Porky’s Revenge

Around noon yesterday, I put a pork loin in the slow cooker for dinner around 8:30-9pm (we eat late around here because mikey doesn't get off work until then).  The plan?  Slow cooked shredded pork tacos, a fairly regular menu item here since I first made it last year.

Cut to around 3:30pm, when Mike texts me that we were going to see Carrot Top at the Luxor at 8:30pm thanks to some free tickets from his work.  I'm not a big Carrot Top fan, but I figure as long as we have to live in this (I want to say sucky) town, we might as well enjoy the few perks.  I normally wouldn't consider Carrot Top a perk, as I'm not really a fan of prop comedy and his eyebrows upset me, but I am trying to be more spontaneous, so I agreed to go.

So, around 8:15, I knocked the slowcooker back down to "warm" and we hit the Strip for some, admittedly, fairly funny comedy. Not my usual brand, but I can't pretend I didn't laugh. 

When we got home, the house smelled like an abuelita's kitchen. (That's spanish for Grandmother, in case you weren't sure. Also, an excellent instant Mexican hot cocoa mix.)  I made some totally not low-carb or low-fat Tortillaland flour tortillas in the skillet (they're the uncooked/raw tortillas you can get in the chilled Mexican food section of the market), 8 points of totally worth it and 3.5 ounces of the tenderest pork I'd ever made.

Bear in mind, it's been slow cooking for like 10 hours. So this stuff just melts in your mouth. And it was so easy, it's ridiculous. Next time, I'll take pictures -- I'm not sure why I didn't do that.

Ingredients

• 1 pork center-cut loin roast (I used the lemon-garlic Hormel brand because they didn't have regular and it's a concession I will be making again. So good!)
• 1 big yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of water, chicken broth or beer (I prefer beer, but didn't have any, so I used water for this recipe)
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Chili Powder
• Hot Sauce (I used some left over from the local taco shop, but you can use whatever you dig)
• Olive oil

This recipe is perfect for one of those small slow cookers for two, which is what I have. It gives you enough for dinner that night and at least 2 meals of leftovers.

First, I line my slowcooker a brilliant invention: slow cooker liners -- they make clean up SUPER easy.  I do a medium slice on the onion and lay the slices down along the bottom, along with the garlic cloves, which i've peeled and smashed a bit to release the oils and flavor.  I drizzle both with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Then, I rub my pork loin (I can't say this without cracking a smile) with a generous amount of the spices, cumin and coriander.  I go less heavy on the chili powder, because it can quickly take over, so I am just sprinkling that on.  Hit it with some salt & pepper and don't forget to get both sides.  Lay it down on top of your onions and garlic, then pour your one cup of liquid (water, beer, whatever) around the outside of it.

I lay it fat side up at first. I do this so it stays moist during the first part of cooking.  Pour some hot sauce over the fat side-up to your liking. I like things spicy, but mike doesn't like it as much, so I just did a enough to coat the top, maybe a couple tablespoons.  Put the lid on, set it to low and off you go.

As it starts to break down, about half way through the cooking time I flip it fat-side down and use the liquid that's started to accumulate in the bottom to baste the top.  You can always trim off that thin layer of fat completely, but I find it adds flavor and keeps the meat moist, so I just leave it on. I'm not eating the fat directly and don't really use the juices in my meal, so I'm not worried too much about additional Points or calories.

My meal was 3.5 ounces of lean pork (4 points), 2 tortillas (8 points), 1/4 cup of lowfat shredded mexican cheese (2 points) for a sizable total of 14 Points.  Now, that might seem like a lot, but I had plenty of points for it so I didn't mind using the real tortillas. But you could easily shave off some points by going with low-carb or low-fat tortillas or none at all and make it a salad.

The "Revenge" part of this post is that this morning, coming down the stairs, I couldn't figure out why I still smelled last night's dinner so intensely.  Turns out, I'd left the crock pot  low (not even warm!) the entire night. I don't know how that happened, but I'm glad I didn't burn the house down.  The slow cooker liner that I love so much was cooked right onto the pot and everything inside was burned. BUT, luckily, the slow cooker liners are awesome, so just a few tugs pulled it right out, I tied it up and threw it away. Easy peasy.  If I hadn't had that in there, it would've taken forever to soak that off.

So, lessons learned here:  Pork is good. Slow cooker liners are awesome.  Leaving it on overnight makes your house smell like a delicious plastic factory.  Note to self.

Craving: Turkey Patty Melt

Lately, I've been into traditional American comfort foods, like meatloaf and the like. Last week, I was craving a patty melt like you would not believe. I had to have a patty melt.  I couldn't shake the craving, so after a couple days, I finally decided to make a "healthier" version. I put that in quotes because it's not totally slimmed down, but it's better -- and damn tasty!  A friend from Twitter sent me this link to this recipe for Open Face Turkey Patty Melts, which was a great jumping off point, but I made a few changes and thought I'd share my version here.

The Super Colossal 2 Point Sandwich (a.k.a. The Steve Sammich)

Much like Joey from Friends, I looooove sammiches. If sammiches were a food group, it would be right up there next to vodka.

Kathy's husband turned me on to what we've called The Steve Sammich: a 2 Point (Weight Watchers-style) sammy so big, you won't miss any of the extra points.  They all start with the same basic foundation: 1 Point bread (like Nature's Own slices or Deli Thin Rounds) and Hillshire Farms lunchmeat (or other low-calorie lunchmeat, but we like Hillshire Farms because 6-7 slices is 1 Point). Those two foundation items are where the 2 Points come from.  The modifications are up to you.  Here are a couple of our favorite combos:

Kathy's Sweet n' Cracked Turkey Sandwich

• Nature's Own Light Wheat Bread (2 slices)
• 6-7 slices of Hillshire Farms Cracked Pepper Turkey Breast
• A few slices of Bibb or Boston Lettuce
• Sliced sweet peppers (from the jar, as many as you like)
• Salt n' pepper (go easy on the salt)
• 1 tbsp fat-free Mayo (like Hellman's/Best Foods or Kraft)
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
• A couple "Sandwich Stacker" pickles (licked -- seriously. Kathy likes her pickles with the juice licked off before adding them to her sandwich or else the rest of the sammy gets soggy.)
• Tomato slices to your heart's delight

Assembly:

Untoasted bread. Mayo on the bottom, then the turkey. Add lettuce, pickles, tomato, then the peppers and top with the other half of the bread. It may sound weird that I'm telling you how to assemble a sandwich, but after a few tries, assembly seems to make the difference when keeping the sandwich together and not sliding all over the place, especially if you want to pack it in your lunch for the office.

Recipe Makeover: Ina Garten’s Mustard Chicken Salad

Want to hear something perverted? I watch the Food Network while on the treadmill.  It's like allowing a drug addict to watch the movie Blow on repeat.  Anyway, while I was huffing and puffing up mile 3, I was watching Ina Garten work up a chicken salad that looked gorgeous.  Generally, when you think of chicken salad you think of it as a light meal when in reality it can be loaded with fat laden mayo and dressing - especially store bought.  Ina's recipe was made in such a way that with a few simple tweaks it is actually a healthy and calorie friendly meal.  Her original recipe is here and I have to say the photo that accompanies it makes it look awful but I assure you it's quite colorful and attractive with the blanched broccoli and fresh tomatoes.  I changed up the cooking technique and the ingredients a bit to make it low calorie (or POINTS® friendly for those doing WeightWatchers®).

Moussaka Quesadillas with a Bechamel Cream Sauce

While we’re on the subject of feta cheese, I came across this recipe for Moussaka Quesadillas with a Bechamel Cream Sauce on Weight Watchers today and man does it sound GOOD!  Unique, definitely not something I would have thought of, but really delicious.  It’s a little steep, points-wise, but it sounds filling.  If you try it, let us know what you think!

Ingredients

• 1 cup fat-free skim milk
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 Tbsp non-fat instant dry powdered milk
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp fat-free skim milk
• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium raw eggplant, peeled and cut into 16 thin slices
• 1 small onion(s), chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove(s), crushed
• 3/4 pound raw extra lean ground beef
• 14 1/2 oz canned stewed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 8 medium whole wheat tortilla
• 8 tsp feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. To make sauce, combine 1 cup of skim milk, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, salt and pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook about 1 minute.

2. Meanwhile, combine dry milk, arrowroot, flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of skim milk in a small measuring cup; stir to form a smooth paste.

3. Add dry milk-paste mixture to boiled milk and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens; cover and set aside.

4. To make filling, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Add oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add eggplant slices and cook until lightly browned, flipping once, about 5 minutes; remove eggplant and set aside.

5. Add onion and garlic to hot skillet; stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook until well-browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess oil or liquid from skillet and then add tomatoes, wine, parsley and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg; stir-fry about 3 minutes more.

6. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet (or 2 sheets, if necessary). Place about 2 eggplant slices, 1/4 cup of beef mixture, 2 tablespoons of cream sauce and 1 teaspoon of feta cheese down the center of each tortilla; fold each tortilla over in half.

7. Bake quesadillas until golden brown and cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Yields 2 filled tortillas per serving.

Notes
Add more eggplant slices if you want a thicker quesadilla. And feel free to swap lean ground ham or turkey for the beef.

POINTS® Value | 8
Servings | 4
Preparation Time | 22 min
Cooking Time | 35 min
Level of Difficulty | Moderate

Super Easy Personal Pizzas

I made the best accidental discovery last night.  I had a package of Trader Joe’s frozen Indian Flatbread in my freezer (or Naan bread).  At 180 calories, 2 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber, I decided to warm a piece up in the oven (I was craving bread, man. What can I say?)

I heated the oven to 400 degrees for 10 minutes (per the package instructions), then I laid a couple pieces (some for the boyfriend, too!) on the pizza sheet and spritzed them with a little I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. I sprinkled a little garlic powder on top — just a little!  I toasted it for 3 minutes in the oven, flipping them over half-way through.

When I realized that I needed to make a meal out of it, not just a piece o’ bread, I dug around in the fridge to see what I could serve with it.  DING DING DING!  I had some 2% skim mozzarella and a little marinara, so I added a couple tablespoons of sauce to the top of the flatbread and 1/3 cup of cheese to the top of each.  I sprinkled it with a little italian seasoning and a shake of crushed red pepper and threw it back in the oven for another 3-4 minutes.

Booya. Instant pizza and for only.... *drumroll* FIVE POINTS.  Five! That’s it.  3 for the flatbread, 2 for the cheese. You can count the sauce if you want, but it’s only like 0 to half a point, so I didn’t sweat it. If I ate more than that, then I would, but sometimes, you just have let some stuff slide.

Now this was just your basic cheese pizza, but you could easily add some turkey pepperoni (I love Hormel’s lowfat variety) or load it up with “free” veggies.  It came out perfect. Even my boyfriend loved it.  Woo!

Find a Trader Joe’s near you!

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I found this recipe on MarthaStewart.com.  I’m not really sure how I ended up there, but this caught my eye, so I thought I’d share.  Personally, I would remove the skin entirely and just coat the breast in the mixture and bake, but I suppose you could remove it after cooking to save a little, though probably not as much fat.

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Serves 4; Prep time: 10 minutes: Total time: 55 minutes

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 bone-in chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds)

1.  Preheat oven to 450°. In a small bowl, mix parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and zest. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2.  Divide parsley mixture into four mounds. Carefully loosen chicken skin with fingers; tuck parsley mixture under skin (left). Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan.
3.  Bake until skin is crispy, chicken is cooked through, and an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 165°, about 30 minutes.

Per serving: 429 calories; 6.1 grams fat; 81.9 grams protein; 6.3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber 9 Points®

I don’t know… 9 Points® seems a little steep to me for a piece of chicken, so I plugged it into Weight Watchers with boneless, skinless breasts and reducing the cheese by a 1/4 of a cup and it told me 7 Points® a serving.  Which, frankly, doesn’t seem worth it, but it does sound good.  I think 7 Points® is reasonable if maybe it’s served with grilled veggies and a salad. But if you’re interested in starchin’ it, I’d go for a plain ol’ grilled breast or something. 

Worth a go, I guess.

Momo’s Stuffed Peppers

4 large green bell peppers
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 eggplant, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. brown mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the top 1/2 inch off of bell pepers and discard of the core and seeds.  In a deep pan, cover peppers with water, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.  Drain the peppers and place in a glass baking dish.  Brown ground beef, onion, eggplant and mushrooms.  When the meat is browned and the vegetables are soft, drain excess fat and, if you wish, rinse. Mix meat mixture with tomato sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper.  Fill the green peppers with filling and bake for 30-45 minutes.

This recipes was submitted by Momosan. Thank you!

Lemon Dijon Chicken Over Pasta

I decided to go ahead and start the Core Plan now. I’ve felt so sluggish and crappy since my “break” (not to mention the 5 lbs I gained in the last month), that I decided to go ahead and start the Core plan earlier than I’d planned.  Im on Day Two and aside from a mild crap-withdrawal headache, it’s A-OK!

One of the recipes I tried so far was the Lemon Dijon Chicken.  It was very simple and took only around 15-20 minutes to make, if you include the time to boil the noodles.

Now, in my opinion, I thought there was a little too much parsley. A little fresh parsley goes a long way. Also, it was a tad bit too lemony, so next time I’ll probably suck up the Point and substitute a little white wine for half the lemon juice.  I cubed my chicken and sauteed it in the pan with the garlic and oil, then added the sauce and heated through.  Before serving, I tossed it with the pasta and plated it, garnishing with only a wee bit of fresh parsley and some freshly cracked black pepper.

It was yummy and easy and I think with my little modifications, can definitely be a recipe you could serve at a dinner party and still be On Plan.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
1/8 tsp table salt or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
2 tsp olive oil
2 clove garlic clove(s) chopped
4 oz cooked chicken breast chopped
1/2 cup cooked whole-wheat spaghetti

Instructions
Whisk together lemon juice, mustard and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients, toss to coat thoroughly with lemon sauce and heat through.

Chicken with Bacon Tomato and Thyme

I’ve been checking out the new show on Food Network, Low Carb & Lovin’ It.  As I mentioned before, while not all of his recipes are Weight Watcher-friendly, there are a few that make the cut with a little modification.  And, since I know we have low-carbers on the Donut, this satisfies two-fold!  I made this recipe last night for my boyfriend, who loved it and believe me, he’s a picky eater.

Chicken with Bacon, Tomato & Thyme
Serves 4

8 pieces bacon, par-cooked half-way (may use precooked)
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into halves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To par-cook bacon, lay slices on a sheet pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes until half-cooked. Remove and reserve.

Working on a sheet pan, coat the chicken breast with olive oil and minced garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Next, wrap 2 pieces of par-cooked bacon strips criss-cross around each piece of chicken, forming an “x” pattern in the center. Sprinkle with the diced onion and place a thick slice of Roma tomato and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme in the center of each breast, tucked in behind the bacon.

Arrange chicken a little apart from each other on the sheet pan and bake until the chicken is completely cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes.

Calories 396 | Total Fat 21 grams | Saturated Fat 6 grams | Carbs 1 gram | Net Carbs 1 gram | Fiber 0 grams

Weight Watcher Modifications:

Reduce the bacon to one slice per piece.
Use olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil.
Add an additional slice of tomato for flavor.

Points per serving: 5 to 7, depending on the size of your chicken breast.

You could try using turkey bacon, but I say just go for it.  It’s only one slice and I don’t think turkey bacon would yield the same results.

I served it with grilled vegetables.

Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps

On Sunday, the Food Network was running a lot of “healthy food” episodes of various shows.  One of the three I caught was Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals.  This time around she was focusing on low carb mexican-inspired foods.

Now, fish tacos are my favorite food of all time, so I paid attention when I heard her say she was making low carb fish tacos, using lettuce instead of corn tortillas.  While I’m not personally on a specific low carb plan, I listened anyway because it definitely seemed like it was Weight Watchers friendly, too.

I did modify it slightly by reducing the olive oil from 1/3 cup to 1/8 cup and upping the red wine vinegar and mustard by a tablespoon.  WW-wise, it lowered my overall points from 8 to 5, so I was happy.  Bear in mind, this recipe serves 4 and it’s assuming you use all of the sauce, which is the focal point of the calories/points/fat.  So, if you go easy on the sauce, you’re probably reducing your points by one or two.

Alas, the Food Network didn’t provide nutrition info, so I plugged the information into my Weight Watchers recipe builder to get the results.  I don’t have the actual carb information, sorry.

Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps

POINTS | 5
Servings | 4

Ingredients

• 2 pound raw orange roughy
• 1 serving PAM Cooking Spray
• 1 medium lime(s)
• 2 Tbsp Old El Paso Hot Taco Sauce
• 8 leaf bibb lettuce
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper(s)
• 1 cup cilantro
• 3 piece mint leaves
• 4 Tbsp Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup Hain Pure Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 medium red onion(s)

Instructions

Heat grill pan or nonstick skillet over high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Place fish on grill, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes on each side, until opaque.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Place jalapeno in a food processor with cilantro, mint, mustard and vinegar. Turn processor on and stream in oil. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Take the fish off grill and place on a serving plate. Break the fish into chunks and squeeze lime juice over fish. Add a few dashes hot sauce to the fish.

Pile fish in lettuce leaves and top with sauce and chopped red onions.

Homemade Pizza, Lightened Up

Lately, I’ve taken to making homemade pizza.  I could probably make it even “lighter” by using pita bread, but I’ve been using the Boboli thin crust and it turns out perfectly.  I would never know this was a “light” option.

Ingredients

• 1 Boboli Thin Pizza Crust
• 18 slices of reduced-fat turkey pepperoni
• 1 cup of shredded Kraft 2% mozzarella cheese
• 1 sauce packet from Boboli (if you buy the Twin Value pack crusts, the sauce comes with it)
• 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms (I mixed white and cremini, sliced. I really like mushrooms.)
• 1/2 sliced white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup of sliced black olives
• 1 medium tomato, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (you’ll get 4 to 5 good slices)
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Instructions

Heat oven according to pizza crust package instructions.

Prepare crust by spreading the sauce and minced garlic evenly over the bottom.  Leave about a 3/4 inch space around the edge for you to hold the pizza.

Sprinkle about half the cheese around the bottom, and add your toppings in layers.  I put it in this order: sauce/garlic, cheese, feta cheese, mushrooms, onions (separated into rings), olives, pepperoni, then cilantro.  Then I top with the remaining cheese, sprinkle with the crushed red pepper and bake!

It takes all of 30 minutes to prepare and eat this pizza from preheat to consumption.  It’s really, really good and 2 slices run around 6 points, give or take a point or two.

If you’re kind of in a maintenance mode or looking for a splurge, this is a healthier alternative than full-fat pizza and tastes just as good, I swear.  I’m a whore for pizza, so if it wasn’t good, I just wouldn’t eat it.  Next time, I’m going to try switching out the pepperoni for grilled chicken pieces. 

Any leftover pizza, I put in zipper freezer bags in 2-slice servings and free for the next time I want pizza.  I got a tip from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to reheat your pizza in a skillet so you get a crisp crust instead of the microwave soggy. I find this to work, but it’s time-consuming, so I nuke for 1 minute until it’s almost cooked, then crisp it up in the skillet.  It’s faster than reheating in the oven, that’s for sure.

Calories: It’ll vary, depending on what you put on your pizza.
Points: my version is around 6 points for 2 slices (believe it or not!)

Eggplant Rollatini

I love Italian food.  What sucks is often Italian food is really caloric and not exactly fat-ass friendly.

Like the true food lover I am, I was watching Everyday Italian on the Food Network the other day and Giada De Laurentiis had her own twist on eggplant parmesan—Eggplant Rollatini.  I’m weird about eggplant, but I do like eggplant parmesan, so after watching the show, I figured I could lighten it up even further.

And away we go!

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients
3 medium eggplant(s)
sea salt (to draw out the impurities in the eggplant)
1 serving PAM Cooking Spray
32 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Egg Beaters Egg Beaters
1/2 cup Kraft 2% Milk Reduced Fat Natural Shredded Cheese Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
8 Tbsp Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan-style Grated Topping
20 leaf basil (chiffonaded)
2 cup Classico Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce

Instructions
Preheat the grill, grill pan or George Foreman and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a rack over a large baking sheet. Cut the 2 ends off the eggplant. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange eggplant slices onto rack. Sprinkle with sea salt to help remove excess moisture and any bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off the salt from the eggplants and pat dry with a towel. Spray hot grill pan liberally with vegetable spray and then place eggplant slices on the grill until lightly browned on each side and tender, about 4 minutes per side. Remove slices from the grill pan and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat Egg Beaters until lightly scrambled. Mix the fat-free ricotta in with the Egg Beaters. Add mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and gently combine. Fold in basil (chiffonaded) just to combine. Do not overmix.

Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on 1 end of the eggplant and roll up tightly. Place the eggplant rollatini into a greased (with PAM) 13 by 9-inch baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant. Evenly distribute the tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes.

POINTS:  5
Points for Original Recipe:  13

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Yum!

Slow Roasted Salmon, Curried Brown Rice, Broccoli and Mushrooms

I just made the world’s most incredible lunch. After going to the gym this morning, I was ravenous and just couldn’t bring myself to eat one more frozen dinner. So, I stopped by the store and picked up a salmon filet to try a recipe I saw in this month’s Weight Watchers Magazine.  I’m eating it as I type this. The entire menu for my lunch is as follows:

Slow Roasted Salmon (from Weight Watchers Magazine)
Steamed Curried Brown Rice (my recipe)
Quick Sauteed Broccoli & Mushrooms in Garlic (my recipe)

Slow Roasted Salmon

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (I used lime)
2 tablespoons of Djion mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
2 lbs of salmon filets*

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325º.  Line a roasting pan (or cookie sheet) with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Combine the lemon (or lime) juice, mustard, oil, garlic, salt, coriander and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the fish.

3. Place the fish skin-side down* in the roasting pan and roast until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 125ºF, 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.  Serve immediately.

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: about 3 oz.
Calories: 121 calories
Fat: 6g
Sat Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 206mg
Carbs: 1g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 16g
Calcium: 11mg
POINTS: 3

Curried Brown Rice

Use instant brown rice.  Cook according to the package.  Add curry seasoning and black pepper to taste.

Serving Size: 1 cup
POINTS: 4

Quick-Sauteed Broccoli and Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 clove of minced garlic
2 cups of fresh broccoli florets
1 cup of sliced white mushrooms

Instructions

Heat oil in a skillet. Add garlic. Sautee for a couple minutes. Add broccoli and cook until brightly colored.  Add mushrooms.  Keep cooking and stirring until broccoli is just tender (not mushy!) and mushrooms are cooked through.  Serve.

Serving: 1 to 2, depending on how much gas you want.
POINTS: 1

I am so incredibly full.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Heika made these and says they are the amazing, so I’m going to post the recipe here for y’all to try.

Heika’s Chicken Green Chile Enchiladas

• 5 oz boneless chicken breast
• 8 oz canned black beans
• 2 cup Kraft 2% Milk Reduced Fat Natural Shredded Cheese Cheddar and Monterey Jack
• 5 small fat-free flour tortilla(s)
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/3 cup onion(s)
• 1 serving tomatillo salsa (half a jar or so; this has been factored into the “1 serving” thing.  Also, don’t skimp on the quality, here.  Use the best one you can find.)

Instructions

-- Boil then shred chicken breasts.
-- Mix with beans, a handful or so of cheese, cilantro, onions, and a few tablespoons of the tomatillo salsa.
-- Fill tortillas and roll like fatties.
-- Spread a little more salsa on the bottom of a casserole or whatever the hell you be baking in.
-- Top with the rest of the salsa, then the rest of the cheese.
-- Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, or until cheese gets all melty and delicious.
-- EAT!

WW POINTS: 5 points
Servings: 5