Spicy Walnut Broccolini

I hate to admit that I didn't snap a photo of side dish before we ate it but it's still worth posting. It's one of those side dishes that even though it's a Weight Watchers recipe, it doesn't really need to be one. We'll eat this on a diet or off. I will probably try it with broccoli as well for a cheaper option that I usually already have all the ingredients for. We'll see!

Spicy Walnut Broccolini

serves 2

1 bunch broccolini

1 tablespoon margarine

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Boil 1" of water in a large skillet. Add broccolini, cover, and cook 4 minutes. It should be tender, but not mushy (watch it because it can quickly cross the line). You'll also want to flip it once during cooking. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, stir together margarine, walnuts, lemon zest, and red pepper in a small bowl.

3. Wipe the skillet dry and return to medium - high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add broccolini and walnut butter to pan. Saute 2 minutes or until hot. Serve immediately. 

Nutrition (per 1/2 recipe):

         2 weight watchers points+

Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

People on diets often use cauliflower as a substitute for some carbs - mashed "potatoes" and "breadsticks" are the ones that I've tried. They are usually pretty good but never the same. I found this recipe as part of the Paleo-friendly blog I found on Pinterest. I tried the original recipe (without the paleo substitutes) and liked it but it needed a few changes. I didn't really care for the basil, cilantro, and mint. Otherwise the recipe is pretty much the same as how I usually make fried rice. 

As a main dish it probably would be enough to replace a craving for some good fried rice. However, as a side dish it was a perfect substitute to get rid of all those points from the carbs. You pulse the cauliflower until it's the size of rice and then cook it just like fried rice - so it really does taste close to the same. I'm definitely keeping this in my book to use as a fried "rice" for asian side dishes. I recommend it with the Mongolian Beef in my blog. It was quite a tasty pair. :)

Cauliflower Fried “Rice”

Serves 4

1 small head cauliflower, separated

2 eggs

½” knob of ginger, minced

1 garlic cloved, minced

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

4 oz sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Put cauliflower segments into a food processor and pulse until the size of rice.

2. Whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Spray a skillet heated over medium heat. Pour eggs into skillet and cook into a thin omelet. Remove and thinly slice.

3. Increase heat to medium high. Add chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. Cook until light browned and softened, about 5-6 minutes.

4. Add ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add cauliflower pieces. Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for 4 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be tender but not mushy.

5. Add soy sauce and sliced omelet. Serve hot.

Nutrition (1/4 recipe):

2 Weight Watchers Points+

Original Recipe inspiration - http://paleoparents.com/2013/paleo-p-f-changs-recipe-recreation-round-up/

Zucchini Couscous

I meant to post this a while ago but I probably just forgot to take a photo so I didn't post it. Either way, here you go!

This dish has become a staple side dish since we tried it about a month and a half ago. It can go with a ton of stuff but we love it with marinated, grilled meats and a simple salad or some green beans.

Tips:

    1) If you are already grilling, you should grill the zucchini. It'll add just a bit of grill flavor and some great grill marks. If you do, just cut the zucchini in half and brush on some olive oil mixed with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Grill until tender and there are grill marks. Then cut into small chunks when cool enough to handle.

    2) Make sure to squeeze a lemon and use fresh lemon juice (rather than bottled). It makes a BIG difference! I did it once with bottled lemon juice because I forgot to buy the lemon and it wasn't nearly as flavorful. 

Zucchini Couscous

serves 2

1/2 cup couscous

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 medium zucchini

1 small tomato, chopped

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

1. Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add couscous, stir, and take off the heat. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

2. Cut zucchini into quarters. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook zucchini until tender and lightly browned.

3. Toss the couscous, zucchini, tomato, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition (1/2 recipe of couscous):

    146 Calories, 3g Fat, 27g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 5g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Here's a refreshing smoothie that gives you two servings of fruit with minimal calories. It's only about 1 point on weight watchers and is great after working out. I usually add a splash of whatever fruit juice I have in the house (usually V8 Light Mango) for a little extra flavor.

Strawberry - Banana Smoothie

5 fresh strawberries, quartered
1 banana, cut into chunks
1/3 cup diet 7-up
1/2 cup crushed ice

Blend together until smoothie and enjoy while cold!

Champagne Vinaigrette

I cannot say enough good things about this salad dressing!! I know that sounds a little overdramatic :)

Fratesi's Italian restaurant in Jackson, MS has the best vinaigrette ever made and of course now that I don't live there, I never have it. This dressing however is going to take it's place in our household. It's so light, flavorful, and versatile that you can really use it a lot. I'm actually making 2 batches at a time and keeping it in a jar in the fridge (I found a cute this jar that I just love).

I served it here with chunks of avocado, crumbled bacon, and avocado. Next time I may add some sunflower seeds too.

I can think of tons of combinations I want to try!

Champagne Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar

Salt and Pepper

½ cup olive oil

1. Stir together mustard, garlic, vinegar, and salt and pepper.

2. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until well emulsified. Toss over salad.

Spinach, Romaine, and Tangerine Salad

This is one of Matt's favorites. He will take a salad with citrus vinaigrette and fresh orange slices any day of the week. I'm not sure that both the romaine and spinach are necessary (if you don't have both on hand just use the one that you do) but it does add some nice variety.

Spinach, Romaine, and Tangerine Salad **
serves 2

1 Tablespoons mint leaves, torn
1/2 teaspoon tangerine zest
1 Tablespoon fresh tangerine juice
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
dash of salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups Romaine, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 peeled and sliced tangerine
2 Tablespoons walnuts, toasted
dash of pepper





1. Whisk mint leaves, zest, juice, vinegar, and salt together. Gradually add the olive oil while whisking continuously.

2. Toss Romaine, spinach, tangerine slices, and walnuts together. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with the dressing. Toss well.

Nutrition (per 1/2 salad):
       136 Calories, 13g Fat, 7 Carbs, 2g Protein, 2g Fiber
       4 weight watchers points+

** recipe from http://pointlessmeals.blogspot.com/2012/02/spinach-romaine-and-tangerine-salad.html

Crunchy Asian Salad

This salad is simply delicious! It's very light and refreshing. We had it with an Asian marinated pork tenderloin but it'd also be a great side dish with something spicy and southwestern. Serve a full cup of salad for a hearty side dish or a half of a cup for just a simple side note next to another side dish. Either way, enjoy!

Crunchy Asian Salad **
serves 8

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 Tablespoons Splenda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 package Ramen noodle soup mix, seasoning packet discarded

16 oz coleslaw mix, shredded

1/4  cup sliced almonds

1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

11 oz mandarin oranges in light corn syrup, drained

3 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

1. Whisk canola oil, rice vinegar, Splenda, salt and pepper together and set aside.

2. Break up Ramen noodles and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.

Nutrition (per 1 cup):

    162 Calories, 13g Fat, 9 Carbs, 1g Fiber, 2g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

** http://pointlessmeals.blogspot.com/2010/08/crunchy-asian-salad.html

Zucchini Ribbon Salad - Italian

Welcome to our new favorite salad. This is really versatile because you can change the flavor depending on what seasonings you want to use. This is the Italian version but Matt and I are already thinking about making it into a southwestern salad and maybe even trying out an Asian version. mmm - I want some more already.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad - Italian
serves 2

1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Italian seasonings (or whatever flavor you want)
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and shave into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler or mandoline.
2. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and seasonings. Toss together with zucchini and pine nuts.
3. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

3 points plus per serving

*** recipe from pointlessmeals.blogspot

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

I served this with the Jalapeno Popper Chicken and thought that it was a pretty good side dish complement. It gives the chicken just a little extra cheesy goodness if you eat them together.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole 

serves 8

1 bag frozen, shredded hashbrowns (24 oz)

1 onion, chopped

1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request cream of chicken

1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request cheddar cheese soup

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Mix all ingredients together and spread into a 13x9 inch pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, 45-60 minutes.

Nutrition (per 1/8 of casserole):

    133 Calories, 1g Fat, 23g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 7g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

Southwestern Ranch Dressing

Today I went running and when I got back I wanted something lighter - like a salad - but hearty too. So I wanted a salad with RANCH. I have no idea why ranch seems heartier to me but that's what I wanted so I wanted to find a way to make it happen without eating a million points. Since I also really like southwestern dressings, I found a good compromise. Rather than adding milk to my Ranch dressing powder, I added reduced fat sour cream and some homemade salsa. It added the liquidity that I needed from the salsa and the creaminess from the sour cream.

If you don't want to make any salsa then you can use any jarred variety. I would suggest pureeing it first though so that your salad dressing is smooth, not chunky.

Southwestern Ranch Dressing
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Ranch dressing powder
1/4 cup salsa - depending on how spicy you want it

Mix together all the ingredients and let sit about 5 minutes. Serve over any salad or fresh veggies for a low fat snack.

Nutrition:
               55 calories, 3g fat, 1g fiber, 5g carbs, 3g protein
               2 weight watchers pp

Grits and Cheese Soufflés with Arugula Salad

We made these for dinner last night as a meatless option on Good Friday. We served it with the simple arugula salad in the recipe and a Corn and Red Bell Pepper Sauté (recipe under Sides). I did end up flipping them out of the dishes but didn't get a picture of it. It was much easier to eat though since you don't have to worry about the hot ramekin.

       

It was pretty tasty although in the future I want to experiment with adding chopped salami or pancetta to the soufflés. I think they'd also be an impressive brunch for company so it's going in my breakfast category as well.

Grits and Cheese Soufflés with Arugula Salad

serves 4

¾ cup quick-cooking grits

Cooking spray

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ ounces), plus more for ramekins

1½ cups frozen corn, thawed

2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

6 cups baby arugula

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1.    Preheat oven to 425.

2.    Mix the grits and 1½ cups water in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave    until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir occasionally until slightly cooled.

3.     Meanwhile, coat four 10 ounce ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle with parmesan; tap out the excess. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

4.    Combine the cooled grits, corn, cream cheese, egg yolks, thyme, ½ cup parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth, stopping the motor to stir by hand if needed (the mixture will be thick). Transfer to a large bowl.

5.    In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and ½ teaspoon vinegar until medium peaks form. Fold ¼ of the white into the grits mixture, then fold in the rest.

6.    Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

7.    Toss the arugula with the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the soufflés.

Nutrition (per 1 soufflé):

345 calories, 9g fat, 52g carbs, 5g fiber, 15g protein

9 weight watchers points+