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Kathy's Quinoa & Black Bean Salad


 
  • 1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 5 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

*Wash and rinse quinoa. In a saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
*In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and red pepper flakes.
*Combine cooled quinoa, beans, tomatoes, and onions in a large bowl.
*Drizzle dressing over salad and toss in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

From Kathy:  http://kathycalculatesrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/01/quinoa-black-bean-salad.html

Sage & Parmesan Polenta


1 1/2 cups cornmeal
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup soy milk or ff milk
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix cornmeal with 2 cups stock, set aside. Bring the rest of the stock and the milk to a boil, add salt & sage. Slowly pour in cornmeal stock mixture and add parmesan cheese. Stir constantly until polenta begins to set. About 5 minutes. Pour into a casserole dish. At this point I sometimes add a little additional parmesan.

2 pts for the parmesan cheese spread out over 6 servings for 0 pts/serv.

From Megglizz on WW's forums

Weekend Vidalia Onions

--Adapted from Paula Deen

4 large Vidalia onions
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 tsp olive oil (increase to 8 if you need all of your healthy oil - drizzle 2 tsp in each onion)
Freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim and slice from the top off each onion, and peel the onion without cutting off the root end. Using a potato peeler, cut a small cone shaped section from the center of the onion. Cut the onion into quarters from the top down, stopping within a 1/2-inch of the root end. Place a bouillon cube in the center of each onion, drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil between the sections of each onion, and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each onion in heavy duty foil and place the onions directly onto the hot coals. Cook the onions for 45 minutes, turning every so often.
To serve, place each onion in individual bowl because the onions will produce a lot of broth, which tastes like French onion soup.

Corn and Black Bean Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
pinch salt
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup FF cottage cheese
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract (??)
1 cup cooked corn kernels
a sprinkling of finely chopped jalapeno pepper
FF sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Puree the beans and cottage cheese in a food processor or blender, scraping the sides frequently, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and pulse until smooth. Pour into the cornmeal mixture and stir lightly to blend. Fold in the corn and jalapeno pepper, if using.
4. Spoon into the muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin with a teaspoon of shredded fat-free sharp cheddar cheese just before popping them in the oven. To ensure the muffins bake evenly, fill any empty muffin cups halfway with water. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.  Makes 15 servings.

Chili Lime Corn

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 4 piece corn on the cob, husked

Preheat grill to medium.

In a cup, stir together lime juice and zest, chili powder and salt; brush over husked corn.

Grill corn until tender and lightly charred, turning once or twice, about 10 minutes. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Dijon Roasted Potatoes

  • 1 sprays cooking spray
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pound uncooked new potatoes, quartered

Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together oil, mustard, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl; add potatoes and stir to coat.

Transfer potatoes to baking dish and roast 15 minutes; stir and roast until tender on inside, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving

From Weight Watchers website

Rosmary & Garlic Couscous

1.5 tsp olive oil
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped
1 c whole wheat couscous
2 c chicken stock or chicken broth
1 clove garlic (add more if you want)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Put the olive oil and rosemary leaves into a large saucepan and place over high heat. When the rosemary begins to sizzle, about 1 minute, add the couscous. Stir to coat well and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock/broth, salt and pepper, and lower the heat. Let simmer until for a few minutes.  Then cover and remove from the heat until all liquid is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork, and transfer to a platter.

Avocado Bean Dip

  • 1/2 cup red onion(s), minced
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 15 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup plum tomato(es), finely diced
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin

In a small bowl, combine onion and lime juice; let stand 15 minutes.

In a food processor, puree beans and avocado. Add the tomato, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper sauce, cumin and the onion mixture, pulse until blended. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

From Weight Watchers site

Bacon and Potato Bake

9 potatoes
4 slices Canadian bacon , thin, cut in strips the size of bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup ff milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ff sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grate potatoes and place in a colander; press out as much water as you can.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until brown and crisp; drain and crumble.
In the same skillet, combine potatoes, bacon and onion; cook until heated through. Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until hot. Remove from heat and add egg, stirring until mixed well.
Add egg mixture to potato mixture. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
Bake until top is lightly brown, about 1 hour.

Spinach Pie

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c FF cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c FF cottage cheese
2 garlic cloves
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients; pour into a Pam-sprayed pie dish and bake for 45 minutes. Cut into wedges.