sauce

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

1 Comment

One thing I have missed since I started eating healthy (most of the time) is sauces.  Sauces – especially creamy ones – are often high in calories/Weight Watcher points.  When you have a tight points budget each day, you don’t want to waste points on things like sauces.  For this reason, I have started creating my own sauces.  I can make them in small batches, instead of having a large bottle sitting around until after its expiration date; I can make them as rich or as low-fat as I choose; and I can avoid all the preservatives and additives that are often present in bottled/jarred sauces.

This Creamy Cilantro Sauce is one of my favorite sauce concoctions.  It can be used a veggie or chip dip, a sauce for Mexican dishes (it’s great on tacos!), or a dip for something like these Chicken Fajita Meatballs (photo below)!  The possibilities are endless!  If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen dipping everything in this sauce.  Best part is, I can enjoy this with NO guilt.  Check out the stats at the end of this post!  Dip, dip, hooray for zero WW point sauce!  ~Erin

Ingredients: 

  • 1 (8 oz.) pkg. fat-free cream cheese
  • 1 (7 oz.) can salsa verde (I use Herdez brand.)
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. celery salt
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ a bunch of cilantro, stems removed
  • The zest of one lime (optional)
  • 2 T. fresh lime juice – about one squeezed lime

Blend all ingredients in a blender, scraping down the sides occasionally, until smooth.

WW Freestyle Info:  Makes 2 cups of sauce.  Up to 2 Tablespoons is zero points.  3-6 tablespoons is 1 point.  7-10 tablespoons is 2 points.

Super Duper Spaghetti with Beef

Leave a comment

We are huge fans of spaghetti at our house; it was (and still is!) always a favorite of both of my picky kids even when they were little…maybe that’s why we started calling it “super duper” — and it stuck!  (As you’ll see it the picture, it literally stuck everywhere too!  Luckily, since it’s been four years since this pic, they’re a bit neater these days!)  At any rate, all the prefab sauces are either way too sweet (yuck!) or just painfully bland – not to mention full of a zillion unnecessary additives and sugars.

My own recipe is almost as fast as opening a jar.  Plus you have to wait for the noodles to cook anyway; may as well take those few minutes to throw together this super flavorful, super healthy, super duper version!  ~Robin

Ingredients:
  • 1 ¼ lb. 95% lean ground beef*
  • 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (or 1 ½ tsp. jarred, minced garlic)
  • 14.5 oz. (1 large can) Hunt’s tomatoes, petite diced, undrained
  • 15 oz. (1 large can) Hunt’s diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 12 oz. (2 small cans) Hunt’s tomato paste
  • 6 oz. water (one small tomato paste can-full)
  • 4 tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 tsp. Italian seasoning (I like McCormick’s)
  • 2 -3 tsp. garlic salt, as preferred
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions: 

  1. Put your spaghetti noodles on to boil (whatever your favorite brand is; I use Ronzini Healthy Harvest 100% Whole Grain); cook to al dente.
  2. While noodles are boiling, in a large stock pot, brown the ground beef with the minced garlic. Once cooked, drain any excess oil.
  3. In the same pot, add diced tomatoes, petite diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
  4. Add the 6 oz. of water.
  5. Finally, add all the spices. (Add garlic salt 1 tsp. at a time so that you can measure it to your own taste.)
  6. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until heated throughout and flavors have combined well.
  7. Add the sauce to your al dente pasta and enjoy!

*My package of beef was just a little bigger than usual, but the points are the same and all the other ingredients amounts don’t differ if you use exactly one 1 lb of 95% lean beef instead – I just went ahead and used this much since I had it.

WW Freestyle Info.: This meat sauce is only 2 points per ½ cup serving. Makes 15 servings; freezes very well. (Remember to count the points for your pasta.)

Fry Sauce

Leave a comment

I moved to Utah more than 15 years ago.  Until then, I had never heard of Fry Sauce. Utahns take their fry sauce seriously!!  It is served everywhere. Standard fry sauce is a combination of mayonnaise and catsup.  To me, it always lacked a little something. This recipe has been updated from the classic.  Try it on fries, tater tots, burgers, or if a fresh veggie falls in and you sample it that way, I won’t tell!   My two favorite ways to eat Fry Sauce are with, of course, fries but also slathered on a bacon cheeseburger.

My son says it’s the “best fry sauce he’s ever had.”   I’ll take that as a rave review. It can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. to make the amount you think you’ll need to feed you crew.  It will keep in the refrigerator, sealed in a container, for up to two weeks. Try it. It may become a staple in your house soon!  ~Kathy

FrySauceLogo

Ingredients:
  • 1/3 c. mayonnaise
  • 3 heaping T. catsup
  • 1 T. ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ to ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp ground mustard
  • ¼ tsp season salt (I used Lawry’s)
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions: 

Combine all, ensuring that the spices are well incorporated.

Place in container with lid.

Allow to chill, covered, for at least 30 minutes before use.