Roasted Root Vegetables (2 WW Points)

12 servings

We visited our dear friends in Chicago this past weekend. As tends to happen when visiting a city like Chicago, we ate a ridiculous amount of ridiculously fabulous food. I came home feeling like all I wanted to eat for the next week was veggies. Obviously, that hasn't happened, but I have had an unprecedented ability to resist the holiday treats.

The one healthy thing we ate while in Chicago were roasted root vegetables, prepared by our hosts, as a side to a wonderful beef stew dinner. (If I ever make this, I'll make sure to post. You won't want to miss it!) I decided to make up a giant pan of these tonight, to have for meals at work this week. I also thought it would be nice to share with our next door neighbor who loves veggies even more than I do and is always cooking for us. You could use any veggies you want, and any quantity. This is just what I bought, and how much I ended up with when I chopped them all up.

Ingredients

24 cloves garlic cloves (peeled, whole)
5 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cups raw parsnips, peeled and chopped
4 cups rutabagas, peeled and chopped
4 cups turnips, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Chop everything up, toss with olive oil.



Bake at 350 for and hour and a half or so, until veggies are tender.



Let me just say, YUM. A tasty fall side dish, or a nice light meal.

To be perfectly honest, before preparing this dish, I had never in my life purchased turnips, parsnips, or rutabagas. I had absolutely no clue how to prepare them, so I did a little research. In case you are like me, and somewhat clueless when it comes to the less common root vegetables, I will pass on my newfound wealth of knowledge. Rutabagas need to be peeled prior to cooking. Young turnips can be washed and trimmed, and not peeled. If they are more mature, peel. Parnsips, if small, can also just be trimmed. Medium and large ones should be peeled. This is also true for carrots - and I know with carrots so perhaps with other veggies, if you can avoid peeling you retain a lot more nutrients. Just give them a little scrub.

Keilbasa and Bean Slow Cooker Soup (4 WW points)

9 servings

Ingredients



58 oz fat-free chicken broth (4 14oz cans)
15 oz canned pinto beans
15 oz canned black beans
15 oz Cannellini Beans (these aren't pictured because I added them at the end, when I thought the soup needed more "stuff")
4 medium carrots, chopped
3 medium celery, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp thyme
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes
16 oz low fat Kielbasa (I used Trader Joe's Turkey Kielbasa)

Instructions

Chop all your veggies.



Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart crockpot.


Cover and cook on low-heat setting at least 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more.



Yields about 1 heaping cup per serving.



This was good, but I wish it wasn't so brothy. I wish it was thicker, like a stew. Next time, I'd maybe make a roux using some of the soup base and some corn starch, and finish the soup off by boiling it. I have never tried thickening with a roux in the crockpot, but maybe cooking on high for 30 minutes or so after adding the roux would work? If I try it, I'll let you know. If you try it, you let me know. It's only fair.

Gooey Butter Cookies (3WW Points)

I'm sure the last thing you want to know is how many points are in those yummy holiday cookies. Well, if you don't want to know, get your recipes from somewhere else. I tell it like it is.

I got this recipe from this site. There were tons of good looking recipes, it was very hard to choose. Since Mark ate 4 of these in about 5 minutes, I think this was a good choice. They were the easiest cookie ever. And they were definitely gooey.

I ended up with 35 cookies, which is how I calculated the points. They were fairly small (not tiny, just not big). I liked this, it makes it possible to enjoy one and still eat your acceptable number of points for the day.

Ingredients



8 oz light cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
12 box yellow cake mix
3 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter.



Stir in the egg and vanilla.



Add cake mix, and stir until well blended.



Roll into 1" balls and then roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.



Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.



Try not to eat the whole pan. Seriously. I dare you to eat just one. Or even four.

Zippy Corn Chowder (4 WW Points)

10 servings

Ingredients



2 pounds uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp light butter
1 large sweet red pepper
1 cup leeks
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp paprika
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 cups whole uncooked white potato, cubed
1 cup canned cream-style white corn
3 cups frozen corn kernels
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
hot pepper sauce, to taste

Instructions

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons butter until lightly browned; set aside and keep warm. In the same pan, saute the red pepper in remaining butter until tender. Add the leeks (onion); cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and paprika until blended.



Gradually stir in the broth. Add the potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in corn, Worcestershire sauce, salt, hot pepper sauce and reserved chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until corn is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk and heat through (do not boil).



And wala! Okay, not really. I didn't think it was thick enough (the original recipe called for cream but I switched it to milk, this could be why it seemed thin). I ended up scooping a little liquid out of the soup and making a roux with a tablespoon or so of corn starch. Then I added it back to the pot and brought it to a boil. This thickened it up in a jiffy.



We all liked it, but the paprika was a bit strong. I'd make it again, but either use less or omit it all together. I guess that flavor just wasn't fitting for a corn chowder. Otherwise, it was good.

Cheesy Broccoli and Fusilli (6 WW Points)

8 servings



2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
16 oz cooked frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
6 serving Fusilli (or any other shape) pasta (I used the Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Fusilli with Flax)
6 oz lean deli-sliced honey ham
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cups butternut squash puree

First, make your butternut squash puree. Cut the squash like this.



Bake it, cut side down, for about 30 minutes at 350. It looks like this when done.



Then scoop it out (when cool enough to handle). Puree. Done. Easy peasy.

Next I browned my ham, just for taste.



Heat broiler. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.



Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the pasta and broccoli and toss to combine. Transfer to a broiler proof 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Broil until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

Looks like this going in...



And this when it comes out...



My family liked it. It wasn't spectacular, but yummy, warm, and comforting (not to mention healthy with the sneaky squash in there and the super healthy pasta). I would make it again.

Ham and Potato Frittata (4 WW Points)

This was one of those nights that I didn't know what to make for dinner, so I looked at what was in my fridge and created this. I wouldn't recommend it - not without some alterations at least. It had good flavor, but the texture was a little rubbery. I've used egg substitute for frittatas before, but only in combination with whole eggs. Lesson learned; don't use egg substitute on it's own for a frittata. If you cut the egg substitute down to 1 cup, and used 2 whole eggs, this probably would be worth making again. It might be a strange dinner for some, but sometimes you have to get creative.

Ham and Potato Frittata (4 WW points)
~4 servings

Here's what you need:



* 1 spray olive oil cooking spray
* 1 1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
* 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
* 1/2 pound potatoes, diced
* 2 oz cooked lean ham, diced
* 1/2 cup red onion, diced
* 1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Oh, and one cute helper.



Prepare all your ingredients, so when you actually start cooking you can pretend you're Rachael Ray and your assistants prepped all the stuff for you before hand so your 30 minute meal actually does take only 30 minutes.



Coat your pan with a spray of olive oil and add your potatoes. Cook until they're soft.



When they were partially cooked (you may need to add some water during the cooking time to prevent sticking - I didn't but my sugar daddy - a.k.a. Mark - bought me nice new Calphalon pans), I added my diced onion. I browned my ham separately.

Add everything to the potatoes. Let cook until almost firm.



Put pan under preheated broiler and cook until center is set and frittata is lightly browned. My frittata was kind of thick, so it took a while. Theoretically, it should take around 3-5 minutes, and look like this. (Oh, I added some diced tomatoes to the top of my half. Mark and Kaelyn don't like tomatoes - I know, it's unbelievable!)



I served the frittata with some baking powder biscuits, made with applesauce instead of oil. I like them - dense and chewy - but Mark prefers the full fat version. I agree, they're flakier and yummier that way, but if you're counting points, dense and chewy is perfectly acceptable.




Baking Powder Biscuits (2 WW points)
~9 servings
* 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1 cup(s) whole wheat flour (use just white flour for the yummier version)
* 1 tbsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp table salt
* 2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
* 1/2 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce (1/3 cup oil if you want the Mark approved biscuits)
Preheat oven to 425.
Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and applesauce/oil all at once to flour mixture. Stir with fork, just enough for dough to hold together.
Pat dough about 1/2 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut out biscuits with floured 2 1/2 inch cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Crockpot Pasta Fagioli Soup (4WW Points)

I love my crock pot, and because I do I have become an avid fan of this blog. This is a knock-off of Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli soup that I altered slightly from the original. I let it simmer all day - a little longer than I planned since we were house hunting and it took longer than anticipated (for those interested, we found a couple we liked but probably not the one; so we'll keep looking).

The ingredients:



* 1/2 large red onion(s)
* 1 cup(s) carrot(s)
* 2 medium stalk(s) celery
* 2 tsp ground oregano
* 1 T Tabasco sauce
* 1/2 tsp table salt
* 1/4 tsp black pepper
* 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
* 1 can (15oz) Cannellini Beans
* 1 can (15oz) kidney beans
* 1 1/2 cups Fusilli pasta (I used Trader Joe's multigrain with Flax - and the original called for 1/2 cup but I just wanted more)
* 1 jar (16oz) marinara sauce
* 4 cups Beef Broth
* 1.3 lbs Ground Turkey breast (this is just how much was in the package so I used it all, the recipe calls for 1 lb of ground beef but my points are calculated based on my version)

Directions:
Brown the meat.



Drain and rinse beans.



Dump everything except noodles into the crock pot.



Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. Add noodles and cook for one hour more, or until tender. (Since we got home past dinner time and I wanted to rush this process, I cooked the noodles on the stove top and then stirred them in before serving - it seemed to work just fine, and with the extra meat and the fact that I increased the amount of noodles three-fold the liquid-to-stuff ratio was still superb!)

Serve it up and enjoy!



We ended up sprinkling some fresh Parmesan on top (I mean, you really can't go wrong with anything Italian and Parmesan, right?) It would also be fabulous with some warm bread sticks sans Olive Garden, but all I had were some lavosh crackers so that had to suffice. Oh, and I calculated this based on 10 servings. It made a lot - which is just fine. I look forward to leftovers and will definitely make this again.

Tuscan Pumpkin-White Bean Soup (2WW Points)

This recipe came straight from the WW site. It was so simple, and quite tasty. It wasn't bursting with flavor, but it was yummy. I was worried Kaelyn and Mark wouldn't like it, but Mark said it was good (not great) and Kaelyn loved it. Sprinkling parmesan on top adds a lot to the flavor.

The ingredients:



* 1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
* 1 medium onion(s)
* 15 oz canned pumpkin
* 3 1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
* 15 1/2 oz canned white beans
* 1/4 tsp ground oregano
* 1/8 tsp table salt
* 1/8 tsp black pepper
* 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Chop the onion. Spray pan with cooking spray, add onion. Cover and cook until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese), simmer 8 minutes.



Transfer to a blender and puree, or use a handheld like I did.



At this point, it was thinner than I liked. So I took a small amount of soup and mixed it with some corn starch (maybe 1/2 T?), then put it back in the pot and brought to a boil for a few minutes.



Transfer to bowls, and top with 1 T parmesan cheese.



We enjoyed this soup with some warm French bread. It was a tasty, light meal - perfect for a chilly fall evening! It was so easy, I will definitely make this again.

Spooky Orzo and Orange Dreamsicles...(WW Points? Do you really want to know?)

So one night this week, while at work, I was flipping through a Bon Apetite magazine. I stumbled upon this orzo recipe and orange "drink" recipe that both sounded heavenly. I decided Halloween night was a good night to splurge on points and thought I'd make these. Here are the recipes as I found them, with calculated points values. Now, before you get scared off, read on my friends. I made some alterations to make them both "reasonable" points values - still a splurge, but at least one can eat them occasionally without turning into a pumpkin!

Ingredients:




Orzo with Creamed Corn sauce (12 WW points)
* 3/4 cup orzo
* 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
* 2 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob, divided (1 cob reserved)
* 2 T olive oil
* 3 T finely chopped fresh leek (white part only)
* 3 T dry white wine
* chopped fresh chive

Cook orzo in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain



Meanwhile, place cream, half of corn kernels, and reserved cob in heavy medium saucepan. Boil over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Discard cob: puree sauce in blender until smooth.






Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and saute until tender, about two minutes. Add wine and simmer until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.



Add remaining corn kernels and suate until tender, about 3 minutes. Add creamed corn sauce and cooked orzo. Bring to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with chives, and serve. (Serves 4)



The feast!


Orange Dreamsicle (8 WW points)
* 2 cup(s) vanilla ice cream, (1 pint)
* 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
* 1 jigger(s) vodka, (3T)
* 1 fl oz orange-flavored liqueur, (3T)
Blend all ingredients, pour into 2 glasses and serve.

Even though I planned to splurge, the thought of using 20 points just for a side dish and after dinner/dessert drink made me ill. Plus, we invited my sister-in-law and her husband to join us for dinner and trick or treating, so I needed more food anyway. My overall plan for dinner was some shrimp (simply sauteed in a pan with some olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, and seasoned with salt and pepper) asparagus, and orzo. Sister in law and her husband are vegetarian though, so the orzo needed to be their main course. I decided to do 1 1/2 times the recipe, with a few changes, and call it 6 servings. We'll see how many servings it ends up being, but this is my "new" orzo recipe based on 6.

Orzo with Light Creamed Corn Sauce (6 WW Points)
* 1 1/2 cup orzo
* 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
* 1 T flour
* 2 T butter
* 3 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob, divided (1 cob reserved)
* 2 T olive oil
* 3 T finely chopped fresh leek (white part only)
* 1 1/2 T white wine vinegar, mixed with equal parts water

Follow the same instructions, except mix the cold milk with flour to make a roux, then add the milk and butter instead of the whipping cream. 6 servings

Lean Orange Dreamsicle (5 WW Points)
* 3 cup(s) fat-free ice cream, no sugar added
* 1/4 cup(s) fresh orange juice
* 2 oz vodka, (1/4 cup)
* 2 fl oz orange-flavored liqueur, (1/4 cup)
* 1 cup(s) 1% low-fat milk
Blend, pour into 4 glasses, and serve.

Apparently by the time we had the Orange Dreamsicles, I was too overloaded with sugar to remember to take pictures of them. But yes, they were yummy! I did get pictures of my dear hubby making our first drink of the evening - Orange Blossom martinis. I didn't calculate points for these, but they were yummy so I'll share the recipe!





Orange Blossoms
Ice
2 lemon wedges
1 1/2 ounces orange vodka
1/2 ounce cherry liqueur
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/2 ounce fresh orange
1/4 tsp ground anise
1 fresh lavender sprig (optional)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Squeeze the juice from the lemon wedges into the shaker and drop them in. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lavender sprig and shake well. Double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the lavender sprig.