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Loaded Potato Soup

7 points
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup prechopped onion
1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 bacon slices, halved
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.

2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.

3. Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.

4. Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon.


CALORIES 325 ; FAT 11.1g (sat 5.2g,mono 4.5g,poly 0.8g); CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 261mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.8g; SODIUM 670mg; PROTEIN 13.2g; FIBER 3g; IRON 1.3mg

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Maple-Glazed Chicken with Apple-Brussels Sprout Slaw+

6 points

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 cutlets and about 3/4 cup slaw)

8 (2-ounce) chicken cutlets (I used boneless chicken breasts)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons maple syrup
8 ounces Brussels sprouts
1/4 cup dried currants
1 medium Fuji or Gala apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Changes after making this once:

Recommend adding herbs like thyme to maple syrup mix.  Keep breasts whole to retain moisture in meat)

Soak the currants in the vinegar and oil mix.  After cooking the chicken and glaze, remove from the pan and keep warm.  Put the vinegar/oil/currants into the pan, heat up and add the sprouts and apples for a brief warm up – don’t let them get soft.

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and syrup to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with glaze.

2. Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add Brussels sprouts, currants, and apple; toss to combine. Serve slaw with chicken.


CALORIES 282 ; FAT 8.7g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.4g,poly 1.5g); CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 54mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.4g; SODIUM 331mg; PROTEIN 28.6g; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 2.1mg

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Spinach Cheese Bake

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 3/4 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 cup egg substitute
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Pour the butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; tilt dish to coat. Place spinach evenly in bottom of dish; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Pour milk mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Yield:  12 servings

 

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Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

8 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Combine sausage, bread, and onions in a large bowl. Combine milk, cheese, eggs, and egg substitute in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to bread mixture, tossing to coat bread. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover casserole. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

Yield:  6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

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Black Pepper Corn Bread

Finishing the freshly baked surface of this corn bread with butter and salt adds big flavor to every bite. To keep the bread moist, seal the cooled bread in plastic wrap, and don’t slice it until you’re ready to serve.

1/3  cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/3  cups cornmeal
2  teaspoons baking powder
3/4  teaspoon salt, divided
1/2  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1  cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1  cup fat-free milk
3  tablespoons butter, melted and divided
2  tablespoons honey
3  large eggs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Place corn and milk in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons butter, honey, and eggs; process until combined. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir just until combined.
Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Lightly brush corn bread with remaining 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve warm, or cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

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Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms+

Fresh citrus and sweet, sour, and spicy Asian flavors put a new twist on mushroom salad. If mushrooms are very large, quarter them. Marinating overnight intensifies the taste.

1/4  cup rice vinegar
2  tablespoons sugar
2  tablespoons fresh lime juice
1  tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4  teaspoon salt
4  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1  teaspoon grated orange rind
2  teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1  teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2  teaspoon grated lime rind
1  pound mushrooms, halved
2  tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in orange rind, oils, and lime rind. Combine vinegar mixture and mushrooms in a large bowl; toss well to combine. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Add parsley; toss to combine.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

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Colorful Kale with Peppers+

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • a handful of small red and yellow sweet peppers, sliced
  • 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Set a large pot of water to boil.  In a large skillet, saute the shallots and garlic over medium heat for a few minutes in oil.  Add in the peppers and eventually the mushrooms – don’t overcook since you’ll add the kale in for a final few minutes.

Submerge the kale leaves in the boiling water and let cook for 2-3 minutes.  They turn a lovely bright shade of green.  Remove from water and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add to shallot mix and saute for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.