"Point-less" Meals: November 2013

Monday, November 18, 2013

Cranberry Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is an Arab salad made with cracked wheat and usually combined with finely chopped ingredients. This cranberry tabbouleh was the perfect accompaniment to the orange glazed pork that I made for dinner tonight.

serves 6 ( 1/2 c. = 3 points +)

1-1/4 c. fat-free chicken broth
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 tsp. five-spice powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c . bulgur ( cracked wheat)

Bring broth and next 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan; stir in bulgur. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This pork recipe is juicy and full of flavor. It is so easy to make that it would be perfect for an everyday weeknight meal.

serves 8 ( 5 points +)

1/3 c. orange marmalade
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 T. canola oil
1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oila nd swirl to coat. Add pork; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Brush pork with half of marmalade mixture.
Place pan in oven; bake 18-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes and basting with remaining sauce. Cook until thermometer registers 145 degrees. Let pork stand 5 minutes before slicing. Top with any remaining sauce in the pan.

"Cooking Light"

English Cottage Pie

A homey, comfort food type of meal that makes great use of leftover mashed potatoes. Keep this one in mind after Thanksgiving!

serves 6 ( 8 points +)

1 T. flour
1 T. butter, softened
1-1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped
carrot
1 ( 8 oz) package fresh sliced mushrooms
1 lb. lean ground beef ( 90-93% lean)
2 T. tomato paste
1 c. fat-free beef broth
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. leftover mashed potatoes
3/4 c. reduced fat cheddar cheese, divided
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 2 quart glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

Combine flour and butter; stir well. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking psray. Add onion and carrot; saute 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove vegetables from skillet. Add beef to pan and cook until broned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato past and cook 3 minutes. Stir in broth and pepper. Return bevetables to pan and bring to a simmer. Stir in parsley, theym and salt. Add flour mixture and stir until thickened. ( about 1 minute)
Spoon meat mixture into baking dish. Spread evening. Combine potatoes and half of the cheese. Spread potato mixture over meat mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Sweet Potato Soup

Easy, quick, creamy and delicious. You will love this autumn soup!

serves 6 ( 1-1/2 c. = 5 points +)

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise ( about 2 large)
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 c. fat-free chicken broth
1/4 tsp. salt
6 slices fully cooked bacon ( such as Oscar Mayer), cooked and crumbled
1 oz. ( about 1/4 c.) fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
flat-leaf parsley

Place potatoes, cut sides down in an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Add water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 10-15 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly and discard potato skins.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add cumin, red pepper flakes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

Place half of sweet potato and half of broth mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steak to escape. Place blender lid on blender and cover with a clean towel to avoid splatters. Blend until smooth.
Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining sweet potato and broth mixture. Stir in salt. Divide soup among 6 bowl. Top with bacon, shaved Parmesan and parsley.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry-Apple Relish

This is definitely one of the best turkey burgers I've had. The flavors are reminiscent of Thanksgiving! The burger is juicy and moist and the topping add just the right contrast in flavors!

serves 4 ( 8 points +)

1/2 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. chopped apple
1tsp. grated orange rind
2 T. fresh orange juice
3/8 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh, flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. ground turkey
4 slices Sargento reduced-fat Provolone cheese
4 low-calorie hamburger buns ( such as Healthy Life)
baby spinach leaves

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add onions and cook 3 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
Place onions in a medium bowl with bread crumbs and the next 4 ingredients. ( through turkey). Form into 4 patties.
Spray the skillet again. Cook burgers until juices run clear, turning once. Add cheese and cook until melted. Place spinach leaves on the bottom bun. Top with burger and relish.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Monday, November 4, 2013

Chicken and Butternut Tagine with Pistachio Couscous

This Moroccan inspired dish is full of healthy ingredients and wonderfully healthy spices. The flavor combination is amazing!

Tagine: serves 4 ( 1-1/4 c. = 8 points +)

1 T. olive oil
2 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
2 c. fat-free chicken broth
8 oz. peeled, cubed butternut squash
1/3 c. halved, pitted picholine olives
8 pitted, dried plums, chopped

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add onion and cook until golden. Stir in cumin and next 7 ingredients ( through chicken); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, squash, olives and dried plums; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender. Serve with couscous.

Pistachio Couscous: serves 4 ( 4 points +)

3/4 c. fat-free chicken broth
3/4 c. couscous
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 c. chopped pistachios

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add couscous and stir. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Stir in lemon rind and pistachios

"Cooking Light"

Friday, November 1, 2013

Apple Kuchen

Kuchen is the German word for cake. This kuchen is slightly dense with cream cheese and buttermilk in the batter. It is a moist and tender cake topped with sliced apples and an apricot glaze. This is perfect as a breakfast item or for dessert.

serves 15 ( 6 points +)

3 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1-1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. butter, softened, divided
3 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. low-fat buttermilk
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 c. apricot preserves
2 tsp. orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a metal 13 x 9 inch pan with nonstick spray.
Combine apples and lemon juice; toss. Add 1/4 c. sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/4 tsp. salt and baking powder.
Place remaining 3/4 c. sugar, 6 T. butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in walnuts.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Top with apples. Melt remaining 2 T. butter; brush over apples. Bake 35-45 minutes or until set.
Combine preserves and orange juice; microwave 30 seconds or until melted. Brush over apples; cool. Cut into 15 squares.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Hungarian Goulash

I have not made a Hungarian Goulash recipe in years, but after being in Europe last year and tasting the authentic thing, I wanted to try to duplicate it. I tested this out on my German father, whose grandmother was a chef in Europe. He loved it. I hope you do too!

serves 8 ( 6 points +) add extra points for noodles

2 T. canola oil, divided
2 c. sliced onion
2-1/4 lb. lean sirloin, cubed
2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1 ( 28 oz) can whole tomatoes, drained
1/2 c. red wine
8 T. fat-free sour cream
egg noodles ( optional)

Heat 1 T. oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender. Remove onion.
Place beef in a bowl with salt, pepper and paprika. Toss to coat.
Add remaining 1 T. oil to pot. Add beef and brown. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and wine. Return onions to pot. Cover and simmer on low for 2- 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender and sauce has cooked down a bit. Serve over noodles if desired and top with 1 T. sour cream.

Who am I?

After having success following Weight Watchers and learning how to cook in a healthier manner, I started sharing my "Point-less" recipes with friends. That began back in 2007. With much encouragement, I have started this blog as a way to encourage others in healthy eating and possibly in their journey of weight loss. I believe in healthy food that tastes great! My family has tried each and every one of these recipes. Let me know if you try any and how you like them. Welcome to "Point-less Meals"!