Roasted Tomatoes

I made a couple dishes for our Mother's Day party.  I was on the last day of the GM diet.  So I was searching for fruit and veggie recipes.  I loved how fancy this side dish was.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
2 Large Firm Underripe Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tsp Dried Basil
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/8 tsp Salt
3/4c Coarse Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

I doubled the recipe since I was feeding a large family party.  I also used regular bread crumbs since I couldn't find whole wheat bread crumbs at Kroger.

 
Mix the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and salt in a separate bowl.

Halve the tomatoes and add to the slow cooker with the cut sides facing up.  Spoon the mixture over the tomatoes.  Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or high for 1 hour.

Cook the bread crumbs in a skillet over medium-heat until they are lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove the bread crumbs, mix with Parmesan, and set aside.

Drizzle cooking liquid evenly over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.

Dinner is served.

I probably could have used a little less breadcrumbs.  I think that would have made it look better and absorb the juices better.  I would make this recipe again.  It's a really tasty and classy way to eat your veggies.

Nutritional Info: (1 tomato half)
96 Calories
4g Fat
3g Fiber
3g Protein
13g Carbs

Recipe found in Better Homes and Garden Diabetic Slow Cooker magazine

Couscous with Vegetables

On Mother's Day I was looking for a side dish to make for our family party.  It was the 7th day of the GM diet where I was allowed fruit, veggies, and brown rice.  This recipe fit in perfectly.

Ingredients:
2 Yellow Squash or Zucchini
Large Onion
28oz Stewed Tomatoes
2c Water
2 5.6oz Boxes of Couscous
1c Slivered Almonds
1c Raisins

I found a brown rice couscous that I could use instead of regular couscous so that I was still on plan.  I ended up having to use 4c of water instead of 2 since it is a different type of couscous.

Chop onion, squash, and zucchini

Combine the onion, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, spice packets, and water in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.  Add the couscous to the slow cooker.  Cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Add raisins and almonds.  Then serve.

It was nice having a clean dish, but it was not one of my favorites.  I did love having it for the 7th day though.

Nutritional Info: (3/4c)
198 Calories
6g Fat
5g Fiber
8g Protein
32g Carbs
5 WW PointsPlus

Cabbage Soup (GM Diet)

We have been doing the GM diet this week.  They suggest you eat cabbage soup while on the diet.  I only made 1/2 of the recipe since the whole recipe wouldn't fit in the slow cooker.  You are allowed unlimited amounts of the soup.

Ingredients: (1/2 GM soup recipe)
14 oz Water
2 Large Onions
1 Green Pepper
28oz Whole Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/2 Head Cabbage
1/2 Bunch Celery
2 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Herbs and Flavoring as desired

Chop the cabbage, onion, green pepper, and celery.

Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.

The soup has quite a bit of flavor due to the onion soup mix.  It is nice to have some cooked veggies throughout the day instead of raw.

Nutritional Info: (8 servings)

65 Calories

0g Fat

5g Fiber

3g Protein

14g Carbs

0 WW PointsPlus

Taco Carnitas

I was looking through some websites while I was trying to plan another meal to make in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  I came across Mexican Tacos Carnitas and they looked amazing!! I did have some blonde moments while I was making these but they still turned out really good! You live and you learn, right?! :)
Ingredients:
1 Jalapeno
2 Garlic Cloves
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 lb Pork Shoulder Roast
2 Onions
1 can Fat Free Chicken Broth
1 cup Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Honey
1 bunch Cilantro
1 bunch Green Onion
12 Tortillas

I am always afraid of making a dish way too spicy and I've been told that the spice is mainly in the seeds when it comes to jalapenos.  So I took the coward way out and chopped it up and took out all of the seeds.

In a mixing bowl combind the jalapeno, two tablespoons chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, oregano, 1/4 cup orange juice, pepper and salt.  You are supposed to use one teaspoon orange zest but I didn't like the orange I had at home and I thought the juice would do the trick.  It was kind of pointless as juice because you pour 3/4 cup of juice over it later anyways.

Cover both sides of the meat with this mixture.

Then place the meat into the slow cooker and cover it with the remaining spice mixture.

Quarter the two onions and lay them on top of the meat.  I loosely broke them apart when I was doing this.

Rinse out your mixing bowl and then whisk together the rest of the orange juice, chicken broth and honey.

Evenly pour this mixture over the onions.

I cooked this on low for 11 hours and it didn't sit on warm at all.  I think this is the first time I've ever gotten home and my meal wasn't ready yet.

Take the meat and onions out of the slow cooker and place them in a mixing bowl.  Use two forks to gently pull it all apart and mix it together.

Chop up the rest of the cilantro and green onion. Then you are ready to make your tacos!

This is where I realized I had a major blonde moment.  I bought soft tortillas instead of corn taco shells.  I still went ahead and warmed them up and made the tacos though.  I loved the meat!  It was soooo good! 

Nutritional Info: Meat mixture only
Six Servings (2 tacos)
WW Points Plus: 5
Calories: 210
Fat: 10
Carbs: 14
Protein: 21

Enchilada Soup

While deciding on a Cinco de Mayo meal, I remembered that my aunt had emailed a recipe to me a long time ago that she liked.  I was a little nervous since we're not huge fans of spicy food, but this soup was great!

Ingredients:
3 c Chicken Broth
1 1/4 c Celery
1/2 c Onion
3 c Enchilada Sauce
15 oz Pure Pumpkin
10 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 1/2 c Frozen Corn

Optional Toppings:
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Crushed Baked Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream

Chop the onion and celery.  I did this the night before so that putting together the crock pot in the morning was super easy.

Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

I topped my soup with sour cream and tortilla chips.  It was delicious and healthy at the same time!  I would definitely make it again.  It's low in calories so you have room for a margarita!  :p

Nutritional Information: (Serves 8)
123 Calories
1g Fat
3g Fiber
9g Protein
18g Carbs
3 WW PointsPlus

Mexican Meatball Stew

Cinco de Mayo is almost here and it time we embrace the Mexican culture by trying some of their famous dishes!! I've never tried to make this type of stew but it looked delicious and it was healthy!  So why not give it a shot? :)
Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Turkey
1/4 cup Oats
1/4 cup Onion
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
1 Garlic Clove
15 oz can Black Beans
14 oz can Fat Free Chicken Broth
1 quart Stewed Tomatoes
10 oz Frozen Corn
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together the turkey, oats, onion, cheese, pepper, thyme, oregano and garlic.

Form this into inch sized balls and place them into a sprayed frying pan.

While these are browning you can rinse and drain the black beans.

Then stir the tomatoes, beans, corn, broth and garlic together in the slow cooker.

I cooked the meatballs until they were lightly browned on the outside.  I didn't worry about them being cooked all the way through since they would be sitting in the slow cooker all day.  This also stopped me from "testing" them! :)

I mixed these into the slow cooked and it was all set!

I cooked this on low for about seven hours and then it sat on warm for three more hours.

I split this into four servings without anything else served with it.  They were pretty big bowls so you could probably stretch it into six if you had a side salad.

If you like things a little more on the spicy side adding some chili powder would be great too!  I loved it and will definitely make it again.

Nutritional Info:
8 Servings
WW Points Plus: 6
Calories: 370
Fat: 15
Carbs: 34
Protein: 28