potato focaccia

Bakingbites.com is one of the few websites that spurs me into immediate action.  Nordstrom happens to be the other one  I read this recipe Sunday morning, and 15 minutes later the dough was rising.  Our family loves potato pizza , so I thought this would be a nice treat for lunch.  I served it with a homemade vegetable soup (0 PointsPlus) to rave reviews.

I’m on a baking kick, since this Tuesday is the due date for the biscotti entry for the Puyallup Fair.  I am finalizing my recipe…hopefully it will be a winner!  Stay tuned.

Potato Focaccia

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp (.25-oz) active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)
• 3 – 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• approx 1 lb cooked potatoes, cooled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp herbs de Provence
• 2 tsp coarse kosher salt or sea salt

Combine sugar, yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 1/2 cups flour and salt.  Add liquid and combine.  Using a bread hook, knead for 3-4 minutes, adding up to an additional cup of flour, until a smooth ball forms.  Place dough in a bowl coating with olive oil or non-stick spray, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Line a jelly roll pan (12×18 pan) with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.  Pour dough onto pan and using your fingertips, press and spread dough into a rectangle approximately 10×16.  Brush with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. herbs de Provence.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice cooked potatoes 1/4 inch thick.  Arrange potatoes on top of dough, pressing down lightly.  Brush potatoes with 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with remaining herbs and salt.  Let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.  Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe from bakingbites.com.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

12 servings = 5 PointsPlus each

16 servings = 3 PointsPlus each

 

lite blue cheese dressing

This recipe comes straight from Gina at Skinnytaste.com.  If you’ve never checked out her website, it is a treasure-trove of WW Points and PointsPlus calculated recipes.

Lite Blue Cheese Dressing

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 6 oz. 0% Plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
• 1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, mash together blue cheese and Greek yogurt with a fork.  Whisk in remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Makes 1 cup.

Skinnytaste.com calculates each 2 Tbsp. serving as having 1 PointsPlus!!

 

romesco sauce

Romesco is a smooth, rich sauce made from roasted red peppers and almonds.  This sauce can turn an everyday meal into a Wow! meal.  My carnivore used it on top of his flank steak.  My vegetarians used it on top of broiled cod.  I used it on top of broiled asparagus and salad greens.  It would be great on a baguette!

Romesco Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds
• 2 (3/4 ounce) slices whole-grain bread, torn into 2 inch pieces
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1 (7 ounce) bottle roasted red bell pepper, drained
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat broiler to low.  Arrange almonds and bread on a baking sheet and broil for 1 minute or until lightly browned (watch carefully!).  Add almonds and bread to a food processor and process until coarsely ground.

Heat olive oil, garlic, and paprika in a small skillet over medium heat.  Cook for 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown.  Add garlic mixture, vinegar, bell peppers, and salt to bread mixture and process until smooth.  Makes 1 cup.

Recipe from Cooking Light, December 2011.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, 1 1/2 Tbsp. sauce has 1 PointsPlus.

 

broccoli salad with tahini and cashews

The kids are back in school today after Spring Break.  We had a “stay-cation”, since the “Italy-cation” is fast approaching.  We took a day trip to Pike Place Market, watched some movies and made homemade gnocchi (recipe coming soon).

So now that I have the house back to myself, I’ve spent the past three hours on my hands and knees scrubbing my hardwood floors.  They desperately need to be refinished, but all resources are going to our European vacation.  So I scrubbed away, humming “cinderelli, cinderelli, night and day it’s cinderelli…..”  If only I had some small creatures to help me.  Oh wait a minute, I do.  But they just went back to school

Marc has also been giving me updates from his dad’s progress in the Boston Marathon.  The temperature is in the 80′s and the officials have requested runner’s not to race today due to the heat, so his dad is just going to take it easy (as if running a marathon could ever be easy!).  After many years of trying to qualify for Boston, he’s not going to let this one go.

Even though I will never run a marathon, this salad makes me feel healthy enough to attempt it (if the feeling of health was the only thing standing in my way).

Broccoli Salad with Tahini and Cashews

• 1 lb. broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup tahini (ground sesame paste)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cashews
• thinly sliced purple onion, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• freshly ground black pepper

Steam broccoli for 3 minutes, or until crisp tender.

In a small bowl, combine tahini, olive oil, salt, and garlic.  Pour over broccoli and stir to combine.  Add onion, cashews, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve room temperature or cold.  Makes 6 servings.

Recipe from For the Love of Food.

Using the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder, each 2/3 cup serving has 5 PointsPlus.

 

hot cross buns

We saw some hot cross buns at a local gourmet grocery store last week.  I’ll call it gourmet due to the fact that even if I check out in the 15 and under lane, the total is always over $100.  The bag of 6 buns was $4.99, which I scoffed at.  I’m willing to shell out money for some things, but it felt like a challenge.  I knew if I made it myself it would most likely be tastier, not to mention, actually “hot” out of the oven.

My husband’s one request was to use a light hand with the icing on the top.  So imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe from bakingbites.com.  It uses a paste of flour and water to make the crosses, instead of more sugar.  And frankly, who needs more sugar around this holiday?  One look at a Peep and my blood sugar spikes.

The house smells delicious from the baked buns.   It was a welcome for my husband when he walked in from work. Since he didn’t mention a thing about the absence of icing,  I quizzed him on what made them special .

Silence.  Mainly due to the fact that his mouth was full, but we’ve been together for 24 years, so I’ve seen him talk with his mouth full plenty of times.

He didn’t even remember making the request.  “Well, the most important thing is that YOU remembered.”

Maybe I’m not the one with the memory problem after all.

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, as the cross is a symbol of the crucifixion.  Happy Easter!

Hot Cross Buns

• 2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup currants or raisins
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cold water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes (until foamy).  Stir in 2 cups flour, buttermilk, egg, spices, and salt.  Add an additionally cup of flour and the butter and stir until the dough starts to come together.  Add remaining cup of flour and dried fruit.  Knead for 5 minutes.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead several times until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate by pressing gently.  Divide into 16 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and place in a lightly greased 9×9 baking pan.  Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Right before putting the pan in the oven, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup flour and cold water.  Scrape into a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut a small hole in the corner.  Pipe continuous lines vertically and horizontally through the rows to form crosses.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until buns are dark golden brown and an internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.  Cool in pan.  Makes 16 buns.

Recipe barely adapted from Baking Bites.

Using the Weight Watcher Recipe Builder, each bun has 5 PointsPlus.

 

potato and egg breakfast casserole

You know that hash brown casserole that you find at brunch potlucks?  The one with the corn flakes on top?  I have good news and bad news for you.  I calculated a random hash brown casserole from allrecipes.com and came up with a total of 99 PointsPlus for the 9×13 pan, with each serving having 22 grams of fat!  That’s the bad news, for both you and your cholesterol level.  The good news is that I have a lightened up version that will satisfy the “I need something cheesy and potatoey for breakfast” craving.  The whole recipe has 39 PointsPlus, and each serving has less than 3 grams of fat.  Yeah!

The only down-side to this recipe is that it needs to cook for a little over an hour in the oven.  Not the most convenient weekday breakfast.  Lucky for me, we have a new “houseguest” named Wilbur who gets 5 am walks with my daughter and husband.  I assembled the dish the night before and then had Marc put the casserole in the oven before their walk.  The rest of the house woke up to a hot breakfast an hour later

I made mine pretty plain, with just sautéed onions.  Try adding a cup of mushrooms or red peppers (sautéed with a little non-stick spray).  The PointsPlus don’t change!  Or add 3 ounces of turkey bacon, crumbled (will increase the PointsPlus by 1 per serving).

Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole

• 16 ounces frozen hash browns, thawed
• 12 ounces fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, sautéed in non-stick spray until browned and soft
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 8×8 pan with non-stick spray.  Layer hash browns, sautéed onions and cheese (and other vegetables or turkey bacon if using).  In a small mixing bowl, combine evaporated milk, egg whites, and salt.  Pour evenly over ingredients.  Cover and bake for one hour.  Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until top is slightly browned.  Makes 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Heart Healthy Recipes.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

8 servings= 5 PointsPlus

6 servings= 6 PointsPlus

4 servings= 9 PointsPlus.

 

apple-cabbage slaw

This salad is great on its own, or it makes a great base for add-ins.  Try cubed chicken or turkey, dried cranberries and/or slivered almonds (add-in’s will increase point value for the salad).  I ate it for lunch three days in a row and it was fantastic.

Apple-Cabbage Slaw

• 1 small Granny Smith apple, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 head Napa cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 tsp. honey
• 3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• freshly ground pepper

In a serving bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice.  Add cabbage, carrots, and green onions.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oils, ginger, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over slaw.  Toss and serve, or chill for up to an hour.

Recipe adapted from Shape, January 2012.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

6 servings= 2 PointsPlus

4 servings= 3 PointsPlus

 

rosemary roasted delicata squash

I can’t believe that I have never tried delicata squash before.  It is tasty and so easy.  No need to peel since you can eat the skin!

Another check off the “have never tried” vegetable list.

Rosemary Roasted Delicata Squash

• 1 lb delicata squash
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• Misto filled with olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Halve squash lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Place in bowl and spray 2 seconds with Misto.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Toss to combine.

Spray baking sheet for 2 seconds with Misto.  Place squash in a single layer on pan and roast until tender, about 25 minutes.

 

spaghetti squash with almonds

I’ve never been drawn to spaghetti squash.  I love acorn and butternut, but haven’t been a fan of the spaghetti.  My aversion might stem from a dinner many years ago, when as a newlywed, I tried to cook it.  Epic fail.  Looking back, I’m not sure what I did to it, since it is the easiest thing to make.  But I have lots of “epic fail” newlywed stories, as I’m sure many of you do.  I will never again serve my husband shepherd’s pie, nor will I try to fry a steak in grease (we both have the memories, and I have the fading scar on my forearm to prove that I attempted it.  But neither one of us remembers why I thought that would be a good cooking technique).

This recipe definitely makes me a convert to spaghetti squash.  The lime dressing is delicious and I love how the toasted almonds give it a little crunch.  Next recipe to tackle is the use of spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, but don’t tell my Italian husband.

p.s. this picture was taken before my new and improved lighting set-up

Spaghetti Squash with Almonds

• 6 cups cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• Miso filled with olive oil

To roast the spaghetti squash:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Using a Misto, spray with olive oil and place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Roast until tender, 40 to 50 minutes.  Alternatively, you can poke the whole squash several times and microwave until the skin is soft, about 3 minutes per pound.  Slice in half and remove seeds when done.

Spread the almonds on a second baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 5-7 minutes.

To make the dressing, stir together the lime juice, honey, cumin, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

With a fork, gently scrape the strands of squash flesh into a bowl and toss with the lime juice mixture.  Sprinkle with almonds and scallions.

Recipe from Real Simple Magazine, October 2011.

Using the Weight Watcher Recipe Builder,  if you divide the recipe into 6 servings, each serving has 2 PointsPlus.  Divide into 4 servings, each has 4 PointsPlus.

 

cran-cherry sauce

Another great cranberry sauce for your holiday meals.  Just say no to canned sauce!

My sister made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was an instant hit.  The cherries give it a bit of tartness and the rum gives it, well, a bit of rum-ness.  So good!

Check out my Cranberry Chutney for another great option.

Cran-cherry Sauce

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries, washed
• 3/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup red currant jelly
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark rum

Combine cherries, cranberries, sugar, jelly, and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a slow boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in rum.  Refrigerate to thicken.   Makes 3 cups.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each 1/4 cup serving has 4 PointsPlus.

Recipe from Sweet Basil Cooking School.