Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This recipe lets you enjoy the creamy goodness of mashed potatoes without as many calories and fat!!  The trick – use fat-free buttermilk instead of cream and butter!   I promise that you will not go back to your old recipe after trying these!  And at 2 ww points per serving you can eat a double helping without feeling guilty!!

Ingredients

• 1 medium head garlic, papery skin removed and top sliced off to expose cloves
• 1 1/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fat-free buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil; bake until the cloves are soft, 45-60 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes; squeeze the pulp from the cloves into a small bowl.
2. in a large pot, combine the potatoes, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and enough cold water to cover; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Drain, reserving the cooking liquid; discard the bay leaf.
3. with a potato masher or an electric mixer at low speed, mash the potatoes with the garlic, buttermilk, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt; thin with the cooking liquid, if needed.  Makes 4 servings.  Each serving has 135 calories, 0 grams fat and 3 grams fiber and is 2 ww points!

Chicken Taquitos

We love us some Mexican food at our house!!  And these taquitos were so good that Seth had 3 helpings!!!  These were from the hungry-girl recipe for chicken taquitos.

The taquitos are about 2 points each!  I heated up a can of refried beans (a serving is only 1/2 of a point!) and made some mexican rice (my recipe below – 3 points a serving)!  So for the plate serving you see in the picture is 10 points!!! The red is salsa used to dip the tequitos in – which is 1/2 point for 4 tbsp!!!)

Note: The hungry girl recipe used 98% fat-free chunk white chicken canned in water.  I am not a big canned chicken fan (even though it does work in a pinch sometimes).  I used chicken breasts that I cooked in the microwave. My recipe is below.  You can always use the canned chicken…but for the number of servings that I have altered the recipe for you will need 1 1/2 cans of the chicken.

Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

• 12  yellow corn tortillas
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped up
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
• Optional: red enchilada sauce, additional salsa, fat-free sour cream, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Remove chicken mixture from the fridge, and drain any excess liquid. Add cheese and taco seasoning, and mix to combine. This is your filling. Set aside.
4. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray, and set it aside.
5. Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable.
6. Take one tortilla (keep the rest between the paper towels), spray both sides lightly with nonstick spray, and lay it flat on a clean dry surface. Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp. of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
7. Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Allow taquitos to cool for 5 minutes. If you like, dunk in enchilada sauce, salsa, or sour cream! Makes 4 servings of 3 tequitos (6 ww points per serving)

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over med high heat. 
2. Once the water is boiling put lid on saucepan and decrease heat.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Serves 4.  3 ww points per serving.

Sweet Potatoes with Orange Cinnamon Glaze

This is the first recipe for me to post that is completely mine!  This recipe came about when I discovered during my Thanksgiving cooking that I had more sweet potatoes than I did ingredients for the Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Orange Glaze.  I decided to come up with a different glaze and it was a success!!  This made a very yummy sweet potato recipe.  I don’t have nutritional information for you on this one…but I imagine it is still under 300 calories per serving.   

Ingredients

• 6  medium peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  margarine
• 3/4 of a can of concentrated orange juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place potatoes with a few tablespoons of water, covered, in a 2-quart casserole dish; microwave at HIGH for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Combine sugar, margarine, orange juice, cinnamon and salt in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Add to potatoes; toss gently.
3. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice during cooking. Makes 6 servings.

Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Orange Glaze

If you are wanting a change to over-used sweet potato casserole with all of the sugar and marshmallows then this is the dish for you!!  This makes a very yummy dish and at less than 300 calories per serving you don’t have to feel guilty about eating it!!   

Ingredients

• 6  medium peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  margarine
• 2  tablespoons  concentrated orange juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  whole-berry cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Place potatoes with a few tablespoons of water, covered, in a 2-quart casserole dish; microwave at HIGH for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Combine sugar, margarine, orange juice, cranberry sauce and salt in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Add to potatoes; toss gently.
3. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice during cooking. Makes 6 servings.

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinegarette

Here is a good way to dress up your green beans!!  This makes a great dish if you are entertaining!!   At less than 100 calories per serving (1 ww point) you don’t have to feel guilty about eating this yummy dish either.

Ingredients

• 28 oz frozen whole green beans
• 2  bacon slices
• 1/4  cup chopped onions
• 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 1/4  cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add onions to bacon fat in skillet and sauté until translucent. Remove and let cool.
3. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
4. Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.  Makes 8 servings.