Straw and Hay Fettuccine Tangle with Spring Asparagus Puree

Another great recipe from Heidi Swanson. I’ve been wanting to make this one for about a year and was so glad I did. I cut down on the cheese and oil considerably and left out the pine nuts. I think by doing this, you could taste the fresh spinach and asparagus so much more, which made it great, but not rich.

The folate-rich asparagus and spinach puree can be made ahead of time; store it in the refrigerator in a jar topped with a layer of olive oil.

Ingredients:

Spring Asparagus Puree:

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed and halved crosswise

3 handfuls baby spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic

¼ Ccup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 Tablespoon cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping

Juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

4 ounces dried spinach fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh

4 ounces dried egg fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh

Directions:

Bring two pots of water to a rolling boil, one large and one medium. You’ll use the large one to cook the pasta and the medium one to blanch the asparagus.To make the asparagus puree, salt the asparagus water and drop the spears into the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spears are bright green and barely tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor (preferably) or a blender. Add the spinach, garlic, and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Puree and, with the motor running, drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil until a paste forms. It should be the loose consistency of pesto; if too thick, thin it with a bit of the pasta water. Add the lemon juice and salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning.Salt the pasta water well and cook the pasta until just tender; you’ll need less time for fresh pasta, more for dried. Drain and toss immediately with 1 cup of the asparagus puree, stirring in more afterward depending on how heavily coated you like your pasta. Serve sprinkled with a dusting of Parmesan, and a quick drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. I added a couple of sprigs of fresh basil.

Serves 4 to 6.

5 points per serving (for 4 servings total)

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel
This recipe recently popped up on 101Cookbooks.com and inspired me to host a Mediterranean Potluck with my friends. I’ve made a couple of different falafel dishes and this is by far my favorite. The texture is creamy and they aren’t lacking moisture despite being baked. It’s super easy (but requires a bit of time) and it my new fav dish! Plus it’s gluten free!
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes (orange inside), around 700g or 1 1/2 pounds in total
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
a scant cup (120g) gram /chickpea flour
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkling of sesame seedssalt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F degrees (220C) and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel.
Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram/chickpea flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies enormously).
Reheat the oven to 400F/200C. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) or a falafel scoop if you have one, make the mixture into falafelly looking things and put them on an oiled tray. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.
Makes about 16-18 falafel, enough for 4 - 6.
This came to one point per falafel.

Curried Tofu Scramble

I was craving Indian but wanted a dish that wouldn’t feel heavy in my tummy. I’d been eyeing this recipe in my Heidi Swanson Super Natural Cooking book. I stuck close to the recipe and just added some cumin, chopped green, onion and a small portion of avocado to the dish. I cut back the onions and still felt like it had too much cooked onion. To be honest though, I ended up getting bored with the leftovers and will give it new life with added ingredients next time. Any suggestions?

Ingredients
1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 cloves chopped garlic
½ chopped red onion
1 ½ teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3 handfuls fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
- Drain and press tofu between two plates and a heavy book for 15-30 minutes. Crumble into small pieces.
- Heat fat free cooking spray in skillet over medium heat, add garlic and onion. Cook for a few minutes until onion is soft.- Add curry powder and cumin, stir well, then add the tofu.- Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until tofu is heated throughout -Add salt and pepper, stirring in and letting cook another 305 minutes

Notes: Makes 4-5 servings
You can get 4 hearty servings form this and they come out to be 5 points a piece with ¼ avocado added to each plate. I served mine with a couple of rounds of polenta I heated on the skillet.

Polenta with Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Mozzarella

Makes 4 servings, 5 points each

Ingredients:
16-18 oz tube of polenta
14 oz can of diced tomatoes flavored with garlic, basil, and oregano, Drained
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 eggplant (this recipe called for zucchini, but I wasn’t in the mood)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese,

Directions:
Cut eggplant into thin (1/2”), bite-size slices and broil on greased baking pan for about 25 minutes on 450, until golden. Cut Polenta into 8 rounds (I had 18 oz so did 9 rounds). Cook on oiled skillet, medium heat, about 3 minutes on each side, till golden. Remove from skillet and set aside. Place mushrooms in skillet and sauté about 7 minutes. Add tomato, salt, pepper and cook 1-2 minutes, turn off heat. Arrange 2 polenta rounds on plate. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and eggplant on top. Top with ¼ cup mozzarella. Enjoy!

*I found this recipe to needed a little extra kick. You might consider adding a pinch of cumin to the mushrooms and tomatoes. I topped mine with salsa (adding some extra moisture and tang), and roasted garlic cloves.

Chickpea Cakes
Makes 6 servings, 2 points each.

This recipe was featured in the Houston Chronicle, but after reading it I realized I have the same recipe in my Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. I didn’t want the spice so I left out the hot sauce and served mine on a pita with fat free sour cream, red onion, and tomato. The recipe I was given was served with salsa which sounded good, but I was craving the Greek take on this. I think next time I make this, I’ll add cilantro and parsley to the patty mix so it will be even closer to a falafel. This did come darn close though. I doubled the recipe so I have TONS of leftovers. I also only used ½ the cornmeal for coating and replaced the sour cream with fat free plain yogurt, all of this cut out 3 points which brought each patty down to 1.5 points a piece! I’d say my pita pocket was 3.5 points and certainly filling with my side salad.

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon hot sauce
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons white-cornmeal
Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
1. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, sour cream, garlic, cumin, salt, hot sauce, and 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
2. Remove from fridge, form the mixture into six 3-inch patties, about ½ inch thick. Place remaining cornmeal on a place, and gently dredge the patties through to coat both sides.
3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with olive-oil cooking spray, and set over a medium heat. Add the patties, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Spray the tops of the patties with oil, then flip and cook another 5-6 minutes.

Vegetarian Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Makes 4 Servings

I took this recipe from my Take-Out Tonight! cookbook by weight watchers and made it vegetarian. I've found that the stir-fry I make at home has this generic chinese flavor instead of being lemongrass chicken, black pepper chicken, etc. This was SUPER simple and reminded me how cornstarch helps the consistency in the sauce. My only complaint was that the sauce needed a little more punch, maybe a hint of chili pepper sauce next time will do the trick.


Ingredients:
4 naked veggie chicken breasts by Quorn
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons black bean sauce (found in the asian section)
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar (I used agave nectar)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic gloves, minced
1/4 pound white mushrooms quartered (left this out and added my own because Robby isn't a mushroom fan)
1/4 pound fresh snow peas
1-2 carrots, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Combine the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the corn starch in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of corn starch, broth, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the chicken. Stir-fry until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, snow peas, and carrots; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, 1-2 minutes.

Serving size is about 1 cup. This was a 5 point recipe before, but replacing it with fake chicken brought it down to 2 points, that seems crazy! I served mine with 1/2 cup of rice and some chives form my yard. Sorry about the blur on the photo, I had cornstarch goo on my lens and didn't realize until it was too late.

Otsu (Soba Noodle Salad)

From the book Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

The package of noodles I purchased were actually 8.8 oz, when the original recipe called for 12 oz, yet it still made at least 6 servings. This also allowed me to reduce the oils in the dressing to cut down on fat. I calculated each serving to be 4.25 weight watcher points! Good thing, since I couldn’t stop eating it! There is something about the sesame oil and the sweetness of the agave nectar that left me wanting more, and more. It has just enough salt and just enough sweet. I suggest leaving out the cucumber and adding it fresh to each serving; it doesn’t keep well if you store the salad for leftovers. I wanted to add avocado, but mine weren’t soft enough yet. Next time!

Ingredients

Dressing
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 Tbsp. honey (I used agave nectar)
3/4 tsp. cayenne (I used only ¼ to reduce the heat)
3/4 tsp. fine-grain sea salt (left this out completely, wasn’t needed)
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Salad
12 oz. dried soba noodles (I used the 8.8 oz package made by Eden)
12 oz oz. extra-firm nigari tofu
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (I just used a little on each serving, fresh)

Directions
1. Create the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.
2. Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, and then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about ⅔ cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Garbanzo Burgers

I used this recipe from a Heidi Swanson's book, Supernatural Cooking and modified it just a tad. I'm a carb lover and because of the way she assembles these burgers, I didn't even miss the bun.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups garbanzo beans
¾ diced onion
1 cup chopped sprouts *(I used alfalfa)
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites
1 tbsp olive oil *(I used fat free olive oil spray)

Directions:
Combine the beans, eggs, salt, and garlic powder in a food processor and pulse until it’s the consistency of runny, yet chunky hummus. Transfer mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the onion, cilantro, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs and let them set for a few minutes. Heat the oil over medium in a large skillet. I used a 1/3 cup measurer to scoop the mixture from the bowl and transfer to the pan, making uniform patties. This cut out the work from forming each patty by hand. Each side should be cooked 7-10 minutes until brown. Transfer to a cookie sheet or plate and let cool at least 5 minutes. Slice each patty in half (a bit tricky) and place your fillings inside. I filled mine with tomato, cilantro, red onion, and avocado. The recipe is supposed to make 12, but I only got 8 from it, I estimated each patty to be about 3.5 points.