Cookies

I've been remiss in adding entries over the last month or so. Don't think I haven't been sampling new recipes or eating this whole time because I most certainly have. Its the holiday season and its been busy. I have sampled several savory meals but have also enjoyed some absolutely scrumptious cookies. Here are just 4 recent cookie recipes I have been sharing with friends during the many cookie exchanges and holiday parties.

Cooking Light "Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies"

I've had several people comment, "These are only 2 points!" These Chewy-Chocolate cookies are soo yummy. I've used the base recipe to make Mocha Butterscotch cookies and have found them to be just as successful. Simply add a tablespoon of instant coffee and butterscotch chips in place of the cherries and chocolate chips, however, beware that the butterscotch chips are much sweeter than the mini chocolate chips.

1 c ap flour

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 c sugar

1/3 c butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lrg egg

2/3 c dried tart cherries

3 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate chips

cooking spray (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture (I sift the mixture into the bowl to avoid over-mixing). Beat until just combined. Fold in cherries and mini chocolate chips.

3. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray (I line baking sheets with parchment paper and avoid the cooking spray). Bake at 350F for 12 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven; cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 30 cookies, Serving Size: 1 cookie

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 2 pts

Eat What You Love "Amazing Peanut Butter Cookies"

I've made this flourless cookie for my sister who is gluten-free. Which was quite the hit since she normally feels left out when I deliver cookies ;)

1 c peanut butter

3/4 c Splenda granulated sweetener

1/4 c dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lrg egg*

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine the peanut butter (I used about 3/4 c regular chunky peanut butter and 1/4 c reduced fat creamy peanut butter because its what I had on hand), sweetener, brown sugar, baking soda, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until well mixed. Add the egg and stir until dough is formed.

3. Shape the dough, by tablespoons, into 1-inch balls. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet (again I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper) and flatten balls with a fork, forming a crisscross pattern on top of each cookie (I skipped half of this step).

4. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom but still slightly soft in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to finish cooling.

Yield: 24 cookies, Serving Size: 1 cookie

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 2 pts

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies adapted from Eat What You Love "Oatmeal Raisin Cookies"

These cookies were soo delicious that they were well worth the extra point. Mmmmm, mmm definitely a repeat recipe for me! If you omit the walnuts, 1 tbsp of applesauce, and use raisins in place of the dried cranberries you will have a 2 WeightWatchers Point Plus cookie.

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/4 c ap flour

1 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 c dried cranberries

1/4 c chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/3 c butter, softened

6 tbsp packed dark brown sugar

2 lrg egg whites

3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp Splenda granulated sweetener

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or use parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, cranberries, walnuts, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir until well mixed.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg whites, applesauce, vanilla, and sweetener. (The mixture will not get creamy.) Stir in the flour mixture.

4. Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies by pressing down on the dough with a spatula or the bottom of a glass.

5. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until light brown on top. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 20 cookies, Serving Size: 1 cookie

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 3 pts

Eat What You Love "Better-For-You Chocolate Chip Cookies"

to be cont...

Maple Pecan Glaze

This glaze can be used in place of the Caramel Sauce on the Pumpkin Bread Pudding or spread over Marlene Koch's "Everyday Cheesecake."

Anne Thorton's Maple Pecan Glaze

1 c whipping cream

3/4 c maple syrup, grade b

3/4 c pecans, chopped

In a medium sized pan, combine the whipping cream and maple syrup, bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped pecans. Cover and chill until time to serve. Stir before serving.

If you divide glaze into 8 servings, add 6 points to your dessert.

-or-

A slightly more friendly version....

1 c light whipped topping (from freezer section, thawed)

3/4 c maple syrup, grade b

3/4 c pecans, chopped

In medium size bowl, combine ingredients. Stir until smooth, spoon over dessert. If you divide over 8 servings add 4 points to your dessert.

Thanksgiving Dessert - Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

With Thanksgiving about a week-and-half away its time to start looking for recipes for the big day. While watching Bobby Flay prepare a Thanksgiving dinner, he spoke about a Pumpkin Bread Pudding that his pastry chef was bringing to the dinner in place of a traditional pumpkin pie. I was intrigued so I started hunting around for Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipes and found this one published in Bon Appetit in November 2000. Using hints from Marlene Koch's "Eat What You Love" I altered the recipe to make it a little lower in sugar and fat.

For the actual bread pudding I substituted in Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, because of the sweeter nature of Splenda, I used the conversion chart provided and halved the sugar measurements. I also substituted in fat-free half-and-half. For the actual Caramel sauce you will have to use regular dark brown sugar as caramel sauces need actual sugar for texture. Reviews from other individuals said the original recipe made too much sauce, so I halved the recipe in an effort to cut the sugar a bit. I suppose if you are really worried about the sugar from the sauce you could hunt down a low-sugar caramel sauce from the ice cream aisle.

The original recipe stated this recipe made 6 servings, only its in a 11x7 pan which would suggest really big portions - I've portioned it into 8 portions which brings the point value to 8 per serving. Yes, this is kind of high in points, but you are making it for a special occasion and not eating it every day it should be ok :)

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

2 c fat-free half-and-half

15 oz canned pumpkin puree

1/2 c Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

1 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

10 oz egg bread (perhaps challah) 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 c golden raisins

Caramel Sauce

3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 stick unsalted butter

1/4 c heavy whipping cream

Powdered sugar (~1 Tbsp)

For bread pudding:

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar substitute, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11x7 glass baking dish. Let stand for 15 minutes so bread absorbs liquid mixture. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes (remember that low-sugar baked goods will bake more quickly).

For caramel sauce:

Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

*If you omit the Caramel Sauce you can have 8 servings at 5 points each or 6 servings at 7 points each.

Turkey Bacon, Peas, Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta

I mostly eat only poultry, sure on occasion I have some fish. But living in a land locked state as I do its always a little questionable as to how long ago that fish was actually caught. I often find my protein options somewhat limited and am never really sure what to do about the random recipe that calls for bacon. Of course I know about Turkey bacon but since I don't usually eat a whole package before it goes bad I rarely buy it. This recipe though called for so many pieces I figured it would be safe to buy a package this time.

This Alfredo recipe called for a multigrain penne - I had refrigerated fettuccine noodles on hand so I used that, I mean really isn't that what you normally eat alfredo with anyway? The container I had on hand was 12 oz the recipe called for 8 oz of noodles so it was a little dry since I didn't pull noodles out because then I just throw them away. I just added a little of the noodle water into the pan to help keep stretch the sauce. I also enjoy peas so added a cup to the noodles the last few minutes they were in the water.

8 oz fettuccine noodles or multigrain penne

1 - 10 oz package light refrigerated Alfredo sauce

1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil and cut into julienne strips

1 c peas (optional)

10 slices precooked bacon (turkey)

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain and keep warm.

2. While pasta cooks, combine Alfredo sauce and sun-dried tomatoes in a sauce-pan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until thoroughly heated and tomatoes are juicy and plump. While sauce cooks, microwave bacon according to package directions. Crumble bacon and set aside.

3. Combine cooked pasta and Alfredo sauce mixture in a large serving bowl. Top with crumbled bacon, basil, black pepper, and mozzarella.

Yield: 5 servings ---> I entered all of the ingredients and the 12oz container of fettuccine noodles in the Weight Watchers recipe builder and divided it into 6 servings at 4 points a piece. If you omit the peas & mozzarella, use pork bacon, and only 8 oz of multigrain penne you will get a recipe that yields 5 servings at 6 points per serving.

Pizza - Individual

For those days that you are craving pizza and really don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen this quick fix is perfect. A quick pizza using a tortilla and the ingredients left over from making Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Caps. Add a slice of turkey bacon for a little extra uuumph ;)

96% fat free tortilla

1/4 tsp pesto paste

1/4 cup skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup spinach, defrosted & drained

1/4 bottled roasted red pepper, chopped

1 slice turkey bacon, diced

2 oz part skim mozzarella

Heat oven 350. Mix ricotta cheese with pesto paste. Spread on tortilla. Arrange spinach, red pepper, and turkey bacon on tortilla. Sprinkle mozzarella on top of assembled pizza. Bake 10 minutes. Cut pizza into 4 and enjoy.

Yield: 1 serving = 7 points

A Sweet Treat

I was chatting with my friend's mom a little earlier today and she mentioned she was doing a low-sugar diet and Splenda was upsetting her stomach a wee bit. So I decided I would adopt the challenge of finding some great low-sugar, low-fat Christmas cookie desserts. In the meantime, I found a Autumn dessert recipe that uses honey in place of sugar to give her something to sample while I do my research.

I'm having a slight variation of this for a snack -

1/4 fat free plain yogurt

1-2 drops vanilla extract

1 small squeeze honey

1 Gala apple, sliced thin

1/8 cup antioxident trail mix (walnuts, almonds, dry cherries, craisins, & dried blueberries)

Very yummy!

Thank you Cooking Light - - Below is the original recipe from Cooking Light

Autumn Fruit with Honey-Yogurt Sauce

2/3 c vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 tbsp honey (more or less to taste)

1 c chopped pear

1 c chopped red apple

1 c seedless green grape halves

Ground nutmeg (optional)

1. Combine yogurt and honey in a small bowl; stir with whisk.

2. Combine pear, apple, and grapes in a large bowl. Spoon 3/4 c fruit into each of 4 dessert dishes; top each with about 2 1/2 tbsp yogurt sauce. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg if desired.

Yield: 4 servings = 2 points per serving

Pumpkin Spice Cake Revisited

Okay folks, so I think the Pumpkin Spice Cake came out much better this time around. I chose to substitute Splenda for the sugar and am picking up a bit of the Splenda taste when I eat the cupcake/muffin. In the future I might do a 50-50 split with sugar/Splenda which would add 1 point to each serving. I also absolutely HATE the muffin cups I have right now, the paper sticks horribly to the muffins and I find I have no choice but to refrigerate the muffins then heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds to remove the paper. The mini loafs I made were 8,000 times easier to get out of the pan after a light spray of cooking spray.

As I'm typing this up I'm thinking that next time I might choose to make a cake and then make a whipped cream cheese topping to put in between the layers of cake or as a frosting.

1 c whole wheat flour

2 c all-purpose flour

2 c Splenda or other sugar substitute

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

15 oz pumpkin puree

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c fat-free milk

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray cake/muffin pan - or insert paper cups - with nonstick spray and lightly dust with flour (I skipped the flour and my mini cakes came out of the pans just fine).

2. In large bowl mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and unsweetened applesauce.

3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Stir until just blended - do NOT over-mix or dough will become tough.

4. Pour batter into pan. Bake. If using cake pan bake for 55-60 minutes. Muffin pans take about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.

5. Cool.

Yield: 18 servings = 2 points per serving -- if you add a glaze or cream cheese as a topping you will need to add additional points :)

Remember -- if you chose to do a 50-50 sugar mixture you will need to add 1 point per serving.

Spinach and Cheese-Stuffed Portobello Caps

I was at Costco yesterday and browsing the cookbooks in their book section, you never know what you might find at a great deal. This week I found the 2010 Cooking Light Complete Meals in Minutes cookbook for about $10 less than found at the local bookstore. Best quality so far? It breaks recipes down by wether they take 15, 20, or 30 minutes to create. This morning I sat down and started planning my menu for the next week. As I was skimming the recipes, I found a yummy sounding portobello mushroom recipe.

I think it might have taken slightly longer then the 15 minutes the book suggested but only because I had to defrost and drain the spinach per the recipe directions.

4 lrg portobello caps

Cooking spray

1/4 tsp salt, divided

1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1/3 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers

3/4 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Remove brown gills from undersides of mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills. Place mushrooms, stem sides up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt. Bake @ 400 for 5 minutes.

3. While mushrooms bake, combine ricotta, garlic powder, black pepper, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt in a medium bowl, stirring well. Gently stir in spinach and bell pepper. Divide mixture evenly among mushroom caps. Top evenly with tomato sauce and cheese. Sprinkle evenly with oregano. Bake @ 400 for 8 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 mushroom caps) = 6 points per serving

1 Point Cookies - Yummy!

As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm amazed that I've found another sweet treat that is low in points and didn't require me to purchase anything!

I found a recipe for Chewy Cocoa Fudge cookies on the words to eat by blog - whose author, Debbie Koenig, is also on Weight Watchers. She said she got the original version from a Cooking Light recipe. I've altered her altered recipe so I'm not sure how much this mirrors the original recipe.

Heat oven to 350F

1/2 cup ap flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp instant coffee

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

7 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup splenda

1/3 packed brown sugar (I used light brown, where Koenig called for dark - feel free to use whatever you have on hand)

5 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mix applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, instant coffee, cocoa, and sugar mixture - stir to combine. Add flour mixture, stiring until mixed. You may have to do what I consider to be a more mash like action to combine the dry and wet ingredients. Place mixture into a baking pan coated with cooking spray. I had trouble spreading the dough here, so I placed in the oven for two minutes. Then pulled pan out and used a measuring cup to spread the softer mixture across the bottom of the pan for a more bar like structure. Replace in oven and bake for about 8 more minutes.

Cool in pan for 2 minutes, remove from pan and cut into 12 bars for 1 point each. Yes you read that right 1 point each!

White Turkey Sausage Chili

This morning I was watching "Down Home with the Neely's" and they made White Chicken Chili. I was thinking that sounded good. I hate removing the chicken from a rotisserie chicken which is what they suggested for their recipe, plus there is a little additional fat that I wanted to omit from my recipe. I was going to just pick up some chicken breast or thighs at the store to make the chili, only I was at Target and the chicken seemed a little overpriced. I decided to go with Turkey Kieblasa. I also had half a cooked spaghetti squash left in my fridge that I needed to do something with, if you don't, use two cans of white beans. I also adjusted the spices since I refuse to buy any new spices until I absolutely have to :)

1 rope turkey kielbasa (~14 oz)

2 poblano chili, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic

4 cups chicken broth

1-14 oz can white beans (I used Great Northern beans)

1/2 medium cooked spaghetti squash

Chop onion and peppers. Saute with garlic about 1 tbsp vegetable oil. When soft, add spice mixture. Stir. Add turkey kielbasa and chicken broth. Simmer about 20 minutes on low heat. Drain and rinse beans, add to pot with spaghetti squash. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until well combined.

Garnish with cheese, lime, and sour cream.

This recipe with spaghetti squash divided into 6 servings is about 4 points per serving(without garnish). If you omit the spaghetti squash and use two cans white beans you will get 6 servings at about 6 points each (again without garnish).

Serve with a quesadilla or chips. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Acorn Squash Risotto

I am afraid of risotto. I know that people say its easier than 'we' think it is, only I've tried to make it stove top before, the rice was hard and the shrimp was rubbery when I decided I just couldn't leave it on the heat any longer. It was a miserable experience so despite the fact that I regularly linger over risotto recipes I haven't reattempted this culinary dynamo a second time. This risotto is made in the crockpot and I have high hopes that it will come out better - if so I see more varieties of risotto in my future :)

The recipe I set out to make was based on Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto I found on words to eat by when I was searching recipes for butternut squash which is super cheap at Sprouts this week. Unfortunately when I got to Sprouts there were only 2 butternut squash left in the store, one was cracked the other small and sad looking. So I decided I'd try substituting Acorn squash. When I got home I started worrying that acorn squash might not mix well with parmesan cheese called for in the risotto recipe. I sat down and started searching acorn squash risotto recipes and found a crazy Emeril type recipe that sounds way too complicated for my home or had some pork product included for flavor - and those who know me know that's soo not going to happen. I did however find a super basic recipe that called for white wine, parmesan, and rosemary. However, this is the second dish in the last month or so that I've added rosemary to and haven't been super awed by its inclusion. I think next time I might switch out rosemary for more garlic or even Italian seasoning. Ultimately this is what I put together.

Oooh, I just found a Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto from Giada online - hmm, I wonder how you substitute vanilla bean in this recipe? Something to look into in the future if this whole risotto thing works out.

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp shallots, minced

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 tbsp rosemary

1/2 water (or dry white wine - I used water to save on points)

3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken)

3 cups peeled, seeded, and 1/2" cubed acorn squash

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp softened butter

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then saute the shallots. When they've softened (3-5 minutes), add the rice and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain with oil, until rice makes "clacking sound like beads". Add the water and cook until almost completely absorbed. Transfer contents of skillet into the slow cooker. Add the broth, cubed squash, and rosemary, stir, cover, and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on your crockpot - mine gets really hot and after about an hour and a half my risotto was a little over done and I ended up throwing in an extra 1/2 cup of water to try and cook the peas).

Check at the the 2-hour mark; the liquid will be mostly absorbed and the rice will be al dente. Stir to break up the squash. When risotto is about done, add the peas, stir, and recover for 5 more minutes. Turn off slow cooker and stir in the parmesan and the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you make this as a main meal, you'll get 4 (1 1/4 cup) servings at about 7 points per serving or if you serve it as a side you could get 6 servings at 4 points per serving.

Yogurt Sweet Bran Muffins

So this is true experimentation. I have crossed my Yogurt Bran Muffins recipe with the Sweet Brown Bread recipe. I originally had planned to add 1/3 cup applesauce which I usually use in place of vegetable oil, only my applesauce had mold growing on top. After reviewing my bread recipe I decided to leave it out and not put anything else in place of it. The mix was pretty moist so I crossed my fingers and hoped it came out okay without the applesauce.

It actually turned out pretty good. There was the hint of sweetness I was looking for and it maintained the moist texture. My only problem is that I like to bake all of my quick-breads in muffin pans because its easier to portion out servings but some of the muffin stuck to the paper. This sometimes happens when making dense muffins like the bran muffin. When I eat them during the week I store the muffins in the fridge and then zap them in the microwave for 20 seconds. The paper usually comes off cleanly when they are warm.

1 cup all bran cereal

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg or powdered egg substitute (I'm using the egg substitute)

12 oz plain fat-free yogurt

1/2 tsp lemon extract

3 tbsp molasses

Heat oven to 400F. Place paper cups in 12 regular size muffin cups. Crush cereal (I use a food processor). In medium bowl, stir together wet ingredients. In another bowl add all dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened - be careful not to over-mix. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Each muffin is 2 points.

Tuscan Sausage Bean Soup

I know a lot of people are weary when it comes to Kale, and honestly I was terrified of it before trying it in this WW "Tuscan Sausage Bean Soup" recipe, 4 points (6 servings). Since the first time I made it, I've added Kale to my 13 Bean Soup and other soups. Like its green cousins, the stalk needs to be removed so it isn't as bitter.

12 oz Turkey Kielbasa, cut into bite size pieces

2 cloves garlic

1 onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled & chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/2 medium bunch kale, chopped (depending on the size of the leaves I use about 4 leaves or about 4 cups)

3 cups fat-free chicken broth

1 can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can Great Northern beans, drained & rinsed

1 can Italian flavored diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry red wine or water

1 tsp dried basil

Place everything in slow-cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the vegetables are tender, 8-10 hours. I cook for about 4 hours or so on high since I rarely start dinner early enough to cook on low for 8-10 hours. Depending on how you like your soup, you may want to add a little extra broth before serving. I like to add a dash of lemon juice before serving and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on it before serving. As long as you only use a pinch of parmesan cheese you won't be adding additional points to your dinner. I will serve this with a bag of salad.

Spaghetti Squash

Some of my friends grow an enviable garden each year. This year I have the opportunity to sample homegrown spaghetti squash, only I've never had it before. I was advised several ways of essentially making spaghetti and substituting the squash for noodles. I wasn't certain if that was exactly what I wanted to do since I had eggplant parmesan last week and two weeks of spaghetti sauce wasn't exactly sounding exciting. So I looked up spaghetti squash recipes on the Weight Watchers website to see what forms of preparation they might suggest. Most of the recipes were for some sort of marinara or bolognese sauce, but there was one that reminded me of a meal my mom used to make, spaghetti pizza.

Here is the variation of spaghetti pie (pizza) that I made this evening. I took the WW recipe and made some slight changes to make it more me but it didn't change the total points much, 4 points per serving (6 slices).

1 med raw spaghetti squash

1/2 lb lean ground turkey (1/2 container of Jennie-O ground turkey)

2 tsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, small/medium

1/2 tsp minced jarred garlic

28 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained

1 tsp italian seasoning

6 oz part skim ricotta

1/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 egg

1 spray cooking spray, nonstick

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

2 tsp grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 350; halve and clean out squash. Place squash, cut sides down, in large baking dish and prick skin with knife. Bake until tender about 30-40 minutes (I did it for 35 min.)

2. Cook turkey in oil; add onion, garlic, and italian seasoning until turkey cooked through and onion tender. Stir in tomatoes, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency.

3. Place ricotta, cottage cheese, and egg in food processor, puree until smooth.

4. Coat glass baking dish with cooking spray. Remove squash from oven and increase oven temperature to 375.

5. Using fork carefully rake string squash pulp from shell separating into strands that look like spaghetti. Arrange squash in bottom and up sides of pan to form a crust.

6. Spread ricotta mixture over squash. Spoon tomato-turkey mixture over cheese, sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate Cake

So last night I was sitting around craving sweets. I thought about trying out the "Deep Dark Chocolate Cake" from Cook Yourself Thin but didn't have the almonds or beets on hand to make that particular recipe so I decided to scour my cookbooks to see what I could make without going grocery shopping.

I found a Weight Watchers recipe for "Chocolate Layer Cake" that called for raspberry jam/jelly to act as the frosting. Only I don't have round pans on-hand to make a layer cake so I decided I'd tweek the recipe a slight bit and just make a regular sheet cake without the fruit which left the cake measuring at 2 points per square.

1 cup + 2 tbsp ap flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp instant-coffee granules

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp dry buttermilk

1 cup water

1/3 tbsp powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350; spray baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In sm bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, powder, coffee granules, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a measuring cup mix the dry buttermilk powder with water.

4. In a med bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, cream the granulated sugar and butter; add the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk, until batter is smooth. Pour into baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (15 minutes was enough in my oven in Denver).

5. Cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the cake using a fine mesh strainer. Cut cake into 12 squares.

My cake looked and tasted really nice until I covered it before going to bed. When I woke up the powdered sugar had completely absorbed into the cake so it looks like an undecorated cake. However, it still tasted like a nice light cake. Next time, I'd probably add about a tablespoon of the instant coffee to deepen flavor.