Dark and Creamy Fudge

With Halloween right around the corner, who isn't in need of a really chocolaty treat that won't leave you feeling as if you have been tricked?  When I got my Weight Watcher's Weekly last night, and saw this recipe ( which is also in this month's WW magazine ) I knew I had to make it!!  Fortunately, it is a super simple recipe that I had ingredients on hand in my pantry for.  I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips and measured out EXACTLY 10 oz on my scale, since the bag entire bag is 11.5 oz worth of chocolate.  Although the recipe calls for you to cut the fudge up into tiny ( and I mean really tiny) pieces, it allowed you two pieces for 2 points.  So I just made the pieces a little bigger, so one rectangle shaped piece is 2 points.  They are very rich...and I like that about them!  :)

Dark and Creamy Fudge  from WW Weekly

10 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

1 ( 14 oz) can of fat free sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

scant 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt ( optional )

Line 8 inch square baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2" overhang.  Smooth out any wrinkles.  

Combine chocolate chips, condensed milk, vanilla and pinch of salt in large heavy saucepan.  Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.  Transfer fudge to prepared pan; spread evenly with rubber spatula.  Let cool.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.  

Uncover fudge, remove from pan by lifting edges of plastic wrap.  Invert fudge onto cutting board; discard plastic wrap.  Cut fudge into 8 strips, then cut each strip into 4 pieces.  Store in refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.  If desired, sprinkle with sea salt right before serving them.  ( otherwise the salt melts when you store them)   Each piece is 2 points.

* this is an older recipe...if you would like new pp values for it, please email me at the address found in the contact tab!  thanks!  to see more updated recipes, please click on the "home" tab.

Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Maple Rosemary Glaze

Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts of meat you can find.  It's readily available and often goes on sale...which I love!  Like pork loin, or any lean meat, the trick to making it moist and delicious is not to overcook it.  So be sure to have an instant read thermometer ready!   Generally, it comes two loins per package.  This recipe for pork tenderloin comes from Eating Well.   The original recipe uses dijon mustard, which I replaced with one of my favorite mustards....Boar's Head Delicatessen Style Mustard ....it's like dijon mustard kicked up a notch.  If you can't find it, any good mustard will do, just don't use the yellow stuff. You will need a skillet that you can use both on the stove top and in the oven to make this recipe.

Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Maple Rosemary Glaze adapted from Eating Well

1 package of whole pork tenderloins, trimmed

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

4 TBS. grainy mustard, divided ( Boar's Head Deli Style is excellent)

2 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 TBS pure maple syrup

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  

2.  Combine 3 TBS. mustard with salt and pepper.  Slather roasts with mixture and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork roasts and brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes.  ( make sure to get a nice "crust" on the meat)  Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads about 140 degrees, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer meat to a cutting board and cover with foil.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

3.  Place skillet on stove top, over med-high heat.  Be very careful, as pan and handle are very HOT!  Cover handle with towel or oven mitt to remind yourself!!  Add vinegar and broth and bring to a boil, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Once at a boil, whisk in the maple syrup and the remaining 1 tbs mustard.  Add the rosemary. Bring back to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for about 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. 

4.  Slice the pork and spoon the sauce over the meat.  

This was really good, and really quick.  The presentation is nice and really would be a good dish to serve company.  I served it with a multigrain side dish  from Freshlike that came frozen.  I wasn't so impressed with that.  It did allow you a nice serving size for 3 points though.   Next time I think I would make a nice wild rice dish to go along side and maybe some green beans.  For a serving of 4 oz. of pork, plus a drizzle of the sauce, it is 5 points. 

* this is an older recipe...if you would like new pp values for it, please email me at the address found in the contact tab!  thanks!  to see more updated recipes, please click on the "home" tab.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Spinach and Mushrooms

Each week, at the WW meeting I attend, we get a little booklet called, "Weight Watchers Weekly."  It's filled with helpful tips and stories relevant to the week's meeting topic.  It has coupons and one recipe.  It's really a nice little read and you can only get it at the meetings.  There was a pasta recipe in the Weight Watcher's Weekly a few weeks ago that caught my eye.  It finally made it to the dinner table this past weekend.  I found the original recipe a bit bland for our tastes, but with a few changes, it turned into a keeper. 

Rigatoni with Sausage, Spinach and Mushrooms adapted from Weight Watchers Weekly

2 cups uncooked Rigatoni

8 oz. raw turkey sausage, bulk, Italian variety

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of fresh sliced mushrooms

15 oz. can cannilleni beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup of low sodium fat free chicken broth

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

10 oz. ( organic) fresh baby spinach*

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook rigatoni according to package directions to al dente.  While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet on med heat, and add the sausage. ( If you cannot purchase the sausage already in bulk, you can purchase links and just remove the casing, then break it up in the pan as it cooks.)  Brown the sausage for about 3 minutes, or until no longer pink.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan, saute for another 3 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes.  Add the rinsed and drained beans, the chicken broth, and the red pepper flakes.  Let come to a boil and turn heat down to simmer.  Add the spinach and cover until it has wilted ( about 2 minutes or so).  Once the spinach is wilted, add the drained pasta and mix to combine all ingredients.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Makes 4 servings.  8 points per serving.   

*A note on fresh spinach.  I always buy organic fresh spinach.  Besides it being one of those foods on the "dirty dozen" list, organic fresh spinach just tastes better, less bitter, in my opinion.

* this is an older recipe...if you would like new pp values for it, please email me at the address found in the contact tab!  thanks!  to see more updated recipes, please click on the "home" tab.

Apple Pie Crumble

While looking through the featured recipes on WW online recently, a recipe caught my attention.   Apple Pie Crumble.  Basically, it's an apple pie with a real, honest to goodness made with butter crust and a crumble topping.  It looked great and comes in at 6 points+ per 1/8 of the pie.  A splurge, I agree. But a pie with a crust for 6 points+?  I knew I had to try it.  Who knows, maybe it will find it's way into my Thanksgiving menu this year!

Apple Pie Crumble from WW online

Servings - 8   Serving Size - 1/8th of pie   Points plus per serving - 6 points+

Calories - 215.6,   Total Fat - 8.2g,   Carb.- 33.5g,   Protein - 3.3g,  Fiber - 3.1g

For the Crust

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3 TBS (COLD) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2 TBSP cold water, or more as needed ( I needed about 4 TBS to make it come together)

For the Filling

1/4 cup sugar

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4" thick slices

( I used macintosh, golden delicious, and jonagold apples)

1 TBSP all purpose flour

1/4  1/2 tsp.  ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 TBS water

For the Crumble

2 TBSP unsalted butter

1/3 cup rolled oats ( I used old fashioned)

5 TBSP all purpose flour

2 TBSP sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.  

To make crust:  Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment.  Pulse to combine.  Scatter butter over the flour mixture; pulse until dough resembles coarse meal.  Slowly add water while running food processor through open top until dough comes together.  Place dough in prepared pan and press up sides and around bottom to form crust.  Poke bottom crust with fork four or five times.  Put dough in refrigerator until ready to fill. ( the original recipe doesn't instruct you to do this, but pastry type dough has to remain cold up until you put it into the oven to come out tender and flaky...if the butter gets warm, the crust will be tough)

To make filling:  Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine.  Set aside.

To make crumble:  Melt butter in microwave or small saucepan.  Add oats, flour and sugar, stir to combine. 

Remove crust from refrigerator.  Add apples and then top with crumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes in 400 degree oven.  After 20 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 30 to 40 more minutes, or until the crumble is brown and apples are juicy.  (** I did need to bake this for an additional 20 minutes beyond the time suggested.  My crumble never really did get very brown.  I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top for aesthetics.)  Allow the pie to res for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Once rested, cut into 8 pieces.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I have mentioned before how much I adore Gina's blog, Skinnytaste, and how wonderful her recipes are.  Here is one of her recipes I have made a few times since discovering it.  Today, I changed the recipe a bit  and added a few carrots to the original version. I was very pleased with the result.  Even if you aren't a fan of cauliflower, you will enjoy this creamy soup.

Krispy Krunchy Baked Tortilla Chips

I love the Guiltless Gourmet brand of baked tortilla chips!  But lately, they have not been in any of the stores around me!  Then I thought, why not just make my own baked chips?  I searched the internet for methods and what I came up with is a version of several methods merged together.  These chips are very easy to make and you can serve them WARM!  As far as points go, it will vary according to the brand of corn tortillas you use.  If you can find a brand that gives you a serving of two tortillas for around 90 calories and 1 gram of fat, you can have 16 chips for 1 pt!!!!!!  WOW!  The chips I made came from a brand that was 120 calories/ 1.5 gram fat/ 3 grams fiber.  This works out to 2 pts for 16 chips.  Still not too shabby when you pair it up with some zero point salsa. You can also use as much or as little salt as you like, or do away with the salt altogether and add your own mixture of seasonings!

Krispy Krunchy Baked Tortilla Chips

(Points Plus values will vary with brand of tortilla used.)

6 small corn tortillas

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Stack tortillas on top of each other.  Cut into eight wedges with a pizza cutter.  Scatter on cookie sheet leaving a bit of space between each one, and not overlapping any of the edges.  ( use two cookie sheets if you need to)  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in oven for 8 -10 min watching carefully that chips do not get too brown.  Let sit on cookie sheet for 1-2 min before eating.  

(makes 3 servings of 16 chips per serving) 

Chocolate Peanut Butter NO BAKE Cookies

Chocolate?  Peanut Butter?    who doesn't crave this delicious combination every now and then?  These cookies are easy .  What is even better is that you don't even need to turn the oven on to make them.  They are made right on the stove top! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Servings - 24   Serving Size - 1 cookie   Points Plus per serving - 3 points+

Calories - 103,   Total Fat - 5.2g,   Carb. - 13.4g,   Protein - 2.3g,   Fiber - 1.1g

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 c granulated sugar

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c 1% milk

1/2 c peanut butter

1  1/2 cups oats ( either quick cooking or old fashioned)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder and milk. Stir well and bring to rolling boil.  ( a rolling boil is one that continues to boil even if the mixture is stirred).  Allow to boil for one minute.  Take off heat and stir in peanut butter until melted.  Add oats and vanilla.  Drop by tablespoons on waxed paper.         ( I use a small cookie scoop)  Allow to cool.  Cookies will harden as they cool.  Makes approximately 24 cookies.

Mushroom Pork Chops

Mushroom Pork Chops are an easy way to get a tasty dinner on the table in no time.  Boneless, center cut chops are pan seared and served with a rich mushroom sauce!  This one is a family favorite! 

Applesauce Pancakes

Applesauce Pancakes are a delicious departure from ordinary buttermilk pancakes. Enhanced with the flavor of apples, these pancakes are a welcome addition to any weekend or weekday breakfast!

Spicy Crockpot Black Eyed Peas

I was going to keep with the whole seasonal theme of fall foods, but am sitting here thoroughly enjoying my  lunch of leftovers...and decided I would post this recipe today instead.  I am a huge fan of www.skinnytaste.com  and have been cooking up many of her posted recipes for the past few months.  She always includes nutritional info AND points!  So it makes it easy to choose things that fit into my plan.  I have never had a miss with any of her recipes...and I just love her pictures.  In fact, they are what inspired me to start a food blog of my own.  I spotted this recipe for black eyed peas a few weeks ago, and knew it was one I wanted to try.  Very reminiscent of New Orleans style red beans and rice.  The original recipe called for cooking the black eyed peas in the crockpot.  I have never used a crockpot to cook beans before, so I was anxious to give it a try and I have never had, let alone made, black eyed peas.  I was not disappointed!  A definite home run hit!

Almost done.  After removing the bay leaf and ham hocks and adding the spices and other ingredients. 

Spicy Crockpot Black Eyed Peas adapted from Skinnytaste

1 or 2 smoked ham hocks, for flavor ( I used two)

1 pound dried black eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight

2 bay leaves

cooking spray

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 10 oz. can of rotel original diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 pkg of turkey smoked sausage, diced

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1   1/2 tsp. ground cumin

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the beans in about 6 cups of water overnight.  The next morning, drain the beans and put into a crockpot with 4 cups of fresh water, the ham hocks and the bay leaves.  Cook on high for about 4 hours or until beans are tender.  Remove ham hocks and bay leaves and discard.  In a large nonstick frying pan coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, red pepper, and garlic until soft.  ( approximately 5 minutes )   Add the sauteed vegetables to the crockpot.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot and stir.  Cover crockpot and let it come to a boil, reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for another 30 to 45 min to combine flavors.  

Serve over brown rice and garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Outstanding!  For the leftovers, I loosened the beans with some chicken stock to serve as a soup.  I was happy with how the beans turned out using the crockpot and I was happy with the black eyed peas.  Their little black dot gives them character, I think!  ( Each one cup serving is approx. 5 points, I approximated the points on this dish because I could not find out whether cooking the ham hocks and then discarding them added any point value to the dish)

* this is an older recipe...if you would like new pp values for it, please email me at the address found in the contact tab!  thanks!  to see more updated recipes, please click on the "home" tab.