Week 3 - Penne With Vodka Sauce (the reviews)

Tasty: mmmmm! it was really, really yummy. Let's see . . . I didn't really make any changes except I didn't do very much accurate "measuring" and there's at least double the vodka in the sauce. I would TOTALLY make this again; H raved about it as well. Next time I would make enough sauce to coat the noodles and have some left over for a nice pile on top. I paired it w/ roasted asparagus--just lightly coated w/ olive oil and a sprinkle of Hawaiian Sea Salt, roasted about 20 minutes at 300F.


Melissainabq: This recipe gets a one-word review - YUMMMM! It was so easy, and the flavor was amazing. I added a small piece of grilled chicken that I cut up into small slices and a teensy bit of shredded parmesan (less than 1 Tablespoon). Brian said this is one of his new favorites, and I agree.













Groomz: I used wheat pasta and half and half to reduce the pointage. It was really good, but I would also make more sauce. I had just enough to coat the noodles, and I like a bit more than that. Pictarded, so I'll draw you a picture with words:

The vodka sauce danced around the saucepan with wreckless abandon, suckling on the sweet basil leaves, and reveling in its seductive flavor. It was the color of a lusty salmon after a trip upstream, having frolicked with his naughty mate and her sister. When the pasta jumeped into the colander, the steam wafted off in ribbons of majesty, almost spelling out the words "eat me groomz." And when the pasta and the sauce were finally joined, they clung together in an ecstasy only found in movies. Like Tranny Train.

Also, I added chicken. Bok.

Happy Tummy: I really enjoyed the flavor, but the sauce was a little too thick for me. I added some water after the first bowl. I also used whole wheat pasta.

Week 4 - Sloppy Janes

Sloppy Janes (from Hungry Girl)

Serving Size: 1 (very stuffed) sandwich
Per Serving: 5 WW points; 271 calories; 3g fat
Recipe makes 5 sandwiches

1 lb. raw extra-lean ground turkey
5 small hamburger buns (light, if available)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup canned no salt added tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp Splenda (granulated)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp steak seasoning blend, dry
Dash of salt

Spray large pan with nonstick spray and bring to medium-high heat. Add turkey to pan. Spread meat around pan and break it up.

In small dish, combine Splenda, salt, and steak seasoning. Sprinkle this over the meat and continue to stir meat in pan. Once meat has browned, reduce heat to medium.

Add onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar to pan. Stir and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauces and tomato paste to pan and stir well. Reduce heat to low and cook mixture for an additional 5 minutes.

Toast the buns, if desired. Put one-fifth of the mixture in each bun.

Week 3 - Penne with Vodka Sauce

POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 18 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

* 1 tbsp unsalted butter
* 2 medium shallot(s), minced (about 1/2 cup)
* 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
* 2 tbsp parsley, fresh, minced
* 1/2 small sea salt, or other coarse salt
* 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
* 3 tbsp canned tomato paste
* 2 oz vodka
* 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)
* 12 oz uncooked penne
* 1/2 cup(s) heavy whipping cream
* 20 leaves basil, fresh, cut into ribbons (chiffonade)

Instructions
* Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat. Add butter, shallots and garlic; sauté until shallots start to caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add parsley, sea salt and pepper, stirring once or twice. Add tomato paste and mix to form a paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, moving paste around pan occasionally; add vodka. Scrap bottom of pan with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5 minutes more.

* Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

* Add cream to tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat; top with basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


Notes

* Serve immediately when the sauce is at its creamiest. If you prefer a looser sauce, add some pasta-cooking water to the sauce.

Week 2 Reviews - Hungry Girl's Squash Fries

The reviews on these are definitely mixed so far.

SarahBethBR-I made them and they were GROSS! But I think I totally screwed them up. It said to cut them however you like your fries, and I like mine really skinny like fast food fries. So I adjusted the cooking time, but still, half of them were black and half of them were mushy and not cooked enough. The taste of the squash was okay, but I'd much rather have it a different way. Also, after all of the talk about peeling the squash, I thought it was really easy with a straight vegetable peeler.

Groomz-I've made them at least 4 times now. Last night we made Chili Cheese squash fries which were amazing and I do not have photographic evidence, so I will call those fries Abygh#eyiuhl. We've made Crab Fries using the squash and Old Bay seasoning, and we've covered them in Seasoned Salt as well. SB is right about them not cooking evenly, but what we do is split the recipe into 2 baking dishes and put one on the top rack and one on the bottom. We cook for 20 minutes, and then when we take them out to flip the fries, we switch racks. It helps them cook more evenly.

Doitwithmusic - I made them this weekend, and mine turned out much like SB's. As H said, "they would be better if the consistency was consistent." I didn't think they were gross, but I had some mush, and some burnt-to-a-crisp pieces. Peeling mine was fukking hard, not to mention that I kept cracking up because my squash looked like a dong.

Cant_wait - I love squash, but these broke my heart. mine were similar to Sarabeths, either black or squishy. They were nasty, squishy, and tasted like dehydrated apricots. I was very disappointed. I think I should've maybe cut them in wedges instead of thin fry shapes, and then maybe they would've been better. And I used a potato peeler to peel my squash, and it was super easy.

Exp - Mine were amazing. If I could figure out an easier, less time-consuming way to peel and cut them, it'd be great.

Mashedpotato -
I made them, but also cut them too thin. Unfortunately only the dog and I liked them. I'll make them again but I'll cut them thicker.










Vicki - I love them. I also had the problem of them not cooking all consistent-like, so I would use groomz' trick next time.








Tasty - I think I'm going to make a brown sugar/butter dip to dip mine in instead of ketchup. Wait. Does that negate the fatassery behind the recipe? Oh well. it will be delicious.

Week 2 - Hungry Girl Sqaush Fries

Recipe
This week we're tackling the Hungry Girl Squash Fries.

Wise Fries
	Face it, french fries are one of the greatest tasting foods known to man. But they're no-nos when it comes to dieting. Of course, if you're feeling ambitious, you can whip up a batch of HG's Bake-tastic Butternut Squash fries. Yep, you can make crispy, wonderful, sweet fries out of our new best friend, the butternut squash. And, what's even better is that this is our easiest recipe ever. So pay close attention. VERY close attention. Because what we're about to share with you may very well change your life...forever! Ingredients: 1/2 butternut squash kosher salt Directions: Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and de-seed your butternut squash. If you're unfamiliar with handling them, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them. Once your orange friend is peeled and seed-free, slice it in half. Then cut it up into french fry shapes. We like to use a crinkle cutter to make authentic looking crinkle cut fries, but they'll work any way you slice 'em. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover lightly with kosher salt (regular salt works, too, but we prefer kosher). Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy. Serve with ketchup, or however else you enjoy fries or sweet potato fries!
	Nutritional Info: Serving Size: 5 oz., uncooked Calories: 65 Fat: 0g Sodium: 486mg (includes salt) Carbs: 16.5g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 3g Protein: 1g * 1 Point

Week 1 - Turkey Chimichangas

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 small red onion
1 green pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 can diced chilies, drained
8 oz of salsa plus additional for dipping
1 cup lowfat cheddar or taco cheese
1 serving cooking spray (5 1-second sprays)
low or non-fat sour cream for dipping
6 burrito sized tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Wrap tortillas in foil and heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add turkey, onion, and green pepper to skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and add salsa, chilies, and chili powder. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in cheese until starts to melt.

3. Assemble chimichangas by evenly distributing mixture among tortillas. Fold in sides and roll up. Place in prepared baking dish and cook for 20 minutes, until tortilla are crisp. Optional: Place under broil for a minute to brown. Serve with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream

The results are starting to come in and so far, they've been good.





















Changes made this time:

Happytummy613: I used a jar of jalapeno peppers instead of the canned chili peppers and used about 1/3 of the amount called for in the recipe; instead of reduced-fat Monterey Jack, I used the WW mexican cheese mix; used white tortillas

Wingedbride: I used the WW mexican cheese. I nixed the chili peppers and scallions and upped the salsa a little because I have texture/crunch issues.

Sparrowsocks: I used beef instead of turkey and flour instead of wheat

KayRI: I thought the turkey:bean ratio looked off in the recipe so I used one and a quarter pounds of turkey to one can of beans. I omitted the scallions (because I don't like them) and the chiles because my salsa had lots of chiles and spice.

Tasty the Pirate: "I do add a can of jalapenos, sir, and used the "Hot Mexican Style" chili pepper, and perhaps but more than a teaspoon. And, you see, neither fowl of Tom nor hooven Bessie shall be rolled up within the whole wheat tortillas, but soy crumbles easily found in Grocer Bob's freezer."

Buddha: I used pepper jack instead of plain monteray jack, and I doubled the turkey because Zane is quite the carnivore. We really liked them, but I only managed to eat one before I was full.

Modifications for next time:
Happy Tummy 613: Use slightly less beans and more turkey. Also, the tortillas got pretty dried out, so will try keeping them in the oven for a shorter period of time.

Melissainabq: Will use less beans to bring the flavor in the turkey out more