Erica's Famous Green Salad

I have long been the one asked to bring salad to any party, because people love my salads. I don't have a real recipe I follow, but I put similar types of things into my salads each time. I'll give you a generic recipe and you can mix 'n' match ingredients.

Stuff I always put in:

• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 avocado
• Lettuce

Mix & Match:

• Something fruity: dried cranberries, diced apple, mango, orange slices, grapes sliced in half
• Something cheesy, with a strong taste: gorgonzola cheese, shredded fontina, parmesan
• Dressing: Lite caesar (from the bag salad), Marie's light blue cheese, Kraft lite raspberry vinaigrette
• Optional - Meat: Lean deli ham or turkey, chicken breast chunks

Chop everything up and put it in a bowl, then toss.

Calories, etc. depend on portions and what you put in.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Parfaits

Got this from the Hungry Girl website, and it is totally yummy. I made them for my Book Group's annual Christmas party, and they were a big hit. Everyone asked for the recipe, so I'm posting it, and will send it out to them. Thanks, ladies, had a great time! P.S. I used regular PB rather than what is called for in the recipe. It adds 15 cal and 2g fat to each portion. Note that this recipe is for one portion - you'll need to get out your calculator to make for a party. Also, I order the VitaTops via the internet, but you can sometimes find them in specialty grocery stores. If you do want the Better 'n PB instead of the real stuff, you can get it at Whole Foods.

• 1 Vitalicious Double Chocolate Dream VitaTop; room temperature
• 1 tsp. Better ’n Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Cool Whip Free
• 1/4 100 Calorie Pack, Planters Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps; crushed
  
  Directions:
  In a bowl, whip Cool Whip and Better 'n PB until well mixed (use room temp PB for easier mixing). Set aside. Warm VitaTop for ten seconds in the microwave and break up into small pieces. In a martini glass or parfait cup, layer ingredients like this: 1/2 VitaTop pieces, 1⁄2 Cool Whip mixture, 1/2 VitaTop pieces, 1⁄2 Cool Whip mixture. Cover; chill at least 1 hour. Crumble cookie crisps over parfait before serving.

Serves 1.
(Entire recipe: 202 calories, 2.5g fat, 310mg sodium, 42g carbs, 6g fiber, 18g sugars, 4g protein = 3 Points)

Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Sage

Yowza. This is easy and it tastes like you went to a fancy restaurant and got something very nouvelle cuisine. It should have drizzled sauces and a sprig of sage for garnish or something. Again, though, it's from my new 20-min cookbook. My husband is kind of "off" of pasta right now, but I will make this again, it was amazing. FYI, pancetta can be found either behind the deli counter at the local supermarket, or by the fancy cheeses. Also, I upped the number of mushrooms in this recipe.

• 16 oz package Gnocchi
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 oz pancetta, finely diced
• 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms sliced
• 1.5c chopped leek, (about 1 medium)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 c light alfredo sauce, bottled
• 1/3c canned pure unsweet pumpkin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2c chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp rubbed sage

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-hi heat. Add pancetta, cook 3 min, or until crispy. Add mushrooms, leeks and garlic. Saute 7 min or until tender. Reduce heat to low, and add pumpkin and alfredo sauce, salt and pepper. Cook 2 min. Add broth and sage, cook 4 min.

Add gnocchi to sauce and toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings, 7 points each.

Rosemary Lamb Chops w/ Garlic-Balsamic Sauce

OMIGOD, this was so good. Again, from my new 20 min cookbook. I am in love with this recipe. It couldn't be simpler, and it tastes incredible. The combo of the mustard, rosemary (one of the few herbs I can manage to grow myself!) and vinegar with the meat is awesome. My sister and I shared this during a recent visit and were both thrilled. Thanks for guinea pigging a new recipe for me, Les! The only downside to this recipe is the fact that lamb gets a little pricey.

• 1 TB minced garlic, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 2 TB chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 TB stone ground mustard
• 1 TB olive oil
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 8x 4oz lean lamb loin chops, trimmed
• 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine 1 tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, rosemary, mustard, 2 tsp vinegar, and oil in a small bowl. Stir well. Line up lamb chops and spread mustard mixture on both sides of chops. Let stand at room temperature for 8+ min.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 c balsamic and 2 tsp garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid reduces down to 1/4c. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper.

Grill: Place lamb on the grill, 4 min per side

Broiler: Broil for 5 min per side on high, then for 10 min at 350.

Chicken Nachos with Avocado Cream

Again, this is from my new WW cookbook. SOOOO simple for a quick meal in the evening, and my husband was totally shocked that I was making nachos. ("Nachos? You? No, what are we really having?")

• 1/2 peeled avocado, seeded and mashed with a fork
• 2 TB lime juice, divided
• 3 TB reduced fat sour cream
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup cooked chicken breast (can get the pre-shredded Mexican variety or chop up the chunks available from Hormel, Oscar Meyer, etc. near the Lunchables)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 TB minced red onion
• 2 TB minced cilantro
• 36 baked tortilla chips
• 3/4 c shredded reduced fat cheese

Combine mashed avocado, 1 TB lime juice, salt and sour cream in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine remaining lime juice, chicken, beans, onion and cilantro in a bowl, toss gently. Either all together on a cookie tray, or on 3 individual oven-safe plates, spread out chips. Top with chicken and cheese. Bake for 6 min, or until cheese melts.

Serve with 2TB avocado cream per serving.

Yield: 3 servings, 7 points each.

Spanish Sherried Shrimp

I found a new cookbook, "Weight Watchers 20 Min Recipes" and it is yielding some REAL winners. The next few recipes are all from this book - they are all simple and totally yummy, not copies of recipes I've seen in other WW cookbooks. This one is pretty easy and nice over rice. Not a ton of leftovers, though.

• 1 TB flour
• 2.25 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1.5c onion
• 1.5c chopped green or red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3c dry sherry
• 1x14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 2 tsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

In a ziploc bag, combine flour, half of salt, pepper, shrimp and thyme. Seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, over medium-hi heat. Saute shrimp 3 min. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, saute until soft. Add sherry, cook 1 min. Add remaining salt and tomatoes, cook 5 min. Stir in shrimp and vinegar.

Yield, 4 servings, 4 points each