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Hearty Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Soup Recipe

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Hearty Beef & Vegetable Slow Cooker Soup
Hearty Beef & Vegetable Slow Cooker Soup

Hearty Beef & Vegetable Slow Cooker Soup

Here’s a hearty beef and vegetable soup that couldn’t be easier. You simply stir all the ingredients together in the slow cooker and then let it simmer away unattended. In several hours you’re rewarded with a big batch of satisfying soup that will fill you up with minimal fat and calories.

I knew as soon as I saw the recipe while skimming my Weight Watchers Momentum Slow Cook It: 165 All-New Slow-Cooker Recipes Cookbook, it would be good and ended up making just a a few changes based on what I had available.

This tasty vegetable beef  soup is perfect for a super easy weeknight supper. It’s chock full of healthy ingredients including carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, turnips and peas. And to keep it skinny you use top round steak, trimmed and cut into cubes, but any extra lean stew beef would work.

With only 213 calories and 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus in a 2 cup serving, this easy vegetable soup is a real winner for anyone wanting to lose weight and/or eat healthy.

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Filed Under: 5 PointsPlus, Beef, Slow Cooker, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With:

Vegetarian Chili

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Vegetarian Chili

Chili is one of those dishes that can be made a million different ways and is really hard to mess up, unless you try to get too creative with your spice combinations.

If you stick to the basics and control the amount of spice, it’s hard to go wrong.

Through the years I’ve made dozens of different kinds of chili from mild to spicy, including vegetarian chili, ground beef chili, chicken chili, turkey chili, four bean chili, white chili and even made it once with ground venison I received as a gift when living in northern Wisconsin.

It’s a great easy recipe that’s perfect for busy cooks because once you get the ingredients put together it can simmer away, mostly unattended, on the back of the stove or in a slow cooker. Then it’s ready when you are.

It’s also a great make ahead dish that can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days until you need it.

Vegetarian chili has become a personal favorite recently. It’s lighter and healthier than traditional chili with meat but still deeply satisfying.

I’ve gathered my favorite vegetarian chili recipes here in one place and also included links to a few more I want to try in the future.

1) Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

This delicious vegetarian chili calls for bulgur, which gives it a chewy meat-like texture. If you’re not familiar with bulgur, it’s a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that’s been partially cooked, dried and ground and is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking. (It’s the main ingredient in tabouli.) You can find it in health food stores and most well-stocked grocery stores.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons chili power
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup bulgur, preferably coarse
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 (15 ounce) cans beans (kidney, black or pinto or a combination)
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
5 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Put a large soup pot on medium heat and add the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne, bay leaves and bulgur. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, beans, tamari, water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often so the ingredients don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Before serving, taste and add more salt, pepper and/or cayenne if needed.

Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin

2) Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

This is a quick vegetarian chili that is perfect for a weeknight supper. It calls for ground Chipotle chile, a powder made from ground dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. It lends both smoky flavor and spice and can be found in the spice section of most well-stocked supermarkets. (Omit it if you prefer your chili mild.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to get soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle (if using) and salt and cook, for 30 seconds, stirring the whole time. Add the water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes

Add the beans, tomatoes and lime juice and increase heat to high until the mixture comes back to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until the chili thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Source: Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

3) Slow Cooker Garden Chili Recipe

An easy and delicious recipe for vegetarian chili made in your slow cooker. This is a mild chili so if you like yours spicier, add a little more chili powder and maybe some cayenne.  This chili is good served over rice.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Yield: 10 servings
Best Slow Cooker Size: 3-1/2 – 4 Quart

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1/4 pound, fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Put a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining fresh vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to your slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Source: Adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good

4) Laurie Colwin’s Vegetarian Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: All day
Yield: 4 servings

This version of vegetarian chili comes from my favorite food writer, Laurie Colwin, a successful fiction writer who also wrote about food and cooking. Although I usually take the easy approach, making my chili with canned beans, this deliciously easy version using a variety of dried beans is on my list of recipes to try. I first need to gather small quantities of all the beans required, which will be some work in and of itself, since it will require a trip to the natural foods store and probably the Indian market!  (She claims you don’t need to soak the beans first, which seems kinda radical for a girl like me who has always always soaked her dried beans before cooking them!)

Ingredients

1 cup dried  black beans
1 cup dried little red beans
1/2 cup aduki beans
1/2 cup urad dal (tiny Indian black beans)
1 large (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 large medium dried chile
1 bay leaf
Chili powder to taste
4 cups water, more as necessary

Extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions

Wash all the beans, drain and place them in a large soup pot. Add all the remaining ingredients (except olive oil) and stir them together until well combined. Put the pot on the stove and let them simmer as gently as possible, all day, stirring them every now and again. (Add more water if necessary.)

Adapted from Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by laurie Colwin

Links to more great vegetarian chili recipes:

Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili – 101 Cookbooks
Easy Vegetarian Chili – Happy Tummy
Ridiculously Easy Vegetarian Chili – Rachael Ray
Chunky Vegetarian Chili – My Recipes
Cook-Off Winning Veggie Chili – Whole Foods Market

Article by Martha McKinnon

Martha is a Healthy Weight Loss Coach and Cooking Coach who loves to help women stop dieting and instead discover the pleasure of happy healthy balanced eating, cooking and living. Sign up to receive her FREE Healthy Homemade Granola Bar Recipes eBooklet and future tips, techniques, ideas and easy recipes to help you live a healthier, happier more nourished life.

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Broccoli Cauliflower Soup Recipe

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Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This easy broccoli cauliflower soup is based on another simple recipe template I use a lot.

There are gazillions of recipes for “cream of vegetable soup” and/or “pureed vegetable soup” online and in cookbooks that are virtually all the same with very minor differences among them. (Trust me, I’ve spent more time than I should’ve comparing and contrasting them.)

The more you cook and read about cooking, the more you begin seeing patterns that let you rely less on recipes, which can make the process a whole lot easier and more fun.

To make a ‘cream of’ or ‘pureed’ vegetable soup, all you need to do is cook a vegetable or some combination of vegetables with some seasonings until tender, puree the mixture until it’s creamy and then reheat it with a little cream or butter, if you want.

If the vegetables you’re using don’t have a lot of body or if you prefer thicker soups, adding a peeled and chopped medium sized baking potato or 1/3 cup rice will help.  It also will add creaminess without the cream, something I first read in Julia Child’s cookbook, The Way to Cook back in the 1990′s, when even she seems to have been affected by the low-fat craze!

Adding a bit of cream or butter at the end will make your soup incredibly smooth and rich, but this is totally optional. Sometimes I do; sometimes I don’t, depending on the day, whether I’m at goal and how virtuous I’m feeling.

Without the cream, a serving of this deliciously nourishing satisfying soup has just 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus.

There are two basic approaches for making a pureed soup. In the first, you begin by sauteeing an onion in a little oil or butter for a few minutes before adding the rest or your vegetables, seasonings and stock or water. The second and easier way is just to combine everything in a pot, bring it to a boil and then simmer until the vegetables are tender. Both methods can make great soups.

You can puree your soup in a blender or food processor, with an immersion blender or with an old-fashioned food mill. I like my blender best. (Last year, I finally bought the Vitamix I’d been coveting for years and now use it every chance I get!)

For a super quick and easy soup, you can even use frozen vegetables, which is what I did yesterday.

I will give you the basic recipe for a simple broccoli cauliflower soup along with several variations so you can see how variable this delicious satisfying soup can be.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes

You can use either fresh or frozen broccoli and cauliflower in whatever proportions you prefer to make this soup. I used a frozen package of broccoli cauliflower blend since that’s what I had on hand. If you are in a hurry, skip cooking the onion in the butter, before adding the broccoli, cauliflower and stock. Once the soup is finished, if it seems too thick you can thin it to your desired consistency by adding more stock or water a little at a time.)

For a delicious burst of flavor, add a handful of fresh basil to the soup when you puree it and garnish with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to 1 1/2 pounds broccoli and cauliflower florets (about 4 cups)
1 medium baking potato, peeled and chopped
4 to 5 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
1/4 to 1 cup cream, preferably organic (if desired)
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish if desired

Directions

Put the butter in a large, deep pot set over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli, cauliflower, potato and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (You’ll want to give the pot an occasional stir to prevent sticking.)

Carefully puree the soup until smooth.  If you’re using a blender, be sure to let the mixture cool a bit and do it in batches, only filling the blender halfway, to prevent any exploding soup accidents. (It’s also a good idea to remove the cap from the hole of the blender’s lid and cover the hole with a dish towel while blending to allow the heat to escape and prevent splattering.)

Give the pot a quick rinse and then add the soup back to the pot set over low to medium low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream, if desired, and heat gently.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1/4th without cream): 113 calories, 2.6 g fat, 19.9 g carbs, 6.2 g fiber, 6.3 g protein and 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Other Variations and Combinations

Butternut Squash Coconut Soup: Use peeled and chopped butternut squash. Substitute 2 cups coconut milk for 2 cups of the stock. Add 2 tablespoons chopped garlic and 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder with the vegetables.

Carrot Ginger Soup: Use sliced carrots instead of broccoli and cauliflower. Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger with the vegetables. Add ½ cup orange juice and a small drizzle of maple syrup when you puree it.

Cream of Asparagus Soup: Use trimmed asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme with the vegetables. Stir in 1/4 cup cream and 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice at the end.

Cream of Mushroom Soup: Use 1 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped and 4 cups stock. Add 1/4 to 1 cup cream at the end.

Creamy Parsnip Soup: Use 1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces, 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces, 2 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water. Stir in 1/2 cup cream at the end.

Curried Zucchini Soup: Use sliced zucchini (about 3 medium). Add 2 garlic cloves minced and 2 teaspoons curry powder with the vegetables.

Links:

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup – Simply Recipes
Cream of Spinach Soup – Being Suzy Homemaker
Pureed White Bean and Winter Squash Soup - New York Times
Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup – Simple Daily Recipes
15 Minute Creamy Corn and Potato Soup – Hungry Desi

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Filed Under: 3 PointsPlus, Easy Healthy, Soups, Stews & Chilis, Vegetarian Tagged With: , ,

Jamie Oliver Vegetable Soup with Beans Recipe

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Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup

Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup

Are you looking for a delicious easy vegetable bean soup recipe? Then, by all means, give this one a try. This is by far the best vegetable and bean soup I’ve ever made.

In Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals he describes it as a “lovely soup – very simple and traditional.” He couldn’t be more right!

He goes on to say that if you want to give it more of an “Italian vibe”  and make it more of an italian style bean soup recipe, you can add a can of diced tomatoes, some torn fresh basil leaves and some broken spaghetti.  (I opted to add the tomatoes and basil with fantastic results.)

In the introduction to his chapter on soups, Jamie explains that the key to a good soup is cooking the vegetables for the shortest amount of time that they need in order to be soft enough to be pureed or eaten, which will give better flavor and nutritional value.  Is that why my previous vegetable soups weren’t as good as this one- I simply simmered them too long?

In the chapter he uses one basic soup recipe that he modifies in several different ways to create a variety of soups including this one for spring vegetable and bean, leek and potato, sweet potato and chorizo, pea and mint, tomato, cauliflower cheese, lentil and spinach, and parsnip and ginger.

The beauty is that once you’ve made a few of these soups, you will have mastered the basic formula for making great homemade soups and can then get creative experimenting with your own flavor combinations.  I love this concept of really learning how to cook instead of blindly following recipes and soup is a great place to start since it is so easy and forgiving. It’s almost impossible to make bad homemade soup and usually the results are truly great and so you end up with a bunch of all kinds of easy soup recipes of your own from just one basic soup recipe template.

I hope you will give this recipe a go and then pass it on by sharing it with or teaching it to at least two more people, which is what Jamie’s Food Revolution is all about!

Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup Recipe

Makes 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients

7 cups chicken or vegetable broth, preferably organic
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, optional
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, peeled and sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
2 cups small broccoli florets
2 cups small cauliflower florets
7 cups (7 ounces) spinach leaves
2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground Parmesan for serving, optional

Preparation

Put the broth and canned tomatoes, if using, in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Meanwhile, Put a large deep soup pot on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and stir them together with a wooden spoon. Place the lid on askew and cook them until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape and the onion is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. (You’ll want to give them a stir every so often so they don’t begin to stick or burn.)

Add the boiling broth to the vegetables in the soup pot. Add the beans, broccoli, cauliflower and chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds more, then remove pot from the heat. If you like a thicker soup, take out half of it, give it a whirl in a blender and then stir it back into the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1/6th recipe): 154 calories, 3.8 g fat, 21.9 g carbs, 7.5 g fiber, 11.2 g protein and 4 WW Points+ Value

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Filed Under: Dinner, Easy Healthy, Soups, Stews & Chilis, Vegetables Tagged With: ,

Dinosaur Kale Salad

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Kale Salad
Kale Salad

A Delicious Easy Healthy Recipe for Kale Salad

Dinosaur kale, which is also known as Lacinto kale, isn’t as tough as curly kale so it it works well in raw salads, like this one.

This raw kale salad is crunchy, colorful and delicious. The whole family enjoyed it when I made it recently and I think yours will to. The dressing adds a flavorful punch that really perks up the vegetables and fruit.

It’s a great healthy alternative to coleslaw, colorful and brimming with Weight Watchers Power Foods.

This easy healthy recipe is inspired by one for rainbow kale slaw I picked up at Whole Foods beside a colorful display of organic local greens that included several kinds of kale, chard and collards.

If you are trying to eat more nutritious foods, kale is really hard to beat. It’s rich in antioxidant nutrients, anti-cancer nutrients and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Did you know that green vegetables are the foods most missing in the modern American diet?

Learning to cook and eat greens, such as kale, is important for healthy living. By nourishing yourself with a variety of leafy greens, you can naturally crowd out less healthy foods that can make you sick, which is something I’ve been trying to do more of lately.

By eating so many fruits and vegetables you automatically have less room for higher calorie foods, without feeling deprived, which is why they mostly have 0 PointsPlus Value on the Weight Watchers Plan! And it’s fun to try new foods and experiment with new recipes too :-)

I’m loving this approach to healthy balanced eating and hope you you’ll consider giving it a try!

Dinosaur Kale Salad Recipe

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 bunch dinosaur kale (lacinto kale), thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
4 cups shredded red cabbage
2 naval oranges or clementines, peeled and segmented
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cored seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine the kale, cabbage, orange, onion, pepper, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, orange juice, vinegar and black pepper. Pour dressing over the kale mixture and toss well to coat everything. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1 cup): 58 calories, 1.2 g fat, 10.9 g carbs, 2.8 g fiber, 2.4 g protein and 1 WW PointsPlus

More Raw Kale Salad Recipes for You…

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PS – Have you grabbed a FREE copy of my Homemade Granola Bars e-cookbooklet yet? When you do, as a BONUS you will receive a FREE subscription to my monthly e-zine packed with easy practical tips, techniques, recipes and inspiration to help you enjoy a healthier, happier more balanced life.

Filed Under: Salads, Vegetables Tagged With: ,

This Borscht Recipe is One of My Favorite Winter Soup Recipes

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Winter Borscht
Winter Borscht

Winter Borscht Soup Recipe

This borscht recipe caught my eye as I was scanning one of my favorite cookbooks of the moment, Simply in Season: Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-with-Less.

Having never made or even tasted borscht before, I had no preconceived ideas about what ingredients it should contain.

Usually, this leads me to an exhaustive comparison of borscht soup recipes from various cookbooks and the internet as I attempt to deduce which one would be best (and lose several valuable hours in the process).

But as I continue to simplify my life, I decided to skip all that time and effort, trust that the recipe before me would be delicious and it was!

It’s not to say there are not lots of other delicious recipes for borscht out there or that I won’t try a different variation next time, but for today this was perfect with only 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus per serving!

It makes 8 servings of winter borscht that is simple and satisfying on a cold day.

Winter Borscht Soup Recipe

Makes 8 servings

This recipe calls for 1 cup chopped beets, beet stems or beet greens.  I used both 1 cup of chopped beets and 1 cup of chopped beet greens.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound stewing beef or chicken (preferably organic, pastured or free range), chopped
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups water
4 cups beef broth
2 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1 cup peeled chopped beets, beet stems or beet greens
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dried
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1/2 cup fresh chopped chives (optional)
1/2 cup  fresh chopped parsley

Preparation

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the beef and onion and cook until the meat has browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the water, broth, potatoes, cabbage, beets, carrots, barley, bay leaves, dried dill (if using), salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. If using beet greens and fresh dill, wait and add in the next step.

Add the beet greens and fresh dill, if using and parsley. Simmer until the barley is cooked and meat is tender, another 10 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1/8th recipe): 220 calories, 5.4 g fat, 24.5 g carbs, 5.3 g fiber, 19.0 g protein and 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus value

More borscht recipes from the web…

Filed Under: 5 PointsPlus, Easy Healthy, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With: ,

How to Cook Kale

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Sauteed Kale*

Sauteed Kale*

Photo Credit – julesjulesjulesm – flicker creative commons

I’m on a personal mission to get kale the respect it deserves. Have you tried it?

You may not be aware that kale is a hardy green from the cabbage family that often makes top 10 healthiest food lists. I wasn’t until I made a commitment to eat more greens last year.

Kale is not only good for you, it is pleasantly tasty too! It is one of the least bitter of the leafy cooking greens so if you like spinach you will probably love it. And like other leafy greens, it’s a Weight Watchers 0 PointsPlus value power food.

But, if you have never eaten it, you may be wondering how to cook kale.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 0 PointsPlus, Cooking Tips, Hints, & How-Tos, Ingredients, Vegetables Tagged With: ,

Grilled Vegetable Recipes

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photo by woodley wonderworks

If you are like me – always on the lookout for ways to enjoy more vegetables because they are good for you (and have zero to low points on the Weight Watchers plan) you’ll want to explore grilling.

One of the tastiest ways to prepare vegetables is to grill them. You can grill vegetables on a Propane or Gas Grill or in a Grill Pan on the stove. Or wrap them in foil packets and place them directly on the grill.

In addition to being quick and easy, grilling really brings out the natural flavor of vegetables. All you need is a little salt, pepper and spritz of  olive oil from your Misto, which can help you meet your Good Health Guidelines daily healthy oils requirement.

Grilled vegetables are delicious hot off the grill, at room temperature, or chilled. Talk about versatile. You can serve grilled vegetables with almost anything. They make a delicious appetizer drizzled with balsamic vinegar and served with grilled bread.

For a complete meal grill fish, chicken, or steak along the the veggies.

Or for a satisfying vegetarian main dish serve them with a healthy grain such as brown rice, polenta, or quinoa.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 0 PointsPlus, 1 PointsPlus, Easy Healthy, Vegetables Tagged With:

Twelve Tasty Vegetable Soup Recipes

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Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

Homemade vegetable soup is hard to beat. It’s a great easy delicious way to get more vegetables into your diet. I love to make a big pot of vegetable soup on Saturday or Sunday to enjoy during the week.

There are many great vegetable soup recipes from delicate to hearty.

Vegetable soup is extremely forgiving and adaptable so you can use whatever vegetables you have available.

If you have never made homemade vegetable soup it is helpful to follow the recipe exactly as written the first time you make it. Then once you are comfortable with the recipe and basic process experiment away. Cabbage, swiss chard, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips, leeks, fennel, and corn are delicious in vegetable soup.

[Read more...]

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How to Boil Corn on the Cob

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img_2739
Corn on the Cob

Corn on the Cob

It’s hard to beat boiled corn on the cob, especially when it is in season and freshly picked. With just 2 PointsPlus value per medium ear (without butter), it’s a Weight Watchers friendly Power Food too!

Boiling is the quickest, easiest, tastiest way to prepare fresh corn. Many people prefer grilling corn on the cob but I don’t think it is worth the extra time and effort.

Since boiling corn on the cob is one of those things we only tend to do a few times a year, it is easy to forget the details such as how long to boil it.

And even for a recipe as simple as this, there are several varying opinions for how to boil corn on the cob. Some suggest salting the water, others to cover the pot.

I boil corn on the cob, uncovered, in unsalted water, according to the directions in one of my oldest and trusted cookbooks.  A few years ago, I read that you should add a little sugar to the water to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness and have been doing it ever since.

Basic Instructions for How to Boil Corn on the Cob

6 to 12 ears of corn
1 tablespoon sugar
Butter, softened (for serving)
Salt (for serving)

For maximum freshness husk the corn just before cooking.  Pull off the silky threads and cut out any bad spots with a small sharp pointed knife.  Bring a large pot filled with a gallon of water and the sugar to a boil.  Drop the corn into the boiling water and return water to boiling.  Cook the corn until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the corn on the cob from the water with tongs, allowing as much water as possible to drain away from each ear.

Serve with softened butter and salt, remember to keep it Weight Watchers friendly, go lightly with each :-)

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1 medium ear): 63 calories, 0;9 g fat, 13.9 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2.4 g protein and 2 WW PPV.

If you like this post for how to boil corn on the cob, check out these links:

How to Cook Hamburgers on the Stove
How to Hard Boil an Egg
How to Make Fresh Lemonade

Filed Under: 2 PointsPlus, Cooking Tips, Hints, & How-Tos, Ingredients, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged With: ,