Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame

Now that new year's feasting and Yom Kippur's fasting is over I will hopefully be making more new dishes for the fall season. The latest reason for no new posts...Repeat Cooking! There have been so many wonderful recipes that I've tried that it is really hard not to re-make things to savor again and again...at any rate this dish is from a new cookbook that my mom sent me, "WW Annual Recipes for Success 2006." If I have never told you before W is a sucker for Chinese food...as is my stepfather! This recipe will satisfy the Chinese food lover in your life, Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame is a great and easy way to bring vegetables, protein and grain all together in a meal and have it actually taste good! The key ingredient in this dish is the sesame oil...for those thinking of skipping out, don't! The inclusion of sesame makes this rice meal resemble our greasy take-out favorites more than if you stick to just the rice. So for only 6pts per serving, gotta try: Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame

Pad Thai with Tofu

I adore good Pad Thai...and since changing over into a healthier eating lifestyle I had neglected this treasured dish (amendment: I did try the Lean Cuisine version of Chicken Pad Thai and did NOT find it appealing at all, whatsoever!)...so imagine my delight at finding a recipe in the current issue of Weight Watcher's Magazine for "Peanut Noodles!" The recipe as listed in the magazine is served cold and is meant to be a lite summer dinner salad...wanting my Pad Thai goodness I followed the basic recipe listed but made a few changes, added lite tofu and voile a WW friendly serving of my favorite old friend at only 6pts per serving! So for those of you Asian food lovers out there you gotta try: Pad Thai with Tofu

Asian-Infused Stuffed Acorn Squash

Not gonna lie...we have been sick as dogs this past week! All vacation weight is history and then some...not the way you want to lose pounds. However, since eating has been a delicate issue the highlights of our palate have consisted of plain toast, mashed potatoes and one crazy night, applesauce! To maintain some sense of faithfulness for my Fantastic Followers...I decided to post something I made before vacation but never got the chance to post. The day I made this I looked online through various acorn squash recipes until I found one I could adapt from "Taste of Home". This meal is an innovative dish that combines the nutty flavor of pecans with the sweetness of raisins, honey, ginger and balsamic all together in Basmati rice stuffed against the rich flesh of acorn squash. This dish stands alone or could be paired nicely with a brothy soup. For only 6pts, gotta try: Asian-Infused Stuffed Acorn Squash

Artichoke and Pesto Pizza

Last night was another pizza night, this time of the artichoke pesto persuasion! I cannot stress enough how lovely it is to keep Sara Lee Pitas around for when your inner pizza craving monster emerges. This variation has a foundation of sweet basil pesto topped with baby portabellas, artichokes, black olives, crushed red pepper, freshly ground black pepper and tops off with mozzarella cheese. The whole sh-bang only totals 6pts and yet retains the tasty distinction of a gourmet pizza. Happy Cooking! Artichoke and Pesto Pizza

Feel Good Sweet Potato

Last night felt like a potato night; the last potato I tried was an adaptation of a Rachael Ray dish so why not try again? This time I searched for sweet potatoes and while I could not find a stuffed recipe to my liking I did find her recipe for "Feel Good Potato Skins". So I simply left the potato intact, added all the ingredients listed and then re-stuffed into one shell rather than into skins. To make it WW friendly I used all fat free ingredients in lieu of their full fat counterparts and substituted turkey bacon for the traditional fat back. The end results were a delightful mix of sweet potato with smokey bacon, sweet paprika, fresh onion-y chives and the sharp goodness of cheddar. For only 6pts you have a great, filling meal! Better try: Feel Good Sweet Potato

Reuben-Stuffed Potato

Last night's meal can best be defined as, Yum-O! Or at least I believe that is a Rachael Ray-ism? Loving baked potatoes I am always on the look out for a new recipe to try and using a simple Google search I happened to find what RR considers to be the answer to St. Patty's Day leftovers. Love of potatoes aside, there are few better deli sandwiches than the Rebuen...with all that wonderful sauerkraut and corned beef and Russian dressing! So what better dish can there be than one which so perfectly combines these two ideas into one for a Reuben-Stuffed Potato? Taking her dish and making it WW friendly was not too difficult to achieve: reduce the potato size; fat free cheese, milk and sour cream; and lastly no butter or salt. The only minor complication is that despite having gone to two groceries I could not find corned beef, perhaps this is a once a year deal? At any rate I used spicy pastrami from Hillshire Farms instead and found that the taste was still amazing; if you can find corned beef make sure to double check the points value of the dish as it may be more! The Russian-ized sour cream topping combined with the familiar taste of the Reuben sandwich and the creaminess of a baked potato make this a must try for only 6pts! Reuben-Stuffed Potato

Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich

Usually lunch consists of leftovers or WW Smart Ones but every now and then I make something that can only be defined as a "quintessentially lunch" dish. Today is such a day...I love pimiento cheese sandwiches! I first started eating them as a child and throughout college and grad school they were the quick go-to for a home sacked lunch. This version of pimiento is an adaptation from, "WW Ultimate Classics 101 Best-Loved Recipes." The only difference between their version and mine is that I use fat free mayo and I add a generous portion of dill (I actually use over a tbsp but only included 1/2tbsp in the recipe I posted), lastly I use cayenne pepper instead of red pepper. Grilling the sandwich until golden gives the cheese mixture a nice consistency of almost melted but still textured. Serve this up with Baked Lays for an easy 2pt side (I love the new Parmesean and Tuscan Herb flavor.) The recipe makes enough for four 1/4c servings, so serve a few or save for a later date. If served with chips: 6pts, without chips: 4pts! Yummy Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Today for lunch I am enjoying leftovers of a simple take on this classic dish found in the, "WW Ultimate Classics 101 Best-Loved Recipes." I have reduced their recipe by a point replacing fat free sour cream for reduced fat and by eliminating the need for olive oil by using cooking spray to saute. Use Tabasco freely to amplify the heat at zero point risk and you have a speedy, easy-to-make meal for only 6pts! Check it out Red Beans and Rice