Tamale Casserole

Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving | 5
Servings | 4

Light Meals | Community built RECIPE


Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 chipotle chile en adobo, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (14-1/2 ounce can) stewed tomatoes, broken up
1 (16 ounce) tube refrigerated fat-free plain polenta, cut into 12 rounds
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine the beans, scallions, sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Spoon half of the stewed tomatoes into the bottom of the pan. Arrange the polenta rounds in one layer over the sauce. Spoon the bean mixture on top of each round. Top with remaining stewed tomatoes. Sprinkle with the cheese and olives. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Special Notes
An easy casserole that even the kids can throw together. From Weight Watchers "In One Pot" cook book.

Black Forest Cherry Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen banana, in chunks
1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseed
1/2 cup frozen black cherries
1 cup R.W. Knudsen Family® Just Black Cherry juice
2/3 cup chocolate-flavored soy milk
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
Garnish: black cherries, mint leaves

Directions:

Place first six ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed 1 minute until smooth. Pour into glasses; garnish with cherries and mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 Servings

Eggplant Pasta

Ingredients
2 medium-large eggplants
Kosher salt, for purging
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cream
4 tablespoons basil chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with the salt and purge on a sheet pan fitted with a rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.

In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes and toast. Add the eggplant "pasta" and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase heat to thicken sauce. Finally add the basil and Parmesan and toss to combine. Season with pepper, no salt needed as the eggplant will have residual salt from the purge. Serve immediately.

Baba Ghannouj

Ingredients
1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
Salt and pepper
Directions
Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.

Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

Tres Leche Cake

Ingredients
For the cake:

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
For the topping:

2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cake:

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:
Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Josh B Smoothie

Oatmeal, Granola, Honey, Skim Milk, Big Ole Scoop of Pnut Butter, Banana, Egg, Vanilla

Muscle Punch Smoothie

Muscle Punch

Strawberries, Bananas, Soy Protein, Non-Fat Milk, Vanilla, Wheat Germ, Nutritional Yeast, Turbinado, Honey (sub splenda for sweetner)