Caesar Roasted Cabbage

When I was perusing the internet a few weeks ago I saw that someone used Caesar dressing to flavor their cabbage and I thought it was genius! I like to add vinegar at times to my cabbage and to me Caesar has a similar tangy taste to it. I used Newman's Own because it was what I had on hand but you could use any NON-creamy Caesar dressing or even Italian to add a little flair to your cabbage.



Caesar Roasted Cabbage: Serves 4

1 Medium Cabbage - Sliced into ~1" thick Rounds
1/4C Caesar Dressing - NON Creamy

First set your oven to 425°, then slice the cabbage into nice thick rounds, I did approximately 1" slices, lay flat on a greased cookie sheet and pour approximately 1/2TB of dressing on to the top of each round, with your fingers gently push the dressing around to coat the top of the cabbage, keep the remaining Caesar dressing for later in the cooking process. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, after 20 minutes carefully flip the discs and pour the remaining dressing over the new top side of the cabbage, place back in the oven for another 20 minutes, flip again and cook for one last 20 minute set (an hour total). Remove from the oven and enjoy!

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WW: 2 Points Plus / serving

Roasted Garlic & Lemon Shrimp Pasta

A few months ago my sister told me about a tasty dish she had at Applebees, Lemon Shrimp Fettuccine, and asked if I would try to make a dish similar to it though healthier! The description of the dish on Applebees website is: Seared plump shrimp, ripe tomatoes, onions, sautéed fresh spinach and basil served over fettuccine noodles lightly tossed in a roasted garlic cream sauce and topped with artichokes, lemon zest and Parmesan. I am not a huge fan of artichokes and happened to have zucchini on hand so I substituted that for the artichokes and spinach. I really enjoyed this dish and didn't find it to overwhelmingly lemon like some other recipes I have tried. And for those watching their waist line this is only 10 Points Plus on the Weight Watchers system while the original dish from Applebees is 28 Points Plus, so I would call it a success - still tasty and much healthier!



Roasted Garlic & Lemon Shrimp Pasta: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
4-6 Garlic Cloves - Separate the the cloves, but leave in their papery shell.
2tsp Olive Oil
1 Zucchini - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
1-2 Plum Tomatoes - Seeded & Chopped
1TB Lemon Zest
Juice of 1 Lemon (Approx 1/4C)
1C Chicken Stock
2TB Cream Cheese - I use 1/3 Less Fat
1/4C Parmesan Cheese - Shredded
1tsp Corn Starch
1tsp Basil (Or 1TB fresh if you have it!)
Salt & Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking set a large skillet over medium heat and add the whole garlic cloves - paper and all - in the pan with NO oil. cook for 8-10 minutes browning on each side, try not to let them burn, little brown spots are okay. They are ready when you push down on them and can tell they are soft inside. Remove the garlic from the skins and set to the side.

In the same skillet add 1tsp of olive oil with the zucchini, onion and some salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the onions are translucent and the zucchini is cooked through, remove to the side. Add the remaining tsp of olive oil to the pan and add the shrimp with some salt, pepper and half of the basil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are completely cooked through. Add the shrimp to the vegetables on the side.

To make the sauce I tossed the ingredients into the blender, stock, lemon zest and juice, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, corn starch, remaining basil. Lastly peel the papery shell off of the garlic cloves and toss the cloves into the blender and blend until smooth. Once the sauce is fully blended pour it into the skillet over medium heat and stir constantly as it warms up. Once it starts to boil it will thicken pretty quickly. When the sauce has reached a gravy like consistancy add it to the pasta with the shrimp and veggies, stir to incorporate evenly, then cover with a lid and let it sit for a minute or two then serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Mexican Beans & Rice

Hi Everyone, remember me!? Sorry I have been MIA for the past few weeks! Between recovering from vacation (it is a hard life lounging on a tropical beach for a week ya know!), and a week long seminar I am finally home and cooking again. At the end of my seminar I spent some great time with my friend Alicia and we made Beans and Rice which were delicious and the inspiration for this meal. I did change things up, adding more veggies and using chorizo instead of ham but the basics are the same. This is a simple meal with tons of flavors, hearty and healthy - some of my favorite characteristics in a dish.



Mexican Beans & Rice: Serves 4

1 Box Goya Yellow Rice
2tsp Olive Oil
8oz Red Potato - Cubed into 1/4" Cubes
1 Bell Pepper - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
1oz Chorizo - Chopped into small chunks
1/8-1/4tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4tsp Coriander
1/4tsp Cumin
8oz Tomato Sauce
1C Salsa
16oz Canned Pinto Beans - Drained & Rinsed
1C Water
Salt & Pepper

First chop up all your veggies, put a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the potato, bell pepper, onion and chorizo and stir to coat. Add the cayenne pepper, cumin & coriander with some salt and pepper (light on the salt as the chorizo has lots of flavor). Cook for 8-10 minutes until the veggies soften up then add the beans, tomato sauce, salsa and water, give it a stir, bring up to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Once you set the veggies to simmer you can get started on the rice. Add 2C of water to a pot with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, bring up to a boil then add the goya rice (it has seasonings in the rice packet to make it nice and tasty!), let it boil for a minute, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed into the rice. Fluff with a fork then split the rice into 4 bowls, top with the veggie mix, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Italian Spiced Wild Rice

The other night I made Italian Spiced Chicken and served it with similarly spiced wild rice and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I love making side dishes like this that really compliment the main dish and I can fix it and forget about it while it cooks.



Italian Spiced Wild Rice: Serves 4

1C Lundberg Wild Rice
1.75C Water (or Chicken Stock)
1tsp Olive Oil
1/2tsp Oregano
1/2tsp Basil
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder

Place the rice, water, olive oil and seasonings in a small sauce pot, bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it cook slowly until all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. Fluff with a fork, serve & enjoy!

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WW: 4 Points Plus / serving

Italian Spiced Chicken

For the past few weeks I have been pretty busy, getting ready for vacation, being on vacation, recovering from vacation....it really is tiring! I didn't have a lot of time to cook and was looking for quick meals. This chicken dish was a result of my having not thought ahead to marinate the chicken, I was really happy with the results and would eat this on its own, on a salad, or mixed into any stir fry.



Tip: To cook your chicken more evenly slice in half horizontally so it is a more even. It also helps speed up your dinner as the chicken cooks in 10-15 minutes!

Italian Spiced Chicken: Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts (roughly 1/2lbs total)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Oregano
Basil

Lay the chicken breasts out on a plate and lightly sprinkle all of the spices evenly over each side. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes (longer if you don't slice your chicken in half)! until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to make sure the juices stay in the chicken! Serve & Enjoy!

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WW: 3 Points Plus / serving

Shrimp in a Tomato Wine Sauce

Tonight was one of those days that I was debating just ordering take out because I was being super lazy. I finally decided that being lazy was not a good reason to eat junk so I went to my fridge with the idea that I would make something healthy but not something that I really had to think about. I like to call recipes like this one a happy accident, the perfect ingredients were in the fridge and now I have an impressive dish to serve friends.



Shrimp in a Tomato Wine Sauce: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
1.5 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
1C Diced Onions
1-2 Garlic Cloves Minced
1tsp Olive Oil
1C White Wine
1/2tsp Oregano
1/2tsp Basil
1TB Butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic with some salt and pepper and cook for a minute or two. Add the cherry tomatoes, stir and cover with a lid and let cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes easily pop open when light pressure is applied with the back of a spoon (be careful of squirting liquid!!!) Pop all of the tomatoes, add the oregano and basil and cook for 2-3 minutes with the lid off and the sauce simmering rapidly.

Add the wine - I do this away from the stove to ensure that the alcohol does not catch fire. Stir and bring the sauce back up to a rapid simmer, allow the sauce to reduce for another 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally. Now add the shrimp and butter and stir into the sauce, bring back up to a simmer and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the shrimp is completely cooked through. Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir to evenly coat the pasta, cover with a lid and let the sauce soak into the pasta for another 4-5 minutes. Stir once more, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Twice Roasted Cheesy Potatoes

Dear Sister....this recipe is for you. She told me I needed more potato recipes because she didn't want to eat any of the ones I already had again. So I just started to make stuff up and what came out is pretty good! This is a good side dish for any meal but does take some time! I particularly liked it because it warmed my cold apartment up.



Twice Roasted Cheesy Potatoes: Serves 4-8

1.5lbs Red Potatoes (small ones!)
1C Cottage Cheese - Low Fat (I used Daisy Brand)
2oz Shredded Cheddar
1TB Butter
1tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

At my grocery store they sell bags of small red potatoes that are about 2" around and all the same size, I like using these because the potatoes will cook at the same rate. First scrub your potatoes - leave the skins on! Dry them, toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in a 450° oven for approximately 30 minutes until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork - note cooking time can vary depending on the size of your potatoes.

Once they are cooked through add to a stand mixer and on low gently beat until the potatoes are all broken up. Add the remaining ingredients, taste test to see if you need some more salt and pepper, mix again until nicely incorporated. Scoop into a greased casserole dish, rake with a fork to make ridges and put back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes until the top is nice and golden. Serve and Enjoy!

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
5 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 8 servings