Low-fat Lemon Hummus

This recipe makes a large batch but since it's only 2 Weight Watchers Points per 1/4 cup, it is a great "bang for your buck".  Is good on everything from veggie sticks (carrots, celery, cucumber) to salads!

4 cans Garbanzo Beans (reserve the juice)
1 Onion, chopped
6-8 cloves Garlic depending on size and preference
2 lemons, whole
4 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Squeeze lemon juice into large bowl then add remaining ingredients.  Use stick immersion blender (or large food processor) and mix all ingredients.  Add liquid reserved from the Garbanzo Beans to thin hummus to the desired consistency.  I think I ended up using about 1/2 cup.  This is the key to making great hummus without the Tahini (extra fat and calories).

16 servings

Spinach and Black Bean Saute

This makes a really filling meal that is nutrient dense and if you eat the whole thing it is only 10 Weight Watchers Points Plus.  It is super quick and easy!

1 9oz. bag of fresh Spinach
1 can Black Beans
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
Salt, Pepper and/or Mrs. Dash to taste

Place olive oil in pan and cook garlic until lightly browned.  Add all other ingredients and saute until spinach is soft and beans are heated through.

Homemade Chicken Soup

This recipe makes a very large batch (16+ servings) which is great to last a few days and still have enough left over to freeze.

1 Whole Chicken or 4-6 leg/thigh pieces (I think dark meat makes more flavorful soup)
4 Cartons (16 cups) Chicken Broth (MSG and Gluten Free)
4 cups diced Carrots
4 cups diced Celery
4 cups diced Onion
2 Tablespoons dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper

Place all ingredients in a very large pot, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours.  Remove from heat then strain broth into another large bowl or pot.  Pick through the strained veggies/chicken and save the chicken to dice and re-add to broth.  I like the pieces of chicken to be bite sized pieces.  At this point you can either leave the soup just broth and chicken which is what my kids like or add more diced veggies and simmer until hot all the way though.

Each serving is 4 Weight Watchers Points.

The Best Gluten Free Waffles

If you are Gluten Free, you know how hard it is to find a yummy recipe for waffles etc.  I really love Pamela's Products Gluten Free Baking Mix and this recipe was adapted from the back of the bag.  My (picky) kids and hubby love them!  This recipe makes a giant batch of 24 waffles.  I like to freeze them so they are easy to pull out and toast for a quick breakfast just like the ones sold in the freezer section of grocery store.

4 cups of Pamela's Products Gluten Free Baking Mix
8 eggs or the equivalent amount of egg beaters
3 cups water
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup whole flax seeds ground in a coffee grinder

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until there are no lumps.  Pour into waffle maker and cook until golden brown.

Each waffle is 3 Weight Watchers Points.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

This very filling soup tastes just like cream of broccoli soup without the butter and cream!  It is super quick, easy and is nutrient dense.  I got this recipe off the Peer Trainer website and made a few tweaks.  My husband Brian loves it too.

3 large heads of Broccoli or 1 bag of frozen Broccoli
1/2 large bag fresh Spinach or 1/2 bag of frozen Spinach
2 medium Onions, sliced
4 large cloves of Garlic, minced
5 large Carrots
1 box fresh Mushrooms
2 boxes (4 cups) Chicken broth (MSG and Gluten free)
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Grilling Chicken Flavor

Saute Onion and Garlic in the Olive oil over medium heat until soft.

Add all the veggies and spices into a large pot, cover with Chicken Broth.

Simmer until the veggies are soft then puree with a stick blender.  You can use a regular blender but it is a huge pain and very messy.

Makes 12 servings
If you are doing Weight Watchers each serving is only 1 Points Plus

Optional additions:
Garnish with Parmesan Cheese (1 T. = 1 Points Plus)
If you want to increase the protein content add 1/2 cup of Black Beans per bowl of soup (2 Points Plus).

*I made this the other day and added over a cup each of leftover green beans and asparagus and it was AWESOME!

*Today I made this soup with equal parts of spinach and kale = DELICIOUS!