Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg Salad Sandwich 3.5 Weight Watchers Points

My mom made egg salad sandwiches a couple of weeks ago while we were visiting and I now have a new favorite sandwich!!

I hard boiled some eggs earlier this week so that they'd be ready for whenever I needed them.  Yesterday, I grabbed two to put into Robin's and my brown bag lunch we took to the zoo.  

Anyway, I just made an egg salad sandwich for myself for lunch today.  It was so good!

Ingredients:

• one small hard boiled egg
• 1 Tbs Hellmann's Light Mayo, divided
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• several dill pickle slices, diced
• 2 pieces Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread
• paprika
• black pepper

Directions

• grate the egg into a bowl (this is easier said than done!)
• Add 2/3 Tbs of the mayo (2 teaspoons), mustard, and diced pickles.
• Use remaining teaspoon of mayo to spread onto the bread slices
• spread the egg salad onto one of the bread slices
• sprinkle egg salad with paprika and black pepper
• close sandwich, cut in half if desired and eat!

This is such an easy, delicious, filling sandwich if you already have the eggs boiled and cold.  I was really able to get the points down without sacrificing taste by using a small egg, which are 1 point each.  The package indicated "medium" eggs, but they are very small and onl 50 calories each.  Even with the amount of fat (I can't remember how much off the top of my head, probably around 3 or 4 grams), they still come out to 1 point.  This was well enough egg for one sandwich!

I also used the reduced fat mayo (I just can't bring myself to use fat free mayo; it's just wrong), which is half the fat and calories of regular mayo.  The mustard, pickles, paprika and pepper are 0 points, but add a lot to the flavor.  And the Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread is 1.5 points for 2 slices.

I bet this would be good with some lettuce and tomato, which I have in the fridge, but I wanted to taste the pure egg salad the first time.  I'm glad I did!

Protein Packed Salad

4 Weight Watchers Points

I'm eating this delicious salad I created for lunch today as I type this post.  I was at the local health food store today and found a new local goat cheese!! I was so excited.  The goats were milked and the cheese was made about 100 miles from where I live.  The cheese is from Pure Prairie Creamery.  This creamery offers several flavors of cheese; I chose the sharp white cheddar.  It is incredible, to say the least.  Oh, and it is naturally low fat.  It has about the same nutritional information as another (non-local) brand of reduced-fat organic cow milk cheese that I sometimes get.

For my protein packed salad, I used the following ingredients:

• Chopped romaine lettuce (about a cup or two)
• Sliced and quartered cucumber
• Diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 oz sharp white goat cheddar cheese, shredded
• One medium hard boiled egg, chopped
  
• 1 tsp flaxseed meal
• Several sprays of Newman's Own Natural Salad Mist - Balsamic flavor

I just layered the ingredients into a bowl in the order above, sprayed with the Salad Mist (I was so excited there is another option now besides the Wishbone Salad Mist which is almost completly HFCS - aka the devil), and added a dash of salt and pepper.

This is a very satisfying, healthy, low points lunch!

16 Bean Soup made in the Crock Pot

It's been years since I've made dry beans in a Crock Pot, so to refresh my memory, I Googled and found a really neat blog with some great instructions: A Year of CrockPotting: Cooking Dried Beans in the CrockPot.

Basing my technique on this blog's instructions, I rinsed a 1 pound bag of 16 bean soup in a collendar last night and picked out any beans that looked shrivled, cracked or just looked yucky.  I placed the beans in the crock and added enough water to cover the beans plus about 2" of water.  I scooped out any beans that floated to the top, then I just covered the crock with the lid and left the beans on the counter to soak overnight.

This morning at about 10am, I poured off the soak water and added fresh water, again enough to cover the beans plus 2" of water.  I turned the Crock Pot on high and left the beans to cook.  I checked on them about 4pm (so, 6 hours of cooking on high) and they were very soft.  At this point, I added spices since I've read that adding spices before the beans cook through will keep the beans from softening.  Instead of using the packet that comes with the 16 bean soup mix, I use my own spices.  I added the following spices.  The measurements are approximations, since I cook by taste.

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• dash or two of salt
• dash or two of pepper

I wish I would have added the spices earlier than I did.  If I hadn't been napping, I might have checked on the beans around 2pm and added the spices then.  Don't get me wrong: the beans were so delicious, but I think the spices could have infused the beans better if they had been in longer.

I was worried that the liquid would be too watery, but it was pretty thick.  I might add less water next time as I like my bean liquid very thick.  Thick enough to spread the "soup" on a cracker, if one were so inclined.

I dashed some Tabasco Chipotle sauce on top of the beans and added a bit of shredded cheese. Yum, they were so very good!!

My new Crock Pot!

My New Crock Pot!

Isn't she beautiful??  I'm so excited about my new Crock Pot!  I have been wanting to buy one for God-knows-how-long and I was shopping for random stuff at Target this past week and found a display of several different small kitchen appliances on sale for $18.99, including a 5 quart stainless steel and black Crock Pot! That sure found its way into my cart in a hurry!  The regular price is $24.99 and according to Target's website, it is still on sale. http://www.target.com/dp/B001DIXFAA/sr=1-10/qid=1243217129/ref=sr_1_10/188-5306395-9833241?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k:crock%20pot&page=1

My mother-in-law bought a Crock Pot for me several years ago, but it has gotten lost in one of our many moves.  I've been meaning to replace it, but I just haven't gotten around to it.  I love that the stainless and black of this one matches the rest of my kitchen appliances, both large and small.  Except for my boring white KitchenAid mixer.  That's next on my list to replace.  I'll either get black or red, for a pop of color.

Anyway, I'm soaking a package of dry 16 bean soup overnight tonight and will start the Crock Pot in the morning.  The technique I'm using I found on a super cool blog, A Year of CrockPotting: Cooking Dried Beans in the CrockPot. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

This is a delicious, low fat/low carb way to make boring ol' cauliflower.  You may have seen "Cauliflower Popcorn" recipes in magazines such as Weight Watchers and the like.  I've made the "popcorn" before, but we prefer a bigger cauliflower floret, so that it's not as crunchy and dry.  The result is a moist side dish with a wonderful roasted flavor.

Ingredients

• One head of cauliflower
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• chili powder to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• Italian seasoning to taste
• pinch or two of sea salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450F
• Cut away the long stalk and break cauliflower into medium sized florets
• To wash, place florets into sink or big bowl of water + 15 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract. If you don't have GSE, a bit of vinegar will do the trick.
• Place cauliflower in a bowl
• Add the olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and sea salt*
• Toss with fingers to coat
• Place on baking pan in oven
• Bake for about 15 minutes, turn florets over, then bake 15 more minutes

*I never measure my seasonings. I just add what looks to be right and taste. If it needs more, then I add more.  If it needs less, well, I'm kinda screwed. ;)