french lentil dijon spread

My 11-year-old proclaimed that this spread was “the best thing you’ve made all month, Mom!”  He might be right.  I’ve made 2 batches this week.  It is great with veggies as a dip or on crackers as a spread.   I even put it in a sandwich with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.  Very low PointsPlus value and lots of flavor!

French Lentil Dijon Spread

• 2 Tbsp. pecans
• 1 cup cooked French lentils
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
• 1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• water, if necessary
  Finely grind pecans in a food processor.  Add remaining ingredients (except water) and blend until smooth.  Use a little water to achieve your desired consistency.
  Makes 1 1/2 cups.
  Recipe from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair.
  Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, the entire recipe has 8 PointsPlus.  Each 1/4 cup serving has 1 PointsPlus!

 

italian-style goat cheese-stuffed mushrooms

I’ve watched a few episodes of “Hoarders” recently, and as a result, I have cleaned out a few of my cupboards.  Now, I am pretty much the opposite of a hoarder.  In fact, I’ve been known to throw away receipts as soon as I get home, only to realize that I need to return an item and I have to dig through the trash to find it.  This has happened too many times to count.  You’d think I would have learned my lesson after the first time I found the damp, coffee-ground coated receipt in the bottom of the third bag of garbage I had gone through.  Gross, but apparently not gross enough, since I haven’t changed my ways.

I found this cookbook during my cleaning/organizing spree.  Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes.  I’ve paged through it and bookmarked a handful of recipes I want to try.  Since I’ve never made stuffed mushrooms before, this recipe was the first on my list.  My kids couldn’t get enough of them.  And only 1 PointPlus for 2 mushrooms!

Italian-style Goat Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms

• 18 large button mushrooms
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove stems from mushrooms and discard or save for another use.  Brush mushrooms off with a damp paper towel to clean.  Place caps on a large baking sheet, rounded sides up.  Spray with cooking spray, then turn over.

Combine goat cheese, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and basil.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into each mushroom cap; gently press filling into cap.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling is lightly browned.  Serve warm.  9 servings (serving size: 2 mushrooms).  PointsPlus value per serving: 1.

Recipe from Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes.

 

Kim’s Magic Pop

I’d like you to meet my new favorite addiction:  Kim’s Magic Pop.  I stumbled across their new kiosk in the middle of the deli section in my local Fred Meyer’s.  Apparently they make them on site with their special grain pop machines, but I have yet to see it in action.

The website describes Magic Pop as “a freshly popped grain snack that is a wholesome blend of wheat, brown rice and corn”.  They are crisp and airy and have only 15 calories per “pop”.  You can eat 3 pops for 1 Weight Watcher PointsPlus value.  They are a good size (think corn tortilla) and come in a variety of flavors.  My favorites are the plain and cinnamon.  I ate the plain today with my homemade hummus and it was delicious and very filling.  They also make smaller Deli Pop which looks like a traditional rice cake, but is made with barley, wheat, and brown rice.  You can eat 6 for 1 WW PointsPlus value.  They sell Chocolate Dipped or Drizzled Deli Pops (1 Pop=1 WW PointsPlus, 2=3 WW PointsPlus) and they are yummy!

Either my obsession will die down or I will need to invest in the company!

 

baked beet chips

I love beets!  I love them cold, drizzled with basalmic vinegar.  I love them roasted, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper.  And now I love them thinly sliced and baked into “chips”.  I love them so much that when my daughter asked if we should call the boys downstairs so they could have some, I said NO!

What kind of mother denies her children beets?

Baked Beet Chips

• 3 beets, scrubbed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Thinly slice beets using a mandolin or knife.  The thinner you cut them, the crisper they will be.  Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy.  Season with salt.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, if you divide this recipe into 3 servings, each serving has 3 PointsPlus.

 

phyllo-wrapped asparagus with prosciutto

It was weird not being at the ocean for the long 4-day weekend.  Except for the 4 years we lived on the East Coast, I have spent every Thanksgiving since 1970 at Long Beach.  So it felt odd, but change is just that.  Change.  Neither good nor bad, just different.

We also celebrated my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday last Thursday (her actual birthday is today.  Happy Birthday Mom!).  All the kids went in on a Kindle with accessories and a gift card to Amazon.  She is looking forward to using it on our upcoming trip this summer to Italy.  I have one and I find it to be a great travel device.

These asparagus were a surprise hit at Thanksgiving, and they will be making a repeat performance at Christmas.  They were a last minute addition, since I received the December’s edition of Cooking Light just days before the big event.  They were almost gobbled up before I remembered to take a picture.  Very easy, delicious, and low points!

 Phyllo-wrapped Asparagus with Prosciutto

•  3 ounces proscuitto, cut into 30 long, thin strips
• 30 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wrap one prosciutto strip around each asparagus spear, barber pole-style.  Place 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying); coat phyllo with olive oil cooking spray (I used a Misto).  Cut crosswise into thirds to for 3 rectangles.  Arrange 1 asparagus spear across 1 short end of each rectangle; roll up jelly-roll fashion.  Arrange rolls on a baking sheet; coat rolls with cooking spray.  Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, asparagus, and cooking spray.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until phyllo is golden and crisp.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Calculator with the calorie breakdown provided by Cooking Light, each serving (3 pieces) has 1 PointsPlus.

 

pinwheels

This is a super-easy appetizer!  You could make endless variations:  a pine nut, sun-dried tomato and parmesan cheese combination just came to mind.

Herb Pinwheels

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley and chives)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine chopped herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  On a lightly floured surface, or silicon mat, unfold puff pastry.  Spread herb mixture on pastry and roll up.  With a sharp knife, cut into 16 slices.  Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, and bake until puffed and golden on edges, about 15 minutes.  Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, 2 wheels have 3 PointsPlus.

Olive Pinwheel Variation

Substitute 1/2 cup prepared olive tampenade for the herb mixture.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, 2 olive pinwheels have 4 PointsPlus.

 

lemon basil hummus

I had a great week of cycling…100 miles!  After the last 30, I was looking for a healthy, protein rich snack.  Seemed like a great reason to try this twist on a traditional hummus recipe.  The basil and lemon added a nice pesto flavor and since it doesn’t have tahini, it’s lower in Weight Watcher points.

And it was another reason to use my Cuisinart!

The dip was gobbled up by most of my family.  My youngest was just 5 minutes too slow getting into the kitchen.  And by the look on his face when he realized that he had missed out on the hummus was priceless.  I challenge you to make it this week for your family!

Lemon Basil Hummus

 

kalamata olive spread

I celebrated my blue ribbon with a lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe.  Well, I actually had an hour to kill while I waited for my daughter’s school to get out, but it seemed like the perfect reason to splurge!   The big draw for me is their kalamata olive dip that they serve with their bistro french fries.

The waitress told me it was made with olives, roasted garlic and mayonnaise.  I did momentarily slow my consumption as I mentally calculated the Weight Watcher point plus value of the 1/4 cup of dip I was finishing up.  Notice that I said slow down, not stop. It’s really that good.   I knew I could make something similar at home with a fraction of the points, using my good ol’ friend non-fat Greek yogurt.

Kalamata Olive Spread

 

spanakopieces

I love spanakopita.  Flaky outside with a tang of feta in with the spinach filling.  I could eat a plate full.  But they are not too Weight Watcher friendly   So when I saw a HungryGirl post on the wonders of wonton wrappers and how she overhauled spanakopitas into spanako-pieces, I had to read further.  I’m glad I did, since I have made these several times since then and my entire family devours them the second they are done.

And the best part, besides being incredibly simple to make and delicious to eat, is the fact that 4 spanakopieces have only 4 Weight Watcher Pts+.

Spanako-pieces

 

roasted garlic spears

Garlic spears are the flower tops from elephant garlic.  They have a very mild garlic flavor with a texture and taste somewhere between asparagus and artichoke.  I like to roast them with a little olive oil in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  You can also steam or saute lightly and serve warm with butter and lemon juice or chilled as an appetizer. They aren’t around for very long…try them if you can find them!  I’ve only found them at Tacoma Boy’s, located at the checkout stand.

raw

roasted