Thank you...that sounds delish!

Was wondering if anyone has a low-calorie potato salad recipe? Or a recipe for potato salad. I have made one the last two weeks and while I have always liked my potato salad (even though I haven't made it often over the years) I am finding it to be a little bland. So was wondering if any of you ever make it and what you put in yours.

Also, if you have any pasta salad recipes or suggestions for what to take to a reunion. I figure a lot will bring potato salad so was thinking pasta salad but something a little different than what I make, which is just a basic macaroni salad with peas, carrots, eggs and ham.

CRISTI

I always find that fresh dill really adds a zing to potato salad. I also use ultra low fat Miricle Whip Salad dressing by Kraft



Anita

...I found this recipe for WW macaroni salad, 12 1/2 cup servings, 1 point each. Maybe you could adapt some of the ideas to your potato salad? Or maybe you like macaroni salad, too!

2 cup dry whole-wheat elbow macaroni
1 medium stalk celery, diced
1 small sweet red pepper(s), chopped
1/2 cup cooked frozen peas and carrots
3 medium scallion(s), chopped
1/2 cup Kraft Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese, or other brand
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup dill pickle(s), sliced
1/4 tsp onion powder

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again. Combine cooked pasta, celery, pepper, peas and carrots, scallion and cheese in a large mixing bowl.

To make dressing, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle and onion powder in a small bowl. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

It also suggested you could add water packed tuna and make it a main dish...shouldn't be hard to figure out the added points.

This soup looked really good to me, from the WW website...I don't usually like cooking with "fake" foods (like egg substitute or sugar substitute), but I'm all for using low fat or fat free options of some ingredients to makeover a recipe.

Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil

6 servings, 2 points each

1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
2 medium leek(s), chopped (white parts only)
8 medium tomato(es), ripe, beefsteak, cored and chopped (about 3 lbs)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 piece bay leaf
4 cup vegetable broth
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 Tbsp basil, fresh, chopped
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh (for garnish)

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set pan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf; cook until tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf.

Working in batches, puree tomato mixture in a blender until smooth (be careful not to splatter hot liquid). Return puree to saucepan and set pan over low heat. (Or puree in saucepan using an immersion blender.) Add milk and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in basil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with thyme and serve. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

This is a really good soup that my WW friend used to bring to school. She'd make a big pot for the teachers and it is wonderful....easy too!

Vegetable Cheese Soup

2 cans Fat-Free Chicken Broth
1 can Rotel and Tomatoes
1lb Velvetta Light
1 bag frozen California Vegetables

Add all ingredients together. Do not drain mushrooms.
Stir until cheese is melted.
ENJOY!!!
*1cup=1WW point

Hello, not sure if any of you will like this, it is from the south beach section! I'm not sure of how many points it would be, but it is all low fat and wonderful tasting...also very filling! It is supposed to make 4 servings, but I could only eat about 1/6th of it!!


Taco Bake

When craving tacos/burritos, I came up with this recipe. Unfortnately, the first time I made it, my husband and I polished off the whole thing it was so yummy. Now when I make it, the casserole dish stays on the stove forcing us to get up and go get more helpings if we -really- want it. Thought I'd share. It definitely gets us through the taco/mexican food cravings.

Serves 4:
1 can refried beans (I'm lucky enough to have a Trader Joes that carries organic refried beans with nothing but beans, water, spices).
1 lb extra lean ground beef (I'm able to get 94% lean - groundy turkey can be used too)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper chopped (red's my favorite, but use whatever)
8 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped (diced, not sliced)
1 can green chilis (like ortega)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more, if you'd like)
2-3 TB chili powder (your favorite that hopefully has no added sugar)
1 TB cumin
1-2 t garlic powder
2-3 TB tomato paste
2/3 C shredded f/f or l/f cheese, your choice, although I think cheddar is the best

Garnish - any, all work well:
chopped green onions
chopped black olives
l/f, f/f sour cream
chopped lettuce and tomatoes
chopped cilantro
chopped white or bermuda onion
salsa

Preheat oven to 450. Take a flat casserole dish, spray with cooking spray and spread refried beans on the bottom. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute meat, onions, bell pepper, garlic (season with S&P) until onion begins to soften and meat beings to brown. Add mushrooms and cook until they've released their water and meat is thoroughly browned. Drain fat and add all spices, and cook for about 2-3 minutes until spices toast. Add green chilies and tomato paste, along with a little bit of water, if needed. The mixture should be moist but not runny.

Take the casserole dish with the beans, pour mixture on top and top with cheese (sometimes I add olives and green onions at this stage). Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starts to bubble. Serve with generous heaps of lettuce as a bed (romain, red leaf and iceberg work really well here), and garnish with garnishes of your choice.

I came up with this recipe tonight, kinda finishing off stuff in the fridge and it was soooooooo good -- filling and satisfying, and tastes a lot richer than it really is.

Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup

1/2 small boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/4 C red bell pepper, chopped
1 C sliced mushrooms
1 portabello mushroom, cut into small chunks
2/3 C cooked long grain and wild rice (I used Uncle Ben's)
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 soupcans of water
1 chicken boullion cube

Scrape dark underside of portabello with a spoon before chopping it -- the dark gills tend to discolor food. Spray non-stick spray into heavy bottomed saucepan; saute chicken and chopped veggies until chicken is lightly browned and onions are transparent. Add rice, soup, water, boullion, and seasonings to taste -- I used lemon pepper and parsley. Simmer until everybody is well acquainted with each other and happy.

We calculated that this was about 11 points for the whole pot, and made 5 1-cup servings, so just over 2 pts per cup. I would think other leftover veggies would be good in this -- cooked baby carrots, or broccoli, or zucchini...

I found a lowfat banana muffin recipe, but it still had oil in it, so I experimented and was able to bring the muffins down to 2 pts. When they are warm they tend to stick to the muffin papers, probably because they have virtually no fat -- they actually have a better texture once they are cool, and the paper comes off much easier. Next time, I might try just spraying the muffin tin with non-stick spray.

1 3/4 C flour
1 T baking powder
1/3 C sugar (I used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda for baking)
1 C mashed ripe banana (2-3, depending on size)
1 egg
2/3 C skim milk
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce (makes up for the missing oil)

Heat oven to 425, mix dry ingredients, then stir in wet ingredients, just until moistened (don't overmix). Bake 15-20 min until lightly browned in paperlined muffin cups, or spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Makes 12, 2 pts each.

For another variation, you could add 2-3 T of unsweetened cocoa (0 pts) and 1/4 C of mini chocolate chips (4 pts added to the whole recipe, or splurge 1/2 C for 8 pts added to the whole recipe, I'd probably count 2.5 pts per muffin then).

Katiecat~I am definitely going to have to try your banana muffins!! Banana bread is a fav of mine even though I haven't had it in years. The muffins would be a good snack when I crave something sweet. I have discovered the WW cookies & cream bars which are really good and only 2 points. Also, blue bunny swirly things. Can't remember what they are called, but they are raspberry/cream and orange/cream. Will have to figure out the points but they were next to the WW in the freezer dept.

Hiya, Cristi!

Yeah, the banana muffins were good for what we were looking for -- something super low fat and super low points -- they probably would have a better texture and not go stale as fast with a teeny bit of oil in them -- maybe a couple of tablespoons -- that wouldn't amount to much in a recipe that makes 12. And the texture definitely is better after they are cooled.

Don't know if I ever mentioned this, but I went to a commercial baking school about 20 years ago, and worked in several bakeries...I just love playing in the kitchen and cooking, but now I just have to be creative to make WW friendly recipes, LOL!

OK, this was the result of trying to duplicate, or at least come close to, the hot artichoke spinach dip they serve at Olive Garden -- a WW version, of course. Don't know how close it is, but it was pretty darn tasty.

1/2 C frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped fine
1/2 C frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp light whipped cream cheese
2 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 small clove garlic, crushed
couple of pinches of salt
ground black pepper
pinch or two of crushed red pepper, or dash of tobasco

Combine in an ovenproof dish (mix 1 Tbsp of the parmesan in the dish and sprinkle the other Tbsp on top), bake at 325 until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Serve with baked pita chips, rye toasts, and/or carrot and celery sticks. The whole recipe of dip is about 5 pts, we split it in half -- just make sure to count the points for whatever you dip

I got the frozen artichoke hearts at Trader Joe's -- I like that I can just take what I want out of the bag, and keep the rest in the freezer. Canned would work too, but marinated ones are in oil, so I would avoid those. I got the frozen spinach at TJ's too -- and it was frozen loose in the bag, and much easier to measure than the chopped stuff that is frozen in a block.

Hi Angie! Didn't see you over here...

Yep, this dip is great with baby carrots, red pepper strips, and celery sticks, and it's 0 WW points for veggie dippers like that, so it would just be the points for the dip, which is 5 points for whole thing, or 2 1/2 points if you share it But I love it with baked pita chips, so that's another point or two for me...

Bourbon-Pecan Sweet Potatoes

8 servings, 3 points each

1 1/2 pound cooked sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 fl oz bourbon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Lightly toast pecan pieces in foil-lined pie pan in oven, about 5-7 minutes at 350. Mash cooked sweet potatoes w/butter, syrup, and bourbon. Stir in toasted pecans and adjust seasoning to taste.

You can whip these for a lighter, fluffier texture. We like these because they are a more natural, less sweet version, instead of candied sweet potatoes (we don't like all the syrupy glop). But if your family likes them sweeter, you can increase the maple syrup, or add brown sugar, or stick marshmallows on top and brown it in the oven, just be sure to figure it into the total points per serving.

Cranberry Sauce

2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup dried cherries
4 fl oz dry dessert wine or port
Juice and zest of one orange
enough water to make 1 cup of liquid
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Combine juice, port, and enough water to make 1 cup. Add to rest of ingredients in a saucepan, simmer until cranberries pop, 5-10 minutes, or until it's as thick as you like (it will thicken more as it cools). Skim off foam while it cooks. Ladle into a glass bowl and refrigerate.

Last year, I added the orange pulp, too, and it added more flavor.

12 servings, 2 points each