Spiced Sweet Potato-Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds 
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can spicy diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 wedges (3/4 oz. each) light spreadable cheese
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings (1 1/4 cups per serving)

1. In a steamer, cook the sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. 
2. Meanwhile, in a small ungreased skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and puffed up a bit, 3-5 minutes. Scrape onto a plate to top the cooking. 
3. Transfer the hot sweet potatoes to a food processor. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the broth, cheese, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. 
4. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls an sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve warm. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. Forget going out for fast food. Make this soup instead and you will be happy and satisfied. This vegetable soup is quick, easy, flavorful and delicious. Who knew the combination of sweet potatoes and tomatoes would make a flavorful combination. I recommend using cream cheese in this recipe to give a soup a creamier texture. I also highly recommend adding minced garlic to the soup mixture in the blender because garlic always makes everything taste better. 

Easy Walnut Muesli with Fresh Apricots

Ingredients:

Muesli:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Toppings:

• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
• 8 fresh apricots, sliced
• 2 cups 1% or fat-free milk

Makes 8 Servings (1/2 cup per serving)

1. For the muesli: Heat the oven to 275 F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. In a large bowl, combine walnuts, oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
2. For each serving, place 1/2 cup muesli in a cereal bowl. Top each with 3/4 teaspoon flaxseed and 1/4 cup apricots. Add 1/4 cup milk and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Muesli is a popular treat for breakfast in Switzerland and Germany and very easy to make at home. This breakfast treat is flavorful and delicious. I highly recommend adding a touch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg to make the muesli more flavorful. You can also use chopped almonds in place of the walnut and the muesli will be just as delicious. 

Acorn Squash and Two-Bean Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 small acorn squash (10-12 ounces)
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds

Makes 4 Servings (2 cups per serving)

1. Heat the oven to 450 F Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, halve the acorn squash lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy strands. Thinly slice the squash crosswise, leaving the skin on.
3. Place the squash in the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.
4. While the squash is cooking, in a large bowl, stir together the black beans, pinto beans, lime juice, oil, chili powder, coriander, oregano, and salt.
5. Add the drained squash and the tomatoes to the bean mixture and toss. Transfer to a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 10 minutes, or until piping hot.
6. Uncover, top with cheese and seeds, and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super-Quick Cookbook. This colorful dish can be enjoyed as a side dish or as a meatless main dish. This vegetarian gratin has four servings of vegetables, is flavorful and has the toppings of melted cheese topped with pumpkin seeds. A typical gratin has melted cheese topped with bread crumbs. The pumpkin seeds add some crunch to the gratin. Don't be intimidated by this dish. It may look a little messy but the end result is delicious. 

Pumpkin-Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp. unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Makes 12 Servings (1 muffin per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves in a large bowl; stir in raisins. Stir together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and water in a medium bowl until well combined. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until flour mixture is just moistened
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups, using about 1/3 cup batter for each muffin; sprinkle evenly with seeds. Bake until toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and serve warm or let cool completely on rack.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. Make these treats on a Sunday ant they can be enjoyed for Sunday brunch and even throughout the week. Pumpkin is in season and these treats are perfect for fall baking and entertaining. They're flavorful and moist and they are perfect for breakfast or as a snack.

Baby Greens & Grilled Asparagus with Shallot Vinaigarette

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. hulled pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 large shallot
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small bunch slender asparagus (about 12 oz.)
• 5 cups baby salad greens (about 4 oz.)

Make 4 Servings

1. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium.
2. In a small ungreased skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until they look lightly browned and puffed up a bit, 3-5 minutes. Scrape onto a plate to stop the cooking.
3. In a cup, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the oil until well blended.
4. Place the asparagus in a shallow bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigarette and turn the spears to coat.
5. Grill the asparagus, turning often, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
6. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus and greens with the remaining dressing. Divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle each serving evenly with pumpkin seeds.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick & Easy Cookbook. This side salad goes great with any protein and will quickly fill you up. This salad will also cleanse your palate due to the lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I highly recommend adding a touch of garlic because garlic always makes everything better. If you don't want to toast your pumpkin seeds, you can purchase pumpkin seeds already toasted. I also highly recommend Lemon Infused Olive Oil & Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar from the Imperial Olive in Williamsburg, VA. For more information, visit www.TheImperialOlive.com. 

Spanish Rice Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking whole-grain brown rice
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Makes 4 (3/4-cup) Servings

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Remove from the heat, spread on a plate and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine, rice, tomatoes, onion, olives, pumpkin seeds, oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates and sprinkle parsley just before serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. I wanted a cool side dish to accompany the Garlicky Chicken Skewers. This Spanish rice dish was delicious and was the perfect accompaniment for grilled chicken. This side dish goes great with grilled chicken, pork, fish and even steak. If you want an authentic Spanish flavor to this dish, I highly recommend using Bomba rice.