The last week has been a doozy: filled with birthday parties, work disasters, sick kids, schedule changes and lots of other things too yucky to mention on the blog :) Beth and her friend Terry came to eat with us this week. After dinner, the ladies entertained the children so we actually got to wash all the dishes from our cooking too, which isn't always possible. They were both amazingly gracious and complimentary of our meal, and we hope that they'll come back for another dinner soon! Next week is the vegetarian dinner... we're thinking eggplant, but if you have any ideas, please send them our way!
Broccoli Potato Soup with Sharp Cheddar
from WeightWatchers Points Plus Cookbook
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small uncooked potato, baking, peeled and chopped
14 1/2 oz fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, one can
1 cup water 1 pound broccoli, bunch, cut into 2-inch florets and stems sliced
1/4 cup Fat-free Half & Half
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup Kraft Shredded 2% milk reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add garic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add potato, broth and water, bring to boil. Add broccoli, return to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 5 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup broccoli florets with slotted spoon, set aside. Simmer until potato is tender, about 5 minutes longer.
Pour soup, in batches, into blender and puree. Return soup to saucepan, add reserved broccoli florets, half and half, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until melted.
Makes 4 servings, with a PointsPlus value of 3 each.
Suz: When I first made the soup, I got really nervous that it didn't taste good. Maybe I didn't puree it enough. Maybe the recipe is a little off. I added some extra chicken broth (I used all chicken broth instead of broth and water) and a few extra tablespoons of half and half. I also added a bit more cheese I brought it over to April's anyway and guess what? After it had time to meld, it wasn't too bad. Still think it needs to be a little smoother, I might add the cream before pureeing next time.
April: I enjoyed the soup. It had a chunky texture too it so it didn't feel over cooked like some soups can and it wasn't overwhelmingly cheesey either which... I appreciated. Both of my kids ate the soup... if that tells ya anything!
Chicken and Bacon Roll Ups From Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook
1/2 cup Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise 1 Tbsp chives, minced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 Flatout Carbdown Original Bread 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
2 cups grape tomatoes, chopped
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, center cut
2 cups roasted chicken breast, shredded rotisserie
Combine mayo, chives and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread 2 tablespoons mayo mixture over each flatbread. Top each with 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup tomato, 1 bacon slice (crumbled), and 1/2 cup chicken. Cut in half cross-wise to serve.
Makes 4 roll ups, with a PointsPlus value of 9 each.
Suz: The original recipe called for tarragon instead of chives, but I don't care for tarragon so we went with one of the suggested alternatives. Way too much mayo - could probably use 1/4 cup instead and it would be much better. I ended up tossing the chicken with the mayo mixture rather than spreading it on the flatbread...Also may have added about 1/2 cup extra chicken, but it did make 5 good sized wraps!
April: I like the wrap and thought it felt quite sinful.... it was the mayo and bacon that made you feel like you were doing something terribly wrong!!! But apparently it wasn't as bad as it tasted. I felt like it had a tad bit too much mayo.
Easy Chocolate Skillet SouffleFrom Weight Watchers: Hit the Spot
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
7 oz of good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped (fyi chips will do just fine)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 large eggs, separated
2 large egg whites
Pinch salt
10 tablespoons thawed frozen fat-free whipped topping (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a 10 inch ovenproof skillet with nonstick spray and sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of sugar. I used a large glass baking dish and it worked just fine.2. Combine the chocolate and milk in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks.
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 4 egg whites and salt into a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to medium-high. Add the remaining 1/3 sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. (if you don't know the difference between soft peaks and stiff... youtube it baby). Fold one-fourth of the whites intot he chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until no whtie streaks remain.
4. Gently pour the chocolate mixture ino the prepared skillet. Bake until the souffle springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 12-15 minutes. 5. Serve at once accompanied by whipped topping if using. Leftovers can be gently warmed in the microwave on medium-low power.
April: Yum... no really YUM. Here I have proof!
I love a broccoli soup! I just might have to try this one.
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