This is the original version that I got off the web (sorry I can't remember where):

CORE REFRIED BEAN CASSEROLE

1 lb ground Beef
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning or homemade taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 can (15.25 oz) Corn
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes
1 can (16 oz) Fat Free Refried Beans
1 Can (10 oz) Rotel
2 cups ff cheddar cheese
4 cups brown Rice

Brown ground beef, drain and rince. Add water and taco seasoning and simmer until sause thickens. Add remaining ingredients and bake in 350 degree oven until heated through (20 min.)

So here's my take on it:

Mexican Goulash

1 lb lean ground Beef
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 can (15.25 oz) Corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 can (16 oz) Fat Free Refried Beans
1 Can (10 oz) Rotel, with liquid
2 cups ff cheddar cheese
2-3 servings Brown Rice (prepared)

Prepare brown rice according to directions. Brown hamburger, drain (if necessary), add taco seasoning and water, simmer. Add corn, tomatoes, rotel, and refried beans. Place rice in 9x13 baking dish. Top with hamburger mixture. Mix. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Pan-fried cornmeal chicken
 

Pan-fried Cornmeal Chicken

¼ cup ground cornmeal
1½ tsp Cajun seasoning
4 (4 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tbs olive oil

Place cornmeal and seasoning in a zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake well to coat.

Heat oil in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

I cut my chicken into strips, so they were like chicken tenders. You can use any seasoning you like -- I tried this with Chicken Rub and it was really good.

Hearty Core Lasagna
 

Hearty Core Lasagna

1 pound ground sirloin
Healthy Olive oil to saute
1 cup onion -- chopped
3 garlic cloves -- minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley -- chopped & divided
28 ounces whole tomatoes -- canned
14 1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes -- Italian-style
8 ounces no-salt-added tomato sauce -- 1 can
6 ounces tomato paste -- 1 can
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups nonfat cottage cheese
1 ounce grated FF Parmesan cheese -- 1/2 cup fresh
15 ounces nonfat ricotta cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
12-13 whole wheat lasagna noodles -- cooked. Don't be tempted to not cook the noodles. There won't be enough sauce. You'll probably need 2 boxes of noodles. Mine only had 10 in the box.
8 ounces shredded FF provolone cheese -- 2 cups (I'm going to use a 6 ounce package shredded soy blend that I found with provolone, parmesan and romano). I also added an 8 oz bag of FF mozzarella because I thought the blend shreds where not enough.

Cook meat in a large saucepan over medium heat until browned stirring to crumble; drain and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel.

Coat pan with cooking spray; add the onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes.

Return meat to pan. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and next 7 ingredients (tomatoes should be undrained & chopped).

Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, cottage cheese, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside. I blended the cottage cheese to make it creamy.

Spread 3/4 cup tomato mixture (try to only use the juice here) in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 2-1/4 cups tomato mixture, and 2/3 cup provolone.

Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the remaining tomato mixture over noodles.

Cover; bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sprinkle with remaining provolone; bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with oregano, if desired. Yield: 9 servings.

Core Spaghetti Meat Sauce
 

While making the Core Lasagna, I tasted the sauce and thought it would be fabulous all alone on top of ww pasta. I added fresh mushrooms and sauted them with the garlic and onion. I served it over ww rotini and it was delicious. The sauce is chunky so you'll need a substantial pasta to hold it. It made a very big batch and I've frozen the leftovers for another meal. My experience is that tomato sauce freezes great. I didn't freeze the pasta because I like it better when I cook fresh pasta.

1 pound ground sirloin
Healthy Olive oil to saute
1 cup onion -- chopped
3 garlic cloves -- minced
1 Tablespoon dried parsley or 1/8 cup fresh parsley
28 ounces whole tomatoes -- canned
14 1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes -- Italian-style
8 ounces no-salt-added tomato sauce -- 1 can
6 ounces tomato paste -- 1 can
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Brown meat in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to crumble; drain and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel.

Coat pan with cooking spray; add the onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes.

Return meat to pan. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and next 7 ingredients (tomatoes should be undrained & chopped).

Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Probably makes about 6-8 servings.

EZ Turkey Cabbage Stir Fry
 

Thought I'd post a family favorite. I'm big on EASY recipes. Can't get much easier than this one. (By the way, the family doesn't know it's "diet food." - LOL)

Turkey tenderloin, sliced into medallions (or you can use stir-fry strips)
Shredded cabbage
Salt & Pepper

Saute the turkey in a non-stick skillet. (Depending on your skillet you might want to spray some Pam in first, but usually I don't) Once the turkey is cooked through, add the shredded cabbage. Stir fry it until it's tender, but not too soft. Add salt & pepper to taste and serve! (Told ya it was easy!)

Of course this is a Core recipe, so you can save your points for something special! :lol:

Teriyaki Chicken
 

I serve this to company and everyone raves about it. Got the recipe years ago at a Diet Workshop meeting.

1/2 C. Lemon Juice
1/4 C. water
3 TBSP. Lite Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
6 chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each,) split and skinned

Combine first 5 ingredients to make marinade. Marinate chicken for several hours (or overnight.) Barbecue or broil chicken until cooked through, basting frequently with leftove marinade. Delicious!

Speedy Pork Tostadas
 

There's a low-carb flour tortilla that calculates to zero points (although my WW leader said you still have to count a point for it). You can use any flour tortilla you like as long as you count the points.

Speedy Pork Tostadas

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 low-carb flour tortilla (count points!)
Cooking spray
1/2 pound pork tenderloin -- cut into short, thin strips
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
15 1/2 ounces black beans, canned -- rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chunky salsa
2 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup fat-free cheddar cheese -- shredded (about 2 oz)
1 cup chopped tomato -- about 1
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden.

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork, garlic, and cumin; sauté 3 minutes or until pork is browned. Add beans and salsa, simmer 4 minutes or until pork is tender.


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 217 Calories; 3g Fat (13.3% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 41mg Cholesterol; 626mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Texas Two-Step Chicken
 

Texas 2 Step Chicken

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chicken

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups salsa
3 tablespoons splenda
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

PLACE chicken in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Mix salsa, Splenda and mustard. Pour over chicken.

BAKE at 400°F. for 20 min. or until done.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 155 Calories; 2g Fat (10.6% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 66mg Cholesterol; 542mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Serving Ideas : Nice with a brown rice side dish.

CORE MEXICAN CASSEROLE

1 cup cornmeal
3 dashes cayenne
dash salt
3 cups boiling water

whisk all together then pour into casserole dish sprayed with pam. bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

while polenta is baking heat these ingredients in a skillet sprayed with pam.

leftover roast that's been shredded OR frozen chicken fajita pieces OR browned burger
bell pepper chopped
one chopped onion

after you've finished heating these veggies, pour 1 cup salsa into mixture and let simmer for a few minutes till thickened.

one can ff rf beans
1 cup shredded ff cheddar cheese
jalapenos for garnish

after polenta is done, spread the can ff rf beans on top. on top of the beans spread the ff cheese then top with the meat mixture. garnish with jalapenos if you'd like.

place casserole dish (with the lid on) onto a cookie sheet to protect your oven from overflow. bake at 350* for 1 hour.

this is all core. serves 6.

HERE'S A RECIPE I GOT OFF THE NET. (i don't know if i got it here. if i did, i apologize for repeating.)

TWICE BAKED CHICKEN

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic--pressed
1 whole egg beaten
1 cup ff ricotta cheese
paprika to taste

preheat oven to 350*.

put chicken breasts in a 9x13 greased casserole dish. cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes. this is the first baking of the chicken.

while chicken is baking, in a skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat and saute onion and garlic till translucent; set aside.

mix together egg and ricotta cheese till smooth. add onion and garlic to the ricotta cheese mixture.

after the chicken has been in the oven for the first baking time, remove it from the oven. uncover and top with cheese/onion mixture. sprinkle with paprika. return to oven and bake another 15 minutes or till chicken is done.

CORE AND MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Beef & Noodles
 

I have not tried this recipe yet, but I just found it in my newest copy of Kraft Food and Family. It looks really great!

Beef & Noodles with Fresh Vegetables

1/4 cup Italian Dressing (ff for core)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 lb. lean boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sugar snap peas, halved
1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
12 oz. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained (ww for core)

Mix dressing and soy sauce. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add steak strips, garlic, and 1 tbsp. dressing mixture; cook 3 minutes or until steak is barely pink in center. Transfer to plate, set aside.
Add sugar snap peas, yellow pepper and remaining dressing mixture to skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Return steak to skillet; stir-fry 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in tomato and cilantro. Serve over hot cooked pasta.

Makes 6 servings.

I made this one tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! I used regular brown sugar in the sauce (gasp!), but I bet brown sugar substitute or even Splenda would sweeten it just as nicely.

Cowboy BBQ Marinade and Sauce

1 cup finely chopped onion (I used Vidalia)
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (or sugar substitute)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 to 1/4 t. crushed red pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove 1 cup to use as a marinade.

2. Bring remaining mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or till desired consistency is reached, stirring occasionally.

Note: Make sure you marinade steaks for several hours. I used shoulder tenders, and grilled them on medium heat for about 18 minutes, till they were only barely pink in the middle. They stayed very tender, and the sauce was delicious!

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

I thought I got this recipe here, but I can't find it anywhere. I served this tonight with the Crockpot Mexican Chicken on pg 1 of this thread. It was delicious! Next time I will try to use only 2 TBSP of olive oil.

Mexican Rice
Serving Size : 6

1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic -- minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked brown rice -- NOT INSTANT
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper or chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion

Heat oil. Add rice and cook until golden and toasted. Add and lightly saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Put salt, 1/2 cup of tomatoes (undrained) and broth in a blender. Process till smooth.

Add liquid from blender to the rice mixture slowly. You can drain the rest of the tomatoes and add them to the rice at this point if you want extra tomato.

Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low, and simmer until rice is tender, about 1 hour. (Or however long brown rice needs to simmer - my package says 1 hour.)

Don't remove the lid during the cooking process.

If you don't have fresh garlic, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to the blender.

i got this off the net today. now i need to get some ff buttermilk so i can try it.

Barbara's CORE 'Fried' Chicken

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound chicken breasts, no skin, no bone, R-T-C
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper -- freshly ground
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornmeal, whole-grain -- stone ground

Pour buttermilk into ziplock bag and place the breasts in. Seal and
squish the breasts around in the bag to coat with the buttermilk. Store
in fridge overnight. Turning when you think about it.

Next day, place all remaining ingredients in another bag and place drained
chicken in bag a couple of pieces at a time. Shake to coat. Place on
nonstick pan (I use an oven safe rack sprayed with non stick spray on a
cookie sheet so the chicken crisps on all sides.) Spray the chicken
pieces very lightly with non stick spray and bake in a 400° oven for about
15 minutes til crisp and brown.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 205 Calories; 4g Fat (17.1%
calories from fat); 28g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 70mg
Cholesterol; 231mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 0
Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat.

Mexican Style Bow Ties
 

Mexican-Style Bow Ties

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 ounces whole wheat pasta -- uncooked - bow tie, elbow or any shape
8 ounces lean ground beef
1 16-ounce can kidney beans -- drained
OR
1 16-ounce can pinto beans -- drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 medium tomatoes -- seeded and chopped (I used a can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes)
2 8-ounce cans whole kernel corn -- drained
1 small green bell pepper -- chopped
1/2 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 cup medium salsa

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. .

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef and drain. Add beans, cumin and chili powder; heat through. In large bowl, combine pasta, meat mixture, tomatoes, corn, green pepper, cheese and onions. In small bowl, combine yogurt and salsa. Add to salad mixture and toss well. Serve warm or cold. Serve with additional salsa.

Serves 6-8


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 302 Calories; 7g Fat (20.0% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 23mg Cholesterol; 486mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat.