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).

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

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