Shephard's Pie

from skinnytaste.com


Review from Cali: It was really good, but I recommend adding some extra seasoning to it to give it some flavor.  But it's a nice way to add lots of veggies to your meal.  And the portion sizes are nice and big.


Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 10.5 oz • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 290.5 • Fat: 11.1 g • Protein: 16.8 g • Carb: 31.5 g • Fiber: 4.9 g   

Potatoes:

• 1-1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
• 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fat free sour cream
• salt and pepper
• paprika

Filling:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in water until cooked and soft. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, chopped meat and mix well.Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.

Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 11x7 glass baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes, using a fork to scrape the top to make ridges and sprinkle with paprika. Bake20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Whole-Wheat Chili-Mac

Review from boxerfan: As I was making it, it kept reminding me of something, and I couldn't figure it out. Then it dawned on me: It looked liked hamburger helper. Thankfully it tasted better than it looked.

It's definitely comfort food, so if that's what you're in the mood for it's a good choice. My H said that he couldn't believe it was a WW recipe, which translates to him really liking it.

The only thing I changed in this recipe is that I used regular macaroni instead of whole wheat.


PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

This one-pot hearty meal can easily be altered to meet your family's tastes. Try subbing ground turkey breast for the beef and whole-wheat spirals for the elbows.

Ingredients
12 oz uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 medium onion(s), chopped
14 1/2 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style, undrained
1 1/4 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
2 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, diced, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin aeed
1 cup(s) dry whole-wheat elbow macaroni
15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions

* In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off fat. Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil.

* Stir in uncooked macaroni and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes

* Serve with grated parmesan topping, fat-free sour cream and low-fat or fat-free shredded Mexican cheese, if desired (could affect PointsPlus values).

Baked Rice and Peas

From Melissa: This was a really great side to add to our rotation. The peas add some bulk so you don't miss having a huge serving of rice.

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 173.7 • Fat: 1.5 g • Protein: 5.5 g • Carb: 34.4 g • Fiber: 2.0 g
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
14.5 oz can fat free chicken broth
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
5 oz (1/2 package) frozen peas
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a oven-safe baking dish with a lid. Place a piece of tin foil between the lid and the dish to ensure no steam escapes. Bake 45 minutes (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). When 45 minutes is up, remove from oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice, (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). After 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork.

Makes 3 3/4 cups

Broccoli and Cheese Potato Soup

Review from Christin - I made per the recipe but may have added just a bit extra cheese. This was such a delicious, creamy, hearty soup. I can't wait to have a bowl for dinner tonight.

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g


1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup fat free milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
salt and fresh pepper
4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
2 slices 2% American cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Review from Christin: Made this tonight and we both LOVED it. Holy crap was this good. And since I had a rotisserie kitchen already shredded, I literally had this in the oven in under 10 minutes. 9 ww points for those counting. Only alteration, I mixed the chicken with instead of putting on top to make sure it stayed moist.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3  cup  fat-free milk
• 1/4  cup  egg substitute
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1  (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
• 1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1  (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

354 (36% from fat)

Fat:

14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

18.9g

Carbohydrate:

36.3g

Fiber:

2.5g

Cholesterol:

58mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

620mg

Calcium:

179mg

Chicken Enchiladas

Review from Melissainabq: These were a big, soggy mess and they tasted awful. I definitely wouldn't make them again, but I'm sharing the recipe in case anyone was considering them.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/chicken-enchiladas.html

Slow-Cooker Chicken Burritos

Review from Boxer Fan: I wasn't a huge fan of these.  They smelled great while they were cooking, but they just didn't have a whole lot of flavor.  If I made it again I would probably add some cayenne pepper to the recipe, but I probably won't make it again.  I served these with salad and refried black beans, and I topped them with some low fat cheese and greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt makes a great substitute for sour cream.

Ingredients

	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
	1 small red onion(s), chopped
	14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chiles
	15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
	1/2 tsp chili powder
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	1 pound(s) skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into bite-size pieces
	3/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
	12 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), about 7-inches in diameter each
	3/4 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

Instructions

• Place garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, salt, oregano and pepper in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir well. Add chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours; drain off liquid (there should be about 6 cups of burrito mixture).
  
• To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of burrito mixture down center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold bottom 1/3 of tortilla to center. Fold left side to center; fold right side to center, covering filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Yields 1 burrito per serving.

Notes

You can microwave the burritos, seam-side down, for 30 seconds, if desired.

Breaded Pork Cutlet

Breaded Pork Cutlet

Course: main meals PointsPlus™ Value:    7 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  15 min Cooking Time:  15 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Panko, coarse Japanese bread crumbs, give these baked pork chops wonderful crispness. Serve them immediately for the best texture.

Ingredients

	4 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 pound(s) lean boneless pork chop, four 4 oz chops
	1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
	3/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
	1 large egg(s)
	3 Tbsp fat-free skim milk
	1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, or to taste
	1/2 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, panko-variety (see note)
	1/2 medium lemon(s), cut into 4 wedges

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
• Place pork chops between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
  
• On a plate, combine flour, salt and pepper. Beat egg in a shallow bowl; stir in milk and mustard. Place panko on a plate.
  
• Dip chops, one at a time, in flour mixture to lightly dust both sides; shake off excess. Dip each chop in egg batter and then lightly coat both sides with panko. Place on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat with cooking spray.
  
• Bake for 8 minutes; flip and bake until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes more. (Coat with cooking spray and broil for a minute or two if you like the coating extra crisp.) Serve with lemon wedges. Yields 1 chop per serving.

Notes

• Panko is available in the Asian sections of supermarkets; substitute coarse bread crumbs if desired. Add some cayenne pepper to the bread crumb mixture, if desired.
  You can also cook these in batches in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray.
  
  
  Review from BoxerFan: I made this with some sauteed turnip greens last week.  I had to use more panko crumbs than the recipe called for, but I didn't need all of the flour.  I used my amounts to recalculate points, and it came out to be the same in the end.  These were pretty good.  They definitely needed the fresh lemon on top though.  And the recipe means it when it says "best served immediately".  I made enough to have leftovers, and that was a mistake.  Mushy nastiness.

Easy Fried Rice

PointsPlus™ Value: 4
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
2 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded
1 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced, divided
3 cup(s) cooked white rice
1/2 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce, or to taste

Instructions
* Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; warm pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs; tilt pan so that eggs cover bottom.

* When eggs start to set, break them up into pieces with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until eggs are cooked through, about 1 minute more; remove eggs from skillet and set aside.

* Off heat, recoat same skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons scallions; sauté until carrots are crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

* Stir in cooked rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Gently stir in cooked egg and remaining scallions; heat through. Yields about 3/4 cups per serving.

Review from Boxerfan: This was really easy to make, and turned out pretty good. I added shrimp to it, and we had it as a main meal. I did add some sriracha to mine to spice it up a bit, but my H likes his plain. I'm already planning on making this one again.

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 166 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 11 g • Carb: 18 g • Fiber: 1 g

2 cups part-skim ricotta
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

In a food processor (or blender should work) blend ricotta and cocoa powder until completely smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place egg whites, sugar, salt in a medium heatproof mixing bowl (metal) and place bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.

Cook and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm, about 3 minutes.

Remove bowl from heat and beat with an electric mixer on high, until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes).

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold egg white mixture into the bowl with ricotta until well combined.

Divide into 6 6 oz ramekins or small bowls and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 thighs • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 214.4 • Fat: 11.2 g • Protein: 23.8 g • Carb: 1.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g

8 small chicken thighs, skin removed
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lime, squeezed, and lime zest
3/4 tsp pepper
salt
dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400°. Rinse the chicken and remove the skin and all fat. Pat dry; place in a large bowl and season generously with salt. In a small bowl combine Dijon, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and pepper. Mix well. Pour over chicken, tossing well to coat.

Spray a large baking pan with a little Pam to prevent sticking since all the fat and skin was removed from chicken. Place chicken to fit in a single layer. Top the chicken with dried parsley. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes. Finish the chicken under the broiler until it is golden brown. Serve chicken with the pan juices drizzled over the top.

Senegalese peanut stew with spinach and sweet potatoes

Serving size: 1 2/3 cup
Servings: 6
Points + per serving: 5


1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 medium onion(s), roughly chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), cored and roughly chopped
1/2 pound(s) sweet potato(es), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium carrot(s), peeled and thinly sliced
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cup(s) vegetable broth, reduced-sodium
6 Tbsp peanut butter, natural, creamy-variety
8 cup(s) spinach, leaves, stemmed, packed, chopped


Instructions

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potato, carrots and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ginger, cloves, salt and cayenne; cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring once in a while, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Yields about 1 2/3 cups per serving.

Notes

Keep the heat low as the soup simmers so the peanut butter doesn't break (that is, in culinary terms, "doesn't fall out of suspension" or separate).

Cuban Sandwich Quesadilla

Points +: 5
Servings: 1

* 1 oz skinny slow cooked pernil
* 1 slice reduced fat swiss
* 1 oz ham
* 1 slice kosher pickle
* mustard
* 6 inch low carb whole wheat tortilla

Heat a non-stick pan over low heat. Spray with cooking spray and place tortilla on pan. On half of the tortilla, place a piece of cheese, pork, ham, pickle and mustard. When cheese is melted, fold the quesadilla in half and flip to heat other side.Remove from heat and cut into 3 pieces.

Skinny Slow-Cooker Pernil (Roast Pork)

Points plus: 4

Serving: 4 oz

* 3 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
* 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 tbsp coarse salt
* 1/2 tsp oregano
* 1/2 tbsp cumin
* 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
* 3 oranges, juice of (1/2 cup)
* 2 limes, juice of

Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the pork and stuff holes with half of the crushed garlic. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over pork. Place in the ceramic part of the crock pot, cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally so the marinade covers all of pork.

The next day, remove the crock pot and cook on low, 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove pork andshred using two forks. Removeliquid from crock pot and add pork back to crock. Add about 1 cup of the liquid back and adjust salt, pepper and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Points+: 6

Servings: 9

* 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
* 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
* 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 egg
* salt and fresh pepper
* 32 oz tomato sauce
* 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Rollcarefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.