The Best Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is probably my very favorite kind of soup, but let's face it, it can be bland, bland, bland.  This soup is anything but bland!  Full of delicious vegetables with a tomato-y broth and a little kick from some dried red pepper flakes.  It's real secret is one can of condensed tomato soup...yup...just one can.  The addition of the canned soup adds flavor and texture, but it still tastes 100% homemade.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Classic Ham and Bean Soup

Classic Ham and Bean Soup can be made with a leftover ham bone or a purchased ham hock and cubed smoked ham. It's the perfect ham and bean soup recipe for your leftover holiday ham or when you just have a taste for a delicious, comforting soup!

Microwave Escalloped Pears and Cranberries

A fast and delicious twist on the well-known apple dish.  Zapped up in the microwave in minutes, it will quickly become a family favorite.  This dish is a wonderful accompaniment to pork or poultry.  Pears are a great source of fiber and vitamin C and they are in season right now!  I really love how much fiber pears pack! 

I served the dish as a side to some roasted turkey and green beans with cherry tomatoes, but it can also be a wonderful dessert dish served warm and topped with vanilla frozen yogurt!  Mix some into some plain Greek yogurt for a yummy snack or how about a topping for your oatmeal in the morning?  The possibilities are many.!  It is best eaten warm, but it is also delicious cold too!

 Microwave Escalloped Pears and Cranberries 

Printable Recipe

Servings - about 6   Serving Size- approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup or 1/6th of recipe   Points Plus per serving - 3 points+

Calories - 86.9,   Total Fat - 0.4g,   Carb. - 24.1g,   Protein - 0.3g,   Fiber - 2.3g

Ingredients:

3 med.-sized ripe, Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger ( you can use less if  you aren't a fan of ginger, but ginger and pears work so well together and I love the bit of bite the ginger gives this dish) 

2 TBS. brown sugar

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 TBS. cornstarch, dissolved in a little bit of water

Directions:

1.  In a microwavable container with a lid ( I used a Pyrex dish with a glass lid ), combine the pears, spices, sugar and cranberries.  Cover and microwave on HIGH for approx. 4 -5 minutes*, or until the pears are soft and the juices have combined with the sugar to form a syrup.  Stir halfway through cook time.  

2.  Add the dissolved cornstarch and stir and return to microwave on HIGH  for another 30 seconds to 1 minute to thicken juices into a sauce.  Let stand, covered for a few minutes before serving.  

* Microwaves cook at different speeds depending on the wattage...you may find your microwave takes more or less time than stated. 

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Oh boy!  Was this ever good!!  I loved the pears and the ginger together and the microwave plumps up the cranberries so nicely!  It was perfect with the roasted turkey breast!  I believe you could substitute apples for the pears, if you like.   You may need to adjust cook times according to what variety of apple you use.  

Cookbook Review: The Cookiepedia...Mixing, Baking, and Reinventing the Classics

"Think of what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap."  -- Robert Fulghum

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A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Quirk Books and asked if I would be interested in reviewing a new cookbook...one that is devoted entirely to COOKIES!  Heck YES, was my answer!  I know all things MKA are supposed to be healthy and WW friendly, but sometimes...just sometimes, you NEED to treat yourself to the real deal!

The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking and Reinventing the Classics by Stacy Adimando is a fantastic resource for all things cookie!  Stacy is a recipe developer and food writer living in Brooklyn.  She is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and she is currently deputy lifestyle editor for Every Day with Rachael Ray.  This cookbook is chalk full of wonderful recipes for some classic cookies as well as some rather unusual twists on your favorite treats!    Imagine a perfect recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, twisted into a Chocolate Chip Cookie with Peanut Brittle and Sea Salt or how about a wonderful basic Peanut Butter Cookie recipe that is worthy of a blue ribbon, turned into mouth-watering Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!  All of your favorite classic cookie recipes are there along with several variations on them to spice things up a bit!  Then there are the very unusual cookies..such as Salt-and-Pepper Cookies and Green Tea Cookies.  ( I have yet to try either on of these..but they are on the "must make" list!) Over 50 cookie recipes in all! 

The cookies are categorized by their character in the table of contents:  Buttery, Chocolaty, Fancy, Fruity, Spicy, and Nutty and Seedy.  Each section begins with a lovely pictorial spread of each finished cookie in that category.   The recipes are well-written and easy to read and follow.  The binding is designed to allow the book to lay flat when open to a page....LOVE this feature!  Each recipe comes with a helpful hint from Stacy on the margin for that particular recipe and a "NOTES" section to make your own notations as you bake! 

When I finally had a chance to test the cookbook out, I didn't know which cookie I wanted to make first! I started with the basic Chocolate Chip Cookie (pg 43).  I was extremely pleased with how this cookie turned out!  Let me tell you, I have made dozens and dozens of chocolate chip cookies in my lifetime and  this recipe is one of the BEST!  Even after a day or so, they remained nice and soft!  ( and believe me, it was amazing they lasted that long!)  Pictures of this cookie?  Sorry...I forgot.  But rest assured, there is one in the book! 

The next cookie recipe I tested was Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (pg 97).

Not being a fan of raisins, I opted to use some chopped up dried apricots and sliced almonds in my cookies instead....and I was more than thrilled with the results!

Hands down, this was probably the best basic oatmeal cookie I have ever made!  Chewy and soft and really, really delicious!  ( for recipe, see below!)

The last cookie recipe I tested out was the Frosted Maple Pecan Cookies ( pg 27).  Again, I was NOT disappointed!  Wonderful soft cookies with a nice frosting which received two thumbs up from my peanut gallery...

Wondering how to get your hands on this wonderful cookbook?  Follow this link HERE to the publishers website for more info on where it is available!   And while you are waiting for your copy to arrive...here is the wonderful Oatmeal ( Apricot-Almond) Cookie recipe for you to try!

Oatmeal Apricot-Almond Cookies

adapted from The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking, and Reinventing the Classics

Printable Recipe

Yield:  Approx 24 - 25 cookies   Serving size - 1 cookie   Points Plus per serving - 3 points+

Calories - 100.6,  Total Fat - 4.8g,   Carb. - 15.7g,   Protein - 1.6g,  Fiber - 0.9g

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar ( packed )

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1/4 tsp. almond extract ( optional ) 

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cps old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment or non-stick foil. 

2.  In large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar on medium speed of mixer for a few minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy!  Add in egg, vanilla and almond extract ( if using) and mix until combined.  

3.  In med bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk together to blend.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture with mixer running on low until just combined.  Stir in the oats, apricots, and almonds.  

4.  Drop by TBS ( I used my cookie scoop ) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking.  Let cool and enjoy! 

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Thank you to Quirk Publishing for sending me this book to review!  (*I received this book for free and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine)  I will be using this book as a great reference for cookie recipes in the future!  It's a wonderful addition to my collection! I really like the lay-flat binding and the helpful hints on each recipe...plus the pictures are a MUST for me!

Are you in love with cookbooks like me?  What feature in a cookbook is most important to you? 

Crockpot Pot-Roasted Pork Loin w/ Onion Gravy

Welcome Fall with this Crockpot Pot-Roasted Pork Loin with Onion Gravy! Flavorful, tender and juicy pork loin made easy when you use your slow cooker.

To continue what has seemed to turn into my little celebration for the arrival of fall on Friday here on RKA....just as apples, pears and pumpkin speak fall to me...so does pork...particularly pork roast.

When I saw this recipe on Tami's blog, Nutmeg Notebook, I immediately knew I wanted to make it for dinner last week.  I love me some good pork roast... and this roast is just that!  It is so easy and so tender, you don't even need a knife to cut it!  Tami is a fantastic cook and has some awesome recipes she shares on her blog.  Thank you Tami for sharing this wonderful pork roast recipe. 

Pork loin is a great deal, both calorie wise and money wise.  You can often find it on sale at your store, many times in a large cryopak for around $2.50 a pound, which the butcher can cut for you into chops or roasts or a combo of both.  I found this 3 pound roast on sale for about $7.00 for the entire thing.  Pork loin is also pretty lean...making a three ounce serving come in at 4 points+ for you Weight Watchers folks.

I followed Tami's recipe exactly, except I did sprinkle the top of the roast with some smoked paprika.  If you have never used smoked paprika before...go and get some!  I got mine at World Market for a steal and I am IN LOVE with it's smokey flavor!  I have been finding uses for it in so many places!  But if you don't have smoked paprika, you can leave it off and your roast will still be delicious.

I definitely  recommend thickening the juices with some cornstarch and making a gravy out of them...as the roast being so lean tends to need a little bit of help with some sort of sauce.  I used my immersion blender to blend up the onions in the juices to help thicken the gravy, but you don't need to do that if you don't have one.

It would also be fine to keep them as they are and just make a gravy with pieces of onion throughout.  I also poured the hot juices out of the crockpot and into a small saucepan to finish and thicken the sauce on the stovetop.  Even on high, my crockpot won't get hot enough to boil sauces to thicken them. 

I served this roast with some mashed potatoes, peas and some speedy microwave applesauce ( saving the applesauce recipe for a future post!)    The applesauce went perfectly with the pork roast and gravy! 


This was a fantastic meal I will be making again soon!

Crockpot Pot-Roasted Pork Loin w/ Onion Gravy

from Nutmeg Notebook

Printable Recipe

Servings - about 12   Serving Size - 3 oz. of meat plus 2 TBS gravy   Points Plus per Serving - 4 points+ for meat and an additional 1 point+ for gravy* ( I had no idea how to calculate the gravy pp, so I am giving it a 1p+ value for 2 TBS, as it seemed to not have much fat in it and I added a couple TBS. cornstarch to thicken it)  

Nutritional info for meat only:   Calories - 182,   Total Fat - 7g,   Carb. - 2g,   Protein - 27g,   Fiber - 1g

Approx. 3 pound boneless top loin pork roast, trimmed  ( I tied mine with some kitchen twine to help the meat cook evenly)  

4 cloves of garlic, slivered

2 small to med onions, peeled and sliced

2 dried bay leaves

1 whole clove

1 TBS low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup hot water

salt and pepper, to taste

smoked paprika ( optional ) 

1 - 2 TBS cornstarch, to thicken gravy

1.  Rub pork roast with desired amount of salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Make tiny slits in the meat and insert slivers of garlic...( I used about half and just set the rest on top of the roast ) 

2. Spray crock of crockpot with cooking spray for easy cleanup later.  Spread the slices from one onion onto the bottom of the crock.  Place the roast on top.  Add remaining onion on top of roast along with the remainder of the garlic.  Push the bay leaves and the clove down into the bottom layer of onion.  

3.  Combine the water and the soy sauce and pour over top of roast.  Sprinkle roast with smoked paprika, if desired.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.  

4.  Once roast is done, remove to platter and cover loosely with foil to rest.  Pick out the bay leaves and what might be left of the clove and discard.  Take the juices and onion in the crock and carefully transfer to a med sauce pan.  Be careful!  they are very HOT!  Mix cornstarch with a little water and mix into hot juices.  At this point you can use the immersion blender to blend it into a smooth sauce...or not.  Bring the juices with the cornstarch to a full boil and allow to thicken to the consistency you like.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with roast. 

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Fall is definitely in the air here in NE Ohio!  I have noticed quite a few of the trees starting to change color and the burning bushes in the front of my development have started to turn that very vibrant red they turn this time of year. Also, my redbud tree is starting to sadly drop its leaves!  How about you?  What sorts of things "speak" fall to you??

This crockpot roast is a perfect way to celebrate fall!  Can I just tell you how absolutely wonderful your house will smell while it's cooking away all day??  It worth it to make it just for that alone!

If you haven't left me a comment to win some free product from Nunaturals...be sure to go HERE and try your luck!  I continue to me amazed by the quality of these products!  Don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away...it has now gone into moderation mode and I will be checking to make sure ALL comments I get are posted before the contest closes!  You have until this Friday to enter!

Spiced Pear Quick Bread

There are a few things that really speak "fall" to me when it comes to food....apples, pumpkins and of course, pears!  This Spiced Pear Quick Bread says fall for sure!  Since it is made with canned pears, you can actually make it anytime of the year you like. 

This quick bread is VERY moist and you can really taste the pear flavor through out.  To maintain a BIG pear flavor, I roughly mashed the pears with a pastry blender leaving visible chunks of pears in the mash.  When the bread is divided into 16 servings, it comes in at 4 points+ per serving.  (I cut it into 8 big slices and then half each of those slices for a serving)   I like to top the bread with a TBS or so of turbinado sugar before baking ( that's the shiny coating on the top ) but that part is totally optional.  I did replace half the sugar called for in the recipe with MoreFiber™  Stevia Baking Blend and I was really happy with the result, but you could either use all sugar or all MoreFiber™  Stevia Baking Blend if you like.

Spiced Pear Quick Bread

loosely adapted from a recipe on Allrecipes.com

Printable Recipe

Yield - one  5 x 9" loaf   Servings - 16   Serving size - 1/16th of loaf   Points Plus per Serving - 4 Points+

Calories - 145.3,   Total Fat - 3.4g,   Carb. - 25.7g,   Protein - 2.6g,   Fiber - 1.2g

Ingredients: 

2 (15 ounce) cans of sliced pears, in juice, drained and  roughly mashed

2/3 cups granulated sugar ( I replaced half the sugar with MoreFiber™  Stevia Baking Blend )

3 TBSP canola oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup lowfat buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour ( can use half whole wheat pastry flour, if desired) 

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:  

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 5 x 9" loaf pan with cooking spray ( I like to use Baker's Joy ) 

2. In med bowl, combine the mashed pears, sugar ( or sugar and MoreFiber™  Stevia Baking Blend ), oil, eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk.  Set aside.  

3.  In large bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Use a whisk to blend well.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.  Pour the pear mixture into the bowl and mix until just combined.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, spreading the top evenly and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired.  

4.  Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. 

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I loved the flavor of the spice combination in this quick bread and the pears just gave it such a moist texture!  Although replacing half the sugar with MoreFiber™  Stevia Baking Blend didn't effect points+ values, it did reduce the overall amount of refined sugar in this recipe by half, without sacrificing any flavor or texture.  

Have you entered a comment for a chance to win some great product from Nunaturals  in my giveaway yet?    I used the Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia. this morning to sweeten my oatmeal...and I tell you what, I don't think I will ever go back to using other sugar replacements!
Wow...it was sooo good in oatmeal!

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

What could be more delicious than a bacon/chicken/ranch combo for 3 points+ a serving?  This super simple chicken salad recipe idea comes from the Taste of Home Diet Comfort Food Cookbook. The original recipe is served on a bun...but I choose to make wraps with it....(Nutritional values given on recipe do not reflect the wrap or the spinach, or the diced tomato as shown below)

To kick this salad up a notch...I added some finely diced fresh jalapeno pepper from my backyard.  ( which unfortunately wasn't as HOT as I would have liked it to be.  I'm blaming it on all the rain and lack of sunshine last week!)  But the addition of jalapeno pepper is totally optional.

When served on a 2 point+ tortilla with spinach and diced tomato, the entire wrap comes in at 5 points+.  Not too shabby! 

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

adapted from Taste of Home Diet Comfort Food Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Servings - 6   Serving Size - about 1/2 cup or 1/6th of recipe   Points Plus per Serving - 3 Points+

(Nutritional information for one serving of salad only) Calories - 122.6,   Total Fat - 6g.   Carb. - 4g,   Protein - 11.5g,   Fiber - 0.7g

3 TBS. reduced-fat mayonnaise

3 TBS. reduced-fat ranch salad dressing

3 TBS. fat free sour cream

1 TBS. lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast cooled and cubed

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely diced ( optional )

3 slices of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled

1. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, ranch dressing, sour cream, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Whisk until combined.  Add in remaining ingredients and toss to coat.  

2.  Serve over a bed of greens, on a bun with lettuce and tomato, on bread or crackers, or in a wrap as shown. 

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This was a delicious lunch!  I will be making this again soon!  I am a fan of mayo, so the creaminess of the dressing did not put me off in the least. Although the original recipe called for prepared ranch dressing as I wrote it in the recipe,  I would have preferred to use a TBS or so of powdered ranch dressing mix for the ranch flavor...but I didn't have any on hand, so just used the prepared stuff.  It worked out fine.  But next time, I am trying out the powdered mix because I think it has better ranch flavor than the bottled stuff. 

I have had a few things I have made and tried this week that just didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, and thus, are not going to make the blog until they are tweaked and brought up to standards.  Thankfully, this chicken salad turned out well enough to publish!  

I have been busy getting together a SUPER Nunaturals giveaway and a cookbook review for you. ( the cookbook involves cookies...lots and lots of cookies and everything I have made thus far has been stupendous!)   Hopefully I will be able to post at least one of them by the end of this week. 

Until then....HAPPY COOKING to all!!

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza is an easy recipe for a lower calorie pizza with all the pizzazz as the full calorie version!

Easy Apple Spice Muffins

Easy Apple Spice Muffins start with baking mix for a quick and easy apple muffin perfect for breakfast or a late afternoon snack.