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.