Brie en Croute

Wow, it's really been a long time since I've posted anything! We certainly haven't gone without eating (my scale will certainly attest to that!), so methinks we've spent too much time eating takeout and not trying new recipes. So it's time to catch up!

This is a fantastic appetizer for Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, or really anytime. I originally found this recipe from Pepperidge Farm on the back of the puff pasty box, and it instantly became a favorite.

1 wheel light brie (I like to de-rind the brie, but it's not required)
1/2 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2-3 Tbsp. red raspberry spreadable fruit (any flavor you like)
Sliced almonds (optional)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unfold puff pastry onto floured surface. Roll into 14-inch square, and cut off corners to make a circle. Spread fruit spread over the pastry, top with almonds, and place brie on top. Brush the edge of the pastry circle with egg mixture. Fold opposite ends over the cheese, press, and seal. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and brush with egg mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 1 hour.

Cheddar Cornbread

I've never been a big fan of cornbread - I always associate it with pinto beans, and I'm not a big fan of those. But it was a chilly chili day, and we were tired of the tried-and-true grilled cheese, so I opted for this substitute, modified from Recipezaar. And boy am I glad we did!

Thanks to the creamed corn, the final result was a bit softer than traditional cornbread. It was easier to eat it with a fork than with your fingers. But it still tasted good!

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups reduced-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten until the yolks are broken
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 can creamed corn
1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 8x8 glass baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir.

Stir in creamed corn and cheddar cheese, and pour batter into baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Pumpkin Muffins Everywhere

I'm not the world's best baker, but I've had the urge to bake pumpkin bread for a while now. So, with it being the Sunday before Halloween, I decided today was the perfect day - until I realized I couldn't find my loaf pan. So, what started out as this recipe from Cooking Light, quickly morphed into these pumpkin muffinettes.


3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten (until the yolks are broken)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
Pam (or other cooking spray) with flour

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 mini muffin pans with cooking spray with flour.

Combine flour with other dry ingredients (up to the pumpkin pie spice) in a large bowl. In a second bowl, combine oil, eggs, and pumpkin.

Make a well in center of dry mixture, and add pumpkin mixture. Stir until moist.

Spoon batter into mini muffin pans. Bake at 350° for around 20-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 48 mini muffins.

P.S. - These are really good with just a little bit of the brown sugar cinnamon cream cheese on top.

WW Info:
1 point per muffin
Add additional points for any cream cheese or other toppings

Apple and Brie Paninis

This is fantastic served with tomato bisque, or alone, or however you want to serve it. You can't go wrong with apples and brie!

1 apple, cored and sliced
4 ounces of light brie
2 pieces of ciabatta, halved

Divide apple and brie between two ciabatta halves. Top with other halves, and place on hot grill. (I used the Foreman to easily grill both sides at once.) Serve when hot and melted.

Stuffed French Toast

We've decided Sunday mornings are our "better than cereal breakfast" mornings. So I'm trying out recipes beyond basic pancakes, which I never could make well anyway. :-)

2 large eggs, beaten
Dash of cinnamon and sugar
4 pieces of light bread
2 Tbsp cream cheese I prefer strawberry or brown sugar cinnamon
A few sprays of Pam
Maple syrup or other toppings of your choice

Combine eggs and cinnamon sugar combination in a bowl. Spread cream cheese evenly over two pieces of bread and top with the other 2 pieces to make 2 sandwiches.

Preheat skillet over medium-high heat and spray with Pam. Dredge sandwiches through egg mixture on both sides, and put in skillet. Cook evenly on both sides until cheese looks melted and bread is browned on each side.

WW info:
4 Points for each sandwich
Add additional Points for any toppings you add

Apple Brie Breakfast Quesadillas

No picture for this one - it was devoured too fast for that! This recipe originated on an episode of Sandra Lee and I modified it for our tastes. The recipe below is for one quesadilla; if you're feeding more people, just double (or triple or quadruple) it!


1 Burrito size tortilla shell
1/2 apple sliced
1 Tbsp brown sugar cinnamon cream cheese
1 oz. brie (that's 1 oz. with the rind removed - that waxy stuff doesn't taste good on anything)

Spread cream cheese over tortilla shell. Top with apple and slices of brie (I smushed them a little to help them melt more evenly over the shell). Fold over and place in hot skillet, indoor grill, or quesadilla maker, if you have one. Heat for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and shell is slightly browned, and enjoy!

WW info:
5 Points per quesadilla

Spinach Cheese Enchiladas

This is a recipe I found on WeightWatchers.com and then modified. I was skeptical at first, but it was AMAZING. I served this with Spanish rice and corn with peppers.

10 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained/wrung out
8 oz. FF ricotta
8 oz. FF cream cheese
1/3 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 6-inch flour tortillas
1 jar salsa
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use 2% Sargento - best I've found)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat glass baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine spinach, ricotta, cream cheese, and seasonings in large bowl. Spoon equal amounts into the center of each tortilla. Roll up, fold in the ends, and place fold side down in baking pan. Cover with salsa and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

WW Info:
6 points per serving (1 enchilada - I had my doubts, but, yes, this is more than enough)

Apple Martinis

3 ounces vodka
3 ounces Apple Pucker
5 ounces apple juice

Combine all ingredients in martini shaker with ice. Shake, pour, and serve!

Veggie Pizza

Pillsbury.com has tons of great recipes - I combined a few to come up with this crowd-pleasing veggie pizza. My former coworkers requested it for every work function!

2 cans reduced-fat crescent rolls
1 tub reduced-fat garden vegetable cream cheese
2 Tbsp. skim milk
assorted veggies - whatever you like! (My favorites are broccoli, carrots, and red peppers)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles and lay across pan, and press out. Bake for 13-17 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Let cool.

Mix cream cheese and milk. Spread over cooled crust and top with vegetables. Cut into 12 slices.

WW Info:
4 Points per slice

Bacon Bleu Burgers

This is a recipe I learned from Sandra Lee, then just picked and chose what we like on our burgers:

1 lb. 95/5 ground beef
1 Tbsp. Montreal Grill Seasoning
1/4 cup bacon bits
1/4 cup bleu cheese

Combine all ingredients in medium glass bowl. Form into 4 patties, and place on hot grill. Cook until brown all the way through (no pink burgers - remember, salmonella is NOT your friend).

These are delicious topped with extra bleu cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and your other favorite burger toppings. I've also combined equal parts of light butter and bleu cheese to make a fantastic spread for on top. Just remember to add the points for any extras if you're on the WW plan!

WW Info:
5 points per burger

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

This is an amazing Weight Watchers recipe I originally got from Aimee's Adventures. I made a few variations for the recipe below, but it's still incredible.


12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup of skinless breast meat from a rotisserie chicken (you could also use canned chicken for this if that's what you have on-hand - a can or two drained should work nicely)
3 cups Ragu 6-Cheese pasta sauce
1 cup buffalo wing sauce
1.5 cups water
15 oz. skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
*9 slices 2% pepperjack cheese (I only had regular, so I used 6 slices instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shred chicken in bowl, and mix with pasta sauce, wing sauce, and water. Combine ricotta cheese and egg substitute in another small bowl.

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam. Spread 1 cup of sauce/chicken mixture in the bottom of pan. Arrange 4 uncooked noodles over the sauce. Spread more sauce, then a layer of ricotta/egg mixture. Add another layer of sauce, then noodles, etc., and end with a layer of sauce. Cover and bake 70 minutes. Uncover and add cheese, then bake another 15 minutes uncovered. Let stand 10-15 minutes.


*For less heat, you could use cheddar cheese, or a mixture of cheddar and bleu. You could also tame it by serving ranch and/or bleu cheese dressing on the side for dipping as needed. Just remember to up your Points values accordingly!

WW Points: 6 for 1/8 of the pan

Maple-mustard Glazed Chicken with Applesauce

I saw this recipe on Rachael Ray one day, and I couldn't resist it. The way the applesauce made the house smell was incredible.

Applesauce:
4 Golden Delicious apples, cored and chopped
1 cup apple juice
1 large handful of golden raisins (1/2 - 3/4 cup)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the ingredients in a crock pot and cook over low heat until soft, around 4 hours.

Maple-mustard Glazed Chicken
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp spicy brown Dijon mustard
Dash salt and pepper

Heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet.

When almost cooked, pour maple syrup around edge of pan, add mustard, and stir. When sauce is reduced, dip cooked chicken in the syrup-mustard mixture to create a glaze. Top with applesauce.

I served this with broccoli macaroni and cheese, but the this mac and cheese doesn't warrant a post. Next time I make it, it will be better and I'll blog about it then. :-)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

There's a reason this is affectionately known as "Crack Dip!"



After hearing so many nesties rave about buffalo chicken dip, I couldn't resist making it one night. I based my recipe off of this one from Now That's What's Cooking and gave it a little bit of a semi-homemade flair. It's UNBELIEVABLE!!!

1 large can of chicken (use more if you have it, or rotisserie - this just happens to be what was in the cupboard!) :-)
8 oz. Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce
8 oz. lite ranch dressing
8 oz. crumbled bleu cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. cream cheese

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine all ingredients, and bake for 40 minutes. Enjoy with celery, pretzels, tostito chips (baked or otherwise), whatever you like.

Sangria

Determined to ignore the snow falling outside, I made sangria for DH and I last night. Fabulous! We finished the first pitcher and I made a second one for today, letting the fruit soak in the wine overnight.

I used this recipe from About.com as a base, then just modified it a bit:

1 bottle of wine (I used both merlot and white merlot, and I think I like a lighter variety best)
1 orange
1 lemon
1 apple
2 shots rum
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cups of diet ginger ale

Pour the wine into a pitcher. Cut lemon and orange into wedges and squeeze into wine, then toss fruit in. Cut apple into wedges and add to pitcher. Stir in sugar and rum, and refrigerate. Stir in ginger ale right before serving.

Sangria is better the colder it gets, so either start with chilled wine, add some ice, or be prepared to wait impatiently!

WW Hot Fudge Cake - Yes, it IS Possible!

I remember having this growing up - SO good, but definitely not what you would call good for you. Until now!


1 box Duncan Hines brownie mix
1/3 cup egg whites
1 can Diet Dr. Pepper Chocolate Covered Cherry
Low-fat ice cream (I love Edy's 1/2 the Fat Double Churned Vanilla Bean)
Hot Fudge
FF Whipped Cream
And a cherry on top!


This is just my diet soda red velvet cake recipe, with 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream, 1.5 Tbsp of hot fudge, and a small squirt of fat free whipped cream on top. And the best part is, it's only about 4 Points per serving!

Seafood Stuffed Shells

16 pasta shells
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cup part-skim Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup chopped shrimp (or whole salad shrimp)
1 cup Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp onion flakes
salt, pepper, and other spices to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil pasta shells until al dente in texture. Drain and set aside.

Combine Parmesan cheese, hefty 1/2 cup shrimp, ricotta cheese, and spices in a large bowl. Spoon evenly into pasta shells (about 1-2 heaping Tbsp in each). Place in baking dish.

Combine Alfredo sauce, white wine, tomatoes, and remaining shrimp in medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until combined. Pour sauce over shells in baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Top with mozzarella cheese, and bake additional 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Fettuccine with Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

I admit it, to the hard-core foodies out there, this will be an insult to your kitchen-telligence. However, when you want a nice dinner with the hubby after a long day, this is great with garlic bread, tossed salad, and a bottle (or two) of Riesling. Enjoy!

1 roasted red pepper, drained
1 jar light Alfredo sauce (I usually go for Ragu, but any will do)
Whole wheat pasta (Barilla is my fave)

Directions:
Blend red pepper until smooth. Stir into Alfredo sauce, then heat through. Serve over pasta.

WW Info:
Pasta: 3 Points per 1-cup serving
Sauce: 2 Points per 1/4-cup serving
Additional Points for wine, bread, and salad as needed

To-die-for Red Velvet Cake

I kid you not, this is one of the best red velvet cakes I have ever made. It's easy, extremely semi-homemade, and really diet-friendly, but you'd never know it by the taste.

Cake:
1 package Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake (I avoid Betty Crocker like the plague)
1/3 cup egg whites from a carton
1 can Diet 7-Up
Pam with Flour baking spray

Frosting:
1 container Pillsbury Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Equal amount FF, SF Cool-Whip

Directions:
Spray Prepare cake according to package directions, substituting egg whites and 7-Up for oil and regular eggs. Spray 12x9 baking dish with spray, and bake per package directions, adjusting for your oven. Allow cake to cool, then frost with blended frosting/Cool-Whip mixture. Store in refrigerator!

Chicken Parmesan

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, whisked
1 cup bread crumbs (don't worry, you won't use anywhere near the entire cup, it's just to ensure there's enough to coat all of the chicken)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. oregano
Dash salt and pepper
EVOO
Part-skim mozzarella cheese
Pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, oregano, and salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Coat chicken in egg, then dredge through chicken mixture. Brush each side with EVOO and place in skillet. Heat on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, or until coating is crispy. Flip and do the same on reverse side.

Spray glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in dish and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to each chicken breast, and pour pasta sauce over entire dish (not enough to fill it up, just enough to cover the bottom). Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

VERY good over whole wheat pasta!

WW Info:
6 Points per chicken breast
(Add additional points for any pasta)

WW BBQ Chicken

This is a fabulous, moist BBQ chicken without all of the added sugar of bottled sauces. This is pictured with oven fries - a favorite with this (and many other) recipes.


1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup ketchup
1 can Diet Coke (I prefer w/Splenda, but any Diet you have on hand will work)

Whisk together Diet Coke and ketchup in a bowl.

Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken to skillet and cover with soda-ketchup mixture. Cook over medium-high heat for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. If you'd like a thicker sauce, reduce hear to medium-low and cover for about 10 minutes.

WW Info:
4 points (3 oz. serving)