veggies

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Years and years ago, I worked at a roofing company. We had an amazing great office crew! We had potluck lunches from time to time with fabulous dishes and often shared the recipes. As a result of one of those recipe swaps, I’ve been making this soup for more than 25 years!  

So, do you need a meatless Monday dinner? A great soup recipe for that last (we hope) big cold snap before spring? A way to use up some broccoli from your fridge? Need more veggies in your life? I’ve got you covered! This is a creamy soup that comes together quickly. It’s great for a weeknight meal. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled – you get the idea — to feed a crowd. And if you overestimate, it also freezes well. –Kathy

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T. butter

¼ c. water

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen corn

½ c. shredded carrots (or finely chopped)

¼ c. finely chopped onion

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 c. milk

1 c. chopped broccoli, cooked crisp tender

2 (10.5 oz.) cans Cream of Potato Soup

½ c. shredded mozzarella

1 c. shredded cheddar

In a large sauce pan or soup pot, combine butter, water, corn, carrots, onion and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cream of potato soup, milk, broccoli and cheeses. Stir to combine well. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring often. Taste for seasoning. Serve and enjoy! 

Italian Veggie Stuffed Portabellas

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I don’t know about you, but summertime makes me want to fill my plate with allll the veggies. Grill ‘em, roast ‘em, serve ‘em to me in a fresh bowl of salad. I don’t care how, just send them my way.

If you feel the same way about light summer meals and veggie side dishes, you’ll love these Italian Veggie Stuffed Portabellas. They are the perfect side for grilled meats, but they are HUGE, so they also work great as a meatless main dish. Plus, portabellas are so meaty, you won’t even think to ask, “where’s the beef?” I’m definitely showing my age with that classic TV reference! If you are a young’n, you can find it on YouTube. ‘80s commercials were the best! A little cheesy but that’s what made them great.

Speaking of “cheesy,” if you prefer a cheesy topping, I also sometimes cut the breadcrumbs down to ¼ cup and top each veggie-loaded shroom with a little mozzarella & parmesan. You can’t go wrong either way! ~Erin

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Ingredients

  • 4 large portabella mushroom caps
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 2 medium zucchinis, diced
  • 1 roasted red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained on a paper towel, finely diced
  • 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large handful of spinach, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 2 T. olive oil, divided
  • 1/3 c. seasoned breadcrumbs (I use garlic & herb flavor)
  • 1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375°F or the outdoor grill to medium. If grilling, use a veggie pan or place on foil, to catch veggies that may fall off during cooking.

Clean mushroom tops with a damp paper towel. Use a small knife to cut off the stems and a spoon to scoop out the veins.

Spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray and place them top-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet or on the grilling pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and 1 Tablespoon of oil until combined; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the onion 2-3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until it begins to soften. If needed, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan to help steam the zucchini soft.

Add roasted red pepper, sundried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted.

Add the garlic and cook another minute or two, until fragrant.

Turn off the heat and stir in half the breadcrumb mixture. Reserve the other half for topping.

Divide the veggie mixture evenly among the four mushroom tops. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture over top.

Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the mushrooms are fork-tender.

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 4 large servings. Each serving is 5 SmartPoints.

Roasted Broccoli & Garlic

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In case you haven’t noticed from my recipes (case in point:  Roasted Garlic Hummus), I LOVE garlic.  I eat it so much, vampires would probably pass me up… mostly I eat it for supper though, so I don’t lose friends.

It’s no surprise that this Roasted Broccoli & Garlic is one of my very favorite vegetables/side-dishes.  My kids eat it well too so that’s a plus.  The crunchy edges on the broccoli and the crispy bits of garlic are a match made in heaven.  ~Erin

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium heads of broccoli, washed
  • 1 small head of garlic
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • cooking spray for the pan

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  3. Cut the broccoli into small florets.  For more crispy surface area, cut each floret in half longways, so each one has a flat side to place on the pan.
  4. Separate the garlic cloves & smash them with a heavy object.  I use my cast iron skillet or a large can of vegetables.
  5. Remove the papery skins from the garlic and cut the larger cloves in half.
  6. Toss the broccoli & garlic with olive oil and spread in a single layer on the sheet pan.
  7. Lightly salt the broccoli & garlic
  8. Roast in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, or until broccoli is tender and golden browned on the edges.

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes 4 servings at 1 point each.

Slow-Cooker Hobo Stew

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We affectionately call this hobo stew because it’s not fancy food and, to us, that’s the best kind.  My son loves this stew so much he requested it for his birthday dinner last year.  What kind of 7-year-old requests beef and vegetable stew for his birthday?!  Mine apparently.  He eats salads without being forced, as well.  He’s a good eater, that kid.

salt_20180908_193945_519I love to prep this at night and put it in the crockpot in the morning before work.  Nothing like walking in the door to have a home-cooked meal waiting for us.

My slow-cooker (this one!) has a stovetop setting, which is nice because I can brown the meat in the slow-cooker itself.  No extra dirty pans!

My favorite way to serve this is with cornbread crumbled and stirred right in.  If you’re a purist, it’s also good all by itself!  Enjoy!  ~Erin

Ingredients:
  • 1 ½ lb. 96% lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 1 T. minced garlic
  • 1 ½ lb. peeled and diced potatoes
  • 12 oz. baby carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 (15 or 16 oz.) can whole kernel sweet corn
  • 2 (15 or 16 oz. each) cans cut green beans
  • 32 oz. box of fat free beef stock
  • 2 T. beef bouillon granules
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 T. flour
  • ½ T. cornstarch
  • 1 envelope (about 4 T.) dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ to 1 T. seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper

Ingredients: 

  1. Brown the beef with the diced onion over medium heat.
  2. When the meat is no longer pink, add garlic and cook until fragrant (just about 30 seconds).
  3. Add the flour and cornstarch to the beef mixture; stir until combined.
  4. Remove from heat and transfer to the pot of your slow cooker, if needed.*
  5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot: potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans, spices and soup mix, beef stock, bouillon, and water.
  6. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
  7. Serve with cornbread or crackers, if desired.

*You can also cook this in a large pot on the stove. Simply bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the carrots and potatoes are fork-tender.

WW Freestyle Info: This recipe makes approximately 12 servings. Each 10 oz. serving (1 ¼ cups) is 5 points.

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Thai Chicken Pizza

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My family loves pizza. What’s not to love?  But I get tired of the same, run-of-the-mill basics.  They are good, but come on.   I’ve got to have some variety, y’all!

When I was going to college, there was a little, local restaurant in Stillwater called the Thai Cafe, which I loved.  I miss it!  Now, I have to travel quite a ways to get Thai food.  So I came up with this jazzed up, easy to make, tasty pizza, combining some of my favorite flavors.

It is our new favorite!   ~Kathy

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Ingredients:

1 pizza crust (your favorite recipe or refrigerated — I used Pillsbury thin crust refrigerated dough; points figured with this dough selection)

3 to 4 T. Chili Garlic Sauce*

1 heaping c. chicken breast, cooked and sliced thin**

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced thin, seeds removed

1 small zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick

Red onion, sliced thin (about 2 slices)

1 ½ c. shredded low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese

½ c. shredded mild cheddar cheese (reduced fat, if following WW)

2 T. cilantro (for optional garnish)

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Instructions:

On a lightly greased baking sheet, roll pizza crust out into a rectangle, about 10 x 14 inches.

Spread sauce over crust, very thinly.

Spread remaining ingredients over pizza as desired, ending with cheeses.

Bake according to crust directions, until golden brown, cooked through and cheese is melted.

Garnish by sprinkling with cilantro once it’s cooled a little (optional).

Notes:

*Chili garlic sauce is found in the Asian food section (see photo).  It is full of flavor and some heat.  Use 3 Tablespoons if you like it mild/warm.   If you want it warmer, use up to 4 Tablespoons.  It doesn’t look like much on the crust, but it gives plenty of flavor!

**I used chicken breasts boiled with some onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Once drained and cooled, slice thin.   Rotisserie chicken breast would also be a good substitute.

Weight Watchers Info:  This makes 6 servings, 8 Freestyle SmartPoints per serving.

Hawaiian Ham Kabobs

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Mom gets all the credit for this recipe.  These Hawaiian Ham Kabobs are a great quick, weeknight meal.  With a little rough chopping, you can have these all skewered and thrown on the grill in no time.  The glaze is the same glaze Mom has put on our holiday ham for as long as I can remember.  It’s the perfect sweet & tangy addition to the ham, onions, peppers, and pineapple combo.  Mmmm, grilled pineapple…need I say more?!

~Erin

Ingredients/Supplies:

  • 1 lb. fully cooked ham (ham steak or a half ham works – not the spiral sliced kind)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 med. white onion
  • 2 c. fresh pineapple
  • 3 T. packed brown sugar
  • 3 T. yellow mustard
  • 1 T. water
  • 8 grill-safe skewers
  • One basting brush

Instructions:

Spray your outdoor grill with cooking spray and bring to medium heat.

Cut the ham into 1 inch cubes; set aside.

Cube pineapple into approximately one-inch pieces.  Peppers and onions should be cut into about one-inch squares as well.  Grilling tip: Avoid making onion chunks too thin – no thinner than a half inch or so, as they’ll cook too fast.

Build your kabobs by layering the veggies, pineapple, and 2 oz. of ham on each skewer.

Place the kabobs on the preheated grill and close the lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until veggies start to get brown marks, flip and grill the other side about 5 more minutes.  Meanwhile, make the glaze.

To make the glaze, stir together brown sugar, mustard, and water until well combined.

Brush all sides of the kabobs and cook for a few more minutes on each side to caramelize the glaze.

Serve immediately.

WW Freestyle Info: This recipe makes 8 kabobs.  Each kabob is 4 points.