Yam-A-Leeky Soup

I love making soups with whatever I happen to have handy in the fridge. And I like these soups to be fat free and full of flavour and also low calorie. Soup is such a helpful, healthy way to banish those hunger pangs. Having it to reach for in the fridge when the urge to eat something helps a person stay on track when weight loss is the goal.
Today I have leeks, carrots, onion, sweet potato, and fresh ginger available. And curry paste!  I try to always have salt free vegetable stock in the house to boost the flavour in my soups.
So, here it is:

Yam-A-Leeky Soup - makes 8 cups

2 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced yam
4 cups chopped leek (white and part of the light green)
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp salt free seasoning. (I like Trader Joe's 21 seasoning Salute, but Mrs. Dash will work)
A few sprinkles of kosher salt or sea salt  (optional)
1 liter (or quart) low sodium vegetable stock (I used 2 cups stock and 2 cups water today)
1 TBSP Patak's mild curry paste. Less if you want extra mild.

Sweat the small stuff in a large pot, then add the liquid and allow it to simmer until the vegetables are soft.
Add the curry paste and allow the mixture to cool. Puree with a hand blender until creamy.
Optional: garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt when serving.
Enjoy this low calorie soup - only 93 calories per cup (without the yogurt).

This soup has a mild-medium curry flavour with a little bit of a ginger in the background, and is thick and creamy and quite delicious!
To cut back on sodium, use less of the curry paste

Baked Tilapia with Garlic and Dill

I'm not a big fan of fish - especially fishy tasting fish, but I recognize the health benefits and try to have it once or twice a week. My repertoire is limited - salmon, trout, pickerel and now tilapia!
Tilapia is a very mild, white fleshed fish. If you are not a fish lover, try this one!

 I chose to create a garlic dill topping and baked the tilapia in a 450° oven. This was easy to prepare and resulted in a tasty dish that I definitely will make again.
I would have preferred to use fresh dill but I was unable to buy any this week in the places that normally carry it. So I had to rely on frozen.  This recipe made enough sauce for 3 pieces of fish. Double for more or if you like a lot of sauce,

Garlic & Dill Topping for Tilapia

1 clove of crushed garlic
1  heaping tablespoon finely chopped  fresh or frozen dill

(Grind with a  mortar and pestle if you have)

Add 1-2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Juice of 1/2 small lime
Pinch of salt (optional)

Mix together and spread on tilapia which has been rinsed and dried. I put it into pan lined with foil and sprayed with vegetable spray,

Bake at 450° for about 20 min. My tilapia had thick and thin parts, so I needed this much time for the thickest parts to cook thoroughly.

The topping kept the fish moist as it baked, and it resulted in a very tasty meal.

TVP Stroganoff

In my attempt to prepare vegetarian meals a few times a week, I bought some TVP (Textured vegetable Protein) on impulse when I was in my local Bulk Barn. It is an incredibly cheap source of protein - I paid $1.19 for 3 cups worth. It is low in sodium and fat, high in fibre and protein. It is neutral in taste and takes on the flavours of the sauces in which it is cooked. It provides the texture of ground beef in dishes like chili, soups, stews, burgers and sauces. Dry product will keep up to a year in a sealed container in a cool location.  Once hydrated, it should be refrigerated and used within 2-3 days.

The origin of this recipe is from "The Good Cook Book" by Yves, the company who makes a variety of veggie cuisine. It is loosely based on their recipe for stroganoff which uses Yves Veg. Burger patties.

To rehydrate the TVP, pour 7/8 of a cup of boiling water over 1 cup of TVP granules. Stir it up and let it stand for 10 minutes. This makes approx. 2 cups of usable TVP in the following recipe.
I rehydrated it with Kitchen Basics Low Sodium Vegetable stock - thinking that it would result in a more flavourful dish.

TVP Stroganoff

2 cups hydrated TVP

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup red wine, white wine or veg.stock

2 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. salt free seasoning -(eg. Mrs. Dash or 21 Seasoning Salute) 

1/2 tsp.salt

pinch black pepper

1-3/4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

1 cup frozen green peas (optional)

4 cups cooked broad egg noodles or rice

• Hydrate the TVP and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onion is soft.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and saute until they start to brown. 
• Add the 1/2 cup of wine or veg, stock and allow it to reduce by half.
• Stir in the flour, tomato paste, mustard, salt and pepper and stir for a couple minutes to avoid scorching. 
• Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the stock - slowly, stirring to avoid lumps.
•  Return to heat and add the rest of the vegetable stock and the TVP. Cook gently at a lower temp. for 5 minutes.
• Remove about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid from the pan and add it slowly to the sour cream. This is to prevent the sour cream from curdling when it gets added to the pot of hot ingredients.
• Add the peas. (I just wanted the pop of colour...this is optional)
• Stir this mixture into the saucepan.
• Heat thoroughly - but do not boil.
• Serve over cooked noodles.

Here's how it looks dry:

and how it looks when rehydrated: 

When I make it again, I will double the amount of mushrooms and omit the red wine and opt for some additional herbs and possibly double the tomato paste for flavour. I found it to be somewhat bland. I'll take some time to research and see what others use for spicing up a stroganoff and embellish the recipe. After all, I still have a couple cups of the TVP to use up.

Skinny Smoothie

I am a sucker for Infomercials and am often convinced that some of the "As seen on TV" items are must-haves. So I own a Magic Bullet! The device makes good single serving smoothies. I also have a blender which can do the same trick, but my Magic Bullet is accessible and easy to use.

My "Skinny Smoothie" was "invented" one day when I had no skim milk in the fridge and had already dumped the fruit ingredients and yogurt into the container. But I did have flavored Vitamin Water, bought on a whim on sale...seduced by the "Only 10 Calories" label. It worked....and my "Skinny Smoothie" was born!

Today's smoothie contains a banana and frozen raspberries, yogurt and vitamin water. Any fruit combination works. I usually pair a banana with some other fruit as the banana makes it nice and thick!

Now that fruit is "free" on the Weight Watcher point system, this refreshment is very Weight Watcher friendly!

Skinny Smoothie

Place in blender:

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries or any fruit

1 container yogurt (I used Iogo 35 calorie product)

Top up with flavoured vitamin water or skim (no fat) milk.

Option: add 1 tbsp. ground flax  (but be sure to clean your blender right away because it really sticks!)

Blend well and enjoy!

My Kitchen Must Have's

My Top 3 Seasonings

I've taken a long hiatus from blogging and from WeightWatchers®! And of course, the inevitable happened....I put back on some of the weight that I lost when I diligently tracked my points and knocked of the pounds in a regulated fashion. The story of my life, it seems!
I've returned to Weight Watchers®...and I will resume blogging. It seems to work best for me when I am accountable and track my points even though it involves planning and careful preparation.  I find myself referring to my blog for recipes I've posted in the past - so blogging is a useful endeavor. I also found that the challenge of coming up with new recipes or altering existing recipes to lower the fat and sugar content and yet retain flavor is a way to keep me motivated.

I've decided to devote this blog to some of my kitchen "Must Haves"

For seasoning with an Asian slant, I like the Bragg's All Purpose Liquid Soy Seasoning®. It's all natural, low sodium and a great substitute for Soy Sauce. Among my husbands dietary restrictions are a salt restriction, so this works very well. It's available in Superstore® and health food stores.

Another favorite seasoning is a Trader Joe's® exclusive product called "21 Seasoning Salute®" which is only available in the US. It contains no salt and is a lovely blend of herbs. When I am in Trader Joe's® in US cities, I stock up since I can't get it in Canada. I have converted a number of friends to the seasoning so now I have to bring home enough to share and enough for my own use. I use it on meats, potatoes, in soups....everywhere that needs a flavor boost.

Another of my Must Have's is a Fajita Seasoning from Victorian Epicure®. A little goes a long way, and it is a very low sodium seasoning. It adds a nice kick and a Southwest flavor to many stir fry dishes.

Since I am trying to cut back on fat and salt, these seasonings are indispensable.

My #1 Food Prep Must Have

As a kitchen tool, I could not survive without my Salad Spinner. I use it every day and could not imagine food preparation without it.  I have worn out several over the years and have now graduated to one I consider the cream of the crop: my OXO® salad spinner. It carries a $30 price tag, so I waited until I saw it on sale!

Now I'd better get to work creating taste tempting recipes that will help keep me on my weight loss track!

Yummy Yammy Soup

I made a version of this soup last week but I didn't record my recipe. Well - there was no recipe - it was another of my "create a soup with what's available" endeavors. It was quite tasty, and I am going to attempt to re-create - and hopefully improve upon it.

Last time I pureed the soup with my hand blender, some bits of the celery string were present. This always bothers me when I use celery in a pureed soup. So this time attempted  to "de-string" the celery with a vegetable peeler to improve upon the texture. It seemed to work!

My preferred store bought vegetable stock is a brand called "Kitchen Basics"® .

 It has less salt that most other brands (230g/serving), no MSG,  no glutens, and the salt it does have is sea salt. And I recently found a "No added salt" version which I have yet to try. Not today, though!


Yummy Yammy Soup


1 large yam, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, strings peeled away and chopped
1 large chopped onion (or 3 medium leeks, white part - thoroughly cleaned and sliced)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 quart or litre of vegetable stock
2 tsp. dried thyme
Fresh pepper
Pinch of kosher salt - or to taste if you're not worried about too much salt
Chopped fresh dill for garnish

1. Soften the onion and celery in oil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. Add garlic, carrots, yam and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add thyme and vegetable stock. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes . Check carrot and yam for softness and cook a little longer if necessary.
3. Cool mixture for a little while, then puree with a hand blender.
4. Add chopped fresh dill and serve!

This recipe made about 7 cups of soup.
I swore I would never be one to  puree soups because they seem not to be as filling as soups that have the chunks of vegetable intact, but I am finding that not to be the case! And the added bonus is being able to camouflage all sorts of vegetables from your refrigerator drawer in your soup for added nutritional punch!

Now that Weight Watchers® has moved to the Points Plus® Program, I have not determined the points value per cup - but I'm estimating that each cup contains at least half a cup of pureed sweet potato, which counts as 2 points. All the other ingredients are 0 points. The oil adds barely .5 of a point to each serving.
Paired with a nice salad and a roll, it makes a lovely Weight Watcher® friendly lunch.

Cabbage Rolls like my Mother Used to Make - Vegetarian

When I crave the taste of cabbage rolls,or holubchi,  I make the lazy version - as outlined in an earlier blog. For special occasions I will make the authentic kind - rice actually rolled into cabbage leaves and simmered in a low oven for several hours. This is the kind my late mother used to make. Only hers were dainty and petite and of uniform size. Mine - not!

They are picky and time consuming to make so it is a rare occasion indeed that I deign to make them. On Dec.25th we were going to my nephews home for dinner, so I volunteered to make cabbage rolls to take along.

The pickiest part is preparing the cabbage for rolling. I use the steamer basket of my stock pot to prepare the cabbage. I get an early start so there's plenty of time to get each stage done.
Because the job tends to be messy and wet, I like to spread a nice clean towel on my work surface and get started. I'll be using the towel to separate the cabbage leaves from the head and allow them to cool on it.

Cabbage Rolls


1 med. cabbage
2 cups long grain rice
1 large onion
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cans tomato soup


Stage 1: Preparing the cabbage


1. Cut the hard bottom off the cabbage and make slits around the base of the core. This is to allow steam to get in and make the leaves easier to remove. Remove any imperfect outer leaves and save. Wash thoroughly.

2. Place the cabbage in the steamer basket , core side down, and allow to steam for a good 10 minutes before checking to see if the outer leaves can be easily removed. After 10 minuted, remove steamer basket. You should be able to remove a few of the outer leaves. I got 5 on the first go and that seems to be all I could get per round of steaming.

They must come off the cabbage easily and be removed without tearing. As soon as you feel resistance, it's time to put the cabbage back into the steamer for more steaming. Deepen the slits around the core - being careful not to cut too deep in order not to damage leaves. You may have to cut away a little more at the base of the leaves in order to free it from the cabbage with each removal round.
 Continue with this process until all leaves of a size that will be suitable for rolling have been removed. The closer you get to the inside of the cabbage, the thicker the leaves. Return the loose leaves to the steamer for several minutes to soften. They'll collapse into the steamer and lose stiffness.
Trim the thick center ribs as thin as possible without making a hole in the cabbage.

Stage 2: Preparing the Rice

1. Partially cook the rice. Normally water to rice is a 2:1 ratio. For par-cooking, I use a 1:1.
2. Saute onion in vegetable oil until soft.
3. Combine onion, remaining oil, rice, salt and pepper and allow to cool so that it can be handled.

Stage 3: Rolling, rolling, rolling.....

1. Place a spoonful of rice on each leaf, and roll.Tuck in the side edges as you go.

2. Place into a roasting pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray and lined with remaining leaves that were too small to use for rolling or with the outer leaves that were removed earlier. (If no leaves are available, not to worry!)
3. Salt and pepper each layer.
4. Dilute 2 cans of tomato soup with 1-1/2 cans of water, mix well, and pour over the cabbage rolls.
5. Cover with foil or remaining leaves and roaster lid and bake for 3 hours at 325°. Check to make sure cabbage is done, and increase cooking time if necessary.

Alas, they were gone too quickly and I neglected to get a picture of the cabbage rolls once cooked.

I'm told that I can save a lot of hassle preparing the leaves if I freeze the head of cabbage, and thaw before rolling. Then I can eliminate the steaming step. I have not tried this, but I will for the next time. It will certainly make the preparation a much quicker process!

And yet another Bran Muffin Recipe

This is another recipe that originated from the little cookbook "Just Muffins®" compiled by Gaye Hansen. My recipe, however, bears little resemblance to the original which was titled "Delicious Bran Muffins".
Once again, I dip into my frozen banana stash. It also allows me to use up the yogurt (plain or fruit) that is a few days past its prime. I think it's the cinnamon and nutmeg that make these muffins so appealing. They are currently my favorite bran muffins. They smell wonderful while baking and taste yummy warm or cold! To cut back on the sugar, I substitute half of it with Splenda®.

'Bran'ana Muffins


1 cup yogurt (plain or flavored) or 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup natural bran flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup Splenda®)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or more if you like it.)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 mashed bananas
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Soak bran in yogurt (or buttermilk) for 15 minutes.

2. Add the oil and eggs and stir well
3. Add the remaining dry ingredients. (Probably best sifted, but I don't usually bother! Maybe that's a mistake!)
4. Stir in the mashed banana.
5. Spoon into muffin pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 moist,delicious muffins.

These muffins don't keep their height once they cool - and I'm not sure why. Perhaps sifting the dry ingredients would help. Any seasoned bakers out there might know the reason and let me know....
Regardless, they quickly disappear.

In terms of WeightWatcher® points, they work out to approx. 3 points per muffin.

Potato Latkes - Definitely not low-fat!

At this time of year, all thoughts of watching calories goes out the window. It's Chanukah - and time to enjoy the annual treat of Potato Latkes. My husband and I are crazy for these - and we can easily eat 5 lb. of potatoes worth between us. BAD!!!  Luckily, it's infrequent.

I don't follow a recipe, and so far I haven't had any failures. I did jot down measurements (sort-of) for the purpose of this blog,

 A few things I have learned over the years of making these (and tasting the latkes made by others).
- They taste just as good if you use the food processor to shred instead of doing it by hand. (It took me at least 10 years to learn this one.)
-  Rinsing the shredded potato helps to eliminate the unsightly "greying" caused by the starch exposure to air.
-  Processing the onion in a mini chopper instead of the processor eliminates big chunks of onion in the mix
-  No amount of onion is too much
- Finishing on cooking parchment on cookie sheet in the oven ensures that the latkes are cooked through - and maintains the crispiness

Potato Latkes


5 lb. russet potatoes
3 med. onions - finely chopped in mini-processor
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil

1. Peel and shred potatoes in food processor. Coarse or fine shred - your choice.

2. Rinse the starch out of the shredded potato, and press out as much water as possible. I find that this process keeps the potato nice and white. I use the strainer part of my salad spinner, and it works just fine!

3. Process the onions and combine with the potato in a large bowl - big enough to get your hands into for mixing!

4. Add the eggs and flour and mix thoroughly with your hands. (It almost like making bread dough!)

5. Start a couple of large frying pans on med-high heat with a couple tbsp. oil in each. When the oil is hot, make patties out of the potato mixture and gently place in the hot oil to fry. Flatten with a spatula.

Keep an eye on them, and flip when golden. You may have to add a little oil for the second side.
(You also have to keep watch for latke snitchers as the first batch may not make it to the next step.)

6. When golden brown on both sides, transfer the latkes to a cookie sheet lined with cooking parchment and continue by baking in the oven at about 325° while you fry the rest. The timing is not an exact science - and they'll be delicious!

7. Keep on frying until you've used all the potato mixture. You may need more cookie sheets, and employ "FIFO" when serving. (First In - First Out).

8. Enjoy! Serve with sour cream or applesauce. (In my house, ketchup is the condiment of choice).

Pumpkin - Bran Muffins

I can never follow a recipe straight out. It seems that I always have to make a substitution here or there. Whether it be Splenda® for part of the sugar, or cut back on the oil - or whatever, there is always some variation.
Today's Pumpkin Muffins are no different.

I popped into our neighbourhood Superstore (Loblaws) yesterday, and was greeted by large crates of pumpkins on the way in the door. I was inspired to make something with pumpkin. I love the spices that enhance the flavour, and it seemed like just the thing for a fall day. But did I want to bother with fresh pumpkin? Not today - so I headed for the canned products and bought a can of pure pumpkin.

This recipe is a variation of my Bran-Banana Muffin recipe which is a variation of a Bran Muffin Recipe from my "Just Muffins" booklet by Gaye Hansen. It in no way resembles the original - but served as the springboard for the creation of the new recipe.

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

1 cup Fat Free Yogurt
1 cup bran
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Splenda®
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Soak bran in yogurt for 15 min.
2. Add oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and mix well.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add raisins at the end if using.
4. Spoon into muffin pan which has been sprayed with vegetable spray - or into paper baking cups.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 min, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


These make a moist and tasty muffin. The nice thing about the pumpkin puree is that it does not add any point value to the recipe if you are a Weightwatcher®. When I make these again, I will likely bump the spices a bit as they were a little too subtle in the muffins, but on the whole this recipe was a success.
My husband is not a fan of pumpkin recipes, so his opinion is still to come!

I calculate the Weightwatcher® point value to be approx. 3.25 per muffin for this recipe.

Relish the Thought of Overgrown Cucumbers (or How I lost my Home Canning Virginity!)

My husband and I have just returned from a week in Chicago ( business, unfortunately - not vacation) and my cucumbers used the opportunity to grow into blimps. Giz of  Equal Opportunity Kitchen http://eatfordinner.blogspot.com/ suggested I toss them into the composter, but I didn't have the heart. I nurtured those cucumbers, fertilized them, watered them, provided them with beautiful coloured cages to climb - how could I resort to such an undignified end for their brief lives?

After googling and a bit of research, I decided to try my hand at preserving cucumber relish. I remember the delicious relish my mother used to make when I was a youngster, and wondered if I could pull it off. I have never in the almost 60 years of my life ever canned anything, so this would be a new experience.

Off to Canadian Tire® to buy supplies:

and a book:

Bernardin® are the folks that make the jars. They were the resource I counted  to hold my hand through the process. This recipe is from Bernardin® Guide to Home Canning and makes 6 - 500 ml. jars of relish.

Cucumber Relish


7 cups peeled, finely chopped cucumbers
4 cups finely chopped green pepper
4 cups finely chopped red pepper
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup pickling salt
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups white vinegar
3 tbsp. celery seed
3 tbsp. mustard seed

 1.  Peel the cucumbers and seed them. The recipe I used did not say to seed them, but when using watermelon sized (well, almost) cukes, the seeds are undesirable.

 2. Chop all the vegetables and combine in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Little did I know that this process would take well over an hour! Once all the vegetables are combined, add the pickling salt, mix well and allow it to sit for 4 hours.

(I found it necessary to alter the recipe. I under bought peppers and over peeled cukes, so my cucumbers took up the slack for my pepper shortfall. Also I had red and yellow peppers and no green ones, so that was another deviation from the original recipe. I'll know in 2 weeks if my changes were a good idea or not. That's the suggested wait time before using the relish in order to allow flavours to blend.)

3. Line a salad spinner basket or sieve with cheesecloth and scoop the relish mixture into it to drain.
Rinse it well and drain several times as it's pretty salty. Very salty! Squeeze out the excess liquid.

4. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed in a large stainless steel saucepan. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables and return the mixture to a gentle boil for 10 minutes.

Jar preparation:
At some point near the end of the 4 hour wait time, prepare the mason jars for use. The clean jars need to be placed on a rack in a canner and covered with water. Heat the water to a simmer (180° F/82° C.) The snap lids need to be heated also in the same temp water - not boiling. Keep them hot until ready to use. Remove  from the hot water with a jar lifter. Tilt to drain all the hot water out.

5. Ladle the relish mixture into the jar to within 1/2" of the top rim. This is the headspace. Using a non-metallic utensil, poke around in the mixture to remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar to remove any stickiness and centre the SNAP Lid on the jar. Apply the screw band securely until resistance is met. Do not over tighten.

6. Place the jar in the canner. Repeat with the remaining jars and relish mixture.

7. Cover the canner and bring the hot water to a boil. Process by boiling the filled jars for 15 minutes. Remove jars from boiling water without tilting and cool upright, undisturbed for 24 hours. After cooling, check the jar seals to make sure the lids have sealed properly and curve downward. Remove the screw band, wipe dry and replace. Do not tighten firmly.

8. Label and store in a cool, dark place.

The recipe was supposed to make 6 - 500ml jars. I only got 5 out of it. The way I figure it, with the canner, jar lifter, jars and book I had to purchase to make it, each 500 ml. jar is worth $7.41 not including tax! . (That's not including the  non-cucumber vegetables I purchased.) Maybe Giz's idea to pitch the cukes wasn't such a bad one after all!  I should listen to her more often!

However, my mother would be proud of me if she was here to see it! My first preserves! Ever!  The experience - Priceless!

Cauliflower-Carrot Soup

This soup doesn't look much different than last week's "Anything you want it to be " soup. Lighter and not green in color - but because it's pureed with a hand blender, it has that same look and texture. I was a holdout against pureed soups - I thought that keeping the vegetable in chunks would make it more filling, but I`m gradually coming around. There`s more of an elegance to them - and you can hide all kinds of nourishing stuff in them and your family will be none the wiser!

This one is really easy - and makes use of minimal fresh ingredients: onion, cauliflower, carrot, dill. Add to that a litre (or quart) of vegetarian stock, some water  and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil and you have a very nice practically ZERO point soup if you are on the Weight Watchers® program.

Cauliflower-Carrot Soup


1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large diced onion (1-1/2 cups)
6 cups finely chopped cauliflower
1 cup diced carrot
1 liter (Approx.4 cups) vegetable broth
1 cup water
3/4 - 1 cup fresh dill, loosely packed
fresh pepper

1. In a soup pot, saute the onion in the vegetable oil to soften.
2. Add the cauliflower and carrot and saute a little longer.
3. Add the vegetable broth and water and simmer until the carrot and cauliflower are soft.
4. Add the chopped dill for the last minute of cooking time.
5. Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender.

This recipe makes 8 cups of soup. All items are "point free" except for vegetable oil - which is 3 points for the entire soup.  That's less than 1/2 a point per cup serving.

Options:

- Make the soup creamy by adding 1 cup skim milk. That would bump the point value per cup slightly.
- Instead of dill, season with curry - 2 teaspoons. This should be sauteed with the onions.
- Omit dill and stir in 1 tsp. pesto when serving the soup.
- Omit dill and add a dash of nutmeg when serving.
- Add 1 cup of shredded cheese after pureeing (and the appropriate point value per serving.)

Anything You Want it to be Soup

I recently returned from a 4 day vacation trip to Las Vegas with my sister-in-law. We had a wonderful time - saw "Jersey Boys" and "Donny and Marie", played the slot machines, shopped and partook of many appealing buffets. The money I spent in Vegas stayed in Vegas, but the extra pounds adhered and came home with me. So, it's back on the WeightWatchers track for me. And here's a soup to get me started!

I was shopping in our neighbourhood Superstore (Loblaws in other parts of the country) a few days ago. Normally, the fresh produce in this store looks very tired and unappealing, but that day was an exception. There were bunches of fresh spinach that looked outstanding! Clean and perky and irresistable. I had to buy a pound of it!

 Part of it would go into a salad, and part of it would be for a soup recipe that I got from my sister-in-law who got it from her mother. I do not know the original source of the recipe. The original title of the soup was Broccoli-Cheese Soup, but the vegetables can be anything you want them to be. I used spinach and broccoli this time, but I would try cauliflower, carrots, leeks, turnip, and even potato if I wasn't trying to cut back on the carb calories.

Broccoli Cheese Soup (or Anything You Want it to Be Soup)


1 tbsp. canola oil
small chopped onion (I used the white part of 3 leeks that were about 1-1/4" in diameter)
2 diced carrots (approx. 1 cup)
1 stalk chopped celery (approx. 1/2 cup)
4 cups of water
4 tsp. of chicken bouillon flavouring
(I used vegetable broth in place of the water and bouillon flavouring
2 pinches of kosher salt (1 tsp. if you're not watching salt content)
freshly ground pepper - a liberal amount if you like pepper
1/2 lb. chopped broccoli including the stalk
1/2 lb. fresh spinach including stems
1-1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup shredded cheese - preferably low fat

1. Saute the onion or leek, carrots and celery in the canola oil until softened.

2. Bring liquid to a boil. Add the bouillon flavouring if using water.Add salt, pepper.
3. Add the sauteed vegetables and the fresh vegetables and simmer until all the vegetables are cooked - approx 15-20 minutes.

4. Toward the end of the cooking time, reduce the heat and add the skim milk.
5. Add the cheese and allow it to melt into the soup.

6. Puree with a hand blender while it is still warm.
7. If desired, garnish with some fresh dill or any suitable herb of your choice, and serve!

This recipe made 7 cups of soup. With low fat shredded cheese, that would work out to approx. 2 points per cup serving. With regular cheese, it would be closer to 3 points.

Devilishly 'Dilly'icious Potato Salad

Potato Salad has a very short life in this household. Both my husband and I can make a meal of it if we don't ration ourselves. In fact, as soon as it's made it MUST be sampled to see if "it's fit to eat". It always is....
I suppose it's pretty traditional potato salad - much like my mother used to make. But my 2 key flavor boosters are Keen's® Dry Mustard and fresh dill.  The "Devil" in the name comes from the dry mustard which is commonly added to the egg yolk mixture in deviled eggs.

I don't usually measure - so consider these quantities as guidelines and adjust to your personal taste.

Devilishly 'Dilly'icious Potato Salad

8 cups cooked cubed potatoes
8 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup green onion
1/2 cup sliced radishes
3/4 to 1 cup light Miracle Whip®
1 - 2 tbsp. Keen's® Dry Mustard (the stuff in the yellow can with the red label)
1/2 c. loosely packed chopped dill
Salt and Pepper to taste
Paprika

1. Boil potatoes (approx. 5 lbs. worth). To cool them quickly, I spread them on a platter to expose them to air. I am never organized in advance, so this works for me.
2. While they are cooling, I sprinkle the Keen's® Dry mustard on them. It makes it easier to distribute the mustard flavor throughout.

3. Hard boil the eggs. They can be cooled quickly by letting them sit in cold water prior to peeling. Using an egg slicer, cut up 5 of the eggs and place in a large mixing bowl. Reserve 3 of the eggs for a garnish if desired. Or chop them all up and include them in the salad.
3. When the potatoes are sufficiently cool, dump them into the large bowl with the eggs and combine with all remaining ingredients.
4. Thoroughly mix the salad to distribute the Miracle Whip® and all other ingredients throughout. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the sliced egg. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate.

This recipe serves 6-8.
I calculate the Weight Watcher point value to be approx. 3 points per half cup.

Banana Bread

It seems that there are always tired, over-ripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl. I have 3 choices - bake with them, toss them into the freezer to add to my growing collection of frozen bananas with the intention of using them for baking - or throw them into the composter. Today is another one of those days where guilt for my over-buying gets the best of me and I have to bake yet another banana recipe. Perhaps I should change the name of my blog to "Bananas 'R Us!"

This recipe is from my girlfriend Kim who got the original from a cookbook called "Lick the Spoon" by Marilyn Smith. I do not own the cookbook, so I can't comment on the book overall, but we have enjoyed this recipe numerous times. I did change it a bit - cut back on the sugar and oil from the original.

The recipe calls for wheat germ which I couldn't find in my freezer. (That means it's time to clean out the freezer or put wheat germ on the shopping list. I wonder which I'll pick.....)
I used ground flax instead. I think it should be a good substitution since I cut back on the oil from the original recipe.

Instead of 3/4 c. of brown sugar (original recipe) I cut it back to 1/2 c. - and used a blend of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup Splenda®.

So here's the recipe - and it's an easy one.

Banana Bread

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup Wheat germ (or 1/4 c. ground flax)
1/4 cup bran
1/4 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil ( I cut back to 1/4 cup)
1 cup mashed bananas (approx. 3 bananas)
3/4 cup brown sugar. (I cut back to 1/2 cup - and used 1/4 cup Splenda® and 1/4 cup brown sugar)

1/4 cup chopped nuts. (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 9' x 5' loaf pan with vegetable spray.
Mix together dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients separately. A few pulses with a hand blender works beautifully.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until moistened.
Add the nuts if using.
Pour into 9' x 5" loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and continue cooling.
Enjoy!

The flax meal was the perfect substitution. The banana bread is delicious and moist - and the easiest recipe to make as long as you have the ingredients!

Banana - Oatmeal Muffins

I have a frozen banana collection. Instead of tossing out the bananas that are past their due date, I toss them in the freezer and add them to my stash. When I have plain yogurt to use up, I dip into my frozen banana collection and make my favorite muffins - Oatmeal. This recipe is a variation of the Oatmeal Muffin recipe from the booklet "Just Muffins" by Gaye Hansen. I've removed the oil and substituted bananas, and use Splenda® instead of the sugar to make it more diabetic friendly.

Banana-Oatmeal Muffins


1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain fat free yogurt ( or fruit yogurt if desired)
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar or Splenda®
3 mashed bananas
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. raisins or dates (optional)

1. Stir yogurt into oatmeal and let stand for up to an hour in refrigerator.

2. Add egg and mix well.
3. Mix in sugar or Splenda® and mashed bananas.
4. Blend in sifted dry ingredients and raisins.
5. Spray muffin tins with vegetable spray and fill with mixture.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Yield - 12 muffins.

In Weight Watcher point value, each muffin made with Splenda and Fat Fee Yogurt is worth about 2 points.