It’s summer. And that means that zuchinni is everywhere! I usually get smaller zuchinni, but when I went to the farmer’s market last week, all I could get was a huge one – I mean, this sucker was 5 inches in diameter and over a foot long! I had to come up with something to do with all this zuchinni! I found a recipe for a zuchinni tart/quiche, and decided to give it a try. It turned out wonderfully. We had this as a side dish with dinner, but I can totally see this being served for brunch.
Zuchinni Tart
Crust:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1-1/2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp water
- 1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 cups chopped zuchinni
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, any type
- 1/4 cu parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup skim milk
Spray a tart pan or springfrom pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Prepare crust by combining flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in olive oil and water. Knead to form a dough and roll out into a circle large enough to fit into your pan. Press into pan and (and 1″ up the sides if using a springfrom pan.
Beat together eggs and egg whites. Brush mixture over crust. Bake crust in 375 degree oven for 8 minutes. Cool on rack while preparing filling.
For filling, saute onion in a little olive oil until tender. Add garlic and zuchinni; cook another 10 minutes. Spread into crust.
Add milk to remaining eggs. Pour over vegetable mixture. Pour milk mixture over all and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake for 45 minutes or until tests done.
Serves: 8
Weight Watchers Points + per serving: 5
After making the Brownie Batter No-Churn Ice Cream last week, I’ve had brownie batter on the brain. Then, while browsing other food blogs,I discovered a recipe for brownie batter pancakes on Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog. Oh yeah. I adapted it just a bit – I usedSplenda, added an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder, and used skim milk – and now I am in love. It’s like eating brownies for breakfast!! It doesn’t get much better than that. Well, okay. Yes. It could get better. Plop a big glob of sweetened whipped cream on top and it would *almost* be like having brownies and ice cream for breakfast. But, we’ll leave the whipped cream off for today. All that no-churn ice cream has plenty of cream in it. I don’t need any more. I can barely button my pants already.
Instead of posting the recipe here, I’m simply linking to Katie’s blog (above). I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
When made with my changes, the Weight Watchers points are as follows:
Serves: 1
Weight Watchers Points + : 4 points for the pancakes, add another 3 points for 2 Tbsp. of chocolate syrup
Peaches have been absolutely delicious this year. We’ve been buying them from a local fruit stand regularly for the last several weeks. I don’t know if I’ve ever had peaches as good as the ones we’ve been getting this year.In addition tojust breaking them open and eating them as the juice runs downmy arms to my elbows, I’ve been trying to come up with different ways to use them.I foundthis idea of a cross between a granola bar and a peach cobbler. I’ll be trying these with other fruits too…let me know if you do!
Skinny Brown Butter Peach Crumble Bars
- 1-1/2 cups oats
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or you can substitute all purpose flour)
- 6 tbsp brown sugar
- 6 tbsp splenda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 stick light butter, melted
- 4 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8×8 inch pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, splenda, oats, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Stir constantly until the butter turns a light golden brown. (This will take about 3 minutes or so) Once brown, add butter to flour mixture along with vanilla. Stir until combined. Fold in the peaches. Press into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let cool completely and cut.
Serves: 12
Weight Watchers Points + : 4 points each
When you have bananas that are so ripe you just can’t bring yourself to eat them, it’s time for Banana Nut Bread. Or, in my case, Banana Nut Muffins. I’ve created a healthier version that won’t make you feel guilty for indulging a little!
Skinny Banana Nut Muffins
- 4-5 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Line two muffin pans with 16 paper liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, allspice, and cinnamon. In a seperate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until creamy. Beat in the applesauce and bananas. Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in the nuts. Spoon batter into paper liners and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves: 16
Weight Watchers Points + : 3 points each
Even picky eaters will enjoy this cheesy, parmesan crusted tilapia! And it only takes about 10 minutes to bake, so it’s a great week night dish for busy families.
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
- 6 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz. each)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh basil (OR 1/4 tsp dried basil)
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Combine all ingredients but bread crumbs and spread over fish fillets. Place in baking pan coating with cooking spray. Divide bread crumbs evenly over tops of fillets. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 10-12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serves: 6
Weight Watchers Point + Per Serving: 5
I don’t know what the weather is where you are, but it is HOT here. HOT, I say! For the last few weeks, it’s been over 100 degrees every day. Generally, in the summer, we use our grill a lot, but who wants to stand out in 100 degree heat to cook? Not us! So, instead, I’ve been roasting a lot of veggies in the oven. I wanted to give corn on the cob a shot too. It wasn’t quite the same as grilled corn on the cob – you don’t get that greatsmoky flavor – but the texture is great. If it’s too hot where you are to even think about standing outside to grill, give this roasted corn on the cob a try. The best part is that you don’t even have to shuck the corn of the husks and silks beforehand – they come off very easily after roasting!
Roasted Corn on the Cob
- Fresh corn on the cob, still in husks
Soak corn, still in husks, in water for about 15 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove corn from water and pat dry. Place corn directly on oven rack and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and remove husks and silks. Serve immediately.
Weight Watchers Points + : 2 points per ear of corn
Last week I decided to try something totally new…pita bread! I was going to make individual pizzas that night for dinner, and I always use pita bread as my ‘crust’ for those. But, I was out of store-bought pita bread. I went to my trust friend, Google, and found the recipe. I was surprised at how easy they were to make! They do take some time to prepare, as any yeast based bread does. But, they really were easy. Give them a try and see for yourself!
Skinny Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- 2-1/4 tsp instand yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1-1/4 cups warm water, divided
- 1-1/2 cups bread flour, divided
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- cornmeal, for dusting
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, honey and 1/2 cup of the warm water. Stir gently to blend. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the bread flour and 1/4 cup of the whole wheat flour until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and place the bowl on the mixer, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup water, 1-1/4 cup bread flour, 1-1/4 whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (Add more flour a little at a time, if needed) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm place, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Place oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and roll out into a disk about 6-7 inches in diameter. Transfer the disks onto baking sheets dusted with corn meal. Cover loosely with kitchen towels. Let stand for about 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.
Transfer pitas onto preheated baking stone. Bake until puffy, about 2-4 minutes. Glently flip over with tongs and bake another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining disks.
Makes: 8 pitas
Weight Watchers Points + : 6 each
About a year ago a community college near me started offering a culinary program. My sister was interesting in attending, and I was just curious what they would be offering (maybe one day down the road I’ll attend as well…who knows?!?!), so my sister, my then 7 year old daughter, and I headed off to the culinary program’s open house. They had refreshments that the chef had prepared, and zucchini fritters were one of the offerings. My oh-so-picky daughter ate one without knowing what they were and started raving about how Uh-MAZE-ing they were. I let her eat another one or two and then told her they had zucchini in them – something she THOUGHT she didn’t like. She was a new believer! I asked the chef what was in them and he gave me a brief run-down. Zucchini, feta cheese, and spices with some bread crumbs and egg to hold it all together. Well, that sounds easy enough! I attempted to recreate them a few times with no success. My girl would take a bite and promptly tell me they were NOT like the chef’s. So, I gave up. But, when my husband brought some zucchini home from the farmer’s market this week, I decided to give it one more shot. I didn’t have feta, so I used fresh parmesan instead, and used a homemade adobo spice. I watched as my daughter took a bit…waiting…waiting…waiting…a smile produced and she started shaking her head up and down and proclaimed that I did it! I made a zuchinni fritter that was just as good as the chef’s!! SCORE!!! And they’re good for you too!
Skinny Zucchini Fritters
- 1 large zucchini, grated (leave skin on)
- 2 tbsp egg substitute
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- heaping 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- scant 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- scant 1/8 tsp chili powder (use more or less, depending on the level of heat you like)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
Remove excess liquid from grated zucchini by pressing between two paper towels. Place zucchini in a medium bowl along with egg, bread crumbs, and all spices. Stir well to combine.
In a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the olive oil. Shape 1/4 cup of the mixture into a patty; place in hot pan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Serves: @10
Weight Watchers Points + : 2 pts each
This recipe combines two things I think most of us love…french fried onions and barbecue sauce. This dish is very quick and simple to prepare and bakes in the oven so you are free to work on other parts of dinner while it cooks.
Skinny Onion-Barbecue Chicken
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 cup french fried onions
- 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Place barbecue sauce in a shallow dish. Crush french fried onions and place in an other shallow dish. Add parmesan cheese and pepper to french fried onion crumbs, stirring to combine. Dredge chicken in barbecue sauce, then press one side into the onion crumb mixture. Place onion crumb side up on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-27 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serves: 4
Weight Watchers Points + : 5 per serving
Hey moms and dads! Let the crockpot do your dirty work while you do your daily work! I love chicken and wild rice soup and will often order it if I see it on the menu at a restaurant. But I rarely made it at home because of the lengthy cooking time of wild rice. I decided to try to create a recipe using the crockpot so I could fix it and forget it, and this is it!
Skinny Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 42 oz chicken broth
In a 4 to 4-1/2 quart crockpot/slowcooker, combine carrots, wild rice, onion, rosemary, bay leaves, lemon zest and pepper. Top with chicken breasts and pour chicken broth over all. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Add chicken back to crockpot. Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig and serve.
Serves: 6
Weight Watchers Points + : 5 points per 1-1/2 cups
