Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. minced dried basil 
• 4 bell peppers (any color), tops cut off and seeded
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

Makes 4 Servings (1 stuffed pepper per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix together beef or turkey, rice onion, peas, Parmesan, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and basil in a large bowl; spoon evenly into bell peppers. Stand peppers in shallow baking dish or casserole. Pour tomato puree over peppers; add enough water to baking dish to come partway up sides of peppers. 
3. Cover baking dish with foil and bake, basting peppers occasionally with tomato liquid, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until peppers and rice are tender and filling is cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Here is another version of comfort food that can be good for you. You can use ground beef or ground turkey in this recipe and the dish will still be filling and tasty. You forget this comfort food is good for you with all the vegetables, protein and  brown rice in this dish. These peppers will fill you up so you may not have enough room for dessert. 

Bulgur-Beef Meatballs in Cinnamon-Scented Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup coarse bulgur
• 4 scallions finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute or 1 large egg beaten
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Makes 6 Servings (4 meatballs & generous 1/2 cup sauce per serving)

1. Mix together beef, 3/4 cup of parsley, the bulgur, scallions, egg substitute, 2 teaspoons of garlic, 2 teaspoons of oil, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl. With damp hands, shape beef-bulgur mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.
2. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, covered, stirring, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add remaining garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the cinnamon; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and boil 1 minute; stir in tomatoes. Add meatballs and broth and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to platter; keep warm. Bring sauce to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 5-6 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; return meatballs to pot and gently stir until coated with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. These are a new take on meatballs and they are quite tasty. They are full of flavor and they are succulent and juicy. If you don't have ground beef on hand, use ground turkey and the meatballs will be just as tasty. I do highly recommend pureeing the dice tomatoes and adding a touch of tomato paste to make the tomato sauce thicker. 

Beef, Blue Cheese & Spinach Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cooked lean ground beef
• 3 tbsp. taco sauce
• 4 large whole-wheat tortillas
• 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
• 10 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Makes 8 Servings (2 wedges per serving)

1. In a small bowl, stir together beef and taco sauce.
2. Lay 2 tortillas on a flat surface and divide beef mixture between them. Sprinkle each tortilla with half of the cheese, spinach, and red pepper flakes; top each with remaining tortilla.
3. Set a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place one quesadilla in skillet and cook until brown spots form on bottom of tortilla, about 3-4 minutes; flip and cook until brown spots form again, about 3-4 minutes. Remove quesadilla to a large cutting board and cover to keep warm; repeat with remaining quesadilla.
4. Cut each quesadilla into 8 wedges and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. Who does not love quesadillas? You can eat these treats when you're watching the big game, for lunch, a light dinner or as a heavy snack. If you don't have taco sauce on hand, use a combination of dark chili powder and ground cumin for an authentic Southwestern taste. You can also a little bit of chopped tomato to the quesadilla to add more flavor and fill you up. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the beef and your quesadilla will be just as tasty. Don't forget to add chopped onions and garlic when you're cooking the beef/chicken, turkey to enhance the flavor. 

Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground skinless turkey breast (or ground pork or sirloin)
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup (or tomato paste)
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 4 strips turkey  bacon (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
• 1 tomato, cut into 4 slices

Makes 4 servings

1. In a large bowl, combine the meat, shallots, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and pepper. Blend in the cheese, then form into 4 burgers.
2. Heat an indoor reidged grill sprayed with non-stickcooking spray. Cook the burgers until cooled through, 6-8 minutes on each side. When you turn the burgers, add the bacon to the grill; cook until crisp, 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve the burgers in the buns, with the bacon and tomato slices.

WW POINTS PER SERVING: 6 per Burger

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. The Weight Watcher burgers are just as delicious as the South Beach burgers. You can substitute ground pork or ground sirloin instead of ground turkey. You can also substitute tomato paste for the ketchup. Save the ketchup for the burger condiments. Mixing the cheese into the meat adds moisture as well as flavor. I guarantee you will never eat at a fast food joint after having these kind of healthy burgers.