Edamame Succotash

Ironically I found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine while I was working out on the eliptical machine at the gym one day.  It looked easy and a great way to get a lot of different vegetables in one meal; and since I love edamame I couldn't resist trying it. 

I thought this was really yummy!  I ate it with string cheese as my lunch today and am eating it along side the cornflake chicken I made for dinner tonight.  It will probably also be in my lunch a couple of days this week!!  I omitted the mint because I didn't have any on hand.  Also, I was going to omit the butter to make it healthier, but you can totally taste it in the recipe so I would suggest keeping it in!

 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (16-oz.) package frozen edamame, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers and corn, and cook 5 more minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Stir in edamame; cook 3 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

It looks odd right??? Yet a little intriguing?? That's what I thought too, so when I came across this recipe I knew I just had to try it. I found this in my Family Fun magazine (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/try-a-surprising-salad-907310/) and immediately ripped it out.

It's weird. But it's surprisingly very good. I had it for breakfast and lunch, and I'll probably have it again for dinner! I'd give this a low 4 stars. I didn't have any fresh basil or mint so I just used a pinch of dried basil. I think the fresh basil would definitely make it a lot better...and prettier!!

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed watermelon
2 to 4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil or mint

Instructions
Mix the watermelon and feta. Toss with a dressing made from the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with slivered fresh basil or mint. Serves 8.

Mmm....Lightly breaded eggplant

Except for that one piece in the middle, doesn't that look delicious?!?!  Mmmm, I'm getting hungry just looking at that.  I have been roasting every vegetable possible.  And I've learned that roasted eggplant is NOT good.  It is mushy and can burn easily if not watched.  HOWEVER...if you add some panko bread crumbs it "crisps" up wonderfully.  And the hardest part of this recipe, is cutting the eggplant into thin slices.  And I'm proud to say I came up with this one on my own.  I know, how hard can it be w/three ingredients, but still!

1 medium eggplant

1 c panko bread crumbs

2-3 egg whites, whisked lightly

Slice eggplant into slices about 1/4 inch thick (personally try not to slice it bigger than your pinkie).  Dip eggplant into eggwhites, then into the panko bread crumbs. Lay eggplant in a single layer on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.  Cook 375 degree oven for approx. 20 minutes, turning half way though.  Serve with spaghetti sauce.

Rosted Veggies

There are 3 reasons I haven't been posting much:
1. We are trying to save money and use up things we have in our freezer (recipes already posted)
2.  With school ending soon I just don't have the time to take pictures and post new recipes.
3.  I started South Beach this past weekend and not all recipes are WW friendly. 

However, I did roast some veggies the last few night and I am LOVING it, so I thought I'd share.  Sorry no picture this time!  Maybe I'll take one tonight.

In a ziplock bag toss in any cut up veggies (see below for suggestions).  Add a splash of olive oil.  Shake the bag to combine.  Spray a cookie sheet w/non stick spray and spread out the veggies so it forms a single layer.  Bake for 25 min at 400 degrees.  (turn veggies once during cooking, or just shake the pan a few times like I do!)  Add a little salt and/or pepper for seasoning and you're done.  I'm getting hungry just thinking of this for dinner tonight.

Here are some of the veggies I've tried roasting so far:
broccoli
cauliflower
baby zucchini
yellow squash
asparagus
canned artichoke hearts
grape or cherry tomatoes
jicima
peppers

Green Beans and Potatoes in Chunky Tomato Sauce by Christine

Whew! It has been a long time, but here I am. I have a delicious and healthy side dish for you all. This was great with Easter ham, but I also ate it tonight with chicken, and I imagine it to be just as tasty with anything from the grill. I found the recipe on myrecipes.com, but it is originally from Cooking Light.

Ingredients:

*1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

*1 clove of garlic, minced

*1 1/2 cups diced red potato

*1/2 cup chopped celery

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

*1/4 cup water

*1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

*3/4 pounds plum tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (I was lazy and left the peels on)

*1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

*1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (didn't have so didn't use)

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Add potatoes, celery, green beans and salt. Saute for about 1 mnute. Add the water and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until beans are crisp tender. Add cilantro and tomatoes. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 4 more minutes, or until tomatoes begin to soften. Stir occasionally. Add ground pepper.

I LOVED this veggie dish. 5 stars from me. Bryan gave it 4 stars. Sean ate the beans and potatoes so I say he gave it 4 stars too. Brad, well, he's 4 years old so he wouldn't eat it. Very good reheated too. AND, for those of you counting WW Points, 3/4 cup is only 1 point and its quite filling. Plus, you get your oil!

Nacho Popcorn

This one is from my Weight Watchers pamphlet this past week. It's online as well.

12 cup(s) 94% Fat Free Butter Flavor Microwave Popcorn
1/4 cup(s) light butter
2 tsp reduced-sodium taco seasoning
3/4 cup(s) Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican-Style Cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place popped popcorn in a large bowl; remove any unpopped kernels. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter until melted; stir in taco seasoning mix. Pour mixture over popcorn; toss until evenly coated. Spread popcorn on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 6 to 8 minutes. Yields about 3 cups per serving.

*If desired, set out 1/4 cup each sliced jalapenos, sliced olives and diced tomatoes to be used as toppings for the popcorn. Serve with small bowls and spoons

(will increase POINTS value to 3 per serving).

Curt gave this 3 stars and that's what I said myself but I'm thinking about it not and would love to have it again so I'm going to give it a 4. It was definetely different because the popcorn was a bit soft from the cheese but I loved the taco seasoning on it. I enjoyed it just as much with the little extras too... a different spin on nachos but still just as good just not crunchy :(

Butternut Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe I found on someone else's blog. http://www.escapefromobesity.blogspot.com/ I have had it bookmarked to make since this summer but our little effort on our own blog finally got me to make it. It was actually pretty easy but you'll need two hours for this one because of baking the squash. Mostly her words, not mine.

1 real big butternut squash, cut in half. Rub the cut sides with a bit of olive oil and roast at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet for 60-75 minutes, until very soft when poked with a fork. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out all the flesh from one half and put it in a BIG bowl. Break it up into smallish, bite sized chunks. It's fine if some of it ends up mashed. Save the other half for a different recipe.

8 oz macaroni. Cook this according to package directions in salted water. While it is cooking, make the sauce. Drain the pasta and put it in the bowl with the squash. Fold it together with a spatula, gently, until well combined.

Sauce:

1.5 T. butter

1 small onion, chopped small

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. white pepper (black is fine, white is prettier)

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1.5 T. flour

1 c. skim milk

12 oz. cheddar cheese

Melt the butter on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the onion and saute til soft. Add nutmeg and white pepper. Add the flour, stir it up good, and then add the milk S-L-O-W-L-Y. I mean, add a little splash and stir it in, then a bit more, stirring each time, until it is all incorporated. Heat almost to the boiling point, stirring often. I used a whisk to keep it smooth. It will thicken a bit. Don't let it boil, or it might not stay smooth, but it will still taste fine. Take it off the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir until melted. Taste and add some salt if you like. (I personally do think this recipe needs a bit of salt, but you decide).Now, pour the sauce over the macaroni and squash. Stir it in gently with a spatula so it is well combined.

Put this mixture into a 9 by 13 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.

My words: So I skipped the onion; it seemed weird to me that it would be in macaroni and cheese. I also didn't have dry mustard; so I skipped that and I used black pepper. The cheese I used is the reduced fat mild cheddar shredded cheese. Afterwards, I thought of the reduced fat velveeta out there. The points for this for a sixth which is one cup equaled 8.5 points. This also was with 14 oz of noodles not 8 like the recipe said so yours would be lower in points for sure.

I loved this and would give it a 5, it reminded me of traditional mac and cheese.

Curt gave it 3.5 stars and he didn't know about the squash because he would have never tried it! I did tell him after he gave me his rating and he would have never known!

Josie loved, loved, loved, loved this!

More Veggies Please! (2 recipes included)

So I totally struggle with getting enough vegetables every day; I can eat four fruits in a day but am challenged to get just one vegetable. And now that Josie is eating table food exclusively, I need to make sure to get the vegetables made. So tonight was all about the veggies.

Vegetables Con Queso (from http://www.365daysofcrockpot.blogspot.com/)

Serves 8

2 lbs frozen mixed veggies (corn, beans, peas, carrots)

2 tbsp butter, cubed

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 oz cream cheese, cubed (I used a fat free version)

1 cup (4 oz) shredded mild Cheddar cheese

(I used reduced fat because I don't care for the fat free)

Add all ingredients besides cream cheese and cheddar to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Add cheeses; stir to blend. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more or until cheese melts.

I was short on time so I nuked the veggies in the microwave, put them in the slow cooker for an hour still on high and added the cheeses as directed. Curt was 3 1/2 stars, my dad 1 star, and me 2 stars. I think I would have prefered my veggies plain.

Mashed Potatoes Cauliflower

8 cups of cauliflower (fresh or frozen)

2 wedges of Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb, one inch cubes

skim milk for desired consistency

Steam the cauliflowers or in my case by the Steamfresh brand and throw them in the microwave. Then i mixed in the laughing cow pieces and a bit of milk as I tried mixing it.

I did not get a mashed potatoe consistency...they weren't whipped enough.

I really enjoyed these those espescially considering I can't stand raw cauliflower!

I would give them a 4 and my dad a 3. Curt refused to try them. Josie liked them.