Greek Chopped Salad

A Greek salad is my go to salad – I never get sick of the combination of these ingredients!  Although chopped salads require extra prep since you have lots of veggies to wash and chop, I think they are well worth it and delicious.

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 6pp (does not include pp value for dressing)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

Chopped romaine
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup crumbled feta, reduced-fat
12 Kalamata olives, halved

Directions:

Chop up hearts of romaine and plate out portions for two main course salads. Wash and chop up your other veggies (cucumber, bell pepper, celery and grape tomatoes), make sure they are chopped into smaller pieces since this is a chopped salad.  Open a can of chickpeas and rinse and drain.  Slice the olives in half.  Throw everything into a large bowl to mix thoroughly.  Add in the crumbled feta and serve with your favorite dressing – I would recommend some sort of vinaigrette.

 

XOXO Megan

Ice Cream Cake

Today is my birthday ya'all!  In celebration, I have brought you a delicious ice cream cake recipe that you can eat for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner in this heat! (in moderation of course) It is loosely based after Dairy Queen's ice cream cake, and also loosely based of this recipe. I served this cake in 85 degree weather, 90% humidity AND outside.  Needless to say I didn't get to snap a photo.  But enjoy the one below from the Food Network that in totally actuality looks similar to mine! (for real)

Servings: 12
Size: 1/12 of cake
Points Plus: TBD
Level of Difficulty: Easy (for real it is, but you have to have patience)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: Overnight
Rating: 5 stars - Excellent!

Ingredient List:
1/2 qu. chocolate ice cream
1/2 qu. vanilla ice cream
4 oz. Mrs. Richardson's chocolate fudge
2 oz. Mrs. Richardson's caramel
1 sleeve Oreos (cream filled center removed)
2 c. heavy whipping cream
4 T. powdered sugar
Patience

Directions:
*This recipe would be 100 times easier if I had a deep freeze.  But I don't, so before doing anything I cleared off the largest spot possible in my side by side freezer. Also, this recipe takes a while (mostly waiting time).  I tried to split up the recipe so that it is easy to understand!

1. Place a spring form pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  At the same time, remove and thaw vanilla ice cream. When pan is cold and ice cream is a little soft, spread 1/2 quart of the vanilla ice cream on the bottom of the spring pan.  Spread it around so that it looks like an ice cream 'cake' and return to freezer for 1 hour.  
2. While the vanilla ice cream is re-freezing, remove the filling from the Oreos and discard.  Warning!!! Do not do this step when hungry.  You will:
1. Eat too much of the plain cream filling
2. Eat too many Oreos. 
3. Pulse Oreos in your medium sized food processor until chunky, not powdery.  After 1 hour remove the cake from the freezer and sprinkle the Oreos over the vanilla layer.  Gently press them down with a spoon and return the cake to your freezer for 30 minutes.  
4. After 30 minutes heat up your chocolate fudge so it is soupy.  Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the fudge over the cookies to coat.  Return cake to freezer for 30 minutes.  
5. After 30 minutes warm up 2 oz of Mrs. Richardson's caramel sauce. Remove the cake from the freezer and drizzle the caramel over the fudge.  Return to freezer for 1 hour. 
6. 45 minutes later remove your chocolate ice cream from the freezer and let soften.  15 minutes later remove cake from freezer and spread chocolate ice cream over caramel layer.  Return to freezer overnight.  Your spring pan should be full to the brim!  WOW that is a lot of in and out of the freezer, get what I mean about the deep freeze!
7. ...the next day.  Whip 2 c. of heavy whipping cream and 4 T. of powdered sugar with an electric mixer until very stiff.  Set aside. 
8. Fill your sink with 2 inches of hot water. Have a serving plate ready to go on your counter.  Gently dip your spring pan into the water for 5 seconds.  Seriously, any more and you will have a mess.  Bring your spring pan over to your plate and slowly open it, allowing the cake to drop onto the serving plate.  Return to the freezer for 1 hour.
9. After 1 hour remove cake from freezer and frost with whipping cream.  Use your fancy cake decorating skills to pipe around the edges if you would like.  Return the cake to your freezer for 2 hours. This step is very important.  The whipping cream will sort of seal the cake, allowing for it to stand outside of a freezer for longer periods of time (meaning 10 minutes max, this cake does need to be kept in the freezer).  
10. Remove from freezer a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Tip:

You could also probably make this in a normal 9x13 inch pan.  I would recommend lining the pan with wax paper, making the cake, and then flipping it when done before frosting.  Delish!

Tipx2 - it would be fun to experiment with ice cream flavors with this! Or, if you feel like spending the case use two types of Ben & Jerry's!  2 pints per layer!

XOXO - Katie

Zucchini Medley

I love zucchini!  It’s one of my favorite vegetables alongside Brussels sprouts and asparagus.  This side dish is a new way to serve zucchini and is packed with veggies.

Servings: 6

Size:  1/6 of the serving dish

Points Plus: 2pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  30 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
½ green pepper, cut into ½ inch slices
2 tsp. oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange zucchini slices in layers on the bottom of an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Top with onion.  Sprinkle half of the oregano, salt & pepper on top of the veggies.  Place small pats of butter on top of the veggies (1 Tbsp.).  Next, top with tomato slices and finally end with green pepper slices.  Sprinkle the remaining oregano, salt & pepper as well as the last Tbsp. of butter.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the veggies look tender.  Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Tip:

Make sure you slice the zucchini into thin slices (well all the vegetables actually) - this will allow the veggies to cook all the way through and be tender once the dish is done cooking!

XOXO Megan

Breakfast Bento Box

I eat some pretty cray (ie: non-traditional) things for breakfast to keep my foods interesting.  My favorite is almost anything mixed with cottage cheese.  Tomatoes, sliced up hard boiled egg, cucumbers, you name it!  Starbucks makes some pretty delicious bento boxes.  They are a mixture of low point and perfectly portioned snacks all in one box made for mixing and matching.  My fav is the chicken and hummus one, but at over $5 per box I rarely want to splurge for this tasty breakfast.  So, I made my own, and even put it in a rectangular glass container so that it felt special and fancy while I was eating it at work!  This is a spin-off of the chicken and hummus box, but as you can imagine the combinations are endless!

***I realize a normal person might eat this meal for lunch, so feel free to try that too!

Servings: 1
Size: 1 bento box
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minues
Cook Time: 0 minues
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
3 little cuties
1 T. hummus
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
1 c. raw carrots
1/4 whole wheat pita cut into triangles
1 string cheese

Directions:
You really just measure and package people! Imagine, you can really dip everything together, and then eat the little cuties for dessert!

Tip:
Add an egg or 1 T. of peanut butter to increase the protein (and the pp value). As mentioned, the possibilities are endless, but this cute breakfast keeps me full all morning and also makes me feel like I am going to the local coffee shop to pick up a quick start to my day!

XOXO - Katie

Good Earth Turkey Sandwiches

This is a great lunch recipe and it happens to be my mom’s signature dish!  She loves to make these sandwiches.  A good hearty multi-grain bread works best with this recipe, especially since sandwich is open-faced so you are only eating one slice of bread. 

Servings:  2

Size:  1 open-faced sandwich

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:  5 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

2 slices of multi-grain or harvest bread

2 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard

4 ounces turkey, deli meat

Cucumber, thinly sliced

2 slices provolone, reduced fat

Directions:

Toast the bread slices in the toaster.  Spread a layer of stone-ground mustard on one side of each slice.  Layer on 2 ounces of turkey, top with a layer of thinly sliced cucumber slices.  Finally, top each open faced sandwich with a slice of provolone cheese.  Broil the sandwiches for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Tip:

You can really amp up the veggies on these sandwiches if you want.  I normally make them with sprouts, but didn’t find any at the store when I was shopping last.  You can add sprouts, sliced tomatoes, or even green peppers –all without adding any additional points to your meal!

XOXO Megan

Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Olives

Here is a tasty little side dish (or even a veggie meal).  As you know, I love salt, and the combo here of green olives and chick peas works so well! I lightened the below recipe up just a bit from this recipe (also visit that site to see a more tasty looking photo) by totally eliminating the oil. I think you can for sure cut back the oil on most roasting recipes.

Servings: 6
Size: 2/3 cup
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List: 
1 lb. cauliflower, cut into florets
24 green olives, sliced
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
15 oz. (one can) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 t. kosher salt
3 T. fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450

Combine first four ingredients in a small roasting pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well.  Bake at 450 for 25 minutes, or until cauliflower is browned to your liking.  Stir after 10 minute. Garnish with parley and enjoy!

Tip: 
For some strange reason I HATE (which is a strong word) butting cauliflower (and broccoli for that matter) which is weird because I LOVE chopping veggies, even onions (those are my fav!).  Here is a little video that might help your cauliflower chipping skilz.

XOXO - Katie

English Muffin Pizzas

This is such an easy, quick dinner for when you are short on time!  Mini pizzas in the form of English muffins are a fun take and a lighter, healthier option if you are craving pizza.  Topping options are unlimited with this recipe too – just substitute whatever you are in the mood for or whatever is in your fridge.

Servings:  2

Size:  2 open-faced English muffin halves

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:  5 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

2 English muffins

2 Tbsp. pizza sauce

Dried oregano

2 oz. mozzarella cheese, reduced fat

12 slices turkey pepperoni

Directions:

Toast the English muffins in your toaster.  Spread pizza sauce on each half.  Sprinkle some dried oregano on top of the sauce, this really helps bring out the pizza taste to these mini pizzas.  Next, top with cheese, split evenly across the 4 halves. Finally, add 3 slices of turkey pepperoni to each mini pizza.  Place pizzas on a cooking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Tip:
Turkey pepperoni is a healhty option and a great way to save points!  If you haven't tried it before, you should.  You will be amazed at how much it tastes like regular pepperoni.

XOXO Megan

Parmesan Baked Spinach

Our first CSA came with about 2 lbs of fresh spinach.  Delicious, yes, but that is a LOT of spinach.  I knew that I had to think of a dish to cook up a large amount fast, before it went bad.  Who better to look for inspiration from than Julia Child!  This spinach side dish was really good, like, I wanted to lick the dish as well as use the ingredients with a veggie besides spinach.  Will have to experiment with that.  Anyways,

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking - by Julia Child

Servings: 2

Size: about 1 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Rating: 5 - Excellent 

Ingredient List: 

1 lb fresh spinach, cleaned with the stems removed

1 T. unsalted butter

1 T. flour

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup beef stock

1 T. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (could also use Swiss but I didn't have any on hand)
Spray butter

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375. Add spinach to large pan that has a lid. You will be really surprised how much 1 lb of spinach takes up! It filled up my entire 9 qu. Le Creuset. Add about 2 inches of water to bottom of pan and heat, covered, until spinach is steamed.  Keep an eye on the spinach so it doesn't burn.  I used kitchen tongs to stir a few times during the cooking process. Drain spinach in a colander and use another bowl to press down on the spinach while still in the colander in order to strain/drain so there is minimal water left in the spinach. Fill another bowl (perhaps the one used to press on the spinach) with cold water and add spinach to that to stop the cooking process. Let 'chill' for about two minuets.

Wipe out original pan and melt butter in.  Add spinach and sautee for about 3 minutes until all butter is absorbed.  Sprinkle four evenly on spinach and sautee about 1 minute to slightly cook flour.  Add in stock, mix together and let sautee about 3 minutes more until most liquid is absorbed.  Turn off heat and add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Put spinach mixture into a small baking dish and top with panko breadcrumbs, remaining cheese and a few spritzes of spray butter OR use your misto with olive oil (this may increase pp). Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Tip:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a FAB cookbook.  As I explore it further I wonder how many of Julia's other recipes can be 'lightened up' while retaining flavor.  Stay tuned on that one! The cookbook includes some challenging recipes, but also recipes that could easily be made by the beginner chef. 

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Everyone needs a signature dish!  What is a signature dish you might ask?  Well it is recipe that you can make quickly and is something you can make well.  And it really becomes your signature dish when people come to know and remember you for this particular recipe!

This delicious breakfast cake might very well be my own signature dish.  It is SO good!  The cake’s consistency is moist, yet light and fluffy all rolled into one.  It’s kind of cross between a muffin and a coffee cake.  I came across this recipe on Pinterest and tried it out for a weekend visit from my family.  Soon after this visit, this recipe quickly became one of our favorites!

Servings:  12

Size:  1/12 of an 8x8 pan

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 35-45 minutes

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent

Ingredient List:

½ cup unsalted butter

2 tsp. lemon zest

¾ cup sugar (+ 2 Tbsp. to sprinkle on top of cake)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour (reserve ¼ cup to toss the blueberries in)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups blueberries, fresh berries

½ cup buttermilk

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  In a large bowl, mix together the butter, lemon zest and ¾ cup sugar with a mixer until the texture is light and fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla and beat until well mixed through.  Wash the blueberries and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.  In a cereal bowl, toss the blueberries in ¼ cup of flour (this helps the blueberries to stay whole and got get smashed and bleed into the rest of the cake).  Whisk together the remaining flour (1 ¾ cups), baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Add half of flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mix well.  Next add ¼ cup of buttermilk to the batter.  Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk.  Using a technique of alternating your dry ingredients with buttermilk allows for easier mixing for your cake batter.  Once the batter is mixed well, use a large spatula to gently fold in the blueberries.  You will likely have leftover flour from the ¼ cup you used to toss the berries – you don’t need to add all of it into the batter.  Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.  Spread batter evenly into the pan.  The batter consistency will be quite thick.  Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. of sugar on top of the cake.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  Use a toothpick to check to see if it comes out clean.  Depending on your oven, it may need to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Tip:

Use this lemon zester I told you about last week to make zesting the lemon a breeze!

This recipe can EASILY be doubled and made in a 9x13 pan instead of the 8x8!  If you are serving this for a brunch I would recommend going with the doubled version since people will want seconds.

XOXO Megan

Harvest Pilaf With Sweet Peas and Green Garlic

On the first day that our CSA box came in we ordered pizza, oops!  The next day I made a delicious blend of veggies that were included in our box, some of which I was unfamiliar with.  For me, one exciting thing about a CSA is that you have the opportunity to use fruits and veggies that you have never tried, or even heard of before. I researched two of them, green garlic and garlic chives, and added them to this mix for a garlicy twist.

Servings: 4
Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 8pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List: 
1 cup uncooked Trader Joes Harvest Grains
2 cups chicken stock
1 T. olive oil
3 stalks green garlic
2 cups raw and cleaned spinach
1 cup peas
4 oz fresh mozzarella
Garlic chives for garnish
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 
Bring stock to a boil and add Harvest Grains.  Cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Cut green garlic like you would a green onion, using white part and some of the green part. Head 1 T. of olive oil in a sautee pan.  Add green garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add peas and cook about 3 minutes more. Add spinach and cover pan to allow spinach to wilt, about 2-3 minutes more.  When Harvest Grain is finished cooking add it to the sautee pan and mix, allowing flavors to meld.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with 1 oz fresh mozzarella and chopped garlic chives.  Enjoy!

Tip:
Green garlic is a milder (in my opinion) form of regular garlic.  This pass weekend I added it to breakfast potatoes, spaghetti sauce and the recipe above. Seek it out at your local farmer's market and give it a whirl!

XOXO - Katie

Kitchen Tool Review: Lemon Zester

This is the most AMAZING lemon zester ever!  I have struggled to find a good one that is has sharp enough blades that make zesting or grating an easy task.  It always feels like it takes forever to get enough zest for what your recipe calls for.

Last summer my family was visiting MN and we were doing some shopping in 50th and France.  We wandered into Sur La Table. (Side note:  If you have never been in a Sur La Table... go find the closest one now!  It's a very fun kitchen store that offers lots of specialty tools and quality cookware, bakeware etc.  Think of it similar to a Williams Sonoma, but a bit more specialized).  I had made a breakfast blueberry cake for brunch for my family that weekend, but my recipe called for lemon zest and I didn't have the right tool so I omitted it.  As we were browsing in Sur La Table, I decided to ask an employee for any recommendations for a good zester.  I was pointed toward the zester below - it's a Cuisipro Fine-Rasp Etched Grater.  The saleswoman swore this was by far the best zester/grater out there!  She was right!  I am impressed by how quickly I can zest a lemon and how fine of a grate this tool produces.



Cuisipro Fine-Rasp Etched Grater



The uses of this tool go well beyond just lemon or orange zest.  I have used it to grate ginger for stir-frys.  And I have even used it to grate a carrot when you want a very fine, minced consistency for your vegetables. If you are in the market for a zester - this is the one!

PS Be on the lookout for the breakfast blueberry cake recipe on the blog in the future. J





XOXO Megan

Polenta Pizzas

It's polenta time again!! This is a fun appetizer and interesting take on pizza.  Using a polenta 'crust' you are able to customize and top with whatever pizza toppings you like!  I chose to use marinara, mushrooms, onions and cheeeese.  This conbo of flavors is sure to impress your guests!

Servings: 6

Size: 2 Pizzas

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 tube polenta

1 cup marinara sauce (I love Trader Joes brand!)

1 cup raw mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup raw onion, chopped

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Parmesan cheese

Dried basil

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut polenta into 12 even round slices.  Place plenta rounds on top of sprayed cookie sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, spray a sautee pan and cook onions for about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sautee another 3 minutes.  When polenta has baked for 20 minutes remove it from the oven and evenly distribute marinara, veggie mixture then cheese on each one.  Tip with a quick shake of dried basil. Place little pizzas back into oven and bake for 10 more minutes.  Place on a pretty tray and serve hot!

Tip: 

Another great variation to try would be small caprase pizzas!  Use marinara, mozzarella and fresh basil for a delish summertime appetizer!

Buffalo Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuffed chicken breasts are a fun spin on chicken.  These use traditional buffalo wing flavors of hot sauce, celery, carrot and blue cheese.  This recipe is from Skinnytaste with some slight adaptations – I chose to cut out the shredded cheddar in the stuffing mixture, used sour cream instead of mayo for breading the chicken and slightly increased the size of each chicken breast.

Note: If you buy thicker chicken breasts, have the butcher at the grocery store slice them in half length-wise to end up with 4 thinner chicken breasts which will work great for stuffing!

Servings:  4

Size:  1 stuffed chicken breast
Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredient List:

4 thin chicken breasts (4 oz. each)

⅓ cup carrot, minced

⅓ cup celery, minced

⅓ cup green onions, chopped

4 wedges Laughing Cow blue cheese

Salt and pepper

15 Ritz crackers, reduced fat

1 Tbsp. light sour cream

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Frank’s hot sauce

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Use cooking spray to lightly grease a baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix together the carrot, celery, green onions and Laughing Cow cheese.  Divide this mixture evenly between the 4 thin chicken breasts, then roll-up each cutlet to make a stuffed chicken breast.  Crush the Ritz crackers in a ziplock bag to make a crumb mixture for your chicken breading.  In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, lemon juice and 1-2 Tbsp. of hot sauce based on your preference.  Set up an assembly line for breading your stuffed chicken breasts.  First roll each in the hot sauce mixture, then the cracker crumbs, making sure the crumbs evenly coat the chicken.  Lay the chicken in a baking dish, seam side down so they don’t open up.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Drizzle the top with additional hot sauce for more buffalo flavor.

Tip:

An easy side dish to serve with this meal that doesn’t require many extra ingredients is a side salad of cucumbers, celery and carrot with light blue cheese dresses.  We had it just as an all veggie salad, but you could serve it over romaine lettuce too.

XOXO Megan

Fried Wild Rice

Have you ever thought about stir frying wild rice?? I haven't...until today!  This is a simple twist on traditional fried rice, and like many recipes you find on EAT ME, it can be customized based on what is in your fridge. I experimented with an interesting spice combo and I think the dish turned out great.

Servings: 2
Size: About 1 1/4 cup
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooke Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
1 box wild rice
1 egg
1/2 cup peas
1 cup raw onion, cut in long stips
1 cup raw carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes, curry powder, garlic powder & cinnamon
Low sodium soy sauce, optional

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.  Prep veggies. Spray a medium sized wok. Start with carrot and  sautee about five minutes.  Add onion and sautee for 3 minutes more.  Add peas, garlic and spices and sautee for about 2 more minutes.  Remove wok from heat and spray a small sautee pan.  Scramble egg and cook it until, well, it resembles a scrambled egg! Add scrambled egg to veggie mixture and return to stove. When rice is cooked add one cup to veggie mixture and sautee for about one more minute.

Tip:
A dash of cinnamon is an excellent addition to curry.

XOXO - Katie

Scallion, Egg & Tomato Sandwiches

Looking for a quick lunch idea?  These sandwiches are easy to make and don’t take too many ingredients. I took a Skinnytaste recipe found here, and made some modifications.  I substituted reduced fat cream cheese in for the mayo and used English muffins instead of sandwich rolls.  We almost always have English muffins on hand so these were an easy change – I rarely buy sandwich rolls.  These would make a great light dinner on nights when it’s hot and you don’t want to turn the oven on!

Servings:  2

Size:  2 open-faced English muffin halves

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

2 English muffins

2 Tbsp. cream cheese, 1/3 less fat

Tomato

Scallions, chopped

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Hard boil the eggs, let them cool before slicing.  Toast the English muffins.  Spread about ½ Tbsp. of cream cheese on each English muffin half.  Wash and chop the scallions and slice the tomato.  Assemble each open faced sandwich by putting scallions first, then tomato and finally egg on top.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip:

Of course you can assemble the sandwich any way you like, but after making these the first time I switched up the order to follow the directions above.  My ingredients were all over the plate instead of staying put on the sandwich.  By starting with the scallions, they will stick to the cream cheese instead of falling off.  The weight of the egg also helps hold the tomato slices in place too.

XOXO Megan

Bacon Wrapped Filet Stacks

It is finally, maybe, grill season! This recipe is a fun and creative take on grilled filet, and helps you get in a veggie serving.  Impress your guests with these bacon wrapped filet stacks, that can be customized for your taste.  Also, who doesn't love meat wrapped in meat?  I actually barely ever cook with meat, but I will for sure make these again this summer.

Servings: 2

Size: 1 steak

Points Plus: 5

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

2, 4 oz lean and trimmed uncooked filets

4 slices uncooked reduced fat bacon

1 vadallia onion

1 green pepper

1 tomato

Salt & pepper

Toothpicks

Directions: 

Turn your (outside) grass grill on low. Salt and pepper steaks and seat aside.  Slice green pepper, onion and tomatoes in half inch slices.  Take two pieces of bacon and set on your work surface in an X.  Place one filet in the center of the bacon.  Top with onion slice, green pepper and tomato.  Bring bacon up around filet like a present ribbon, and secure on top of filet with a toothpick.  Repeat with second filet.  Place on grill and cook on low heat without flipping for 40 minutes (depending on how you like your steak).  Enjoy!

Tip: 

If you want you bacon crispy, consider placing under a broiler for a few minutes after removing meat from the grill.  For a few more pp add a piece of cheese to the top after cooking.  YUM!

XOXO - Katie

Leeks Vinaigrette

Have I ever told you how much I looooove onions?  It might sound weird, but they are my 100% absolutely FAV vegetable of all time.  So when I found a recipe for braised onions (leeks) created by the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen I HAD to try.  This is a really tasty and unique side dish for any onion lover. And don't fret, leeks are a lot milder than say, white onions, and in this dish they are transformed into a salty, mustardy (is that a word), eggy combo.

Servings: 6
Size: 1/6 of recipe which is about 1 cup although long leeks are really hard to measure.
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Medium
P:rep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

6 medium to large leeks
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 T. light butter
1/2 t. kosher salt & ground pepper, divided
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 c. water
1 c. chicken stock
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. white wine vinegar
2 hard-boiled eggs, whites and yokes separated and chopped

Directions:
Heat oven to 425°. Trim dark-green tops from leeks, leaving root end intact. Remove tough outer layer. Starting 1" above root end, halve leeks lengthwise. Wash leeks, making sure to clean all sand from between layers. Dry slightly on paper towels.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and butter in a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, turning occasionally, until light golden in spots, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, 3–4 minutes. Add 1 cup water, chicken stock, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Transfer skillet to oven. Bake until leeks are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk 1 Tbsp. parsley, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer leeks to a platter, drizzle with vinaigrette, top with eggs, and garnish with remaining 1 Tbsp. parsley.

Tip: 
For a reason unknown to me, leeks are a really dirty veggie and a little tricky to clean.  Watch this video for a quick tutorial to make leek cleaning a breeze!

Chocolate Chip Scones

Scones are one of my favorite breakfast foods!  A warm scone and cup of coffee is perfect for a Saturday morning.  Here’s a great recipe I found on Skinnytaste for a lightened up version of chocolate chip scones.  The recipes calls for two kinds of flour – if you choose to just use all-purpose flour know that the pp value will increase. 

Servings:  12

Size:  1 scone

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

¾ cup cold buttermilk

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. chilled butter (it must be cold), cut into small pieces

¾ cup chocolate chips

Cooking spray

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 ½ tsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Combine the buttermilk, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla and egg in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use a fork, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Gently fold in chocolate chips.  Add the milk mixture, stirring until just moist.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands.  Form dough into a 9-inch circle on the baking sheet, about a ¾ inch thick.  Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges (make sure your cuts going all the way through to form 12 scones). Brush egg white over the top of the scones and sprinkle evenly with sugar.  Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes depending on your oven.  Serve as warm scones with coffee!

Tip:

Cutting in the chilled butter into your flour mixture takes patience!  Keep at it and your dough will soon resemble the crumbly, coarse texture that is needed for scones. 

XOXO Megan