A Smart (and Meatless) Dinner

Let's begin with a little whining. My camera broke. I'm not happy about it. It's not an expensive camera, but it was all I had. Now it's not cooperating. My first thought was, "What's a food blog without photos to entice readers?!" Well, I can't prolong writing anymore, so I'm trusting you to use your imaginations! (I'm also accepting donations for a fancy, schmansy camera.)

Yesterday, I splurged a little at lunch time, so I needed a really smart option for dinner. I was extremely happy with the following throw-together meal. Don't you love those? When you toss together whatever looks good and it turns out better than expected? You will LOVE this tasty dish, full of fresh veggies and lots of flavor.

Be sure and come back tomorrow for a recipe review not to be missed!

SAUTEED CEASAR VEGGIES

Ingredients:

One small zucchini, chopped

One small yellow squash, chopped

1/4 cup diced onion (I use frozen, prechopped to save time!)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. light ceasar salad dressing

1 tsp. reduced fat parmesan cheese

2 tbs. shredded low-moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese

salt/pepper

cooking spray

Cooking Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat on stove top. Sautee zucchini, squash and onions with garlic and salt/pepper for about 5-8 minutes, stirring often or until soft and beginning to brown. Add ceasar dressing and cook another minute. Sprinkle with cheeses and place in oven for about 5 minute or until cheese is melted.

This dish serves one as a meatless entree, or could be a side dish for 2-4 people.

Servings: 1

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 4

A Chocolate Treat for the Holidays

Cheryl, a follower on Good Taste's Facebook page, recently asked about a healthier chocolate recipe. I'm not the biggest fan of sweets, but around the holidays it's nearly impossible to avoid to countless treats at parties, gatherings and family dinners. I've been giving this request some thought, then today I came across Gina's (SkinnyTaste.com) recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark. Hello! Why reinvent the wheel? Just take a look at this scrumptiousness:

This recipe combines some of my all-time favorite flavors: tangy cranberries, sweet nutty pistachios and the deep flavor of dark chocolate. All such great, healthy ingredients to feel GOOD about. And since my camera is broken and I'll have to wait to share some recipe photos with you, why not direct you over to Gina's for this holiday delight.

As always, if you try out a Good Taste recipe or one that I've linked up here, please let me know. Photos are welcome, too! Just email me at tmtysinger@triad.rr.com.

Southwestern Chicken (or Turkey) Quesadilla

This easy and super tasty recipe could be lunch, dinner, an appetizer or snack. Make it with chicken, leftover Thanksgiving turkey -- like I did -- or another lean meat. One trick of mine to make weeknight meals quicker is to precook my turkey or chicken on the weekends for salads and meals like this that call for precooked meat. The bell peppers and onions give it a real fajita flavor...which satisfies my cravings for something sizzling!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin

1/4 cup onion, sliced thin

2 oz. white meat turkey or chicken breast, cooked and diced

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 cup salsa, divided

1 whole wheat, high fiber tortilla (I use Ole brand)

1 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

cooking spray

shredded lettuce, optional

Cooking Method:

Preheat non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and saute peppers and onions for 5-8 minutes or until they begin to become tender. Add meat, garlic powder, chili powder and half the salsa. Stir to combine and cook another few minutes, until meat is heated through. Remove veggie/meat mixture and place in bowl and set aside.

Wipe out skillet and spray again with cooking spray. Place tortilla flat in skillet. Sprinkle half the cheese on half the tortilla. Spoon the veggie/meat mixture over that half. Top with rest of cheese. Fold over other side of tortilla to cover. Let cook on each side about 2-3 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Remove from heat and let set a minute or two before cutting in thirds.

Serve with remaining salsa and shredded lettuce.

Servings: 1

Weight Watchers PointPlus Value: 6

Recipe Review: Mini Pecan Pies (Dashing Dish)

I was blessed to have not one, but two Thanksgiving meals to attend this year with my husband's family. Both meals were prepared by wonderful cooks, so all I had to worry about was bringing a dessert. I wanted to bring a healthy option, but one that would not stick out as the "healthy dessert" on the table. You know, the one people pass by on their way to the pies and cakes?

The darling Katie at Dashing Dish comes up with the most creative takes on traditional favorites, allowing you to enjoy the tastes you've always loved while still watching your waist line. I decided to try her Mini Pecan Pies -- and I was NOT disappointed.

These miniature versions of the holiday favorite totally satisfy your sweet tooth. As a matter of a fact, I can't tell the difference at all between the flavors of these and the full-fat, full-calorie, full-guilt original. My family was equally impressed and none the wiser. The recipe is easy, quick and perfect for potlucks, parties and family gatherings.

The best part? These little bite-size beauties are only 42 calories each and only ONE Weight Watcher PointsPlus value. Can you believe that? Even if you indulge and have two or three, like I did, you're still not even a quarter way to the value for a piece of original pecan pie (a whopping 14 PointsPlus!). In my book, that's a win-win situation.

For the recipe for Katie's Mini Pecan Pies, click here, and tell her Good Tastes sent ya!

Sun Dried Tomato & Feta Crusted Tilapia

Today's dish was one I shared on Facebook recently. (Speaking of Facebook, be sure and "Like" Good Tastes' new page here!) I'm a big fan of fish but was looking for a change-up one night. This recipe takes the mild taste of tilapia and boosts it to new levels with sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese -- two of my favorite ingredients! The oven baked crust makes the fish crispy and rich without a lot of extra fat or frying. I think this crust would also be great on chicken breasts.

Ingredients:

2 Tilapia filets (about 5 oz. each)

1 oz. sun dried tomatoes

4 Tbs. reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tbs. Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp. olive oil

Cooking Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In blender (I used my trusty Magic Bullet), pulse tomatoes, feta and bread crumbs until well blended. It will resemble a moist crumble. Brush baking dish with olive oil. Place tilapia filets in dish and turn to coat in olive oil. Evenly distribute crumble mixture over top of each filet to form a top crust. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until fish is flaky and white.

In the photo above, I served this with the world's best ever broccoli. Seriously. Trust me. Make it TONIGHT. You'll never eat broccoli made any other way. You can find that recipe here from The Amateur Gourmet. (Note: I cut down on the amount of olive oil used and it works just fine and saved some points.)

Servings: 2

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value Per Serving: 5

Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash

Before we get started with our very first Good Tastes recipe, please be sure and visit THIS post if this if your first visit to learn a little bit about this blog.

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite parts of the holidays is leftovers! But they can also be the most dangerous, calling out to you from the fridge to munch and nibble all day long.

Today's recipe recycles that leftover Thanksgiving turkey and extra sweet potatoes to make an unbelievably wonderful hash full of seasonal flavors. The sweet potato adds great fiber and nutrients, while the white turkey breast meat gives you that boost of lean protein to fill you up. Combined with the tart of the cranberries and tang of the creamy goat cheese, this dish doesn't even hint at being born from leftovers!

The amounts below are for one serving because I simply through it together tonight for just myself. You could easily double/triple/quadruple the ingredients to feed those leftover house guests.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato (130-150g), peeled and diced small

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

dash ground cinnamon

2 oz. turkey breast, cooked and diced

1 Tbs. dried, sweetened cranberries

1 Tbs. crumbled goat cheese

cooking spray

Cooking Method:

Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat on the stove top. In small bowl, toss sweet potato and onions with pepper and cinnamon. Cook in skillet, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until semi soft and edges begin to brown. Stir in turkey and cranberries.

Add about 4 Tbs. water, cover with lid. Cook until water has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. This step helps steam the potatoes to fully cooked, heat the turkey through quickly and plump the cranberries. Remove lid and cook another minute or so to make sure all water is gone.

Place in bowl and top with goat cheese crumbles. Let sit a minute or two before serving to let cheese melt a little. Enjoy!

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 6

Welcome to Good Tastes!

I am so very excited to welcome you to Good Tastes, a blog devoted to healthy and tasty recipes created by or modified by me, Teresa. I'm just your average working mom looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle a little more each day. I have no formal training in cooking, other than knowing what I think tastes good -- something that makes us all experts. I strive to make eating healthy exciting and something to look forward to.

If this is your first time to Good Tastes, I invite you to visit the About page to learn more about what you will find (and what you won't) at Good Tastes. You can also find links to some of my favorite food blogs, from which I get lots of great ideas and inspiration, on the Blog Roll page.

Be sure to check out the Weight Loss Journey page for a peek at my personal journey with Weight Watchers.