Category Archives: Vegetarian

Curry Vegetables with Couscous

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Curry Vegetables with Couscous

One more fantastic slow cooker recipe. I had a can of chickpeas in the cupboard and started to thing of various dinner combinations to cook these with. I love using my slow cooker, especially on the days I work from home. Chickpeas, Curry and a slow cooker just seemed like a fantastic combination so I looked up various recipes and came up with this combination. It seems you need curry powder and coconut milk to make a good curry. Toss in some vegetables and spices and there you have it, a tasty Vegetable Curry dish. I served this particular dish with couscous but you could use rice if you wish. This recipe makes approximately 4-6 servings (depending on the amount of veggies you add). 1 cup is approximately 4 weight watchers points (old points, i don’t do the new system). Add 1/2 cup of couscous for 1.5 points and here you have a filling 5.5 point dish. The couscous I use is organic and seems to have less points per serving then other coucous types i have seen.

Ingredients
  • 3 cups Cauliflower chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup frozen cut Green Beans
  • 1/2 cup of frozen Corn
  • 1 cup sliced Carrots 
  • 1/2 cup chopped Onion 
  • 1 14-ounce can Vegetable Broth 
  • 3 teaspoons Curry Powder
  • 1 14-ounce can light Coconut Milk 
  • 1 tsp of dried Basil (feel free to add other spices as well)
  • Couscous
Directions
  1. In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Green Beans, Corn, Carrots, Onion, and Basil.
  2. Stir in Broth and Curry Powder. 
  3. Cover and cook on low-heat for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 
  4. Stir in Coconut Milk.
  5. Spoon over 1/2 cup of Couscous.

 

Baked Garlic Fries with Truffle Oil

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Baked Garlic Truffle Fries

OMG BAKED TRUFFLE FRIES!!! all credit for this recipe goes to my Hubby. About a year ago we were in Atlanta on a business trip and we ordered these Garlic Truffle Fries from a lounge in the hotel we were staying at (Ritz Carlton in Buckhead). We completely fell in love with these fries. It took us some time before we found the Truffle Oil and Truffle Salt. After a few months of searching we finally found a store in down town Edmonton (Evoolution) that carries an amazing selection of Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. We are sill on the the look out for actual truffles, these are a lot harder to come by in Edmonton. For now we will just have to manage with out the actual truffles. Weight Watcher points? I am not sure, but they are baked and not fried in oil. If you share the recipe with the hubby and kids the calorie consumption will be a lot less. Sharing is caring.

Ingredients:
  • 2 medium russet potatoes (about 0.75 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt
  • 2 finely diced garlic garlic
  • 1 teaspoon drizzle of black truffle oil
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh or freeze dried parsley
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (230 degrees C).
  2. Slice potatoes into “hand-cut” size fries as pictured.
  3. Place sliced potatoes in a gallon size Ziploc bag and add the spices (all ingredients except truffle oil, truffle salt and parsley).
  4. Coat potatoes with the spices and oil by shaking bag well.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread potatoes out in a single layer.
  6. Bake 20 minutes. Flip the fries over and crank oven up to 450.
  7. Cook 10 minutes, flip again and cook 10 more minutes or until potatoes are crisp and not burnt. Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes.
  8. Toss with truffle salt, garlic, parsley and drizzle with truffle oil before serving.

Easy Sweet and Spicy Nuts

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WARNING!!!!!!!!!!! These nuts are addicting. If you are making a batch of these nuts, may I suggest you make them for a group of people. Otherwise you will eat the entire batch to yourself they are that amazing. Weight watcher points? whose counting… these are nuts people.. they are high in points so eat moderately if you can.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
  • 1/2 cup whole cashews
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup whole pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you’d like more heat)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
Directions:
  1. Melt the butter and sugar in a large skillet over medium heat and add half of the salt.
  2. Add all the nuts.
  3. Cook until the sugar is melted and the nuts are fragrant about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the rosemary, remaining salt and toss.
  5. Immediately spread the nut mixture on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
  6. Cool completely, and then serve. Store in an air tight container.

Lentil Chili

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Ok so I took a slight break with summer holidays, but I am back on track for my awesome food followers.

Lentils, what are Lentils? in short they are seeds that grow in a pod. I love finding new ingredients to try out. Of course I have heard of Lentils, but I never actually cooked with them before. Here’s a nice vegetarian twist on the classic chili. It’s delicious, healthy and is a modification from the original WW recipe. Each serving of 1.5 cups is 5 weight watcher points.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 tbls of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 large Onion chopped
  • 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
  • 1 1/2 cups of caned Lentils rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups of frozen Corn
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper chopped
  • 4.25 ounce can of chopped green chillies drained
  • 1 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp ground Coriander
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped Cilantro
Directions
  1. Heat Oil in a large pot
  2. Add Onions and saute until golden brown (8 minutes).
  3. Add Tomatoes, broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat and simmered, covered for 20 minutes.
  5. Add Corn, Red Pepper, Chililes and spices. Return to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender (15 minutes).
  7. Stir in Cilantro and serve.

Campfire Bannock

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This weekend my hubby and I were camping in Jasper. I just love the mountains, something about that fresh, crisp mountain air just makes me smile. One of my favorite treats to make while camping is Bannock. Bannock is a flat bread or biscuit made with flour and is super yummy when served with butter, honey or jam. This is an easy and fun recipe to make while out camping with the family. It’s really fun if you use a stick to cook the Bannock. I could not find a good stick to use so I just fried it in a pan with a little bit of butter. You could also use a roasting stick to cook the Bannock, just make sure it’s kneaded tightly to the rod before cooking it. Points value if I had to guess would be about the same as a slice of bread 2-3 points for once piece. Add extra points for the toping you decide to use. Since I cooked mine in butter I didn’t add any extra toppings.

Ingredients:
  •  2 cups flour
  •  1 Tbsp baking powder
  •  2 Tbsp oil, butter or lard
  •  1/3 cup warm water, add more if needed
Directions:
  1. Add all dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Mix until crumbly.
  3. Slowly add water and mix until dough feels soft.
  4. Keep working the dough till it holds together.
  5. Either make a small ball and flatten to fry in a pan with butter or take a small handful and wrap around the end of a green stick and knead it so it stays together on the stick.
  6. Cook over fire for about 10 – 12 minutes, rotating to cook evenly.
  7.  Serve plain or add a bit of jam, butter or honey.

Pretzel Bites

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Here’s a great snack to make for parties, either your own or to bring to a guests house. I love soft pretzels and here’s a great recipe I always use. You can choose to make the original pretzel shape or you can cut them in to bite size pieces. You can also have a variety of toppings. For this round I had 4 difference toppings, sesame seed, corse sea salt, poppy seed and fried onions and finally a sweet treat cinnamon sugar.

Ingredients:
  • 1 tsp of Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 cup of Warm Water
  • 1 Tablespoons (8g) Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups of Warm Water
  • 4 1/2 All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Topping:
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 Tablespoon of Water
Vegetarian/Vegan Topping:
  • 2 Tablespoons of Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Directions:
  1. Stir sugar into first amount of warm water in a small bowl.
  2. Sprinkle Yeast over top of sugar and warm water mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. Combine second amount of warm water, flour and salt in a large bowl.
  4. Add yeast mixture and mix. Add a bit more flour if needed so the dough is not to sticky.
  5. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 mins until dough is smooth and elastic.
  6. Place the dough in a greased bowl turning once to grease top and cover with a tea towel.
  7. Place in the oven with the light on for 45 mins until the dough is double in size.
  8. Punch down the dough, cut into 12 pieces and roll the dough into long ropes.
  9. Brush the rope with each toping mentioned above and sprikle with whatever toppings you wish (poppy seeds, sugar, salt etc. The possibilities are endless)
  10. Cut 1 inch pillows from each rope and place on a baking sheet.
  11. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  12. Remove from oven and enjoy. I personally love dipping these into a marinara sauce or nacho cheese sauce. For the cinnamon perhaps a fruit dip would be a great pairing.

Orzo Vegetarian Pasta

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I love pasta and I try to keep it light since it’s a starch and higher in points then other foods.  What I like best about this recipe is it’s made will all fresh ingredients. A natural, super easy and fast recipe for those busy days. From start to finish it’s total cooking time is 30 mins. One serving is 5 weight watcher points and its completely vegetarian friendly.

Ingredients:
  • 1.5 cups of Orzo Pasta
  • 1 can of low sodium tomato sauce
  • 2 cups of random vegetables. I used red and yellow peppers, onions and brocoli
  • A dash of Miss Dash Garlic and Herb spice mix
  • A tsp or so of hot sauce
Directions:
  1. In a pot cook pasta according to package and drain when pasta has finished cooking.
  2. In a pan add 1/4 cup of water with the vegetables and steam for 5-7 mins.
  3. In a smaller pot add the tomatoe sauce, miss dash, hot sauce, steamed vegetables and heat.
  4. Serving Size – Place 1 & 1/4 cups of pasta in a bowl and top with 3/4 of tomato vegetable sauce. Enjoy :)

 

Veggie Pizza

Here’s a great appetizer for your next get together. I served this at our last party and it was a huge hit. It’s low fat, healthy, delicious and pairs well with white wine; all the makings for a fantastic party starter. Weight watcher points completely depends on the size of the pieces you cut. A smaller piece could be between 1-2 points and larger pieces could be 2-3 points.

Ingredients:
  • 1 8 oz package of Low Fat Crescent Rolls
  • 1 8 oz package Low Fat Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon of Miracle Whip
  • 1 Garlic Clove
  • 1 tsp or more of Fresh Dill Weed
  • 2 cups of assorted fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, green or red bell pepper, tomato, green onions, mushrooms, carrot or zucchini
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent dough and roll out into a rectangle shape.
  2. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.
  3. In a bowl combine cream cheese, miracle whip, garlic and dill weed.
  4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust.
  5. Coarsely chop, slice, grate or dice your selected vegetables.
  6. Sprinkle vegetables over pizza. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy.

Honey Dew Sorbet

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Homemade Honey Dew Sorbet, perfect for those hot summer nights. There are only 3 ingredients in this recipe so it’s super easy to make and the family will love it. You can also swap out the fruit to make other variations such as watermelon and pear (the pear goes well with lemon juice). 1/2 cup serving is 2 weight watcher points. In the second image you’ll notice I have the sorbet split into Ball Plastic Freezer Jars, I found these at Save-on-Foods. These are plastic with a twist top and are made for the freezer so they are perfect for this recipe. If you don’t have this type of container, just place in any type of freezer friendly container.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of Honey Dew cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons of Lime Juice
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar (if you like it sweeter add more sugar)
Directions:
  1. Add all three ingredients in a blender
  2. Blend until smooth
  3. (Optional Step) Add fruit mixture to an ice cream machine and churn for 15 mins
  4. If you don’t have an an ice cream machine just add the juice to your individual serving containers or other freezer friendly container and freeze over night.
  5. When ready to eat let the container sit on the counter for a few mins to soften, open and enjoy.

Vegetarian Chilli

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Here’s another modified Hungry Girl recipe. I find the original recipe is not very filling and in a few short hours I am starving again. My secret is when I pour my self a serving (1.5 cups of chilli) I then add 1/3 cup of heated Soy Crumbles to my bowl. This provides the filler I need with out all those added points. For the entire serving with the soy it’s 4 weight watcher points. It’s 3 weight watcher points with out the extra soy. I also tweaked the amount of everything in the pot, I don’t like wasting food and 3/4 of a can of beans will leave me with 1/4 left over. What will I do with 1/4 cup of beans???? I hope you enjoy this modification as much as I do.

Ingredients:
  • 4 3/4 cups canned tomato sauce
  • 1 can of canned diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 small can of  chopped jalapeno’s. Easy to find in the Mexican aisle
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp crushed garlic
  • 2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms
  • 2 large bell peppers chopped and seeded (does not matter what color)
  • 1 cup frozen corn or mixed veggies. I have used both
  • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 can red kidney beans rinsed drained
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • .5 tsp of Chile flakes for some added heat
  • 1/3 cup of Soy Crumble to be added after served in your bowl.
Directions:
  1. In a large pot over low heat on the stove, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chiles, jalapeños, chili powder, cumin and stir.
  2. Add garlic and carrots.
  3. Stir and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. On the side bring a large pan to medium heat and add onions, mushrooms, peppers, 1/2 cup water and cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  5. Drain access water from cooked veggies and transfer to the large pot of sauce.
  6. Add Frozen veggis, beans, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and mix.
  7. Cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every so often.
  8. Once cooked place about 1.5 cups in a bowl and add 1/3 cup of heated soy crumbles and dig in.