Weight Watchers

Step into My Kitchen

October 21, 2011 By Fran 4 Comments

My kitchen refresh is well underway and by Sunday the only thing that will be left to do i s to replace the fridge. That will have to wait. It appears it’s time for a new airconditioner, darn it!

But onto less stressful things than spending money. Cooking in my newly (almost) refreshed kitchen makes me feel like a princess. It’s shiny and sleek and after having finally made a tile decision, I get to create in a kitchen space that feels luxurious. It only took me TEN YEARS to choose a backsplash!

I’ll tell you this much, it sure is nice having nothing on the counters. I am going to think long and hard before I put the utensil container, olive oil, and spice racks back. This is going to take some clever rearranging in the cabinets.

I am trying not to do much cooking until the work is complete. All that is left now is the grout work which will be done on Saturday morning. I don’t know how long it needs to dry, but I’m starting to think about what I’ll cook in the finished space.

Tonight I pulled a turkey cutlet out of the fridge and used the pesto I made the other night to serve along with a few spears of roasted asparagus. I threw together Turkey Piccata and it was delicious. It looked darn good too. Or was it the tile and range that look so good?

You decide. I’m just amazed that my favorite color is red, but everything in my house is either a version of green or brown. What does that say about me? Yeah, don’t try to figure it out. It’s likely to change at some point.

Nobody panic -- those white blips are spacers between the tiles

This delicious entreé will cost you just 7 Weight Watchers Points Plus values and is an impressive weeknight dinner. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Turkey Piccata

10 minutes

20 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

1 cutlet

Calories per serving: 309 -- 7 Weight Watchers Points Plus values

This is a very quick dish to prepare and makes a delicious weeknight dinner

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2- 4 ounce boneless skinless Turkey Breast cutlets

1/4 cup Flour

1/2 Lemon

1/4 cup White Wine

1/2 cup No Fat Chicken Broth

1/4 cup Capers in Brine

1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Pound a turkey breast until it becomes about 1/4 inch thick or using a knife, slice the breast to 1/4 inch thick cutlet

Heat a skillet and add olive oil

Sprinkle flour on a plate

Dredge (lightly coat) the turkey in the flour and dust off the excess

Add the turkey breast pieces to the hot pan and cook until brown on one side

Turn and continue cooking until just about cooked through (160º)

Remove to a plate and cover with foil. The turkey will continue cooking while covered and reach the safe internal temperature of 165º when it's time to eat.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the wine

Return to the heat and continue cooking, stirring for about 30 seconds, reducing the wine just a bit

Add the chicken stock and stir, cooking for 1 minute

Squeeze in the lemon juice, add the capers and parsley, salt and pepper

Stir to combine

Plate the turkey and pour the sauce evenly over both pieces

Serve hot

http://thinrecipes.com/2011/10/21/step-into-my-kitchen/

http://thinrecipes.com

Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Calories, Cook, Cutlet, Food, Glass, Green, Kitchen, Piccata, Points Plus, Refresh, Tile, Turkey, Weight Watchers

Try this Tofu Recipe; You Won’t be Disappointed

October 13, 2011 By Fran 2 Comments

Tofu. What is it? Why is it? So many people exclaim — AH! It has no taste! when they hear the word tofu, but I return the resistance with information that tofu is great because it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with and if you are in the mood for something uncomplicated by complex flavors, tofu can do that for you as well.

Oh, and by the way, tofu is made from coagulated soy milk that’s pressed into a block. It’s smooth and slick and kind of fun to play with. You have to be a little gentle when cutting it so that it doesn’t break apart, but there’s no real talent needed, just som patience.

I was leafing through the book Plenty, looking for the recipe for an eggplant recipe I’d had my eye on and came across a recipe for Black Pepper Tofu. I’ve eaten tofu before, but my experience cooking with tofu has been limited to making miso soup or to adding tofu into fried wontons like this batch of wontons I made for a CNN iReporter fpiece. The one thing I haven’t done, however, is make tofu as the prominent ingredient, the one that everything else revolves around.

Plenty, the plush covered book filled with — well, Plenty of vegetarian recipes has opened my eyes to meatless recipes that are not only delicious, but are beautiful to look at as well.

As a side dish, this tofu will serve 8 and cost you 6 Weight Watchers Plus Points or 201 calories. I made several changes, as follows: I used 1/2 the amount of vegetable oil, I added a teaspoon of fresh Sichwan peppercorns and the only soy sauce I had in the house was regular soy, not sweet or light. As a result, you’ll note that my tofu is not as dark as the dish in the book, but the taste is something I’ve been craving ever since. It’s not a light in points or calorie dish, so I haven’t made it again, but it is in the plan — soon and I hope you try it soon too.

I think it would make a great small plate in an around the world “tapas” type event.

Filed Under: All, All Posts, From Asia Tagged With: Asian, Cook, Food, Fried, Fry, Tofu, Weight Watchers

A Delicious Vegetable Frittata with Video

October 3, 2011 By Fran 5 Comments

Making a frittata is an easy weekend treat and the beauty of this dish is that you can use whatever vegetables and cheese you have in the house. There’s nothing that says you have to fill your frittata with the ingredients I used. Frittatas are perfect for those days you don’t want to make a big production of dinner.

This dish is one of those “Everything in the Fridge” deals. You can get all of the major food groups on one plate and use up some of the produce you have in the vegetable drawer that’s begging for your attention. Adding chicken sausage to this frittata would add a couple of points, but would add delicious flavor and texture.

Next time (maybe tomorrow!) I’m going to give it a South of the Border twist with corn tortillas, Jalapeño peppers and Salsa.

So, go ahead and whip up your own frittata. With a beautiful salad on the side and just 7 points you have a fabulous dinner you can throw together in just 30 minutes.

My friend Stephanie of CopyKat.com has been on a mad video-making frenzy and she’s producing some great content. She’s inspired me to start making my own recipe videos and this is the first one. I’ve got my work cut out for me with the poor lighting in my kitchen, but I’ll get that worked out and will begin posting more video recipes soon. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions for this Frittata recipe and please … Eat Well, Be Healthy, and Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Frittata

10 minutes

23 minutes

33 minutes

Yield: 1

1 Frittata

Calories per serving: 179.4

This Frittata will cost you just 7 Weight Watchers Plus Points.

If you like a more "melty" cheesy top, add the cheese during the last 1 minute before removing from the oven.

Ingredients

8 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray

1/4 cup(s) cauliflower, Roughly Chopped

1/2 medium shallot(s), Thinly Sliced

1/4 cup(s) zucchini, Diced

1 slice(s) Canadian-style bacon, Diced

2 leaf/leaves basil, Chiffonade

1 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp plain fat-free yogurt

2 item(s) egg

4 small cherry tomato(es), Sliced

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350º

Roughly chop the cauliflower, taking care not to dice too small

Thinly slice the Shallots

Spray a small skillet with olive oil -- 4 pumps

Add the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes, until some pieces are turning brown

Add the shallots and cook another minute before adding the zucchini

Add another 4 pumps of olive oil spray

Add the zucchini and cook for 1 minute

Add the tomatoes and basil and top with the cheese

Place skillet on a baking sheet and place in the oven

Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to the desired doneness

http://thinrecipes.com/2011/10/03/asy-vegetable-frittata-recipe-and-video/

http://thinrecipes.com

Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Basil, Breakfast, Cauliflower, Cheese, Diet, Easy, Eggs, Frittata, Low Fat, Points Plus, Tomatoes, Weight Watchers, Zucchini

Eggs for Dinner — Shakshuka, Try Saying that Three Times Fast

September 24, 2011 By Fran Leave a Comment

How often do you have eggs for dinner? I’ve found myself making eggs for dinner more often in the past 7 months, since I’ve started this Weight Watchers journey than I’ve ever done before.

Eggs are filling. They are full of nutrients. Eggs fit incredibly well into a weight loss program. If you’re on Weight Watchers, one egg will cost you just 2 Weight Watchers Points Plus values. If you’re counting calories, an egg is just 70 calories.

What a bargain! Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re high on the fat scale, so it’s probably not a good idea to eat them everyday, but like all food — moderation is the answer.

I’ve seen recipes for the Israeli dish called Shashuka online and in cookbooks recently and just last night came across the dish twice while catching up on the blog posts that have accumulated in my reader while I’ve been busy driving up and down the East Coast this week. I also ran across it in a fabulous new cookbook I picked up — Plenty,by Yotam Ottolenghi. More on that in a future post.

I went to bed thinking about Shashuka and thought about the dish all day today and although the recipe was right there on page 87 and in a variety of blogs I follow, I decided to make it my own using ingredients I had hanging out in my fridge.

Having been at the beach last weekend and turning right around and heading up to Pennsylvania on business for a few days, there wasn’t much in the produce drawer that was still fresh enough to cook with, but I made it work and it was as delicious as I’d imagined it would be when I was behind my desk putting together reports and wrapping up the week before heading home for the weekend.

As usual, I didn’t stay true to any one recipe. Most of the recipes I ran across called for red and yellow bell peppers which I had in the fridge, but I wasn’t in the mood for that flavor profile, so I used a nice, hot jalapeño instead. It gave the dish a little heat without the power of a bell pepper.

And instead of fresh tomatoes, which I didn’t have, I opened a tin of diced San Marzanos. The result was fabulous and it paired perfectly with a couple of roasted corn tortillas.

You’ve seen this trick here before … many times. It’s the best way to heat a tortilla if you want to reduce the number of points or calories and stay away from added fat. Just be careful — these suckers will go up in flame without warning, so they need your undivided attention.

When you get home from work or school after a busy day and you just don’t feel like futzing around in the kitchen, whip up a pan of Shashuka and tortillas for a satisfying meal that won’t wreck your weight loss progress.

Eggs for Dinner — Shakshuka

15 minutes

30 minutes

45 minutes

Yield: 1 Serving

2 Eggs

Calories per serving: 328

~The Weight Watchers Points Plus value is 9 ~Calories 328 ~Halve the recipe and you've got a hearty brunch ~Add 1 point for each tortilla

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

2 teaspoons Olive Oil

1 very small Onion, sliced

2 cloves Garlic, smashed

1 Jalapeño Pepper, diced

1 12 ounce tin of plain, diced tomatoes -- preferably fire roasted

1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme or 1 sprig Thyme Leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

2 teaspoons Demerara or Brown sugar

2 Eggs

1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped, divided

Instructions

In a small pan, or casserole, dry fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes on medium heat

Add oil

Add onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper and cook until translucent (sweat) for 1 - 2 minutes -- take care not to brown the onion or garlic

Add tomatoes, herbs (reserving a sprinkle of cilantro), salt and pepper and stir to combine

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring and reducing the sauce until the tomatoes break down, adding water to thin the sauce if necessary

Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary

Making a small indentation in the sauce with the back of a spoon, taking care not to clear the sauce to the bottom of the pan -- you want to cook the egg on top of the sauce, not on the pan

Carefully crack an egg onto the top of the sauce

A few inches apart, crack another egg

Cover and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the egg is set and still shimmies when you move the pan

Remove from the heat, sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top and serve with roasted or steamed corn tortillas

http://thinrecipes.com/2011/09/24/recipe-for-shashuka/

http://thinrecipes.com

Filed Under: All, All Posts, Internationally Inspired Tagged With: Dinner, Eggs, Low Calorie, Tomatoes, Weight Watchers

The Franwich is Taking the World by Storm!

September 20, 2011 By Fran 6 Comments

Franwich-Sandwich

There’s a culinary craze going on and it’s called The Franwich. I didn’t make up the name. I’ve simply eaten this simple sandwich as my breakfast each workday since February and it’s begun to catch on with colleagues, friends and family. A whopping 10 people call this one of their go-to breakfasts. Wow! The Franwich is taking the world by storm!

How did this humble sandwich gain popularity? The Franwich found its name at work one day. I made it for a friend each morning — we had the “ultimate” set up; a cheap toaster, a fridge and a place to put it all together. Others began to see us indulging in the low Weight Watchers points (6 – 7) and low calorie breakfast and wanted in. One by one the sandwich began to make its way into other’s breakfast routines and the craze was born — for all 10 of them. Shew! It’s exhausting being part of something viral.

People have been known to steal the Franwich from their colleague’s desks, for crying out loud! Before we know it there will be rioting, chaos and anarchy on the streets, all due to the simple Franwich! Help save us all by making your own.

It’s not a complicated deal; just a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat, the Arnold’s Brand works equally as well, two slices of Boar’s Head Salami and a slice of Boar’s Head Provolone with a schmear of dijon mustard. This 6 Weight Watchers Points breakfast is easy to make, is filling and commuter friendly.

Sometimes when I’m feeling really crazy I’ll sub Bagel Flats, and no, they’re not going to replace my beloved New York style salt bagels — then again, salami and provolone won’t be my “last meal on earth” in place of Bagels and Lox.

On occasion when I’ve felt like a Franwich instead of a breakfast tortilla on the weekend, I’ve stepped up the Franwich with a leaf of basil or onion and tomato slices.

I can be so fancy.

And I’ve been known to carry Franwich fixin’s when traveling, just like I did this past weekend when I headed to the beach with friends. Not only was I able to stay on track with breakfast, but another friend got to have the Franwich experience.

There has even been a time or two that the Franwich has made it into my dinner line up. I think next time I’ll put the salami in a pan for a minute to crisp it up and top the whole thing with a poached egg for a truly decadent Franwich experience.

Next up, marinara sauce and cheese.

What are your ideas for a new Franwich in keeping with a no more than 6 Weight Watchers points or about 200 calorie sandwich?

Filed Under: All, All Posts, Totally American Tagged With: Bread, Dijon Mustard, Provolone Cheese, Salami, Sandwich, Weight Watchers

Weekend at the Outer Banks

September 17, 2011 By Fran Leave a Comment

What could be better than a house on the beach, a large kitchen with unlimited appliances, multiple dishwashers, grills and refrigerators full of fresh food? Stormy skies and eleven women — seven who have worked together at Williams Sonoma at one time and appreciate good, wholesome food — and drink, together for the weekend to celebrate an upcoming wedding, that’s what!

We came into the secluded, northern-most point of North Carolina’s Outer Banks in three vehicles, each packed to the gills with bags — most of them filled with food. And that didn’t stop us from getting more.

We stopped at the local Harris Teeter for more supplies and headed in shifts out to the 4×4 area where our rental house is located.

You can’t get here in anything other than a 4×4 or on a boat and trust me, you wouldn’t want to be on a boat this weekend. As you can see above, the sea is angry.

And just what does this combination do for me? It gives me a wonderful excuse to head into the kitchen, and even better, it’s a very open floor plan up here so I don’t have to be in the kitchen alone.

We had barbecued chicken and caprese salad for dinner along with various and sundry desserts, snacks and adult beverages, but I was focused on the 6 lb. pork butt that was in the fridge, waiting for me to marinate in the braising sauce for the Tacos al Pastor.

I’ll post recipes when I get back, but for now, feast your eyes the food!

Recipe will follow when I’m back in “civilization.”

Night one, down!

Filed Under: All Posts, From Asia Tagged With: Alcohol, Almonds, Bachelorette Party, Celebrate, Cook, Diet, Drink, Food, Nuts, Outer Banks, Weight Watchers

Simplicity in a Complex World

September 11, 2011 By Fran 8 Comments

Today is a day filled with complex emotions — contemplative reflection, grief, anger, sad memories, wistful thinking of what could have been, wishful thinking of what should have been and confusion, to name a few. Instead of ignoring everything but the tragic past, I decided I needed to get into the kitchen, the place that gives me happiness and while the thoughts of September 11, and a heavy heart are not far away today, simplicity is the order of the day. Nothing to weigh down the emotions more than they already are.

While I could easily find an excuse in the depression of the day and head into the kitchen to graze and snack on all kinds of wonderful food, keeping it simple would help me control my choices until dinner when the plan is to head out to a restaurant with friends.

When I see the word eggplant, I don’t think simplicity. Sure, cooking eggplant is not a difficult task, but the shape, color, and tastes are not simple. In itself, an eggplant — aubergine — is a beautiful orb of purple, black, white, pinkish or even orange hue and when done right, inside is a creamy white middle. Simple does not mean without complexity and as the photos below show, this eggplant was charred, contributing to a smoky, rustic flavor.

There’s a bonus to this dish. Not only did it take just 15 minutes to prepare, but it was fun too! I got to play with fire.

Let me say right here … playing with fire is not a game. This method of “roasting” eggplant is not something you should let your children do. I did not do this because it was faster or easier than the usual way of putting an eggplant on a baking pan in the oven and roasting it unti the skin was blackened and the eggplant was cooked would have been.

No, this was about experimenting with a new method of cooking eggplant that I saw on TV one Saturday morning when the Food Network was running in the background and Elie Krieger was showing us how to easily “roast” an eggplant. There’s no real recipe to it, but I’ve put one together below to help those that are hesitant.

I need to warn you again, playing with fire in the kitchen isn’t something to take lightly. You need to stay on top of the process. And this is definitely not something to do with young children. It’s a good for time alone in the kitchen to watch ad little embers flicker as the skin turns to a charred coat and the vegetable underneath cooks in its wrapper and the bitterness of raw eggplant gives way to a sweetness.

It’s not important to remove every last piece of charred skin. I like the smoky, rustic flavor a few little charred bits give the dish.

The flesh easily comes out with a spoon and the skin stays behind, like a deflated raft.

I didn’t add much of anything — just smoked sea salt and a splash of high quality extra virgin olive oil for this 60 calorie 1 Point snack. I also recommend using Penzey’s Sunny Spain seasoning seasoning mix. The salt-free, tart lemony flavors pair well with eggplant and when I roasted another eggplant, this what I used.

So, as thoughts of that September day whirl around in my head, I’m thinking about how life has moved ahead and will continue to do so, but with less tears and a more positive outlook on what will be — what I can do to make the future look brighter.

Recipe: Roasted Eggplant and Poppadums

Summary: Charring Eggplant over an open flame for a simple spread

Ingredients

1 small Eggplant, whole
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Indian Poppadums — any flavor, but the speckled pepper poppadums go very well with this spread

Instructions

If you have a gas stove top, place the eggplant on the burner and turn it on, turning the eggplant to allow each part of the skin to blacken
When all of the skin is charred (should take less than 10 minutes for a small eggplant) and the eggplant has collapsed on itself and is difficult to turn any longer, remove to a plate
Cover with aluminum foil and allow to cool
While the eggplant is cooling, place a poppadum in the microwave and heat for 1 minute, or until the “cracker” has puffed up and is fully cooked and crunchy
Repeat with the second poppadum
When cool, cut the eggplant in half, lengthwise and scoop the flesh out and into a bowl
Mix with seasonings, drizzle with oil and serve with crisp poppadums

Cooking time:

Diet tags: Reduced carbohydrate

Number of servings (yield): 1

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Calories: 60

Fat: 1.4g

Carbohydrate: 11.3g

Protein: 2.4g

Weight Watchers Points Plus: 2

Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Eggplant, Fire, Lentils, Low Calorie, No Fat, Points Plus, Poppadoms, Roast, Simple, Smoke, Vegan, Weight Watchers

Decadent Single Serve Brownies on a Weight Watchers Plan

September 3, 2011 By Fran 8 Comments

I have a confession to make. I ate the whole thing. It’s not what you think. At first blush, this looks like a decadent home made brownie with a scoop of ice cream made in my kitchen.

In reality it’s a decadent brownie with a scoop of, um… I can’t believe I am going to type this … French Vanilla Cool Whip!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I said Cool Whip!

And the brownie? Not one of my decadent pound-of-butter brownies here. You’re looking at a treat made from Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Brownie mix.

And all this for just 5 Weight Watchers points — approximately. The brownie package says it serves 12 and the nutritional breakdown calculates 4 points per serving, but I have a feeling I can make 24 brownies from this box which means in reality this dessert (with the Cool Whip) comes to just 3 points.

I won’t know until I’ve made the entire box, but I like to estimate high — just to be safe.

I’m not going to stress about the fact that I used a box and a tub for this dessert. I’m working on the next 35lbs. of this weight loss journey and when it comes to dessert, I am just not at the point where I want to be mixing and stirring, melting and chopping the evil temptress — Dark Chocolate.

I’ve been relying on prepared desserts from the freezer aisle these past 6.5 months while making most of the rest of my meals from fresh ingredients, but at a recent Weight Watchers meeting my partner in crime spoke up and mentioned the “No Pudge Fudge” brownie at Trader Joe’s. The name has changed, but the results are the same. A rich chocolate brownie that is fat free. What? She told us that the mix is delicious and a brownie fits well within the plan.

Well, since Trader Joe’s is on our agenda every Sunday after the meeting I was anxious to get there and pick up a box. I’ve held onto it for quite a few weeks not knowing how I was going to make a pan of brownies and resist the urge to have more than one.

And last night, after giving in and pulling the box from the pantry, I learned just how to manage this mix. The total Weight Watchers Points Plus value for one brownie is just 4. It’s the same as a Weight Watchers frozen dessert or a small slice of a fresh fruit tart. But there’s a bonus with this mix, something that makes it so easy to stay on track.

With no more kitchen equipment than a tablespoon, a small ramekin and a microwave oven, you can have a single, warm brownie in less than a minute!!

Yes, you heard that correctly … less than a minute!

It’s simple. Measure 2 tablespoons of mix, 1 tablespoon of vanilla yogurt in a small bowl until fully combined. Scrape every last drop of the chocolaty goodness into a small ramekin and cook it in the microwave on high for 45 seconds.

Be careful. The ramekin will be hot. You can either eat it right out of the ramekin or turn it over, tap it on a plate or a cutting board and it will slide right out. The instructions don’t tell you to spray the ramekin with baking spray, but I did, just for safe measure.

These brownies have a kind of macaroon texture once they begin to cool. They get more chewy and if you wait too long they are downright crunchy so get it out of the oven, garnish as you like and dig in! It’s just the right amount to cure your craving for a hot-out-of-the-microwave chocolate treat.

Pick up a package and enjoy your 4 point, 120 calorie brownie tonight!

Filed Under: All, All Posts, Totally American Tagged With: Brownie, Cool Whip, Dessert, Low Calorie, Mix, Trader Joe's, Weight Watchers

Sauce it Up with Barilla and a ThinRecipes Giveaway!

August 25, 2011 By Fran 10 Comments

Making this side dish is easy, especially when you’ve got a “helper.” And welcome help is what I received with a package that arrived recently from Barilla.

Barilla, a sponsor at the BlogHerFood conference in Atlanta in May, shipped out a box of their new sauces, bags to carry them in, a good looking Apron and a wooden spoon.

Leaving the house at 6am, returning at 5pm and putting dinner on the table sometimes calls for what I like to call “helpers” in the kitchen and Barilla was my helper of choice last night — along with a sleeve of polenta.

While I get great satisfaction in creating food from scratch, with a busy lifestyle that has me leaving the house at 6:00am and returning at 5:00pm, sometimes I need a bit of help. I keep at least one jar of marinara sauce in the pantry and it was great to receive this Barilla package to try out a wide variety of new sauces.

Before the recipe and giveaway details, a little information. Barilla has reformulated their sauces using all natural ingredients and there are eight to choose from. I tried the Napoletana. It is a Roasted Garlic Sauce. It has a rich flavor with a thick texture and chunks of tomatoes. The garlic flavor was strong enough to let you know garlic is in there, but is not overpowering, which I appreciate.

These are the sauces I received:

Arrabbiata: Spicy Marinara
Basilico: Tomato and Basil
Calabrese: Sweet Peppers
Formaggi: Three Cheese
Marinara: Traditional
Montanara: Mushroom and Garlic
Toscana: Tuscan Herb

The best part is that it fits well in my weight loss program. I’ve got a number of recipes up my sleeve, but for this first outing with these sauces, I kept it simple. The sleeves of polenta shave a lot of time off what would be a somewhat laborious and time consuming project in the kitchen after work and not having to cook down tomatoes, herbs and seasonings on the stove gave me much more time to relax after dinner.

And now for the contest …

One winner will receive a Barilla Apron, Wooden Spoon and a Jar of Sauce — your choice of one of the sauces listed above.

I’ll choose a winner using a random number generator. Entering is simple All you need to do to receive this package is leave a comment below letting us know what you’d like to make with the sauce of your choice. One comment per person. Please include an email address so I can contact the winner. You’ll get another chance to enter by “liking” ThinRecipes on Facebook. The contest closes at midnight, Eastern Daylight Time, Saturday, August 27th. Good luck!!

There will six more sauces available to giveaway in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.

Barilla Polenta Rounds

Recipe Type: Side Dish

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 1

Putting dinner together with a delicious sauce like this and polenta discs cut from a tube makes an dinner side dish or a satisfying lunch quick and easy

Ingredients

Olive Oil Spray
4 slices prepared Polenta
1 slice Provolone Cheese, cut in quarters
1/4 cup Barilla Sauce
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated

Instructions

Using Olive Oil spray, lightly coat a nonstick skillet.
Add the polenta slices to the pan and cook over medium heat, browning evenly.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or microwave bowl, heat the sauce.
Turn and brown on the other side.
Add a piece of cheese to each slice just before the polenta is done.
Remove the polenta slices to a serving plate and spoon sauce on top.
Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese and serve.

Serving size: 4 Rounds Calories: 160

Notes

You’ll spend 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus or 160 calories for this delicious dish. Enjoy!

**Full Disclosure: Barilla provided the products for me to try and to tell you all about them. I have not received any compensation for writing this post and the opinions are my own.

Filed Under: All, From Italy Tagged With: Barilla, Calories, Diet, Dinner, Polenta, Sauce, Weight Watchers

Have You Had a Plumcot?

August 17, 2011 By Fran 1 Comment

Over the course of the past few years I’ve run across a few varieties of fruit that I’ve never heard of before, like the Plumcot. Before I reached into the bin at my the supermarket and picked it up, I had no idea what a Plumcot was. It looked like a golden colored plum which I figured was a hybrid of a plum and an apricot and this made it very intriguing. I put three in my cart and as I strolled around the market finishing my shopping, I thought about what I’d do with it.

That’s when a Plumcot Tart came to mind. This dessert is so quick and easy you can whip one up and have a warm Plumcot Tart for a weeknight dessert.

I was having a friend over for dinner and knew it would be the perfect end to a simple summer dinner. We didn’t need anything complicated to finish the meal. This tart was just right.

I adapted a Weight Watchers Apple Tart recipe by adding a few spoonfuls of my version of Apricot Compote and I used less sugar. I found the recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook a few months ago, and while I can’t find a copy of it, I was able to recreate the dessert with ease. There are just few ingredients, as you’ll see in the recipe below.

The definition of a compote is fruit stewed with sugar or in a syrup and sometimes with a splash of alcohol, but mine had none of that. I had a container of perfectly ripe apricots and needed to do something with them so I put them in a small saucepan, unpeeled and let them simmer until they broke down.

Once they began to slump in the pan I scooped out the pits and threw them away. After tasting the fruit I decided it needed just a bit of sugar so I added 1/2 packet of Truvia. I’d never used it in baking before and didn’t want to ruin the fresh fruit flavor. It was that perfect sweet-tart flavor. If you don’t want to use a sugar substitute or real sugar, a 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice will give you the sweet lift you’re looking for. Cook until you can mash the fruit and you’re done. And a bonus for those of you with babies — stewing fruit in this manner (without the sugar substitute) makes quick baby food. Buzz it in a food processor or with a stick blender and you have a treat your child is not likely to turn their nose up at.

So, as the tart was finishing up in the oven I got a wild hair and decided a few spoonfuls of that sweet-tart Apricot Compote needed to become part of this tart. I guess I was just a little off my game. It tasted incredible, but the apricots would have been just as delicious and more visually appealing on the bottom of the tart shell, and as I was spreading the compote on the plumcots I realized my mistake. I have one more shell left in the freezer, and more stone fruit on the counter, so I’ll make another and share it with neighbors! Oh yes, I know my limits.

The rest of dinner was delicious as well. We feasted on Mexican flavored Chicken Burgers using my friend Stephanie of Copycat Recipes’ Taco Seasoning recipe, Corn on the Cob with Queso Fresco and Cilantro and a Stacked Caprese Salad inspired by David Leite’s Tomato and Basil Tower post. I wasn’t true to that recipe either, but loved how it looked in his post and made it my own by slicing an heirloom tomato into thick “steaks” and layering with fresh mozzarella and basil. A little good quality extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle of quality balsamico (tradizionale, if you can spring for it), freshly cracked black pepper ground Himalayan salt and we had a summer vegetable to round out the meal. Next time, I’ll try it the way the recipe intended — blanching and peeling the tomato and no cheese, but this version worked well. Truth be told, I just plain forgot that step! Ah people … don’t let your brain turn to mush, ok?

Ok, you caught me! I decided to make it my way one more time this week to have with dinner and I have to be honest, I like the resistance and the slightly tart zing that lies just beneath the skin. Next week I’ll hit up the farmers market and find a beautifully round specimen to blanch. Promise. Oh, and I’ll plate it more beautifully. My poor tomatoes are a little sad.

Plumcot and Apricot Tart

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 6

A stone fruit tart like this is the perfect ending to a refreshing summer meal.

Ingredients

1 frozen Puff Pastry sheet, thawed
3 tablespoons Apricot compote (optional)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
zest of 1 Lemon
2 Fresh Plmucots, cut into wedges

Instructions

Separate 1 tablespoon of sugar and place in a bowl.
Spray the bottom of the tart pan with baking spray.
Carefully unfold the pastry sheet and roll it to fit your tart pan. A removable bottom tart pan that is 9″ square or a rectangular pan like I have will work with one pastry sheet.
Lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin and roll the pastry to overhang the rim of the pan slightly.
Using your rolling pin, roll off the extra dough.
If using apricot compote, brush the fruit on top of the dough.
Sprinkle with1 tablespoon of sugar.
Place plum slices in the pan, lining them up, evenly.
Set aside.
Mix the remaining sugar with lemon zest and sprinkle on top of the plumcots. The sugar will clump, but once it begins cooking, will melt into the tart.
Bake at 400º for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the plums are cooked through and bubbling.
The plum cots will likely give off a lot of liquid, but will “gel” during the end of the cooking time.
Allow to cool before serving.

Serving size: 1/6th Calories: 102.3 Fat: 0.8g Carbohydrates: 18.1g Fiber: 0.1g Protein: 0.7g

Notes

One slice of this tart will cost you just 3 Weight Watchers points 102.3 calories

Filed Under: All Posts, Chicken, From Mexico, Totally American Tagged With: Apricot, Baby Food, Chicken Burger, Compote, Diet, Dinner, Fruit, Low Calorie, Tart, Tomato Stack, Tomato Tower, Weight Watchers

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