Warm Up With a Bowl of Soup

This was such an easy soup to throw together. It makes a great dinner, and the leftovers make a wonderful lunch.

Weight Watchers Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 medium uncooked onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlice, minced
45 oz. canned black beans, undrained, divided (three 15 oz cans)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
14 1/2 oz. fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth
10 oz. canned tomatoes with green chilis
11 oz. canned yellow corn, drained

Directions:

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add sauteed onion mixture, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Place second can of beans and broth in blender and puree until smooth; add to stockpot.

Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), tomatoes and green chilies, and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of soup per serving.

Source: Weight Watchers. You can find it here.

Notes: I didn't blend the sauteed onion mixture with the can of beans. I figured I would just have a slightly chunkier soup and save myself a step. This was really flavorful and satisfying. Also, as mentioned above, it was beyond easy, which is always a good thing.

Another Pantry Winner

 

In my perfect freezer world, I would keep a pork roast, beef roast, pork tenderloin, flank steak, chicken breasts, bacon, whole chickens, ground beef, cubed beef stew meat, etc. In reality, I have different combinations of these items in my freezer at different points in time.

As it so happened, I had some pork tenderloin in there that was due to be used up...and this is the recipe I decided to make with it.

Weight Watchers Sweet-Hot Pork Medallions

Ingredients:

1 pound pork tenderloin
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Vegetable cooking spray
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 1-inch-thich slices. Place slices between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Place skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of pork medallions, and cook 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove pork from skillet; set aside, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining half of pork meallions.

Add water, soy sauce, and brown sugar to skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until bubbly. Soon sauce over pork.

Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Weight Watchers 15-Minute Cookbook, ISBN 0-8487-1822-4.

Notes: I had discovered this recipe a few years back in my cookbook. It is easy and so flavorful. I haven't quite found the best side dishes to go along with it. I served this with a salad, egg rolls, and couscous...so, I kind of mixed my ethnic cuisines here, and I don't think it worked too great. I mean, it all tasted great, but I don't think it paired well together. Other than that, this is so delicious, and so easy to make.

I like to increase the sauce (I usually double or triple it).

Lighter Version of a Classic

I had wanted to try the recipe for Chicken Tikka Massala that my sister posted for a long time now. You can see that wonderful recipe here. I also found a lightened up slow cooker version that I also wanted to try. The only thing that had held me back this long was garam massala. It is a spice that isn't found in every store and was certainly not in my own pantry yet. However, the time had come! Garam massala was not to be found at Smith's, but Harmon's had it. The rest of the ingredients are very easy to obtain. Garam massala is the unique flavor behind this dish though, so it is a must.

I tried both recipes and they were both awesome. The Weight Watchers slow cooker version is very tasty---and very kid friendly. The original version provided by my sister is much richer and spicier (so not as friendly for little kids because of the spicy factor).

So, depending on what version you are in the mood for, make some Chicken Tikka Massala in your own home and skip the take-out!

Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Massala

Ingredients:

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 small uncooked onion, minced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 pounds uncooked boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except yogurt and cilantro, in slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Yields about 1 cup chicken with sauce per serving.

Recipe Notes: Chicken thighs can hold up to a long, slow cook time--they may shred if left in for too long, but the dish will still be just as delicious.

You can easily double this recipe. It freezes well.

Source: Weight Watchers website. It is 8 points per serving (which doesn't include the rice). You can find it here.

Notes: I grated my ginger instead of mincing it simply because I hate mincing ginger. I used light brown sugar because I didn't have dark brown sugar on hand. I used chicken breasts that I had cubed in place of the chicken thighs. Again, because I had chicken breasts and not thighs on hand. I didn't have Kosher salt, just regular salt, so I only used about 1 teaspoon. I also used full fat Greek yogurt.

This tasted so great. I blended my onions because I had my sister over to dinner and she hates onion, but I didn't want to leave it out. This changed the color and texture slightly, but it was still delicious. Also, the Greek yogurt was difficult to mix in completely, so you can see some white speckles in the sauce from the yogurt. I think non-Greek yogurt would have blended in a little more smoothly, but I didn't mind the speckles and it tasted great.

 

Above: This is my sister's recipe for Chicken Tikka Massala. Again, you can find that here. This one has a little bit more time consuming preparations, but it is fantastic. Spot on to what you would get at an Indian restaurant. The cream adds some richness to the sauce, and this version is much spicier than the Weight Watchers version.

Doesn't That Just Beet All?

I really like beets. Some fruits and vegetables do better than others in canned form. Peas? Blech. Always buy frozen peas because canned peas look like army green colored mush (in round form, of course), and they no longer taste like peas. And why did anyone decide to can grapes (as found in fruit cocktail)? They just taste...weird. But beets? Those are pretty darned good when they are canned. And where do I like my canned beets? In my salads.

So, I'm going to share two salads that use canned beets; one that uses a recipe and one that really needs no recipe at all.

Beet, Blue Cheese, and Toasted Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can (14.5 oz) sliced beets, drained

2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add beets; toss well. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Arrange lettuce evenly on individual plates. Spoon beet mixture evenly over lettuce, using a slotted spoon. Reserve remaining orange juice mixture.

Sprinkle blue cheese and walnuts evenly over beet mixture. Drizzle reserved orange juice mixture evenly over salad.

4 Weight Watcher's points per serving. Makes 4 servings (114 calories per serving).

No Recipe Required Beet, Mushroom, and Pea Salad

Ingredients:

Canned sliced beets, drained

Frozen peas, thawed

White button mushrooms, sliced

Romaine lettuce, cut, torn, or shredded (however you prefer it in your salad)

Favorite salad dressing (I find that with this combination, a creamy dressing is fantastic--such as Ranch or Blue Cheese)

Directions:

Place lettuce on each plate. Top with desired amount of beets, peas, and mushrooms. Top with your favorite dressing.

Source: Every time I went to a salad bar, this was my absolute favorite salad combination. No source, no recipe...just my favorite salad topper combination.

Above: I like my beets whole...my husband prefers his sliced. So here is his plate!

Below, you will find a new beet salad addition added on April 6, 2012. My sister mentioned this recipe in her comment and I just barely found the recipe in my Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, so I'm including it in this post since it fits so nicely here.

Orange, Roasted Beet, and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

1 large beet
2 navel oranges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bunches arugula, washed well and dried
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap beet lightly in aluminum foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 45-50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into wedges.

Peeling beets: Once the cooked beets are cool, rub off the skins, using paper towels to keep your hands from staining.

Meanwhile, prepare oranges: Slice off both ends of each with a paring knife. Cut away the peel and white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Holding the fruit over a bowl, cut along membranes to release whole segments. Squeeze juice from the membranes into another bowl, and add any accumulated juice from the segments.

Add oil, vinegar, and mustard to orange juice; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add arugula, and toss to coat with dressing. Divide the arugula among four plates. Top with beet wedges, orange segments, and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe note: The beet can be roasted up to a day in advance of serving the salad. Although the red beet contrasts nicely with the orange wedges, a golden or chioggia beet can be used instead.

Source: Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, ISBN: 978-0-307-40510-4. You can find it here.