground pork (10% or less fat)
1/2 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/4 c fat-free milk
2  tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp (each) salt and pepper
28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2T chopped fresh oregano
3/4 lb spaghetti  [JW - I doubt 3/4 lb spaghetti will serve 10 people, so use your best judgment on how much spaghetti to make for yourself.]

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 10X15 inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally; until golden, 7-10 minutes.
combine the turkey, pork, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, egg, egg whites, milk, W sauce, salt, pepper and half of the cooked onions/garlic in a large bowl. Sharpe into 20 meat balls and place in a single layer without touching each other on the jelly-roll pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

[JW note - this meatball mixture was very wet.  When I make this again, I would fore go the two egg whites.  With the milk in it, you just don't need the extra wet.]

Bring the tomatoes and the remaining half of the cooked onions and garlic to a boil in a large sauce pan; add the meatballs. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the meatballs are cooked through, 18-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. Toss the spaghetti, meatballs and sauce together. Or, if you're like me, the sauce goes on top the spaghetti and you sing, "On top of spaghetti, call covered with cheese. I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed."

Ahem.

Things I changed with the sauce are:
1. I tossed in a can of petite diced tomatoes. I like a bit more texture in my tomato sauce.
2. I put in about a tsp of sugar.  Tomatoes are acidic and the sugar helps cut that back some.
3. I put in about a 28oz can of water - I like more sauce than meatballs.  Plus this marinara will freeze real well.

Beef Pot Pie

I'm a huge fan of pot pies. Usually they are so bad for you and make such big servings that they just aren't worth eating to me.  But now, NOW I've found a recipe that 1) can be lightened up and 2) makes enough for two large-sh servings.

This was super easy and I'm feeling motivated to make this again. I put mine in little individual dishes and topped them with store bought pie crust.  If you're not a pie crust snob, take the short cut and buy the pie crust. 

Courtesy of One Lovely Life

Beef Pot Pie
Serves 2

12 oz blade steak, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces [JW note - I used a top sirloin steak cuz that's what I had on hand.]
5 tsp vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 oz white mushrooms, quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
2 T flour
2 tsp tomato paste
2 T dry red wine
1 3/4 c beef broth
1/2 c peas
Pie crust

Pat the meat dry and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tsp of the oil in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.

Heat remaining 1T oil in the skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the carrots, onion and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute.  [JW note - I put the tomato paste in first and cooked it for about a minute. Then I added the flour.] Stir in the wine and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. slowly stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer.

Off heat, season the sauce with salt and pepper. Then stir in the browned beef, along with any accumulated juices, and the peas.

Put the beef mixture in a Pyrex dish that will fit it [JW - again, I used two small single serving dishes.] Cover with pie crust.  Bake at 425 for 30 to 35 minutes until the pie crust is golde nbrown.

The other adjustment I made was I added some corn I had on hand.  You can't go wrong with adding a little bit of corn.

Chicken and Ginger

I'm a big fan of chicken, But let's admit it, chicken is boring.  I'm forever trying to find something flavorful and low in calories to make with chicken.  I've been successful 90% of the time.

This recipe is middle ground for me. Flavorful and good, but not something I'd necessarily die to make again.  I have so many chicken recipes to make that I would keep this, but make something new over this again. 

Still it's low calorie and VERY easy to make - and bonus - easy clean up because you use parchment paper to cook it in.

The recipe calls for jalapenos but there isn't any real heat in this if you, like me, take the seeds and ribs out of the pepper.

Give it try. You may find it's a good go-to recipe. 

Chicken and Ginger
Recipe from Everyday Food

Photo courtesy of
Everyday Food

Serves 4

8 chicken cutlets (no big surprise here but I used a chicken breast instead)
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Lime wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place chicken in the center of a 18 inch long piece of parchment paper. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Top with ginger, cilantro and jalapeno. Drizzle with olive oil. Fold parchment into a twist or envelop shape to not allow any juices to escape during cooking.

Place packet on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

[Jenn note] - so I went one step further and squeezed a half of lime over the chicken after it was baked. So good.

Nutella Cookies

I'm a fan of Nutella. I mean, what's not to love?

Last week was Worldwide Nutella Day. And in the spirit of Nutella I cracked open a jar of it and took a spoonful. The best way to eat Nutella I might add.

After that I knew I had to do something else with the rest of the jar or I'd eventually eat the whole jar. So Nutella cookies came to mind.

I've made Nutella cookies before, but these were WAY better.  WAY better.

Photo courtesy of Cuisine at Home

Nutella Cookies
Recipe from Cuisine at Home

2 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla
finely chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. 

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to fully incorporate before adding the next. Add Nutella and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.

Chill dough for 4 hours or overnight. And try not to eat it.

Scoop dough with a #30 scoop (scant 3 T); roll in hazelnuts. Bake cookies, six at a time, until edges are set, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.