Mediterranean Eggplant Dip

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large eggplant
1 medium red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 small tomatoes, diced
20 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Greek seasoning

Directions
1- Peel and chop eggplant. (smaller pieces will cook faster).
2- Heat oil in a large pan and add onions and garlic and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
3- Add eggplant and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
4- Add tomatoes and Greek seasoning and cook until tomato is completely mushy.
5- Stir in olives and balsamic vinegar.
6- Remove from heat and mash either with a handmixer or potato masher, until desired consistency.
7- Refrigerate until completely chilled and serve with pita chips or other similar type cracker.

* Tastes much better if chilled overnight, flavors really come through!


Nutritional Values
10 servings
(1/4 cup serving)
1 point
49 cal
3.5 g fat
0.5 g sat.fat
4.6 g carbs
1.5 g fiber
0 g sugar

5 servings
(1/2 cup serving)
2 points
99 cal
7.1 g fat
1 g sat.fat
9.2 g carbs
2.9 g fiber
0 g sugar
1.5 g protein

entire recipe
495.5 cal
35.5 g fat
14.6 g fiber

Dijon Scallopped Potatoes

No cheese, no milk, no way... you say!! I'm telling you, these scallopped potatoes are creamy and delicious without the milk and cheese!! I used a food processor to slice my potatoes paper thin... I think it helps get the ultimate creaminess possible!

(paper-thin potatoes)

Ingredients
1 kg potato, with skin, sliced paper thin
1 small onion, sliced
3 tbsp vegetable shortening
3 tsbp all purpose flour
2 cups fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp Old-Fashioned Dijon mustard (grainy) *
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste


Directions
1- Spray a 3 liter dish with some non-stick spray.
2 - Preheat oven to 170 C.
3 - In a saucepan, melt shortnening over low medium heat.
4 - Remove from heat and stir in flour.
5- Stir in broth and other ingredients and return to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6 - If sauce is too thick, add some water to thin it out.
7 - Arrange half of the potatoes in the bottom on the greased dish.
8 - Add all the sliced onions.
9 - Add half of the sauce.
10 - Add remaining potatoes and top with the rest of the sauce.
11 - Bake for 2 hours or until soft.
* if you arent a dijon fan, use 2 tsp instead. It will taste strong in the sauce at first, but will be barely noticeable when the finished dish comes out of the oven!

before heading to the oven

Delicious Yummy Greatness!

Nutritional Data
4 servings
per serving
6 points
293 calories
9.5 g fat (2.3 g sat)
45.8 g carbs
4.7 g fiber
2.6 g sugars
5.9g protein

6 servings
per serving
4 points
195.3 calories
6.4 g fat (1.6g sat)
30.5 g carbs
3.2 g fiber
1.7 g sugars
3.9 g protein

Shepherd's Pie a la Moussaka

I while back I was in the mood for some moussaka. Then I thought to myself, why not make the meat mixture for moussaka but make it into a shepherd's pie instead. I started googling and came upon another foodie who had the same idea! I was psyched to discover that this foodie was a chef... did this mean that I thought like a Fusion chef?
Probably not, but I like to think so, so don't burst my bubble!

Seeing as I had never made moussaka, I based my recipe on his, altering it to make it more 'hips & thighs' friendly , or 'gut' friendly or 'heart' friendly... or whatever part of your body you are trying to make peace with!

Here is my version of Chef John's Shepherd's Pie "Moussaka".

We all enjoyed this recipe, I toned my down when it came to spices so that my little critics would eat it... and yeah, mama is a sissy who can't handle the heat! You can handle the heat, then go check out Chef John's spice mix and use it instead of mine. (keep in mind that I halved the recipe).
Ingredients
(4 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
1 lb ground turkey

SPICE MIX
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp greek seasoning

2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 eggplant (350 gr), peeled and diced

1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp light margarine
1/4 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, shredded

Directions
1- In a large pan, heat olive oil.
2- Saute onions until soft.
3 - Add turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
4 - Add spice mix and garlic.
5- Turn heat to medium low.
6 - Add tomato paste and diced eggplant, and mix.
7 - Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8- In a pot, boil some water and add potatoes.
9- drain potatoes and mash with milk, margarine and parmesan cheese.
8- Remove cover from meat near the end to let liquid evaporate a little.
9- Fill a casserole with meat mixture and top with mashed potatoes.
10- Bake in a preheated oven (medium-high heat) for approx. 20 minutes or until top is golden.

Nutritional Data
1 serving
9 WW points
413 calories
15.8 g fat
83.9 mg chol
40 g carbs
6.6 g fiber
4.3 g sugars
29.8 g protein

Kid-Proof Asian Turkey Noodles

My husband and I often like to eat late, once the kids have gone to bed. We enjoy the quiet, relax environment that allows us to have an uninterrupted conversation. On night's like that, I often whip out some quick child favorites for the kids. My little critics love this concoction! It might not look so appealing to adults, it looks kind of "blah" an colorless... but I've learned that with my kids the less different colors the better. They seem to prefer a uniform dish (like mac n cheese). Might not be the case with you children, but this sweet dish should please them either way!


Ingredients
(3 servings)
350 g ground turkey
100 g dry wok noodles (straight to wok noodles) *
1 onion, diced
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
salt to taste
Pam spray
water

Directions
1- Spray deep pan, or wok with Pam and heat.
2- Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft.
3- Add ground turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
4 - When turkey is cooked, add hoisin sauce, ginger-garlic paste and fast cooking wok noodles.
5 - Add a few tablespoons of water, not too much, just enough so that the pasta gets cooked and that it evaporates when pasta is ready (about 2-3 tbsp, and 4-5 minutes of cooking)

* Wok noodles; I use noodles that are to be added directly to the wok unboiled. You can also use ramen noodles, they cook quickly. Or if you don't have straight to wok noodles, then some precooked egg noodles should please the little critics ;)

Nutritional Data
1 serving
6 WW points
278 cal
14.1 g fat
37.4 g chol
22.8 g carbs
2.2 g fiber
0.3 g sugars
13.4 g protein

Onion & Carrot Foil Packs

Sorry I've been M.I.A for a month...

We are having summer weather here in Budapest and so we've been doing lots of barbecuing.
Here's a nice little recipe we like to have along side whatever meats we are grillin'. My little critics usually pick out the onions, which I don't mind, since it leaves more for me ;)

It's a nice change from potatoes!


Ingredients
(5 servings)
1 kg garden carrots, peeled and chopped *
2 medium onions (~ 300 gr), chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Herbes de Provences **

Directions
1- Add all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
2 - Dump the ingredients in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil (or 2 smaller sheets).
3 - Close up the foil in a way that nothing will drip or fall out when the foil pack is flipped on the grill.
4 - Grill on BBQ until carrots are soft (approx 15-20 mins, but time will depend on the size of the carrot pieces.)

* Garden carrots (the carrots that still have the greens attached) are sweeter then regular carrots) and the sweetness blends really well with the Herbes de Provences.

** If you don't have Herbes de Provences (French herb mix) you can make your own.
Enjoy!

Nutritional Data
1 serving
2 WW points
cal 129.4
fat 3.3 g
carbs 24.5 g
fiber 6.8 g
sugars 9.1 g
protein 2.6 g

Asian Meatball Stir-Fry

If you made the Asian Meatballs and are wondering how to use them... here's my concoction. The whole family enjoyed this and I will be making it again. I think it would be really good with chicken or pork pieces as well... if you're not into beef or meatballs! This recipe uses hoisin sauce, which gives the recipe a niice sweet flavor.


Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1/2 large red or orange sweet pepper
1 cup green beans
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
2-3 tbsp water
20 Asian Meatballs

Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.
- Cook onions, peppers and green beans until softened
- Add ginger-garlic paste, chicken broth, and hoisin sauce and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and add meatballs.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water and add to skillet.
- Simmer on low until sauce has thickened.

Nutritional Data
excluding meatballs!
(4 servings sauce)
2 WW points
87.5 cal
3.8 g fat
0.3 mg cholesterol
11.1 g carbs
1.3 g fiber
0.6 g sugar

with 5 meatballs = 8 WW points
1.6 g protein

Asian Meatballs

I had thawed some ground beef and was in the mood for some stir fry and didn't feel like throwing the ground meat in as it was, so I decided to make some meatballs. I took some ingredients that I thought would give it a good flavor and mix in well with any stir-fry or other chinese dish. All 3 of my picky critics loved the meatballs.... sadly, I wasn't a huge fan. I ate them, I was hungry... but I didn't enjoy them that much. However, I will make them again, since my picky kids gobbled them up in record time! I just couldn't taste much flavor in the meatballs. I think when I will make them next time, I will mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for a few hours for the meat to really soak up the flavors before making the meatballs. I mixed and formed the meatballs and cooked them right away... maybe that's why I thought they were a little bland.


Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
3 scallions, diced
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp sugar

Directions
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.
- Refrigerate for 30 mins or more.
- Form meat mixture into 30 meatballs (about the size of a ping pong ball!).
- Cook in a preheated oven at 175 C for 20 minutes. I cooked mine on a cookie sheet to ease cleanup ;)


Nutritional Data
1 Meatball
1 WW point
46 cal
3.3 g fat
18.3 mg cholesterol
0.7 g carbs
0.1 g fiber
0.5 g sugars
3 g protein

1 serving of 5 meatballs
6 WW points
230 cal
16.4 g fat
91.7 mg cholesterol
3.4 g carbs
0.4 g fiber
2.4 g sugars
14.9 g protein

Azorean Beef Stew

Last week I wanted to make something in the crockpot and had some stewing beef and was searching for a recipe. I knew the perfect place to go and I found something that I thought looked and sounded delicious. I was right, and so was the Crockpot lady Stephanie, this dish is yummy!
Stephanie adapted a recipe from fellow foodie Sean at Hedonia to come up with this recipe for Azorean Spiced Beef Stew in the crockpot. I will definitely be trying the original recipe on the stovetop!!
The whole family enjoyed this, and so we'll definitely be making it again. The cinnamon was not overpowering at all. I did omit the "heat" from the original recipes because as usual we can't handle the heat! If you like spicier foods, you might want to add the cayenne ;) We're sissies!!
I made a few changes, tweaked it to our family's tastebuds... so the nutritional values arecalculated using my version.


Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)

100 ml cornstarch
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb chuck beef, trimmed and cubed
2 cups beef broth
5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
3 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 red potatoes (approx 300 gr), washed, unpeeled, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp allspice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick

DIrections
- In a bowl toss beef with cornstarch to coat cubes.
- Heat oil in a killet and brown beef until brown on all sides
- Add all ingredients to the crockpot mix and cover.
- Cook on low for 7 hours, then on high for 30 minutes. (* times may vary depending of crockpot)
- Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick and serve.

Nutritional Data
1 serving
7 WW points
330.9 cal
10.2 g fat
73.7 mg cholesterol
33.3 g carbs
2.8 g fiber
1.5 g sugars
26.1 g protein

Cream of Mushroom Soup for Two

No one in this house enjoys mushrooms but me... Well, my daughter loves them raw, but doesn't want any cooked ones in her food. The worst part about this is that I LOVE mushrooms, crave them even. I must get my fix every once in a while. I had a pack of mushrooms in the fridge that had to be consumed before they died. Pressed for time and starving I concocted this cream of mushroom soup. It did it, I was pleased, I had my mushroom dose! I fed the soup to the mushroom hatin' kids, didn't tell them what it was, and they ate it ALL! Suckers!! I think its a texture thing and not a taste thing. That gives me the liberty to make some cramy mushroom sauce next time we have pasta... poor Papa Tomata, he'll be all alone hatin' on the mushrooms!


Ingredients
small container fresh mushrooms (1/2 lb)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp fat-free cream cheese

Directions
- Add mushrooms, broth, onion flakes, and thyme in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes until mushrooms are soft.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese.
- With a hand mixer, puree the soup.

Nutritional Data
1 WW point
77.4 cal
0.4 g fat
2.5 g cholesterol
12.9 carbs
1.8 g fiber
5.6 sugars
6.5 g protein

African Couscous Salad

I love couscous, especially cold couscous salad. This couscous salad has a nice sweet North-African taste to it, and a little tang from the red wine vinegar. I think that cider vinegar would also taste fantastic! This is best if completely chilled before serving, giving the flavors time to meld ;)
My 3 critics enjoyed it, as did I.... definitely will be making it again. It is quite filling, therefore, I think it would be the perfect packed lunch. It makes a great side dish too!


Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat couscous (makes 3 cups cooked and fluffed with fork)
1 1/4 cup hot fat-free chicken broth
290 g jar of chickpeas (210 g just chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/4 cup raisins, not packed!
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (approx. 25g)
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

*To make it vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.


Directions
- Boil the chicken broth in a small saucepan. Once broth is boiling, remove from heat.
- Add couscous, stir to fully coat couscous and cover.
- While couscous is sitting, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the remaining ingredients (see note below on optional olive oil).
- Fluff couscous with a fork and let cool. (if you add the hot couscous, it will absord too much of the liquid in the mix... including the water in the vegetables... so it is best to wait till it has cooled).
- Once couscous has cooled to room temperature, add to the salad mix.
- Mix and refrigerate.

Nutritional Data
3 WW points
187.5 cal
1.1 g fat
41 g carbs
4.2 g fiber
3.3 g sugar
6.3 g protein

Add 1 tbsp Olive Oil to the recipe (when you add the vineagar) and the values change too
4 WW points
207.4 cal
3.3 g fat
41 g carbs
4.2 g fiber
3.3 g sugar
6.2 g protein

Chicken Cannelloni

I will warn you now, this recipe is time consuming, but delicious. It is easy to split into 2 parts over 2 days so that you don't spend too much time in the kitchen... if you have kids hanging around you, you'll for sure want to split it over 2 days (that is what I did).
I made the chicken filling on one night, refigerated it and stuffed and cooked the shells the following evening. They turned out delicious, and were eaten by all 3 of my harsh critics... another vitory for Mama Tomata!!

In case you are wondering, Cannelloni and Manicotti are the same thing. Therefore, if you have manicotti shells, you can use them ;) In Europe it is called Cannelloni and in the States they call it Manicotti.


This recipe makes 18 rolls, 3 per person. If you do not want to make 6 servings... you can easily freeze the stuffing for later use. Or if you wish to stuff a different kind of pasta, the nutritional values for stuffing only are also provided below.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrot
2 garlic cloves
1 lb chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp Greek seasoning *
salt and pepper to taste
2 egg whites
1 cup Ricotta cheese **
1 jar of Tomato & basil pasta sauce (500g)
1 jar of passata (tomoto puree) (400 g / 14 oz)
1 cup water
1 cup part-skim mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, shredded
18 small cannelloni rolls, not cooked! (I used the Barilla brand and their cooking time)

Here's to give you an idea of the size of the canneloni I used (each roll is 10 g)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 C
- Heat oil in a large deep pan. Add vegetables and garlic. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft.
- Add shredded chicken, Greek seasoning, rosemary, salt, pepper and broth. Simmer on low until most of the liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool. ****
- Once mixture is cool, stir in ricotta cheese and egg whites. (If making recipe over 2 days. Add ricotta then stop. Add the egg whites the following day and continue recipe as written)

- Stuff cannelloni shells.

- In a medium mixing bowl, mix passata, tomato sauce and water.
- In a 9x13" casserole, pour 1 cup of tomato mix. Spread over the bottom of casserole.
- Place stuffed canneloni on top of sauce and top with the rest of the sauce. (It will look like alot, but the pasta will absorb most of it during cooking).
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
- Remove foil and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes until pasta is soft and cheese has melted
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.



* I used shredded chicken breast, but if you want to have a quicker and easier version, I think it would be just as good with ground chicken or ground turkey. Just add the ground meat after the vegetables until cooked then add broth and follow the rest of the directions.

** I planned on using Italian seasoining but didn't have any, so I used Greek. Greek seasoning tasted delicious in the filling, but go ahead a use Italian if you don't have Greek ;)

*** This was my first time using ricotta cheese, and I must admit I am not a fan. Next time I make this I will substitute light cream cheese for the ricotta for a creamier filling.

Nutritional Data
1 serving (3 rolls)
7 WW points
306.3 cal
12.6 g fat
18.1 g carbs
0.9 g fiber
8.4 g sugars
30.6 g protein
66.3 mg cholesterol

1 roll in sauce no cheese
2 WW points
86.2 cal
3.2 g fat
0.3 g fiber

Filling only (6 portions)
4 WW points
1 portion
181 cal
6.5 g fat
0.9 g fiber
5.9 g carb
23.6 g protein

Napa on the Side

Looking for a quick, nutritious side dish. Try this out, its yummy! It goes great with roast pork, or topped on to rice for a quick vegetarian meal. This one is not a winner with the little critics, they wouldn't even taste it, but the big critic and I both enjoyed it.

Napa is a chinese cabbage, not to be confused with bok choy. They are used interchangeably in lots of meals, but look completely different. (Bok Choy on the Left, Napa on the right)
I used Napa in my recipe, but it would be equally good with Bok Choy. Both cabbages are delicious sauteed, braised, roasted or stir-fried! Both are delicious on their own, but are also very popular mixed into stir-frys. Another great use for them is as a replacement for regular cabbage in coleslaw.


Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger mixed into beef broth)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head of Napa cabbage (2 lbs) *
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup green onion (scallions), chopped

Directions
- Heat oil a large deep frying pan.
- Add garlic and ginger and mix around for 1 minute.
- Add Napa and stir frequently for another 2 minutes
- Add beef broth, and keep stirring until most of the broth has evaporated and the Nappa has reached the softness or crunchiness you desire.
- Add green onions 1 minute or 2 before your Napa is ready, they will retain their color and more of their flavor this way. You can add them before, but they will not be as flavorful ;)

That's it! Enjoy!

Nutritional Data
1 serving
2 WW points
67.4 cal
3.9 g fat
6.4 g carbs
0.2 g fiber
0.2 g sugars
3.6 g protein

Asian Slow Cooker Pork

Had a pork craving, so I made pork in the slow cooker tonight.... it was awesome... I was left satisfied!
So far, I haven't been liking the texture of meat when cooked in the crockpot... This is the first recipe that I really loved. The best part is that the little critics thought the "chicken and the little green balls" were delicious... YEAH BABY! The big critic ate enough for 2 people, so all and all, this was a success :) I'm definitely making this again.


Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)

1 lb pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, halved and sliced
1/2 cup sliced red pepper
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce

3 tbsp light peanut butter
1 cup frozen green beans, thawed *

Directions
- Place all ingredients (but not peanut butter and green beans) into the crockpot and mix.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Stir in peanut butter an thawed beans.
- Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
- Serve with rice or rice noodle.

* My frozen beans were a mix of grean beans, peas and ademane beans (soya beans).

Nutritional Data
1 serving
8 WWpoints
345.8 cal
21.6 g fat
76 mg cholesterol
11.3 g carbs
2.3 g fiber
3.6 g sugars
25.8 g protein

Turkey Bolognese Sauce

I love Spaghetti Bolognese, and to make it worse, I like mine "gratinée" or "au gratin" as some others may say, which is topped with cheese then melted under the broiler! I'm salivating just thinking about my Spaghetti Gratinée! However, it can pack a good amount of calories and fat, so I made some changes to my regular beef sauce. Turkey doesn't quite have the same texture as beef, but once the sauce is mix with the pasta and topped with cheese, I am satisfied. I usually melt mozzarella on top, but to cut back on calories, I am opting for Parmesan, which I love just as much!


Ingredients
(makes 7 cups of sauce)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cup bell pepper (color of your choice, I prefer sweet)
1 cup diced celery
4 garlic cloes, minced

1 lb ground turkey (white meat)
salt & pepper to taste

2 cans (14 oz/400g each) of chopped tomatoes
1 jar (14 oz/400g) Passata (tomato puree)
1 cup water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar *

Directions
-Heat oil in a large pot.
- Add diced vegetables and garlic.
- Cook covered, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
- Add groudn turkey and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the turkey.
- Once Turkey is no longer pink, add the remaining ingreditents and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on low or until the water has absorbed and the sauce is thick. If you wish to have a less thick sauce, you can add 1 cup of tomato sauce instead of water and don't simmer it as long... although, it won't be as flavourful if it simmers for less time.

* The sugar is there to break down the acidity from the chopped tomatoes and passata.

Nutritional Data
1 cup serving
6 WW points
280.1 cal
12.9 g fat
65.6 mg cholesterol
14.7 g carbs
3.4 g fiber
4.8 g sugars
21.2 g protein

Mango & Sun-Dried Tomato Chutney

This chutney can be served as a topping for roast pork, ham or chicken. Top a fresh slice of warm baguette with cream cheese and then chutney for a fantastic apetizer! It can also be mixed in to your favorite Indian dishes or rice. It's versatile and delicious... hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients
(makes 4 cups)

3 cups chopped Mango
1 1/2 cup diced, Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion)
1 cup sundried-tomatoes (not oil packed), snipped into small pieces
1 cup sultanas (or raisins)
150 ml white wine vinegar
150 ml sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 or 1/2 tsp chili powder (or more depending on you tolerance!)*

optional
2 tsp gelatin **
hot water

Directions
- Place all ingredients into a medium pot.
- Cook covered over low heat for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. The chutney is ready once the onions and mangos are soft.
- At this point, I turn off the heat and leave it covered
- In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with some hot water until diluted.
- Add the gelatin mix to the chutney, mix and pour into jar or storage bowl and let cool.

The chutney sould keep in the fridge for about 1 month. You can also freeze it.

* I put 1/2 tsp and my chitney wasn't spicy.

** The gelatin is optional... I like to add it to make it more like a relish or jam consistency. However, you can totally leave it out, or minimize it to 1 tsp.

Nutritional Data
1 serving = 2 tablespoons
1 WW point
67.3 cal
2.5 g fat
11.8 g carbs
0.8 g fiber
6.8 g sugar
0.6 g protein

Chicken Curry Risotto

I love Indian and I love risotto... so I combined both to create this Indian inspired Risotto. I didn't use Arborio rice, so its not truly risotto, but the unrinsed Jasmine rice combined with coconut created nice creamy rice either way. I really liked how it turned out and so did my 3 critics. The little critics picked out the onions, they were chopped too big... next time I will dice them so they blend in with the rice more!


Ingredients
(serves 5)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 tsp mild curry paste
1 1/2 tsp tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 1/2 cup Jasmine rice (do not rinse)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 cup light Coconut milk ***

Directions

- In a deep pan, heat olive oil and add onions.
- Cook onions for 5 minutes until softened, add curry paste and ginger-garlic paste. Cook for another minute, then add chicken.
- Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes, until all sides are white.
- Add rice, cook for another minute, stirring continuously.
- Add 1 cup chicken broth and garam masala, lower heat to low.
- Cook rice on low heat adding broth 1 cup at a time until it evaporates.
- Add coconut milk and cook until the rice is soft (or al dente) and the liquid has been absorbed. Make sure chicken has cooked through.

* If you are out of broth but rice and chicken are not quite ready, you can add water.

** Recipe should be ready in a total of about 20-25 minutes.

*** Here is a brand of coconut milk available in North America (60% less fat then regular coconut milk) perfect for this recipe!

Nutritional Data
1 serving

with light coconut milk
9 WW points
421 cal
8.7 g fat
53.7 mg Cholesterol
49.7 g carbs
1.3 g fiber
32.2 g protein

with regular coconut milk
11 WW points
479 cal
15.6 g fat
53.7 mg cholesterol
49.8 g carbs
1.3 g fiber
32.6 g protein

Ginger-Peanut Salad Dressing

Here is my take on the Japanese salad dressing. It is completely different from what you get at the restaurant, but it tastes delicious! Mine is mild, since my daughter and I have sissy tongues... Feel free to add some red pepper flakes or Asian chili-garlic condiment to give it a little kick!

I made a salad tonight with baby spinach, fresh bean spouts, grated carrots, sliced red peppers, cucumber and some green onions. Topped that with some cooked chicken breast and 2 tbsp of this dressing. It was delicious, even the 2 little critics finished their plates (minus little bits of green onions that were made into a neat little pile). They didn't even know they were eating spinach, and loved it, how great is that?!! They especially liked the beanspouts and the dressing (i see a potential side dish!).

Ingredients
(makes 300 ml, approx 10 servings)

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste*
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions
- In a bowl, mix hot water and peanut butter.
- Mix in all other ingredients.
- Refrigerate until cool.

*Ginger-Garlic Paste is a common ingredient in lots of Indian and Asian cuisine. You can find it in most specialy shops, and even in some supermarkets. If you can't find any, you can easily make your own.

Nutritional Data
1 serving = 2 tbsp
1 WW point
51 cal
3.7 g fat
2.8 g carbs
0.5 g fiber
2 g protein

Breakfast Burritos

I make most meals around here, but when it comes to breakfast my husband takes over the kitchen. He's a breakfast kinda guy! He whips up the best scrambled eggs, cooks up perfect crispy bacon, master pancake and french toast maker, and he makes the most delicious breakfast burritos. I made him tell me every single ingredient as he was making them this morning so that I could share his yummy recipe with all of you!


Ingredients
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 oz fat free milk
1 tbsp taco sauce
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup diced red pepper
2 tbsp Light Cheez Whiz
salt and pepper to taste

2 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 tbsp taco sauce (or salsa)
1/4 cup grated fat free mozzarella or cheddar

Directions
- In a bowl, beat eggs with milk and 1 tbsp taco sauce.
- Heat a non stick frying pan, and spray with Pam cooking spray.
- Fry up onions and peppers until soft.
- Add eggs and cheez whiz and mix.
- Keep mixing as you would to make scrambled eggs.
- Once eggs are cooked, split mix into 2 portions.
- Put each portion on a tortilla, top with half the cheese and 1 tbsp taco sauce (or salsa) and roll up serve hot!

Enjoy!!

Nutritional Data
8 WW points
412.8 cal
11.4 g fat
195 mg cholesterol
52.9 g carbs
3.6 g fiber
23 g protein

Corn & Red Pepper Salad

This salad is very refreshing is the perfect side dish for a Tex-Mex meal! It is also delicious with additional veggies added! This gets thumbs up from both little critics, as well as the picky husband! Yay for corn salad!

Ingredients
2 small cans of sweet corn, drained and rinsed ( 285 gr drained each can)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green onion (scallion), chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (whichever you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors blend together.
Nutritional Data
1 cup serving
2 WW points
131.6 cal
1.6 g fat
30.6 g carbs
3.9 g fiber
4.3 g protein

Quick & Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a favorite in our household. Basically, if you like grilled-cheese sandwhiches, then you'll love the Mexican (or Tex-Mex) variety as well. We enjoy all kinds, even sweet breakfast ones filled with bananas and Nutella! Tonight's quesadillas were whipped up quickly and scarfed down just as fast.

Sorry for the horrible shot.. I wanted to eat it while it was still hot! ;)

Ingredients
4 medium corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 chicken breast (250 gr)
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup low-fat mozzarella, Cheddar, or Colby cheese

Directions
- Cut chicken breast in 2 pieces (so that it cooks faster).
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil and add the chicken pieces.
- Boil until cooked (about 10 minutes)
- Remove chicken from water and shred with 2 forks. In a small bowl, mix shredded chicken with the salsa. Split chicken mix into 4 portions.
- Split cheese into 4 portions (1/4 cup).
- Put 1/2 of a portion on 1/2 a tortilla, add chicken mix on the cheese, top with the rest of the cheese portion and fold the tortilla over. Repeat steps for the remaining 3 tortillas.
- Cook in a ungreased heated pan for 1 minute on each side, or until cheese is melted. Be careful not to burn the torilla, keep heat to medium-low.

Serve with salsa and fat-free sour-cream (if desired)... it is very good as is ;)

Tastes delicious with a fresh corn salad!

Nutritional Data
4 WW points
183 cal
3.3 g fat
42.2 g cholesterol
14.2 g carbs
12.2 g fiber
23.2 g protein

Bowtie pasta with Eggplant Sauce

I love eggplant! I don't like calling it eggplant though, it's sounds so much nicer in French (or British English)... aubergine... music to my ears! I love the texture and the taste. I can fit eggplant into practically any dish; I like it that much! A couple of years back, my picky husband who never tries anything, agreed to taste eggplant after lots of nagging and had a "Green Eggs and Ham" moment... "why... I DO like eggplant!" (surprise!).
I have converted 5 people so far... they all swore they hated eggplant, tasted it, and "gasp" they liked it. I think alot of people have never even tried eggplant and simply dislike the name or look of the vegetable. If that person is you: suck it up and try it!!!
My 2 all time favorite eggplant recipes are Eggplant Parmesan and Baingan Ka Bhurta (Indian mashed eggplant). Seeing as I just made some Chicken Parmesan last week, I decided it would be to similar to eat this week. As for making Indian eggplant for the little critics, that would be a no go, as my daughter likes to scream out "it's spicy! It's spicy!" to anything with the tiniest bite (even mild salsa... wuss! She gets that from me.. I'm not so tough!). Once she starts her chanting, then the other little critic decides he also can't eat it. That means we will wait a couple of years before re-introducing Indian food to the critics!

Enough rambling.... I had eggplant in the fridge, and wanted to eat it! This is what I concocted; kids ate it, it passed the test.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove
300 gr eggplant, peeled and diced (3 cups)*
100 gr zucchini, peeled and diced (1/2 cup)
1 jar (400gr) of tomato-basil sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes (400 gr)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tbsp fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried
1/4 tsp sweet hungarian paprika**
salt and pepper to taste
Pam cooking spray

Directions
- Heat oil in medium saucepan.
- Add onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, eggplant and mix, cover and cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. (Eggplant absorbs oil and liquids! If you find that the eggplant is starting to stick and burn, spary with Pam and mix... I needed to do this twice).
- Add zucchini and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients and cover and let simmer for another 10 minutes until eggplant is soft. (Eggplant is sometimes bitter if not fully cooked!) If sauce is too liquidy, remove cover and simmer until thickened, or if it is too thick add some water until desired consistency.

Serve over whole wheat pasta and top with fresh parmesan cheese.

* I peeled and diced because of the kids ;) Go ahead and chop the eggplant into larger pieces if you wish. As for the zucchini, I would have left the skin on if not for the kids (easier to hide them when they are skinned!). The peel is packed with nutrients! Also, I would prefer larger chunks of zucchini, and for them to be crunchier. If I was making this for zucchini loving people, I would have added the zucchini at the same time as the sauce and cut them in larger chunks so that they still would have a nice crunch... I probably would have doubled the amount as well ;)

** If you do not have sweet paprika, you can use regular paprika, it might just have more of a bite then the sweet paprika.

Nutritional Data
Sauce only (split into 4 servings)
3 WW points
159 cal
6 g fat
19 g carbs
6 g fiber
4 g protein

Sauce only (split into 5 servings)
2 WW points
128 cal
4.7 g fat
15 g carbs
5 g fiber
3 g protein

Greek Bulgur Salad

Bulgur is a grain I discovered a couple of years ago. It resembles short grain rice, but has a chewier texture. It is fantastic warm or cold. I like to use it in place of rice for hot meals, or cold to make delicious salads. It is packed with fiber and very nutritious. I made this for myself, and I enjoyed it. I used canned shrimp since that was all I had, but I think it would be better the next time with frozen shrimp or with no shrimp at all, but as a side dish for a nice grilled shrimp dinner! Mmm, now I am salivating for fresh BBQ's shrimp...

I will test this out on the little critics when they get home from school... I have a fishy feeling they will be picking out several things and just eating the bulgur... they LOVE bulgur!
Ingredients
1/2 lb uncooked bulgur
2 cups low fatchicken broth
20 gr sun-dried tomato, diced (4 halves, not oil-packed!)
1/2 lemon, juiced
can of cocktail shrimp, drained and rinsed (100gr without liquid)
1/2 cup diced cucumber
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/c cup crumbled low-fat feta *
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Greek seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

*the low fat feta I used was 12% fat (nutrional data is based on that value).

Directions
- In a medium saucepan, add bulgur to chicken broth and bring to a boil
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and boil for another 5 minutes, covered, or until all liquid has been absorbed. The bulgur should have a chewy texture like that of rice when still al dente. (No matter how long you cook it, it will never reach the softness of rice!)
- Remove from heat, squeeze juice of half a lemon into bulgur, mix and let cool.
-In a large salad bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients and toss.
- Once bulgur has completely cooled, mix it into the salad mix and refrigerate at least 30 minutes until nice and cool.

Nutritional Data
You might think the portion is small, but bulgur is incredibly filling ;)
1 1/2 cup main dish serving (makes 4 servings)
6 WW points
339 cal
5.7 g fat
39 g cholesterol
52 g carbs
11 g fiber
24 g protein

1 cup side dish servings without shrimp (makes 6 servings)
4 WW points
208 cal
3.5 g fat
7.5 g fiber
0.8 g cholesterol
34.5 g carbs
12.7 g protein

Carrot Spice Mini Muffins

I recently bought a silicone mini muffin tray and was anxious to try it. I came up with this recipe, with what I had on hand. The muffin tray was so awesome! I highly recommend buying one, the muffins just popped out of the tray with ease, nothing stuck, and I didn' even grease or spray the tray. They aren't as light as regular muffins, they almost have a bread like texture, but they taste really nice. The little critics were full of praise and stuffed their little faces. These make the perfect on the go snack for both mama, papa and little ones!

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn flour *
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 banana mashed (1/4 cup) **
1 cup fat-free milk
2 egg whites, beaten
3/4 grated carrot (1 small carrot)
1/4 cup raisins

Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a small bowl, combine banana, milk, egg whites, carrot, and raisins.
- Make a hole in the center of the dry mix.
- Fill hole with wet mix.
- Mix with a spoon or fork briefly just to moisten.... do not whisk or over mix.
- Fill muffin tin.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes for mini muffins, or 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins or until toothpick comes out clean after peircing center of muffin.
- Recipe will make 2 dozen mini muffins or 1 dozen regular muffins.

* I used 1/2 all-purpose flour and half corn flour because I started the recipe and then realized out was out of flour ... duh! Go ahead and make it with just regular flour if you wish, that was my original plan ;)

** I used mashed banana instead of oil to cut down on fat and calories as well as sugar... since the banana adds moisture and sweetness! If you're not watching your calorie or fat intake go ahead and substitute the banana for 1/4 cup vegetable oil and up the sugar to 3/4 cups.

Nutritional Data
makes 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins
1 mini muffin
1 WW points
68 cal
0.2 g fat
0.2 cholesterol
14.9 carbs
0.5 g fiber
1.9 g protein

1 regular muffin
3 WW points
135 cal
0.3 g fat
0.4 g cholesterol
29.8 g carbs
1.1 g fiber
3.7 g protein

Turkey Muffinloafs

I made some miniature meatloaves today and they were a huge hit with one little critic. The other critic only ate half, which is usual for her. These were fun for the critics since they could eat them with their hands once they had cooled a little. We devoured ours with some BBQ sauce.... mmmmm.
I did put fresh veggies in it, and assumed they would have time to be fully cooked, but I was wrong. I enjoyed the crunch they gave, but I'm guessing that is why one little critic didn't finish her plate... Therefore, next time I will saute the onions and peppers and let them cool before adding them to the mix.
I am going to freeze the leftovers for a quick and healthy lunch later on. We had this with some sweet & sour coleslaw; the flavors mixed perfectly!
Ingredients

1/2 onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)*
1 small red pepper, finely diced (1 cup)*
1/2 cup shredded carrot (1 small carrot)
3/4 cup shredded zucchini (1 small zucchini)
1 egg
1 tbsp Dijon a l'ancienne (old-fashioned)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
100 ml uncooked whole wheat couscous
1 lb lean ground turkey (white meat)
Pam

Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- *If you do not want crunchy onions and peppers, saute them in a little olive oil for 5 minutes. If you don't mind, skip this step.
- Mix all ingredients well with your hands.
- Spray 8 wholes of a muffin tin.
- Pack with meat mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 75 C.

Note
Seeing as all muffin tins vary in size keep in mind that the nutritional values are based on my muffin tin (12 holes, only 8 used).

Nutritional Data
1 muffin was perfect for the little critics and 2 muffins were good for mama ;)
1 muffinloaf =
3 WW points
154 cal
4.8 g fat
66 g cholesterol
13.6 g carbs
1.6 g fiber
13.8 g protein

Roast it! Rosemary-Thyme Pork Tenderloin with Root Vegetables

I loast pork roasts, especially lean tenderloin! I'm salivating again thinking about it. I had some fresh herbs and decide I should do something with them before they dried out or died on me... My herb plants never seem to survive... I must be doing something wrong!
I bought a 2.5 lb pork tenderloin and cut it half for the recipe, so my cooking time was way different then it should have been with a 1 piece 1 lb tenderloin. This lenghtened cooking time was not welcomed by my youngest little critic who came shouting "I'm hungreeeeeee mooooooooommmmm!!!!"
So I had to take the roast out, slice it up and panfry it to finish it. Still tasted great, but not as juicy as it would have tasted if it would have been finished in the oven.

Rosemary-Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
(serves 4)

1 lb pork tenderloin
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 sliced and 1 minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


Directions
Preheat oven to 200 C
With a morter and pestle, mash up the thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Stab meat with knife to make pockets about 1/2 inch deep and wide.
Place roast in a small roasting pan.
Stuff the pockets with small amounts of herb mix, keeping about half for later.
Slide a garlic slice in each pocket.
Cover the rest of the roast with remaining herb mix and minced garlic.
Put in oven with the roast vegetables recipe (see below) if you chose to have that side dish.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of roast is 165 F.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes and slice into 4 servings (either 4 thick slices or 8 thinner slices).

** I covered my roast with aluminum foil half way through to save the herbs from burning. My oven is out of whack, so yours might survive without the foil

Nutritional Data
5 WW points
199 cal
6.9 g fat
1 g carbs
0.2 g fiber
31.5 g protein


Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients
(4 side servings)

1/2 a sweet potato (about 1/2 lb), cut into big cubes
1 medium carrot (150 gr), cut into 1.5 inch peices
1 small parsnip (100gr), cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small white beet 100 gr, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and toss to evenly coat all veggies.
- Spread veggies in a medium roasting pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Take out and mix and return to oven for another 20 minutes (or until fork tender).

** Make sure the parsnips and beets are much smaller then the carrots and sweet potatoes since they take longer to cook. Sweet potato cooks the fastest out of the bunch, so make that your largest peices.

Nutritional Data
2 WW points
131 cal
7.1 g fat
16.6 g carbs
3.7 g fiber
1.7 g protein

Asian-Style Mushroom Soup

You might find a lot of soup recipes on this site during the winter months as I always make some to warm up. We have soup mostly every day, especially since our little guy is so fond of all types of soup.

This soup was not a winner with the kids, nor was it with the mushroom-hatin' man... but it didn't stop me from cooking up a batch. I personally love mushrooms, and now I have some delicious soup to last me the week for lunch! Hope you enjoy it... and if you don't like mushrooms, you could always omit them and switch them with broccoli or double up the other vegetables in the soup (especially the Napa)!

Ingredients
(6 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, cut in half and sliced
1 small carrot, julienned (about 3/4 cup)
1 garlic clove, chopped or minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 small red bell pepper
5 cups beef broth
1 tbsp Soya sauce
2 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
8 large mushrooms, sliced (approx 200 gr)

Directions
- In a large pot, heat oil. Add onions and carrots and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
-Add red pepper, garlic, ginger and cook another minute.
-Add beef broth, soya sauce, mushrooms and napa and bring to a boil while covered.
- Once boiling, and mushrooms and Napa are softened but still have a little crunch, remove from heat and serve.

Nutritional Data
1 serving = 1 cup
1 WW point
61.2 cal
2.9 g fat
5.5 g carbs
1.3 g fiber
4.3 g protein

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite meals. Being on a new health kick, I tried to make it as healthy as I could without taking any yumminess away ;) I know anything is healthier if its not battered, but this is one recipe I just won't change! I served this salad with a rucola (arugula) Balsamic salad. The strong rucola flavor blended really well with the tomato sauce! I'm crazy for rucola, I can put that green stuff on anything... so I might be a little biased!

Ingredients
(serves 6)

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 large egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs*
1/2 tsp oregano*
1/2 tsp basil*
30 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
PAM cooking spray (about 3 x 3 second sprays)
2 jars (500g) of tomato-basil type prepared pasta sauce
1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes**
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Remove filets from under the breast and set aside.
- Pound chicken breast so it is even thickness all over, not too thin, about the same as the filet.
- Cut chicken breast into 3 equal strips (like the filets) and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg.
- In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, oregano, and basil.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg, then in crumbs and set aside.
- Heat a large deep pan and spray once with PAM.
- Add chicken pieces and spray top with PAM (this is to get it crispy once you flip the chicken). (You might need to cook chicken in 2 batches depending the size of you pan).
- Once chicken is cooked on both sides, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little water to desired consistency.

Serve over spaghetti, or you choice of pasta.
Top with fresh parmesan cheese (1 tsbp = 1/2 WW point)

*Can replace the breadcrumbs, oregano and basil with Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs.
**I'm not a fan of tomato chunks, so I puree a can of tomatoes. If you like the chunks, go ahead and add a can of diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes ;)

Nutritional Data
1 serving = 2 strips of chicken + sauce
(does not include pasta)
6 WW points
320 cal
7.5g fat
107 mg cholesterol
24 g carbs
4.2 g fiber
36 g protein

Celeriac Soup

I kept seeing this strange looking root vegetable at the supermarket and decided to buy one. Turns out this strange looking vegetable is Celeriac. They call it celery in Hungary, and call what we know as celery English Celery. Basically, celeriac is celery root. After reading up on it, I found out that it is very popular in Europe, and uncommon and usually hard to find and expensive in North America. It's strange to think of a root vegetable as expensive, especially since 1/2 a Celeriac in Budapest cost me 0.60$. I decided to make soup with it. I love creamy soups more then chunky soups, so I tend to puree all my soups. This way I can often sneak in some good vegetables and pass them to the kids without them knowing... and my little critics think they are so clever... who's clever now?!
I wasn't sure what to expect, but this came out wonderfully. This soup tastes exactly like a cream of celery soup, just 10 times better then the stuff that comes out of a can ;) Hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients
(4 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
300 g celeriac, peeled and cubed(aprox 2 cups cubed)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 medium potato
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
4 celery tops with leaves, whole, not chopped
fresh parsley, 2 tbsp

Directions
- Heat oil in a medium pot. Add onions and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add celeriac cover and cook 5 minutes to soften
- Add potatoes, broth, bay leaf, parsley, and celery tops
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes or until celeriac and potatoes are soft.
- Remove celery tops and bay leaf and discard.
- Let soup cool and puree it with a hand mixer.

Nutritional Data
1 Serving
2 WW Points
115 cal
3.5 g fat
18.4 carbs
2.8 g fat
1.9 g protein

Couscous Salad for Two!

I am horrible at measuring the proper amount of pasta, rice or couscous.... or any other grain that swells up when cooking! Today's leftover: couscous!

I love couscous salad, and always whip up a different one depending what I have on hand. I usually omit oil when making salad, since I am trying to lose weight, but go ahead and add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the mix if you aren't worried about the fat! I recently purchased a bottle of Apricot Balsamic Vinegar that is devine! I have never tasted flavored Balsamic vinegars before, but now that I have, I am hooked. I will be trying all the other flavors I saw at the supermarket! The bottle I purchased is from Olitalia, an Italian brand available here in Europe... I'm not sure if it's sold in North-America though. HoweverI did find a place that sells it online.


Ingredients

2 cups cold cooked couscous
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp Herbes de Provence*
2 tbsp minced or diced red onion
2 tbsp Apricot Balsamic Vinegar**
salt and pepper to taste

Simple Directions :)
- Mix all ingredients, except the couscous.
-Add couscous and mix to coat.

*Herbes de Provence is a blend of herbes. You can find it in most supermarkets. If yours doesn't carry any, here is a recipe to make your own.
**If you can't find Apricot Balsamic, substitute it with any other fruit infused Balsamic vinegar, or a sweet Balsamic Vinegar.

Nutrional Data
1 serving
4 WW Points
212 cal
0.6 g fat
3.9 g fiber
7 g protein
0 g cholesterol

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

After a trip to Morocco several years ago, I became hooked on the food... it is so aromatic and delicious. My favorite Moroccan dish is called a Tagine which is a stew named after the dish it is cooked in. Basically, a Tagine is a clay plate with a clay tent shaped cover. It is usually set on coals which allows for the slow cooking of the meat and vegetables. I decided I would attempt to make a Moroccan Chicken Tagine in my crock-pot, which seems like the perfect tool to use since I don't own a Tagine!

Interested in purchasing a Tagine, go to Tagines by BTC.

The most popular spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine is Ras El Hanout. You can find this in most Specialty Stores or even in some Supermarkets (mainly in big cities). You can also order it online from several places including The Savory Spice Shop or make your own following the directions on The Food Thesaurus or on Recipe Zaar.

After browsing different Moroccan recipes here is what I came up with. It's not authentic (i.e. cream) but it is sweet and spicy and does the trick ;)
Ingredients
6 small skinless, chicken thighs (if deboned approx 40g a thigh)
1 large carrot
1 large parsley root (or small parsnip)
1 large onion
1 can (400 gr) chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp Ras El Hanout
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey

salt & pepper to taste
10 dried apricots (approx. 60 gr)
1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinced
1/4 cup 15% cooking cream (optional, but part of nutritional info, doesn't affect points value)

Directions
- Place chicken in a crock pot.
- Top with carrots, parsley root, and onions.
- In a bowl, mix tomatoes, Ras El Hanout, cinnamon, garlic and honey.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 7 hours.
- Carefully remove chicken, as it might fall apart when you do, especially if cooked on low.
- Add apricots, chickpeas and cream and mix well.
- Return chicken to crock pot and cook uncovered on high for another 15 minutes.
- Serve over whole wheat couscous.

Tip
For a spicier Tagine, add an extra tsp of Ras El Hanout, after taste-testing, when you add the chickpeas and apricots.

Nutrional Data
sauce split into 4 portions
1.5 thighs/serving
6 WW points
318 cal
8.5 g fat
6.8 g fiber
11.8 cholesterol
8.4 g protein

Recipes

All recipes will be listed on this post in alphabetical order;

Asian Meatballs
Asian Meatball Stir-Fry
Asian Slow Cooker Pork
Asian-Style Mushroom Soup
Azorean Beef Stew

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Breakfast Burritos

Carrot Spice Mini Muffins
Celeriac Soup
Chicken Cannelloni
Chicken Curry Risotto
Chicken Parmesan
Corn and Red Pepper Salad
Couscous Salad for Two

Dijon Scallopped Potatoes

Ginger-Peanut Salad Dressing
Greek Bulgur Salad

Kid-Proof Asian Turkey Noodles

Mango & Sun-dried Tomato Chutney
Mediterranean 3 Grain Risotto

Napa on the Side

Onion & Carrot Foil Pack

Quick & Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Roasted Root Vegetables
Roasted Rosemary-Thyme Pork Tenderloin

Shepherd's Pie a la Moussaka
Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

Turkey Bolognese Sauce
Turkey Muffinloafs