Squash and Pasta "Fazool"

Taken while still cooking for our Shabbat meal, this is a variation on an old standby in my home.

1 large summer squash, peeled and chopped
1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 medium onions, chopped
1 14.5-oz cans cannalini or great northern beans
2 tablespoons oregano (or less)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
water

Fill an 8 quart pot halfway with water. Add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Serve in a bowl with a 1/4 to 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta.

Core.

To make a richer stock, add 1 small can tomato paste (at 30 calories per serving, the whole can of tomato paste has 150 calories and 5 g fiber).

Pie-less Chick'n Pot Pie

I made this recipe on Wednesday, with staples running a bit low. I don't have exact measurements for the potatoes or water. I really enjoyed the dish.

5 large white potatoes, peeled & quartered (more or less)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 vegan chick'n bullion cube
1 16-oz bag frozen green beans
1 16-0z bag frozen corn
1 packages Hain chick'n style gravy, prepared as directed

In an 8 quart pot, place quartered potatoes and cover, just barely with water. Add the onions, bullion cube, and frozen vegies. Heat until water starts to show through. Add the prepared gravy. Continue cooking for at least 30 minutes. Some of the potatoes will mush up, thickening the dish even more.

The gravy mix is not core, but adds no fat and only 100 calories per packet, for a total of 200 calories. Since this makes many servings, it ends up adding no points per serving.

Carrots would be a good addition to this dish if you have any on hand. Peas would also be nice.

Two Bean Burritos with Guacamole

1 15-oz can pinto beans
1 15-oz can black beans
1 packet Ortega taco seasoning OR
1 T chili powder (more if you like it spicier) and 1 T corn meal
LaTortilla Factory whole wheat, low fat tortillas (I used green onion)
salad mix
1 T easy guacamole (recipe below, optional).
your favorite salsa

Open both cans of beans and drain most of the liquid from them using just the lid until the flow slows (or you can drain and rinse and use a little bit of water). Pour them into a sauce pan and add the seasonings. Cook until hot and thick. Spread 1 T of the guacamole in the center of the tortilla and spoon the hot beans on top. Roll the tortilla and put on a plate. Put salad mix on the side and top with the salsa.

I ate 2 of these (since the onion tortilla variety was small instead of large) for lunch today with a cup of Constant Comment tea. Delicious and filling.

Core, if cornmeal and chili powder are used instead of seasoning packet. The wraps are not core, but one large wrap is zero points (two small uses 1 flex point).

Easy Guacamole

1 ripe avacado
1 vine ripened tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped finely.
1 clove garlic, crushed (or use 1 tsp jared crushed garlic)
1 tsp dried cilantro
lemon juice

Peel and mash the avacado with lemon juice. Add the other ingredients, adding more lemon juice if needed so the guacamole will not turn brown.

Core, but use in moderation.

"Beefy" brown bean soup

I have made the following dish for Shabbat. It is cooking on the stove as I type. We will have it with salad and bread. The picture was taken after 41 minutes of cooking.

10 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped (3/4 cup)
4 very large potatoes, cubed (7.5 cups)
15 oz can of pinto beans, drained
1/2 c pearled barley
3 very large carrots (about 1.5 cup)
1/2 cup frozen peas
5 veggie bullion cubes (I use CVS brand beef style)
1 tablespoon paprika

Chop the onions and place them in a large stock pot (large enough to hold about 20-25 cups total). Sprinkle them with the paprika and brown by repeatedly adding water. Browning it is important for the color of the final product. Add the 10 cups of water and the other ingredients. Cook at least 45 minutes, until barley is done and flavors are blended.

The soup is Core. 2 points per cup.

Walking

This week and last were challenging, since we had the holiday of Pesach and some eating was done out. There is no control over what is available when you eat out, but during the course of walking to and from our hosts homes, I walked about 18.5 miles total!! Not bad at all :-) Between that and making the best selections possible out and cooking healthy at home, I survived the holiday. I am actually looking forward to weigh in on Tuesday.

A Pesach (Passover) intermediate day feast

Made dinner for me, my husband, and my father. We had a salad, soup from a Pesach mix, with added carrots, quinoa stuffed green peppers, eggplant casserole, and roasted white and sweet potatoes. Of course, we also had matzo, but only a small amount. It was delicious!


Eggplant Casserole

2 medium eggplant
3 vine tomatoes
3 onions
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put a very small amount of olive oil at the bottom of a baking dish, spread it with a napkin or paper towel, removing any excess (or use a non-stick baking dish). Layer rounds of eggplant with tomato and onion. Sprinkle with oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Repeat to make a second layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 1 hour. Yum :-)

Zero points. Core.

Oven roasted white and sweet potatoes

2 large white potatoes
1 large sweet potato
paprika
salt
pepper

Peel and quarter the white potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper and put in a baking dish (you may want to wipe the bottom with 1 tsp of oil to prevent sticking, or use a non-stick cooking spray, or non-stick baking dish). Cut the sweet potato into similarly sized chunks and put on the other side of the baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender. Nice :-)

Core. Two points per cup.

Quinoa stuffed green peppers

4-6 green peppers, cleaned, seeds removed
1 cup Ancient Harvest quinoa (CRC listed)
2 cups water
3 small onions, chopped
2 portobella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (or use pesach canned mushrooms)
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
oregano
garlic powder
ready made fat free tomato sauce
2-4 eggs worth of egg substitute (kosher for Passover substitute came only in 4 -- optional)

Cook the quinoa according to package directions in the water. If you choose a different brand, be sure to rinse the quinoa first. Meanwhile, saute the onions and mushrooms until tender and the onions are just starting to brown. Add oregano and garlic powder to taste. Let cool while you are making a green salad to go with the meal. Scramble the egg, if you chose to use it, and stir it into the other ingredients. Fill the green peppers (or red, if you prefer) and put the ring that came off of the top of the pepper on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan, or more if you like your peppers well done. Serve halves topped with the tomato sauce. A good main dish for Passover.

Core. About 2 points per half pepper.

Hash brown potatoes

1 medium onion for every 2 medium potatoes (or 1 for every one large)
paprika
salt
pepper
white potatoes
2 tsp olive oil

Place onions (I used 5) in a deep non-stick fry pan and sprinkle with paprika. Saute your onions on a medium heat until a bit browned. Meanwhile, placed peeled and chopped potatoes water and bring to a boil. Cook until they are done, but not falling apart. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to the fry pan with the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let fry on medium, turning every 5 minutes, until the desired brownness is achieved.

1 cup will have about 2 points. This is a core recipe and a filling part of a Passover breakfast or lunch.

Black bean and barley soup

I thought it might be nice to put up the recipe I invented last Friday so that there would be something useful here :-)

12 cups water
6 vegetarian beef flavored bullion cubes
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup carrots, cut into rounds
3/4 cup pearl or hulled barley
1 15-oz can black beans, drained

saute the onions in a bit of water, letting it go dry repeatedly until slightly brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer at least 45 minutes or until barley is done and flavors are well blended.

Makes 17 servings of 1 cup each, 2 point per cup. Core.

Welcome to my blog!

This is my first entry into my blog, Healthy Veggie on WW. I wish to recount my journey, eating healthy, exercising, losing weight. I began this journey at the start of November 2005 at 163 lbs. I had gained 18 lbs in the year and a half since I married my dear husband. Now, on April 11th, I have lost a total of 16.4 lbs.

After the upcoming Passover/Pesach holiday, I plan on writing up my recipes, my activity, my successes, and the inevitable setbacks along the way.

Welcome to my blog :-)