Maple-Glazed Chicken with Apples

This dish smells so amazing when it's cooking, they should can it and put it into a potpourri jar. This isn't quite core, but each serving only has 1-2 points worth of stuff that isn't.

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 firm apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 4x 4oz skinless chicken breasts

Preheat broiler, and line broiler rack with foil. In a medium nonstick saucepan, mix the cider, apple, maple syrup and thyme. Boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the apple is tender and the sauce is reduced by half, about 8 min. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Place the chicken on the broiler rack and brush both sides with the maple mixture. Broil 4 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 3 min. Turn and brush the top with the remaining maple mixture. Broil until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 min longer. Serve with the apple wedges on the side.

Yields: 4 servings, 5 points each

Fettucine with Roasted Veg Sauce

This is the best new dish I've made in quite a while. It is a "core" recipe and it's absolutely fantastic. The roast veggies give it an unusual sweetness and a really distinctive taste.

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1/2 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 c water
• 2 TB vegetable broth
• 2 TB fat free cream cheese
• 6 oz whole wheat fettucine

Preheat the oven to 425. Combine the bell pepper, tomato, onion, oil, salt, pepper and water in a roasting pan. Roast the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until tender, about 15 min. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the broth and cream cheese, and puree.

Meanwhile, cook the fettucine according to package directions. Drain, put in a serving bowl. Top with the sauce and toss to coat.

Yields 4 servings, 4 points each.

Whole Wheat Chili Mac

Love this one - it's a classic.

• 12 oz uncooked lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 14.5 oz can stewed Mexican-style tomatoes
• 1.25 c canned tomato sauce
• 2 TB canned diced green chiles, drained
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1c whole wheat dry elbow macaroni
• 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c SoyaKaas grated parmesan style soy cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is browned, about 10 minutes, drain off fat. Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powder and cumin, bring to a boil.

Stir in uncooked macaroni and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 min.

To serve spoon into bowls and sprinkle with grated topping.

Yield: 4 servings, 10 points each: 1 3/4c of chili and 2 TB of topping per serving.

Keema Matar - Spiced Indian Lamb Patties

Yum, this is a "core" recipe, and super-delicious. It's really very different from your usual ground beef type dish. I make this with some brown rice and love it UP. It does require a lot of Indian spices, though - I made a trip to Central Market for a bunch of these a couple of years ago and am still using them - they go a long way.

• 1.25 lb lean ground lamb
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and diced small
• 1c frozen green peas, petite variety
• 3/4 c fat free yogurt
• 2 TB cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, with your hands or a wooden spoon, until thoroughly mixed. Form 12 patties, 2.5 to 3-in. Place on large baking sheet wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 min.

Preheat broiler or grill to high. Cook patties on grill rack or broiler pan, gently turning once, about 4-5 min per side. (Side note, I can never get these to actually stick together myself, I don't usually manage to turn them successfully. But, I end up with a delicious mess that's not really patty-like.)

Yields, 4 servings, 5 points each

Salisbury Steak

This was really terrific and is a WW "Core" recipe. The original recipe called for white rice, and you're welcome to substitute, but I made it with brown rice and increased the cooking time slightly.

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 c uncooked brown instant rice
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 large egg white
• Cooking spray
• 1.25 c presliced fresh mushrooms
• 2x 10.5 oz cans beef consomme
• 1.5 TB worstershire sauce
• 2 TB water
• 1.5 TB cornstarch

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a half inch thick patty.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, place over medium high heat. Add patties and cook 5 min on each side or until browned. Remove from skillet, set aside and keep warm.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, saute over medium high heat 3 min. Add consomme and worstershire, cook 10 min. Return patties to skillet. Cover, reduce heat and simmer ~20 min, turning halfway through.

Remove patties, keep warm. Combine water and cornstarch, stir well. Add to broth mixture, bring to a boil, cook until thick, stirring constantly. Spoon gravy over patties, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings, 8 points each

Grandma's Tomato Sauce Recipe

This is a recipe I've made with my Italian grandmother for years, so there are no exact proportions. I encourage you to try this yourself and play around with it, based on what flavors appeal to you. It can either be cooked in a crock pot or a saucepan if you have less time. I definitely encourage you to make lots - you'll need more than you think for most pasta recipes and it's awesome frozen and reheated.

• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• ~4 plum tomatoes, diced
• 14 oz can tomato sauce
• (optional, requires less cooking time) Jar, prepared sauce
• 1 sweet onion diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup red wine
• (optional) 1 lb ground lean beef and/or ground sausage meat
• 2 tsp olive oil

In a deep saucepan (or frying pan if you're doing crock pot cooking), heat olive oil over medium heat, then add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is translucent but not browned. If making meat sauce, add ground meat and brown. If cooking in a crock pot, add these ingredients plus all the rest to the crock pot, and cook on low, covered, for a minimum of 2 hours, then an additional hour uncovered. If cooking in a saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan and cook on med heat until bubbly, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 min, at a minimum.  Ideally, this sauce is actually cooked on low for 2-3 days, with occasional stirring.  I advise you to hold some of the chopped herbs in reserve and then taste several times during the cooking process to assess flavor, adding more as needed.
Number of servings: variable, depending on what you're making, but don't be stingy if you're making lasagna or ziti! - 2 points for the whole batch if making vegetarian sauce, 18 points if making meat sauce, divide points by number of servings. Add 10 points if adding jar sauce to speed up cooking time.