What Makes This Passover Holiday Different From All Others?

It's currently Passover so I'm using my new year's resolution to help me get through the holiday. And to answer the question posted as my blog title - this year I'm cooking! Usually matzo pizza is the extent of my Passover cooking and even then I use the microwave; however, I found a recipe for Matzo Apple Kugel and decided it was a perfect addition to my resolution blog! AND I've even been making matzo pizza in the oven this year! Talk about seeing success.

Ingredients:
4 matzo crackers, crushed
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup applesauce
3 granny smith apples, cored peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
PLUS 1/4 cup white sugar & 1 tsp ground cinnamon (for the top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place crumbled matzos in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover.
Let stand for 2 minutes, then drain off the excess water, but do not squeeze.
To the bowl add eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon juice, and applesauce.
Stir to combine.
Mix in the apples and dried cranberries.
Spread the mixture evenly into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix together the other 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and the apples are soft.

A few notes... as you can see I made this in a pie dish. We had some fun trying to figure out what size dish would hold 2 quarts and in the end the pie won! Also, I think this would be REALLY good if you add chocolate chips. It would definitely be a dessert then, now it can sort of go either way, though it is pretty sweet. Next time I would add chocolate chips. But all in all really delicious. I cut it into 8 slices, making it 4 pts/serving. Though, you could definitely get more servings out of it. Each piece is a pretty decent size. Happy Passover!

Everyone's Irish on St. Patty's Day

St. Patrick's Day in Chicago is a HUGE deal! It's really quite interesting in fact, I mean they dye the freakin' Chicago River bright green! It seems to be similar to Cinco de Mayo in Miami or maybe even Mardi Gras in Key West. Chicagoans love them an excuse to drink on the streets and St. Patrick's Day is that perfect excuse.

Even though this is my 3rd St. Pats living in Chicago it is actually my very 1st being IN Chicago. Somehow for the past two years I always seemed to go on vacation this weekend. Two years ago it was on a family cruise, last year it was on a girl's trip to Puerto Rico. In any case, this is my first time celebrating the holiday in Chicago and I am excited!

In honor of the "holiday" I made Broccoli and Cheese Egg Muffins. You'll see from the original recipe that it is actually broccoli and cheese and sausage, but for obvious reasons I left that out. I ended up altering this recipe even more by making 12 muffins from what calls for 6. I only had a cupcake tin, which are smaller than the muffin tins recommended. In any event, they turned out good!

Ingredients
5 1/2 Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (From can, 8 count. You'll have 2 1/2 biscuits left over)
1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped into small pieces
4 eggs
3 tbsp fat free milk
1 cup 2% reduced fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup cupcake tin with cooking spray.

Cut each of the biscuits into 8 triangles and place 3 triangles into each cupcake tin. Lightly sprinkle each biscuit cup with salt and pepper. Sprinkle broccoli evenly over each biscuit filled cup.

Place eggs, milk, salt and pepper into mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Pour evenly over each cup. With a fork make sure eggs get to the bottom and around each piece of biscuit.

Top each with sprinkles of cheddar cheese.

Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of biscuits and cheese is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin cup. Remove and arrange onto serving place. Pull them apart with your fingers or cut with a fork and enjoy!

The final product turned out great and went well with the green mimosa's pictured below. These ended up being 3 pts/muffin.

The Evolution of Weight Watchers Recipes?!

My sister sent me a link today to a post about vintage Weight Watchers recipe cards. Yes, that's right... Vintage. Weight Watchers. Recipe. Cards. It's as weird as it sounds. She found the post via her friend, Laylage Courie of Luminous Work.

Seems fitting to share on this blog because as you'll see those recipes and the photos that go with are very unappetizing. It makes me sort of happy that Weight Watchers has evolved over the years and come up with recipes (some of which I've shared here) that are not only edible, but delicious! But don't take my word for it, have a look for yourself.

This looks like it could be an early version of my very first post - the zero points soup! But gee mine looked (and I'd like to assume) tasted much better than that photo lets on!

An Oscar Worthy Recipe

I'm a big fan of the Oscars, well any awards show for that matter. I really just like having an excuse to throw a party and awards shows are perfect for that! My roommate and I had intended on having an Oscars party, but due to her work schedule and a cold that doesn't seem to want to leave my body we cancelled. However, sticking with my resolution I still cooked some of what I was planning on doing for the party!

The main dish I made was Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip. I based it off of this recipe, but decided to make it as close to dairy-free as possible. I still used some regular cheese, but substituted Tofutti brand cream cheese and sour cream and it actually turned out great!

Ingredients:

2 containers (8 ounces each) of Tofutti cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream

1 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of excess moisture

3/4 cup parmesan romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine first six ingredients using a wooden spoon.

Add 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and spread the dip into a baking dish (I used an 8x8 Pyrex)

Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until cheese on top is brown and bubbly.

Serve with chips, crackers, or veggies.


This was quite a hit and definitely easier on the stomach than if I used regular cream cheese and sour cream. Plus, my non lactose intolerant friend liked it too! Not sure how to count a serving, but an estimation would be 2 tbsp = 2 pts.

To accompany the dip I originally planned on making a dessert, but once we cancelled the party I decided one big recipe was enough. Instead, I made Cauliflower Poppers. They were super easy and added a little something to regular old cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 spray cooking spray

1 small head of cauliflower

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili power

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut cauliflower into small florets.

Place in a medium bowl and add all the spices; toss well to coat.

Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes; stirring halfway through. Cauliflower should be tender, but not mushy.

These were also a success and come in at 0-points!

Still going strong on the resolution and damn proud!

Toona Noona Casserole

Just like Mom used to make! Well actually not really, but this recipe did remind me of my mom's Tuna Noodle (aka Toona Noona) Casserole that I love! I remember eating it when I was a kid, particularly on days when my dad was out of town, traveling for work. Her recipe includes macaroni noodles, mushroom barley soup, and cheese. This recipe doesn't have any of those. It's more of a grown up take on the food. But Mom's is good! Maybe I'll try that next!

But for today it was Tuna Noodle Casserole from someone named Christy's Blog (you can find her website on my blog roll).

I swapped out the pasta for whole grain pasta, used soy butter instead of real butter, and used onion soup mix instead of leek soup mix, but otherwise it's the same. And I must say it is mmmm good and not too fishy for those who aren't tuna fans. Here ya go!


Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked whole wheat linguine
1 cup frozen broccoli florets
1 package (about 1 oz) onion soup mix
1 1/2 cup milk
Dash of pepper
1 can (5 oz) white albacore tuna, drained
2 tbsp chopped, drained roasted red bell peppers
1 tbsp butter/margarine, melted
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook and drain linguine as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 2 minutes of cook time.
In a 1-quart saucepan, mix soup and milk. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Add linguine, broccoli, tuna, and roasted peppers to soup mixture.
Stir gently, mixing all ingredients together well.
Spoon into baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over linguine mixture.
Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes (I did about 23 min) or until top is golden brown.


Success! Depending on how you serve, I estimated about 6 portions and in WW that would be 4 pts/serving.

I bet adding cheese would make this in even yummier, but as someone who often gets an upset stomach from cheese I like that this casserole is without!

Super 7-Layer Dip

Wow, two posts in one day!

This recipe isn't so new so doesn't really go with my New Year's resolution, but it's still a recipe. This is actually the 4th Superbowl that I've made this same 7-layer Dip. I originally made it off of this recipe found on the can of Taco Bell brand refried beans, but over the years I've altered it a little. This became my go-to Superbowl recipe because it didn't actually involve any cooking since it's a cold recipe. The old me would always stick with cold recipes when it came to bringing things to parties (i.e. dips like this, fruit salad, etc.). But this has been a hit at every Superbowl party I've ever gone to so why stop making it now, plus this year I have baked goods to accompany it!

all the ingredients in preparation

Ingredients:
1 16-oz can of refried beans (I used Old El Paso brand Vegetarian Fat Free)
1 cup sour cream (I used Friendship brand light sour cream)
Taco seasoning
1 cup guacamole (in past years I've made my own, but this year I went with Whole Foods brand. It's so good!)
1 cup salsa - any kind you like! (I went with Trader Joe's brand, fresh over processed)
1/2 cup chopped onions (I actually didn't use onions this time, even though they are pictured above, because the fresh salsa has onions in it already)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (above is Trader Joe's brand light cheese)

Other ingredients that you could substitute or add are chopped black olives (like the original suggests), tomatoes, jalapenos, and really just about anything you like!

Directions:
In 8x8 inch (or about that) pan layer all ingredients in the order listed. I just sprinkled the taco seasoning over the sour cream, before the guacamole, but you could also mix it in first. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hrs.

Serve with any variation of chips, crackers, or veggies.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product before I covered it and put it in the fridge, but you can't really see much anyway since the top is just cheese and lettuce. I definitely recommend this for your next party or what not; it's delicious and not that unhealthy considering I used light or fat free ingredients. Not quite sure how to measure serving size on this one, just dip in and enjoy!

My 1st Foray Into Baking

I don't really like to bake. For one, I end up eating the ingredients during the baking process; and for two, I'm way more likely to eat an entire batch of cookies in one day than 4-servings of risotto or what not. Plus, baking usually involves more fat and calories. But it was bound to happen sooner or later and sooner came yesterday. With Superbowl Sunday being today I decided I would make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

The baking process was actually way easier than expected, though I ended up with flour all over the kitchen the final product was worth it! Mmmmmm...

All the ingredients laid out in preparation.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
4 egg whites
2 tbsp skim milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients (oil, brown sugar, white sugar, egg whites, skim milk, vanilla, salt). Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture resembles caramel sauce and the sugars have dissolved.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients (oats, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips). Stir until just combined. Add to liquid mixture. Transfer to a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until golden (*I baked it for 22.5 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool until firm. Cut into 24 squares and store tightly covered for up to 5 days.

The directions confused me a little because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to mix all the ingredients together before transferring to the pan (which I did a little) or not. I'm thinking maybe I wasn't supposed to because then when I poured it into the pan the flour mixture would be more at the bottom, covered by the liquid mixture. When I did it, it was a mix and the final product turned out a little crumbly. Below is the final product to take to a Superbowl party. Though crumbly, I must say they are mighty delicious! But I think anything oatmeal-chocolate chip is gonna be good. And for WW it's 4 pts per square.