Cinnamon Spiced Apples

Cinnamon Spiced Apples


 I had some apples....lots and lots of apples.  I made these, along side a roasted pork tenderloin, for some dinner guests, and everyone loved them!  They can be used as toppings for desserts, yogurts, folded into oatmeal, or as a good old fashion Southern side dish.

Ingredients:
5 apples (peeled, cored, sliced, chopped)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 T of light butter

Method:

In a mixing bowl, combine apples, sugar, and spices. Toss to coat apples.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the light butter and melt.  Once melted, add in the apple mixture.  Reduce heat to medium.

Cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes. Apples should be tender. 

Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.  Enjoy!

Serves 8

Other Information:
WW information: 1 pt+ per serving

Long Time Gone

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm back.  The past few weeks have been filled with crazy school assignments, my law school graduation (YAY!), lots of R & R, and then my laptop got sick and had to go to the computer hospital.

Well, I'm back in action.  New recipes should be coming in soon and I am excited for this summer.  New and exciting things are going on.  While I am no longer a law student, I plan to have many more cooking adventures.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chicken, Spinach & Cheese Ravioli Soup

Chicken, Spinach & Cheese Ravioli Soup

Have some leftover roast chicken from Sunday dinner? This delicious soup is the perfect way to use it up! Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup diced onions
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken broth (fat free, reduced sodium)
2 T salt free chicken seasoning (Mrs. Dash Chicken)
1/2 T black pepper
2 cups chicken, chopped/shredded
1 pound fresh baby spinach, lightly chopped
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/2 pound mini cheese ravioli
6 T of parmesan cheese, grated.
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms (optional)

Method
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions.  Saute until onions are soft and translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, salt free chicken seasoning, and pepper. Bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat and add the ravioli. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through.

Stir in the cooked chicken, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  Cook the soup an additional 5 minutes, stiring gently until the spinach is wilted, but is still green.

Pour into bowls. Garnish each serving with 1 T of parmesan cheese.

Serves 6


Other Information

Soup + 1 T of parmesan cheese is 6 WWpt+

Legal Information
Recipe based off of Chicken spinach tortellini soup

123 Oreo Truffles

1-2-3 Oreo Truffles

Super simple. Super delicious. Super popular.  You will be a rockstar.

Ingredients
8oz low fat block of cream cheese @ room temp
15.5 oz pkg of Oreo cookies
20 oz of chocolate almond bark

Method
Throw cookies in a food processor and blend until fine.  Dump in bowl.  Measure out 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs and reserve.

Mix in cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated. The mixture will look at like black ball of dough.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.  Roll dough into 28 balls and lay on baking sheet.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place chocolate almond bark in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals--mixing in between--until smooth and glossy.

Remove oreo balls from freezer.  Using a toothpick, pick up (stab the ball) and dip into the chocolate. Using another toothpick, carefully slide truffle on to the baking sheet. 

Repeat with the remaining truffles. Every 5 or so, sprinkle with reserved oreo crumbs.  Let stand until chocolate sets.  

Enjoy!

Serves 28

Other Information
WW 5pt+

Legal
Oreo balls
Photos are mine, so don't be a thief.

Spinach and Gorgonzola Omelet

Spinach and Gorgonzola Omelet

Omelets are a great way to star the morning! Make yours with egg whites to cut down on fat.  The gorgozonla adds depth of flavor while the lemon zest adds something to "keep it interesting."  Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 T almond/skim milk
canola cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup reduced fat blue/gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh chopped baby spinach
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
black pepper

Method
Spray skillet with canola cooking spray.  Place on medium heat and add olive oil. 

Meanwhile, beat egg whites and milk with a whisk.  Pour mixture into hot skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until almost set.

Sprinkle entire omelet with pepper.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese over one side of the omelet. Top with the baby spinach.  Sprinkle remaining gorgonzola, finishing with the lemon zest.

Fold omelet and serve immediately.

Other information
WW 4pt+

Legal Information
all photos are mine, so don't be a thief
recipe adapted from Spinach and Gorgonzola Eggwhites
**not sponsored by WW**

Mexican Flatbread Pizza w. Pink Ole Sauce

this is one serving!!

Mexican Flatbread Pizza with Pink Ole Sauce

Everyone remembers the "mexican pizza" day in grade school.  Sure, it was questionable, but it was good!  Here's a grown up version that is cool enough that your kids will eat it,  substantial enough that your macho man will ask for more, and skinny enough for you to not worry about it. Sounds like a sweet deal to me. Let's get to it.

Ole!

Ingredients

pizza:

2 big slabs of Naan bread, each cut in half (I used 1 package of Tandoori Stonefire Naan, divided into 4 total pieces)

1 cup of low fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz fat free refried beans

6 tablespoons of salsa picante, any heat level (I used HOT)

pico de gallo (see recipe below)

1 cup cooked ground chicken breast

Taco seasoning (see recipe below), to taste

3 Tablespoon of water

4 Tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream

1-2 teaspoons of salt free southwest chipotle seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)

pico de gallo:

chop up & mix the following: onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper.

Taco seasoning:

1 tsp of the following: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt free chipotle seasoning.

Method

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with canola cooking spray.  Arrange naan pieces on tray.

In a bowl, mix refried beans and 3 tablespoons of the salsa and 1-2 tablespoons of the pico de gallo.

Meanwhile, spray a small skillet with canola cooking spray. Cook ground chicken until done.  Add in water, and desired about to taco seasoning.  Stir, and remove from heat.

To assemble pizzas:  Equally divide and spread refried bean mixture over each piece of naan bread. 

Top with chicken (divide equally) and 1/4 cup of cheese on each pizza.  Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until hot and melty.

Remove from oven and top with plenty pico de gallo. Mix together remaining salsa and the sour cream. Add in the chipotle seasoning, and stir.

The sauce is pink, PINK! Anything pink is awesome in my book.  Moving on....

Drizzle over each pizza.

melty & tasty....and it's a BIG portion!

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Other information

WW 10pt+ for 1 piece.

Legal

based on The Pioneer Woman's Mexican "Flatbread" Pizza

**site not sponsored by WW** Always make sure to double check nutritional information, as different brands vary!

Onion Surprise Soup

Onion Surprise Soup

This is really just french onion soup with a twist.  The surprise comes in the topping! Most french onion soups come covered with a thick, gooey layer of bread and cheese.  Applebee's version of french onion soup packs a whopping 21 grams of fat, and 2317 mg of sodium (livestrong.com).

Instead of bread, this recipe uses cheese & mashed cauliflower. This recipe is based on a recipe found on Health-Bent.com--a website devoted to Paleo friendly meals. I am not following the Paleo diet, but I found this recipe interesting....and of course, I had to put my own twist on it!

This soup is perfect to warm you up, or if you just want french onion soup.  Check out the cute little dish. My friend gave it to me last week, and I had to find something to make with it ASAP!!

Ingredients

for the soup:

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

5 large onions (Mix it up! I used vidalia & yellow)

2 T olive oil

1 quart fat free, low sodium beef broth

3 teaspoons oregano, dried

2 teaspoons sodium free garlic herb seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)

salt & pepper, if desired

for the topping:

1 cup frozen cauliflower, mashed

1 egg

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded/cubed

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

salt & pepper, if desired

Method

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium-low heat. 

Add in onions (be sure to separate them), thyme, oregano, and place the lid slightly ajar. Stir and let the onions "melt" for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir again. 

Set timer for another 10 minutes. Keep lid ajar, to let steam. You should repeat the process until the onions shrink by half, and are a caramel color (about 25 minutes total). 

Add beef broth, bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, making sure to get up any "onion flavor bits" from bottom of pan with spoon.  Add in garlic herb seasoning.  Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove thyme sprigs. 

Meanwhile.....

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small sauce pan, cook cauliflower until soft.  Mash.

Mix in egg and shredded/cubed cheese.  Add in garlic powder, and s&p if using.

Divide soup into 4 bowls.  Even divide cheese mixture, and spread evenly over each bowl. 

Place in oven for 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Turn on broiler for a few minutes for additional color/browning.

Enjoy!! Pairs nicely with a salad.

Serves 4

Other information

 WW 5pt+ per serving

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Health-Bent's Onion Soup with Cheesy Cauliflower