Slow Cooker Hearty Black Bean Soup

This is a long-time favorite of mine. Now that it's cold again, this tastes fabulous, and it makes awesome leftovers.

• 1/4 lb chorizo
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 2 TB dry sherry
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 2x 15 oz cans black beans, undrained
• 15 oz fat free chicken broth
• 1 medium lime, squeezed
• 2 TB cilantro, minced
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Squeeze chorizo out of skin. Crumble meat into a skillet over medium heat. Brown for a few minutes, then add onion, garlic and peppers. Saute over medium heat until tender.

Add to slow cooker, along with sherry, cumin, bay leaf, beans and broth. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Remove lid on cooker, scoop out 1 cup of beans and mash with the back of a fork. Return to pot, and stir into soup. Add lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered to warm through, then serve.

Optional: Add 1 TB sour cream and reduced fat shredded cheddar for 2 extra points per serving.

Yield: 4 servings, 2 cups each, 4 points, or 6 points with sour cream and cheese

Ranch Flavored Mashed Potatoes

This was another Turkey day find, made this for the first time. It is, by far, the best low cal mashed potato recipe I've found, and I got tons of compliments. No one had to know it was low fat. Try this, I guarantee a winner. FYI, I used fresh herbs instead of the dried ones in this recipe - a little extra chopping but worth it, just make sure to increase the quantities.

• 4 lb red potatoes, cubed
• 1/2c reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 c chopped green onions
• 1/4 c lowfat buttermilk
• 3 TB butter softened
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp dried basil
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried dill

Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 min or until tender. Drain. Add sour cream and buttermilk, mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Add spices, mash more to mix.

Yield 12 servings, 2/3 cup each

4 points each (197 cal, 4.5 g fat, 3.2g fiber)

Corn Bread Bites

Made this for Thanksgiving, and half of them were gone by the time dinner started. YUM.

• 2/3 c all purpose flour
• 1/2c yellow cornmeal
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 c thinly sliced green onions
• 1x 8 3/4 oz can creamed corn
• 1 large, lightly beaten egg
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir together, make a well in the center.

Add all the wet ingredients, cheese and onions into the well, stir everything together to make a moist batter.

Spray 12-muffin pan with cooking spray, then divide batter between 12 cups. Bake at 375 for 10-15 min, or until golden brown on the edges. Remove from pans, cool completely and serve.

Yields 12 servings, one muffin each

2 points (108 cal, 3.4g fat, .8g fiber)

Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

Made this for Turkey day and then again the day after. This is absolutely delicious and SUUUPPPEEERRRR easy.

• 1/2c packed brown sugar
• 1/2c orange juice
• 1/4 c water
• 1 1/2 TB honey
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1x 12oz package fresh cranberries
• 1x 3" cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon stick, cool completely and serve.

Yields 14 servings, 2 TB each

1 point each (54 cal, 0g fat, 0.9g fiber)

Thanksgiving Finds!

Hi, all, I did a bunch of cooking for Turkey Day and found some amazing new recipes. Here are the ones that were huge hits. Some of them were posted already, the rest I'll post right after this:

• Corn Bread Bites
• Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
• Ranch Flavored Mashed Potatoes
• Chocolate Toffee Mousse

Happy Holidays, feel free to use these for other holiday occasions - I didn't tell anyone they were low fat, and no one knew the difference.

Pierogies with Bacon, Sauteed Onion and Sour Cream

I made this and my husband said, "What the *&#$ is this?" Then, he ate it, ......and went back for seconds. Yum.

• 12 frozen Potato and Onion Pierogies (such as Mrs. T's)
• 8 slices center cut bacon
• 2c vertically sliced onion (1-2 medium onions)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1c frozen green peas
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4c fat free sour cream

Cook pierogies according to package directions.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble. Increase heat to medium high. Add onion, sugar, and thyme to drippings in pan. Saute until soft. Add pierogies, salt, pepper, cook 30 seconds.

Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, serve with sour cream.

Yield 4 servings, 3 pierogies, 1/2c onion mixture, and 1 TB sour cream

7 points each

Sausage and Bean Casserole

Haven't made this one yet, but it looks good. I'll let you know.

• 1 c chopped onion (abt one medium onion)
• 1x 16 oz package light smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4" slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1x 14oz can fat free chicken broth
• 2 TB brown sugar
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3x 16 oz cans cannellini beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 3x 1oz slices white bread
• 2 TB fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan. Saute for 5 min or until browned. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Stire in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Stir in 2 TB brown sugar, tomato paste, dried thyme, pepper, cannellini beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired (optional). Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place bread in a food processor and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1.5 cups.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375 fro 15 minutes or until browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings, 5 points each

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Haven't tried this, but it looks like it could be another good Tgiving recipe.

• 1 qt vanilla fat free no sugar added ice cream, slightly softened
• 1.5c fat free Cool Whip, thawed
• 2/3c crunchy peanut butter
• 2x 6oz reduced fat graham cracker crusts
• 1/4c fat free chocolate sundae syrup

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until blended. Divide mixture evenly between pie crusts. Cover and freeze 4 hours, or until firm.

Drizzle each pie with 2 TB chocolate syrup before serving. Cut each pie into 8 slices.

Yields 16 servings, 5 points each

Chocolate Toffee Mousse

This is from the WW 15 min cookbook. I've been eyeing this recipe for months, but didn't have a good excuse to make it. What better excuse than Thanksgiving? I'm going to make this for myself, so I don't eat pie.

• 3/4 c chocolate Teddy Grahams, crushed
• 8 oz container fat free Cool Whip, thawed
• 2.5 c 1% chocolate low fat milk
• 1x 2.1 oz package sugar free instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2x 1.4 oz chocolate covered toffee bars (Skor or Heath)

Divide chocolate crumbs evenly among 8 parfait glasses or one large trifle dish.
Pour milk into a large bowl. Add pudding mix, stirring with a whisk until thick. Fold in 1.5 c whipped topping and 1/4c crushed toffee bar. Spoon pudding mixture evenly over crumbs. Top with remaining whipped topping and remaining crushed toffee bar. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Yields 8 servings, 5 points each, approximately 250 calories

Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

I made this for the first time 3 weeks ago, and have made it twice since then. Oh my god, it's good! It tastes like you're getting something way richer than you actually are and the sauce is so good, I get some extra bread to soak it up after I'm done with the chicken. Other than peeling the garlic cloves, this recipe is pretty easy, too.

• 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 4x 1/2 lb bone in chicken breast halves
• 4/ 1/2 lb bone-in chicken thighs
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 40 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat oil over medium in an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer. Add the chicken, skin side down, to the oil and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Discard any fat from the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add wine, broth and tomato paste. Cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat with the sauce.

Cover the skillet tightly with foil and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the garlic is soft, 1.25-1.5 hours. Remove chicken skin before eating.

Yields: 4 servings, 2 pieces chicken, 10 garlic cloves, 5-6 TB sauce

6 points

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

This is a great hearty meal now that the weather is getting colder, but I find that the portion size is a little small on this recipe, so I add an extra can of tomatoes to stretch it out. One other suggestion - eat the chili with a baked potato for an additional point, YUM.

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 lb ground turkey
• 1x 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1x 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 TB chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c shredded fat free sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c fat free sour cream
• 1/4 c sliced scallions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up the meat as you cook, until it is no longer pink.

Stir in the beans, tomatoes, spices, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 min. Serve with the cheese, sour cream and scallions.

Yield: 4 servings, 1 c chili, 2 TB cheese, 1 TB sour cream, 1 TB scallions

4 points (242 cal, 4 g fat, 8g fiber)

Penne with Sausage and Roasted Pepper Sauce

Made this for the first time last week - excellent leftovers and very simple.

• 2 c uncooked whole wheat penne
• 6 oz low fat ground sausage (I usually get Jimmy Dean's from HEB, since they have a low fat variety in the refrigerated section near the bacon.)
• 1.25 c bottled spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and olives
• 1/2 c diced roasted red bell peppers
• 3/4 tsp sugar

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While pasta cooks, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and crumbly. Drain.

Add spaghetti sauce and bell peppers, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered 5 min or until slightly thick. Remove from heat, stir in sugar. Serve over pasta.

Yield: 4 servings, 1c pasta, 1/2 c sauce

7 points each (322 cal, 9.3g fat, 2.1 g fiber)

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

Haven't actually made this one yet, but I plan to. It's from Cooking Light.

• 4x 6oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 TB butter
• 1/2c all purpose flour
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c fat free chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 TB lemon juice

Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with a tenderizer, meat mallet, small heavy skillet, or alumnium can down to 1/4 in thick. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a large, nonstick skillet, over medium high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour, add to pan. Cook 3 min on each side or until done. Remove from pan, keep warm.

Add wine broth and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 min. Add asparagus. Cover and cook 3-5 min, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve asparagus and sauce with chicken.

Yield, 4 servings, 1 chicken breast, asparagus and 2 TB sauce

6 points each (289 calories, 2.8g fiber, 8g fat)