Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic vinegar sauce

asparagus
salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce




Clean and remove tough ends from asparagus.  Spray cookie sheet with Pam.  Lay asparagus out side by side.  Salt and pepper asparagus and roast at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  While cooking, brown 2 T butter, remove from heat and add 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar and 2 tsp. soy sauce.  When asparagus is done, drizzle butter mixture over asparagus.  It is SOOOO yummy!

Poppy Seed Dressing (Zupas

{Poppy Seed Salad Dressing}
by Caroline Drake


1/2 cup Heinz Gourmet Salad Vinegar
1 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
3/4 of an inch slice of purple onion, minced fine
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbs Poppy Seeds
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
place all items in a blender or food processor and blend well.

Serve over lettuce with berries and sugared pecans

Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips with Chipotle Ranch Sauce

Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips from Vittles and Bits Blog 1 large, uniformly-shaped russet potato, scrubbed well and sliced into 1/8" rounds* cooking spray 3/4 C. shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese salt & pepper to taste 2 T. crumbled bacon (about 2 slices) - I used real bacon bits chopped parsley or chives, for garnish (optional) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover for 5 minutes. Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting board. Pat to dry. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay out potato slices so they are overlapping on it. Spray lightly with additional cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese & bacon. Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until cheese is melted & bubbly. Serve with chipotle ranch sauce (recipe below). Serves 2. *You can use 2 medium-sized potatoes rather than 1 large. Also, I like to leave the skin on but you can peel the potatoes if you prefer. Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce 1 T. ranch dressing 3 T. sour cream 1/4 t. chipotle chili powder 1/8 t. cayenne (adjust more or less depending on how spicy you want). 1/8 t. salt 1/8 t. garlic powder Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Zucchini Pot Pie

Adapted from Skinny Taste.

4 small zucchinis sliced thin (I used a mandolin)
green onions
4 slices bacon (4 points plus)
4 Tbs Parmesan (2 points plus)
1/2 c. milk (1 point plus)
1/2 c. flour (6 points plus)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs (4 points)
garlic salt
pepper

Put the zucchini in a greased pie pan, top with green onions, bacon, and Parmesan. Mix milk, flour, baking powder, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour mixture over zucchini. Bake at 400 for 35mins. or until topping is golden.

Total Points Plus: 17 

Cream Cheese Pancakes

2 oz cream cheese (2 points plus)

3 egg whites (1 point plus)

1 packet stevia sweetener

vanilla

cinnamon (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Let sit for a couple mins so the bubbles can settle. Cook on a skillet like pancakes.

Serve with fruit or syrup.

Total Points: 3 points plus (excludes toppings)

Blender Tortilla Soup

Adapted from Blendtec

2 tomatoes, quartered
carrot
1/3 cup red pepper
1/4 avocado (3 points plus)
1/4 onion
1 oz pepper jack cheese (3 points plus)
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
salt
garlic powder
2 c. warm water

Mix in a blender until smooth. Add chicken, corn, etc for variation or add basil rather than cilantro for tomato basil soup.

Total Points plus: 6

Spinach Burgers

We really like these. You won't be fooling anyone trying to pretend like they taste like hamburger, but they definitely satisfy a burger craving.

Approx. 10oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and chopped or 10oz fresh spinach, blanched, drained, and chopped
1/2 onion, sautéd
green pepper, sautéd
3 egg whites (1 point plus)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella (4 points plus)
1/2 cup Panko (4 points plus)
garlic salt
pepper
crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Divide and form 4 large patties. Cook on a non-stick pan over med-high heat for approx 5 mins per side or until golden. Serve on buns and dress like hamburger.

Total Points Plus: 9
2-3 Points/patty