Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers

My WC sis, Lindsey, never ceases to give me reasons to love her. When I saw this dinner on her blog today, I began drooling all over my desk and had to pull out the disinfecting wipes. It was perfect because I had no dinner plans and was going to be home alone for dinner. I printed out the recipe and went straight to the grocery store after work to get some ground turkey. I couldn't wait to mush up these burgers.

I pulled out my digital scale and measured out 4 (5 oz.) servings from my package of ground turkey and froze 2 servings for future use. I decided to cook up 2 of these flavorful burgers so I would have something to take to work for lunch tomorrow (by the way, I so thought today was Friday, phhffft).

Here's the recipe scaled down for 2 burgers/servings:

TEX-MEX TURKEY BURGERS
Source: Lindsey

10 oz. 99% fat free ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of hot sauce (I excluded because I was too lazy to grab it out of the fridge)
1 Tbsp diced jalepeno peppers
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (I generally only keep sweet onions on hand because I prefer the taste)
1 sliced bell pepper, any color (I used 1 cup frozen tri-color pepper strips)
1 tsp olive oil

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1. In pan over low heat, saute 3/4 of onion and bell peppers in olive oil; stir occasionally to avoid burning.
2. In mixing bowl, combine turkey, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne black pepper, hot sauce, jalapeños, cilantro and the remaining 1/4 of the onion(finely chopped).
3. Using hands, mix until ingredients are combined. Divide mixture into two equal parts and form into patties.
4. Place patties on prepared grill or grill pan. Cook for five minutes per side or until no longer pink in center.
5. Remove from heat and top with onions, peppers and your favorite salsa.

To follow with Lindsey's suggestion, I served with 1/2 cup black beans

So, if you're looking for a very flavorful and quite healthy mexican dinner, you should definitely, hands down, give this one a try! Thanks, Lindsey!!

Weight Watchers points values per my calculations:
5 oz. 99% fat free ground turkey breast: 3 points
1/2 cup black beans: 2 points
1/2 tsp EVOO: 1 point
onions/peppers: 0 points
TOTAL: 6 points

Oh sweet nachos...

I love mexican food. Mexican food can sometimes be a challenge on the Weight Watchers diet. I heard great things about the Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! cookbook. And lucky for me, there was a special section for Mexican food alone. The first thing that grabbed my eye for ease of execution and best probability for tasting great was the Nachos Supreme. THANK GOD I found this recipe. Seriously - if you're on Weight Watchers, this recipe is a must-try!

NACHOS SUPREME
Source: Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! cookbook - copyright 2002

1 teaspoon olive oil (I excluded)
1 onion, finely chopped (I excluded)
1 garlic clove, minced (I excluded)
1/2 pound ground skinless turkey breast
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 (8-ounce) jar taco sauce
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into quarters
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I used a 2% mexican blend)
1 Tbsp sliced pickled jalepenos, chopped (I buy diced jalepenos in a jar)
1 tomato, diced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I excluded)
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1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes. (I skipped this entire step)
2. Add the turkey and the taco seasoning mix. Cook, breaking up the turkey, until browned, about 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans and taco sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the tortilla pieces in one layer on the broiler rack; spray the tortillas lightly with nonstick spray. Broil 4 inches from the heat, turning frequently, until crisp, about 4 minutes. (I cooked each side for 2 minutes - Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn)
5. Transfer the tortilla chips to a 9x13-inch broiler proof baking pan (I just used a baking sheet lined with foil for both steps 4 and 5). Spoon the turkey mixture evenly over the chips. Sprinkle with the cheese and jalepenos. Broil 4 inches from the heat until filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on them).
6. Top with tomato, scallions and cilantro. Serve at once.

OPTIONAL: I served each chip with a small dollop of fat-free sour cream

SERVINGS: 6
NUTRITIONAL INFO (1/6 of nachos): 215 cals/4 g fat/5 g fiber
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS VALUE (1/6 of nachos): 4 POINTS



BONUS!!!!!
I use this recipe for my taco seasoning mix:

2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper

It makes a good amount which I just store in a spice jar.

Spicy Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash? "What's that?" I asked my friend, Dana. She tried telling me how closely it resembles actual spaghetti. Now, on my Weight Watchers endeavors I need to find ways to get veggies in wherever I can. But I was skeptical to say the least. So, about a month ago I found a spaghetti squash in the grocery store. I'd never even noticed them before, because quite frankly, I'm not a fan of squashes (or is it squeesh?). Yes, friends, it took me a month to get up the guts to cook it. Now, Dana said she bakes her spaghetti squash. My friend, Jess, says she microwaves her. My Google search for spaghetti squash cooking tips landed me here. I found this site quite helpful for the spaghetti squash novice.

Well, I couldn't think of a better recipe to try the "squash instead of spaghetti" method than the Shrimp Scampi recipe previously featured on my blog here. Well, that was thanks to Dana again - because she tried it first.

Well, I made this dish last night - it was experimental. But guess what - I liked it SO DAMN MUCH that I had it again tonight! So I decided to blog it. Now, for those Weight Watchers followers - 1 cup of spaghetti squash is a ZERO point food! One cup of wheat pasta is 3 points! And 1 cup of regular pasta is 4 points!

To make this dish more enjoyable, I realized after the "experimental" half of the dinner last night that I would like it so much better with more sauce. So today I made up a new batch of sauce, cooked up some more shrimp, microwaved my leftover spaghetti squash and scarfed it down.

2 tsp EVOO (2 points)
6 oz shrimp (3 points)
minced garlic to taste (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 cup white wine (2 points)
zest and juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)
crushed red pepper to taste (for spicy I used 1 tsp)
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash (0 points)
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1. Heat oil. Add shrimp and saute until pink and firm (1-2 minutes). Remove shrimp and set aside.
2. Add minced garlic to pan and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds) - Be careful not to burn.
3. Add wine and lemon juice. Reduce a pinch.
4. Return shrimp to pan and remove from heat.
5. Serve over spaghetti squash.

Serves: 1 (easily doubled)

Seriously, this is a delicious, healthy and elegant 7 point meal. And you can reduce or eliminate the oil altogether to save on points.

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

This is one of our FAVORITE meals. My husband, of course, only eats the chicken and the rice, but that leaves all the veggies to me, which is a good thing as I just officially joined Weight Watchers. I usually make this dish by eyeballing everything, but for the purpose of my new Weight Watchers lifestyle, I measured everything out so that I could calculate the points value. Now this IS a spicy dish. If you choose to try it yourself and don't like really spicy food, feel free to alter the amount of red pepper and chili oil, or omit it altogether! That's just one of the many beauties of this dish.

SPICY CHICKEN STIR FRY
Source: Violet, an old friend who now lives in the U.K.

CHICKEN
2 chicken breasts (8 oz.), sliced thin
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp chili oil

VEGGIES
1 green pepper, chopped to your liking
1 small sweet onion, chopped to your liking
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili oil
2 tsp crushed garlic

SAUCE
3/4 cup cooking sherry (or any dry white wine)
4 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp corn starch

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1. For the chicken - in a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper and chili oil. Add chicken and stir to coat the chicken well.

2. For the veggies - in a large skillet, heat the sesame oil, chili oil and garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add veggies and saute until tender crisp. Remove veggies and set aside.

3. Add chicken mixture to skillet and cook chicken over medium heat until cooked through.

4. While the chicken is cooking, mix together the sherry, soy sauce and corn starch for your sauce.

5. When the chicken is cooked through, pour in the sauce mixture and return veggies to skillet. Stir and simmer until the alcohol is cooked off or until your veggies reach the desired tenderness.

Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Servings: 4

Weight Watchers points value: 5 points (not including rice)

Cals: 241/Fiber: 2/Fat: 7

Disclaimer: the nutritional information was calculated on Spark Recipe's food calculator, which I then used to calculate the Weight Watchers points values.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

My friend Dana gave me this recipe. I liked it, my husband didn't, but he only likes his fish breaded/batter dipped and fried. So his opinion doesn't count. So if you're looking for a new, easy, FAST way to cook your tilapia, definitely give this one a try! And just so you really understand, I whipped this dinner together SO FAST, it was done before the sun set! I served it with parmesan couscous and brussel sprouts.

BROILED PARMESAN TILAPIA

Source: Spark People

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1 pound tilapia fillets

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1. Preheat your oven's broiler.

2. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

4. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan.

5. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.

6. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Makes 4 servings

See Source Link for Nutrition Information

Hot-cha-cha!

The hubby and I enjoy chips and salsa - BUT... I really haven't found a store bought salsa that we like. They all are just too chunky for our taste. My friend, Jess, once said she really liked the Chili's restaurant salsa, so I googled for a knock-off recipe and found one!

And really, when you make your own salsa, you can make it as thick or thin as you like, as spicy or mild as you like - so it's perfect.

CHILI'S SALSA

Source: Recipezaar

1 14.5 oz can tomatoes and green chili's (Rotel) (I used 2 small cans then weighed the contents to get 14.5 ounces)

1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (plus juice) (I could only find a 28 oz can so I took each tomato, deseeded them, then weighed them and added the juice from the can until I got 14.5 ounces)

4 teaspoons jalepenos (canned, dicked - not pickled (I get jarred diced jalepenos by Cento - and of course I added waaaaay more than 4 teaspoons)

1/4 cup diced yellow onion (I use vidalia onions)

1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt (I used 3/4 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

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1. In food processor place jalepenos and onions and process for just a few seconds.

2. Add both cans of tomatoes, garlic salt, sugar and cumin.

3. Process by pulsing until you reach desired consistency.

4. Refrigerate a few hours to help blend and enrich the flavor.

Note: I also added about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of regular table salt.

WW Friendly Baked Ziti

I'm trying to eat healthier (if you're reading this, please pay no attention to all of the baking that I do) so when I came across the Foodie Fashionista Blog I was inspired. I found Dori's baked ziti to be the perfect meal for a week where I would be eating dinner by myself. I couldn't find fat-free ricotta, so I used part-skim ricotta, which brought the points value to 7 WW points per serving.

You can find the recipe here. Enjoy!

Oh my deliciousness...

I used to enjoy a great white chicken chili at Good Dog, a bar/restaurant on 15th Street in the city. Since I haven't worked in the city for over a year, my wicked craving for it pressed me to find a recipe to try. Thankfully, FutureMrsWagner on the WC message board had a recipe in her blog which was delicious, loved by both me and the picky husband! I served mini-corn bread loaves with the chili - a la the cheap little box of Jiffy (1 box made with skim milk yields 4 mini loaves - 5 points per loaf)

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Source: Buon Appetito!: White Chicken Chili

3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (I used 1 pound of ground chicken)
2 cans chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
2 cans White Northern Beans
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilis (next time I would use 2 cans)

1 packet Country Gravy Mix
2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (I used canola oil)
1 onion, chopped

1. Cook the ground chicken until no longer pink. Drain and move to a clean bowl.

2. Add and heat the oil. Add chopped onion to oil, stirring until translucent. To further cook the onions until tender, I added a bit of the chicken broth and simmered for a few minutes.

3. Add chicken broth and stir in the cumin, gravy mix and chili peppers.

4. Add beans and return ground chicken to pan.

5. Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Yield: 6-1 cup servings, or 4-1.5 cup servings

Weight Watchers Points Value: 5 points/1 cup or 8 points/1.5 cups

points values do not include sour cream

Guiltless Mac & Cheese

And so some Nesties were talking about mac & cheese one day - so I searched for a guilt-free mac & cheese recipe - here's what I found:

MACARONI AND CHEESE
Source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=332681

Here is MY rendition:

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (I used a bag of shredded cheese - next time I will grate my own cheese)
1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup nonfat sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Vegetable cooking spray
Paprika

Combine first 8 ingredients and spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole dish coated with the cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with paprike. Cover and bake in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 - 15 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 356
Fat: 11.2 g
Protein: 24.9 g
Fiber: 1.2 g

Picky Husband Rating: "We'll definitely eat this again."

I had a hamslice I intended to cube up and mix in, but I forgot! I'll definitely remember to do that next time!