The Taste of Summer

There are a few very special recipes that I just HAVE to make at certain times of the year. Honey calls them signature dishes and there is one that I have to make in the summertime because when you are eating Orzo with tomatoes, feta, and green onion, you can just close your eyes and taste the warm air and sunshine. There is something about the combination of tomatoes and basil (both fresh from our garden) that absolutely takes my breath away.

I haven't made this dish since we started our weight watchers journey because when I figured out the points, it was about 11 points per serving. Too many. Last week, though, I sat down with the recipe and my points calculator, determined to figure out a way to make it work for us. With a few little substitutions, I brought the points from 11 to 8 and, long story short, we had it a couple of night ago and it was delicious. Here is the recipe and here is a brief summary of the changes I made to bring it down a bit...

• reduce the oil in the vinaigrette from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup
• substituted chicken broth with veggie broth (not sure if this makes a point difference, but I am a vegetarian)
• used Athenos light feta (the small crumbles)
• reduced the 1/2 cup pine nuts to 1/4 cup

In all honesty, the flavor was slightly 'lighter' then the original recipe, but it still comes in as one of my top 3 recipes of all time. All time! If you can do the 11 point serving, though, go for it!

Pasta, Beans, 'n', Greens

I made a simple, one pan supper tonight that was surprisingly tasty. Usually, when I try new recipes, it's about a 50/50 chance of how it will turn out. Sometimes it's new family favorite (Sesame Noodles with Broccoli - yay!) and sometimes... not so much (Cowboy Meatloaf). Tonight, the Pasta, Beans, 'n' Greens was REALLY easy - it was together in 30 minutes - and very tasty. I did substitute the chicken broth (with veggie) and I also used black eyed peas instead of white beans. Hugh ate it happily, with a little extra Parmesan on top, and I'm happy to have a serving left over for lunch. All that and only 6 points! Yum!

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...

Well, they were a long time comin', but they are worth it! Look at these babies! The Kentucky Wonder pole beans are bearing fruit and we couldn't be happier. I picked these today and I plan to cook them tomorrow along side some baked tofu and brown rice. I have a feeling the beans are going to steal the show...

Leftovers Are a Beautiful Thing

One thing that I have appreciated about the smaller portions that we have been eating is that we have more food left over. More food left over translates to less cooking for me at a later date. The trick is to have enough left over for another entire meal, freeze it in time, and BINGO! Dinner another day with only a quick defrost.

We have been doing a lot of storing and not much eating, so today I pulled out the leftovers from the Spinach Chick Pea Curry that I made the week before last. We paired it with a salad and I was reminded how absolutely delicious this one pot meal was. It might be my favorite Indian-type dish that I have ever made. I was dubious about substituting the tofu for the paneer but I took the suggestion of baking it beforehand (with just some Pam) and it was really good. I also have never heard of using creamed corn in a recipe like this and it was GREAT! It really made the creamy texture perfect without the heavy dairy. I added some Garam Masala, and it really contributed to the good flavor, as well.

Dare I say... another new family favorite!

BBB

My apologies for being slightly preoccupied with sweets these days, but I HAVE to share this RIDICULOUS recipe that a weight watchers group leader shared with us a couple of weeks ago. Black Bean Brownies... yep, you read it right. Black BEAN Brownies. The leader swore up and down that you couldn't taste the beans (although I do love black beans, just not usually in my brownies) and shared that they were only 2 points a piece.

This past weekend, we hosted a pool-a-palooza to support Camp Mabon and I decided to give them a go. I did as clearly instructed and washed the beans well, then pulverized them. I actually did not add the chips, as in the linked recipe, but that sounds lovely. Well, let me tell you, they were a smash hit. People could not believe they there were beans in there and they were really dense and rich. I wish I had a picture, but they got eaten so quickly, I didn't even get a chance to snap one.

Go ahead, try them... I dare you...

Rock On Cooking Light!

I am totally on a Cooking Light roll. Last night I made a recipe from their website (again). This one sounded like something Honey would like (the Asian flair), so when I spotted it, I went ahead and incorporated the ingredients into my shopping list.

All I have to say is, holy sesame noodles with broccoli, Batman, we have ourselves a new family favorite (at 8 points per serving). Sorry no pic - the battery pooped out.

Tonight, I'm going to give the Cowboy-Style 'Meat Loaf' a try (an ultra low 5 poins per serving). I'll letcha know how it goes.

* UPDATE * Don't bother with the Cowboy Style 'Meat Loaf'. Bad taste and an even worse texture.

Parfait!

Check it out; I had parfait tonight! I was roaming around on the Cooking Light website and they had a list of 10 Smooth and Creamy Desserts under 300 calories (or some such thing), so I checked them all out and found one that was not only only 4 points per serving, but looked uber easy to make. So... make it I did. And, was it ever YUMMY!

The portion was good, I felt like I was actually eating something! Chocolate parfait... well worth the 15 minutes to make it.

Couscous-alicious

I tried a recipe earlier this week from my Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. It was a Couscous Pilaf and it had some good veggies in it and some lentils, along with some garam masala; it had a decent flavor. Little H and Honey liked it, but I felt like it was a little heavy on the couscous and light on the lentils. I like my legumes!

On a slightly tastier note, I gave some low-fat mac & cheese a try from the veggie weight watchers-friendly web-site I referenced a couple of weeks ago. It was good the day it was made and even better two days later! In fact, next time, I am going to make it on a Sunday and serve it on Tuesday.

Better Late Than Never

Even though I didn't feel like I got my garden in late, with the exception of some humongous cucumbers in the past few weeks, my spring gardening labor has yet to produce anything of particular interest. In between trips over the past few weeks, I actually had to pull up my zucchinis and squash because of what looked like some type of leaf mold. I guess I should consider myself lucky that it didn't infect anything else, but what a bummer. And, don't get me started on what the Japanese Beetles have done to my pole beans. Bloody hell.

So, what is a summer garden without squash, zucchini, or beans?

Tomatoes and cucumbers.

At least I got in red and yellow tomatoes, so that makes it a little more visually interesting. Ah, well.

Weight Watchers

Well, this is it. Honey and I have decided to make a shift in the way that we eat. My portions, my sweet tooth, my dairy and bread intake... well, they have all gotten a bit out of hand. So, when I found out my workplace was starting up a Weight Watchers at work program (and I could get reimbursed for 1/2 of the fee), honey and I talked about it and we decided to take the plunge together.

I do not anticipate this shift impacting my posts very much, except for the fact that I may be including Points information along with recipes, but I think 'going public' might help me stay on track. I hope you will hang in there with me...

Today, with our boca burgers, we enjoyed a cucumber salad that was only 1 point. I found the recipe while trying to figure out the best way to keep the plethora of cucumbers that are rolling out the garden, fresh. It was good, if a little watery after sitting for about 36 hours. Here is the recipe off of Suite 101.com...

2 medium-sized cucumbers, sliced very thin
1/2 medium-sized red onion, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
In a large mixing bowl, combine cucumbers and onion. Set aside.
Whisk together the white wine vinegar, yogurt, sugar, dill, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over the vegetables and stir gently to combine.
Refrigerate salad for at least 4 hours or overnight. Stir well before serving.

In the week to come, I will be trying out several recipes from this veggie-weight-watchers-friendly site http://shadesofjaim.com/recipes/. I'll keep you updated...

Grandma Helbig's Slaw

First of all, I just want to acknowledge that I am returning from a late winter/spring hiatus. It has been awhile. I am also camera-less, so there will be no pictures until Honey and I purchase a new one. However, I will not let the thought of a picture-less post stop me from writing anymore! Here goes...

Honey and I spent this past weekend at her parent's house in the Northern Neck of Virginia. They were hosting a family reunion (Honey's mother's side of the family), so the Poro Family was out in force and the spread put out for this Italian-American family was fierce.

My favorite dish of the weekend, you ask? Well, the answer might come as a bit of a surprise... the dish that I went back for 4ths on (I don't start Weight Watchers until this week) was Grandma Helbig's Cole Slaw. Sometimes, it's the most simple recipe that just knocks it out of the park. While Honey's maternal grandfather's family-of-origin was Italian, her maternal grandmother's family was German - hence, the kick-butt slaw. Enjoy...

1 cabbage
1 carrot
1 green or red pepper
1 onion

Dressing
1c. sugar
1c. vinegar
2/3 c. oil
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. celery seeds
salt and pepper (to taste)

Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
Combine Dressing ingredients in a saucepan and heat to a boil.
Pour hot dressing over veggie mixture (it should wilt the cabbage).
Let it rest in the 'fridge overnight, at least, and should last for up to a week!

Thanks, Grandma Helbig... you rock!

snow = french cheese braid

Okay, so, have I ever mentioned that particular weather events make we want to cook very specific things? It is a fairly strange phenomonon, but I have learned to go with it when it happens and things usually turn out pretty well. An example of this is snow. A couple of weeks ago, mother nature brought us about 1'' of snow. There is just something about the snow that makes me want to bake bread. Mix the yeast in some warm water, get my bowl* off the wall and get to work.

As a direct result of the snow, I baked a french cheese braid. Absolutely delicioso. Yes, in cse you were wondering, those are little pieces of cheese kneeded and baked right into the loaf. Bread + cheese = heaven!

* A bowl is a large, round, handcarved peice of wood from Belize that women use there almost like a countertop in the kitchen.