Szechuan Shrimp

I love Chinese food. And not the good-for-you, light white sauce on the side Chinese food. I love the brown sauce-drenched deep fried Chinese food like General Tso's chicken. Yum. But, of course, those aren't very friendly to the old Points calculator, now are they? So I found this recipe on Stephanie Cooks, a blog by a girl after my own heart who follows Weight Watchers but uses real food to do it.

I added lots of veggies (a package of Steamfresh that just cook right in the microwave - love these!) and brown rice to this recipe, and just doubled the sauce from Stephanie's original so I had enough to cover all of the extras.

1 pound cooked large shrimp
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, diced
4 cloves minced or crushed garlic (I used my ever-present garlic press)
1 bag Steamfresh Asian vegetables (no sauce)

Combine water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper flakes and ginger in a small bowl. Prepare vegetables in microwave according to package directions.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic and stir fry for ab about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and vegetables and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Heat until sauce is thick and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings.

WW Info
4 Points for 1/4 of recipe (not including rice)

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks, originally from Blog Chef.

Apple Cinnamon Belgian Waffles

With more winter weather raging outside, tonight was supposed to be pumpkin waffles. I could have sworn I had a can of pumpkin waiting in the pantry. But when I got in there, no pumpkin to be found. So I decided there was no time like tonight to try apple cinnamon waffles. We weren't disappointed, especially when they were topped with warm maple syrup. They were a cross between waffles and apple dumplings - two great things to have for dinner!

(I promise, a picture is coming. But, to be honest, they look like any other Belgian waffle!)

1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 shredded apple
1 tsp. vanilla
Nonstick cooking spray

Heat waffle iron and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, butter, apple, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, stirring until well moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour onto greased, hot waffle iron. Bake until cooked through according to waffle iron directions.

Makes 4 Belgian waffles.

WW Info:
4 Points per waffle

Adapted from Cooks.com.

Chili-Lime Chicken Tacos

I saw these tacos listed on Lovestoeat's Weblog, one of my favorite food blogs. This recipe is a great combination of tasty and healthy. Plus you cook these in your crockpot, so it makes life nice and easy. I made these in a 2-quart slow cooker; if you use a larger model, you may want to increase the recipe quantities or adjust the cook time accordingly.


1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup chunky salsa, plus additional for topping
1 package flour tortillas
Sour cream, shredded lettuce, cheese, and other favorite taco toppings

Place the chicken slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

When chicken is cooked, remove from slow cooker and cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker and stir in salsa. Cover and cook on low an additional 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with desired toppings.

WW Info:
7 Points for two tacos - two shells and 3 oz. chicken. Add additional Points for any additional toppings.

Adapted from Lovestoeat's Weblog.

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I saw this sauce recipe on Cooking Light, and thought it would be fabulous over chicken rather than just plain pasta. Trust me, it is. Plus, it makes for a very light, very filling meal.



1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Whole wheat egg noodles (if desired)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

For the sauce:
2 tsp. EVOO
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup FF half and half
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Brush EVOO over both sides of chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Grill until cooked through. Boil water and cook egg noodles.

At the same time, heat 2 tsp. EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are clear, around 2 minutes. Add roasted red peppers and cook until heated through, around 2 more minutes. Increase to medium-high heat and stir in vinegar, cooking until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together half and half and tomato paste. Process pepper mixture in a food processor until smooth. Return to pan and cook over low heat until warm. Stir in half and half mixture and heat through. Stir in ground red pepper.

Serve chicken on a bed of egg noodles. Drizzle sauce on top.

WW Info:
7 points for 1 cup noodles, 3 ounces chicken, and about 1/4 cup of sauce