Creamy Risotto with Butternut Squash

One thing that I try to do often is to cook with and eat seasonal vegetables and fruit. Cooler weather (relatively speaking, since I live in Florida) means produce like butternut squash. I've been in butternut squash mood lately: butternut squash ravioli, creamy butternut squash soup. But my favorite is my latest culinary adventure...creamy risotto with butternut squash.

I got this recipe from Weight Watchers Weekly, and it's a fantastic recipe. It was light and creamy, and the thyme gave it a great, rich flavor. So, buon appetit!

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon nsalted butter
1 cup uncooked orzo
1.5 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

(I made a few substitutions in the recipe...instead of half-and-half, I used Lactaid and then a little bit of Greek yogurt. Instead of salted butter, I used margarine. Also, you can use fresh thyme for an even richer flavor.)

1. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, cut the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Then, cut the butternut squash into cubes. 

2. Toss the squash with the olive oil and salt until well coated. Place the squash on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil and prepared with vegetable spray. Roast squash until tender in an oven preheated to 425 degrees (about 20 to 25 minutes).

3. While squash is roasting, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo, and cook until orzo is browned.

4. Add water, chicken broth, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (until liquid is mostly absorbed).

5. Stir in half-and-half, cheese, and squash. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yields about 3/4 pieces per serving
Points Plus value: 6 per serving

Classic Dutch Apple Pie

I am in love with how amazing this pie tasted...I hope you love it too!

What's Thanksgiving without a pie? And what's more American than apple pie?  This Thanksgiving was my first away from home and my family, but that just meant that I had the opportunity to cook up my own Thanksgiving feast...including the pie.

I was going to skimp corners here and there (stuffing...from a box!), but the pie, well...I wanted the pie to be made completely from scratch.  I had a wonderful sous chef; while I worked on the crust, my second prepped the filling.  If you're doing this solo, do the crust first, so the apples don't get all brown from oxidation.

This is easily one of the greatest things ever to emerge from my kitchen. We enjoyed every bit and crumb and morsel.  I'll do my best to give you the recipe, but you should know that this is one of those times where the recipe went out the window. I was kind of making it up as I went along. But I'll give it a shot.

(The numbers in the recipe refer to how I began...but it was definitely an evolving process)

For the Filling

Ingredients

7 apples

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 butter, softened

1.5 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons. nutmeg

2 tablespoons milk

1. Peel, core, and cube the apples. Combine the apples with the remaining ingredients until well coated. At the last minute, we decided to add some dried cranberries.

For the Crust

Ingredients

White flour, all purpose

Wheat flour

Baking powder

Brown sugar

Almond extract

Salt

Butter

For the bottom part of the crust
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. With a fork, combine 1 cup of white flour, 1 cup of wheat flour, 1 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Work the dough until there are pieces the size of peas.  Add water slowly (one teaspoon at a time), until the dough sticks together.  Then it is ready for rolling.

3. Spread flour on your rolling surface (I used my kitchen counter), and drop the dough onto the flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough.

 4. When it is flattened to about a 1/2 inch, it is ready to be placed in a prepared pie baking pan. (It wasn't pretty, but once it's filled, you can't tell!)

For the top Dutch crumble  (This is where I really improvised)
5. Combine 1 cup wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, 1 cup softened butter, almond extract (to taste...start with 1/4 teaspoon). The mixture should be crumbly. I had to add some more flour, then some more butter...keep going till you get the texture you need.

6. Add the pie filling to the prepared crust in the pan.  Place small pieces of butter around the top of the pie.

7. Add the Dutch crumble to the top of the pie.

8. Bake for 10 minutes on 450 degrees. Then, turn down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes (or until top is golden brown).

Enjoy! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

Quick and easy...Apple chips

I've never been a very big fan of potato chips. I'd much rather have something sweet. But every once in a while, I'll get the urge for a crunch of a chip.

So lately, instead of indulging in points-laden potato chips, I've been making my own chips...out of apples! It's super easy, tasty, and has zero points!


Ingredients
4 apples, cored (I leave the peel on)
1/4 cup sweetener (I prefer Splenda)
1 tbsp. cinnamon

1. Cut the apples into thin slices...as thin as you can get them without shredding them.

2. Arrange the slices on a non-stick baking sheet.

3. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

4. Bake in the oven at 250 for about 25 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

Makes approximately four servings. Points plus value: 0

Flank steak with Mexican-cilantro cream

One of my favorite things to do when creating a new culinary experiment is to re-imagine a recipe. This is one of those recipes. I'm sure the original was great, but I tweaked it...add something here, get rid of something there. But overall, this may be one of my new favorite dishes.



 
Ingredients
16 oz. flank steak

2 peppers (I prefer green), seeded and chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
3 oz. plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder (You could double this, but I am not usually a fan of spicy)
Cooking spray

1. In a small bowl, mix salt, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the flank steak.  Place the peppers, onions, and steak on a baking sheet lined with foil. (Tip: spray the foil with cooking spray).

2. Broil the steak in a preheated oven, about four minutes on each side. Be sure to flip the steak, peppers, and onions half way through.

3. Meanwhile, combine the salsa, Greek yogurt, and cilantro. Mix in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

4. When steak, peppers, and onions are done, remove from oven. Slice flank steak into thin strips.  Drizzle steak with Mexican-cilantro cream.

The Mexican-cilantro cream sauce was really good, so I drizzled it on top of the peppers, too.

 It's an incredibly flavorful, but really simple recipe. Pair it with some rice as a side, and you have a filling meal! Full disclosure: I like rare meat, so if you want it more well-done, cook it 5 to 6 minutes.

Yields about 4 pieces per serving (4 oz)
Points Plus value: 4 per serving

Skinny Mashed Potatoes

After joining Weight Watchers, my entire relationship with food changed.  Yes, I still have the cravings and I still want to binge every once in a while. But for the most part, I eat entirely different now. There are more whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. There are leaner proteins, less red meat, and more fish.

I don't know why I used to eat as much as I did, but once I embraced the philosophy that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," it became easier to handle.  So now, I may not always eat "skinny" but I try to think "skinny" thoughts. And so, I give you "Skinny" Mashed Potatoes.

First of all, skinny mashed potatoes are not made with potatoes. They are made from cauliflower, which is a pretty good starchy substitute...with zero points on Weight Watchers.  It's not the first time, I've used cauliflower as a substitute for something (see Devilish Eggs). When I'm in the mood for macaroni and cheese, I usually eat some cauliflower and cheese instead.

Second, the first time I made this recipe, I failed. I hate to admit it, but I did. I tried getting away with some short cuts, and I wound up with a watery, lumpy mess.  So, when the recipe says to take time to drain and dry the cauliflower, do it. And when it says to use a food processor to mash it all up, follow those directions, ok?

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1 oz. Weight Watchers creamed cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Wash the cauliflower thoroughly. Chop up into florets.

2. In a large pot, boil cauliflower for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft and tender. Drain the cauliflower and pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Immediately transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. It should still be warm at this point (try not to let it cool off).  Add cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and salt and pepper.

4. Puree the ingredients together until it is smooth and creamy.

Enjoy these mashed "potatoes" guilt-free!!  It makes approximately four servings, but it was so delicious that I went back for seconds.

Points Plus value: 2 per serving

Grilled Salmon with Mustard and Lemon Herb Crust

Since I work in higher education, July and August is a really busy season. As we get ready for and kick off with a new school year, we spend a lot of time prepping and training our staff members. Which basically means that I didn't spend a whole lot of time cooking. But now that September is here, and life is starting to settle back down, I am glad to be back in the kitchen!

One of my first culinary experimentations has been with some salmon. I prefer salmon over many other kinds of fish because (at least in my opinion) it's the least fishy tasting fish. A good steak of wild salmon is meaty...and that's just the way I like it.

I saw this recipe in a Weight Watchers publication, but I made a few changes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 uncooked wild Salmon fillet (I had the skin taken off and chopped the fillets into 2)
2 tbsp honey mustard (My favorite brand is Billy Bee's)
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp lemon pepper-flavored Panko crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, mix rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Spread 1 tbsp of honey mustard on top of each fillet.

3. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme mixture on top of each fillet. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the Panko crumbs on each fillet.

4. Place fish on a grill (I used a George Foreman), seasoned side up.  Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until fish flakes off easily with a fork.

I made a side of whole grain rice and asparagus.  For some reason, I'm really fond of asparagus with salmon. 

Points Plus value: 8 (with a 6 oz. piece of fillet)

On the versatility of spaghetti squash

Growing up in an Italian family, pasta has always been central to my life. Pasta on Sundays. Pasta on holidays. Pasta in soups, and as sides...and usually served with bread. But since I've started Weight Watchers, I've dramatically cut down on my pasta/carbohydrate intake. Not because I'm trying to cut it out of my diet...but because when I have a bowl of pasta, I'm not just eating the recommended serving size...and I can find more filling ways to rack up ten points.

But most of the time, it's not even really the pasta I miss. I miss the sauces that go with the pasta. Because (and let's be honest here) the best part of any pasta dish is the sauce. I love sauce. Any kind of sauce (except anything with sun-dried tomatoes...not a fan). 

So last week, I was craving some vodka sauce. Instead of making it with pasta, I tried something new: spaghetti.....in the form of squash. 

World, meet spaghetti squash.  This winter squash varies in color from a pale yellow to a bright orange. It's flesh is hard, and its center is full of seeds. 

But an amazing thing happens...when you cook spaghetti squash, the flesh softens and, if you scrape it out of the rind, it falls away in thin strands that very closely resemble spaghetti. 

And sure, when you eat it, it tastes more vegetable than grain. But, like a pasta, it takes on the taste of the sauce. And it's ZERO points!

Here's how you do it (or, at least, how I did it):
1. Using a large knife and a lot of force, halve the squash. This was honestly the hardest part. Then, scoop out all of the seeds.

2. Place the two halves, cut-side down, on a sprayed baking pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of squash).

3. Let the squash cool for a few moments because it will be very hot and difficult to hold.

4. Take a fork and rake it down through the flesh of the squash. It should come off in thin, spaghetti-like strands. There's really no technique to the raking. Just do it. 

The one squash fed me for exactly four days.  Each night, I ate it with a different sauce. Night one, I made a tomato sauce with peppers, onions, and sausage. Night two, I had a vodka sauce. The third night, I tossed it with homemade pesto. And the final night, I had it with the vodka sauce AND sausage. Because it was totally delicious!!!

Vodka sauce with sausage

While spaghetti squash can never fully replace pasta in my life, it's a tasty, points-free versatile alternative!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming: Mexican casserole with cilantro creme

I was gently reminded this evening that I have been a bit remiss in my posts. My apologies. I realize that my lack of posting coincides with a major life event: becoming a mother to my loveable, adorable kitten, Austen.  Since he's a kitten,  he keeps me on my toes. He requires a lot of love and attention.

But don't worry. This doesn't mean I've stopped partaking in culinary adventures. While I haven't posted in a while (nearly seven weeks...yikes!), I have still been experimenting.  So, to get me back on track, one of my favorite recipes: a Mexican casserole with cilantro creme!

Ingredients
1/2 box (4 ounces) whole wheat/multigrain pasta (I prefer rotini, but that's just me. I made it with penne this time)
12 ounces lean ground turkey
1 can black beans, drained (15 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5 oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use a Mexican cheese blend)
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (or sour cream...I just use the yogurt to lower the points)
Cilantro (to taste)
Shredded lime peel (as garnish)
Lime wedges

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook pasta according to directions on the box. Once it is cooked, drain it, then set it aside.

2. In a large skillet, combine meat and garlic. Cook until turkey is well done. Drain the fat from the skillet. 

3. Stir the meat into the pasta. Add beans, tomatoes, salsa, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Once well combined, transfer the contents to a casserole dish.

4. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated through.

5. Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top. Continue to bake, uncovered, for another 3-5 minutes (or until the cheese is melted). 

6. Top with sour cream/Greek yogurt. Sprinkle lime peel and cilantro on top as garnishes. Feel free to add some of the lime juice to the mixture. 

I made this dish for the first time about a year ago; I make it at least once a month now. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Again, apologies for the absence. I promise to do better!

Chicken Burrito Salad

It's no secret that one of my favorite places to eat is Chipotle. I get the same thing every time I go: a chicken burrito bowl with brown cilantro-lime rice, fajita vegetables, two scoops of the pico de gallo, lettuce, and cilantro. Since I've been on Weight Watchers, I forgo the beans, the sour cream, and the guacamole (and, grudgingly, the chips) because they add unnecessary point values to my meal.

But eating at Chipotle two (or five) times a week can get expensive. So I figured I could probably do this myself. I decided to make it into more of a salad rather than the regular burrito bowl. And what I wound up with was six points (yes, SIX points) of deliciousness. 

Ingredients
1 chicken breast (between 3 and 4 ounces)
Lime juice
1 tomato
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 pepper, sliced (I prefer green)
1/4 cup onion, sliced
1 tbsp. corn
1 tbsp. shredded cheese
2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
Lettuce

1. In a plastic bag or a bowl, mix together lime juice, 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro, and the garlic Marinade the chicken in the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

2. To prepare the pico de gallo, chop the tomato. In a bowl, toss tomato with 1/4 cup of chopped onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Allow the flavors to mix together for about 30 minutes before serving.

3. For the fajita vegetables, spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Saute the peppers for 3-5 minutes.  Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until onions have turned slightly brown.  

4. For the chicken, place the marinated chicken breast onto the grill (I use a George Foreman).  Cook thoroughly. Chop into cube-sized pieces once cooked.

5. Line a bowl with salad. Add the chopped chicken, the pico de gallo, and the fajita vegetables to the salad. Top with Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, and remaining cilantro.

You can always add rice or beans or guacamole. Just adjust the points accordingly.

Points Plus value: 6 (with a 3 oz. chicken breast)

Vegetable Soup with Pesto

Every week at my Weight Watchers meeting, they hand out short newsletters. These are one of my favorite parts of attending meetings; in every newsletter, they have a fantastic recipe. This recipe comes from the March 25-31 issue: Spring Vegetable Soup with Pesto. 

See? I told you I liked pesto.

The reality of this soup recipe is that you can probably make it without the pesto and it would be delicious. But why not add the pesto? It just gives it a bit more pizzazz.  The newsletter describes that "a touch of pesto adds a bright note to this delicious French-inspired soup." If you swirl the pesto in at the end, it heightens the flavor.

And you can also probably customize this soup recipe, as far as vegetables go.  And then of course, I added some pasta. Adding 1 serving of pasta bumps up the points by 5. But if you wanted to keep it near the published point value of 4, substitute the pasta for the cannellini beans.

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
19 oz. can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
64 oz. canned/boxed chicken broth
1 box of pasta (I prefer Rotini)
4 tsp. pre-made pesto sauce
salt

1. Over medium heat, warm olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven.

2. Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, and salt. Cook in the pot for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.

3. Toss in minced garlic, and cook for one minute.

4. Add the chicken broth. Increase the temperature to high heat and bring to a boil.

5. Stir in zucchini, beans, and tomatoes.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until flavors have blended.

7. Add peas and cook for an additional five minutes.

6.  Add cooked pasta to the soup.

7.  Stir in pesto, swirled into soup.

It makes eight servings, so I had plenty leftover for the rest of the week. It was a great side dish to a main course, as well (without the pasta).

Points Plus value: 4 (without pasta); 9 (with pasta)