Minted Chickpeas and Carrots

I am forever on a quest for side dishes/veggies to serve for dinner. While making my new and improved menu board, I revisited some of my WW cookbooks for ideas. I came across this little gem, and boy am I ever glad I made it! It was SO yummy! Don't let the list of ingredients put you off. It's pretty easy to prepare and can really easily be doubled or tripled. AND it's a no cook dish!

Source: Weight Watchers Ultimate Core & Flex Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup slice radishes (I used about 4-5 medium sized radishes)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed thru a press
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

• Combine the chickpeas, carrots, radishes, onion, and mint in a large bowl.
• Combine the lemon juice, oil, garli, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; toss with the chickpea mixture. 

Yield: 4 servings.


NOTES:

• The book suggests purchasing a package of shredded carrots, but I found using the shred plate on my food processor works just as well. 
• Next time I'll also be using the food processor to chop the onion and mint (separately) which will also add to the time savings esp since the food processor doesn't need to be washed in between uses.

Pork Chops and Mushrooms

I made it goal last fall to use my crock pot more.  For a while I was really good about using it once a week.  I worked hard on using a variety of meat - one week pork, one week chicken, etc. . . I still want to use it at least once a week, but I haven't been quite as good.  Here is a recipe I found last fall. It's super easy and I bet you could use chicken or beef in place of the pork chops.

Pork Chops and Mushrooms

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
2 medium onions, sliced
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup water
10 3/4 oz can golden cream of mushroom soup

1. Place pork chops in greased slow cooker. Top with onions and mushrooms.
2. Combine soup mix, water and mushroom soup. Pour over mushrooms, onions and pork chops.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.

I usually serve with egg noodles, but you could do potatoes or even rice.

From Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Good

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

Ok - I am going to try and get back on track with posting a few recipes!  We kind of fell off last year, but hopefully we can do a little more sharing.  I am planning on making this one tonight.  It's one that I have no idea where I got the recipe from, but I made a few tweaks to the original.  Reid likes this one and requested it for this week.  It's pretty easy and you can add or delete items and it would still be a yummy dish. 

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

2 cups penne pasta (7 oz) uncooked

½ lb hot or mild Italian sausage

1 package (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim)

2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Additional ingredients:

Tomato sauce (small can)

Mushrooms

Garlic

Cook pasta as direction on package.  Meanwhile, crumble meat into large deep skillet.  Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain.  Add spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and garlic.  Cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.  Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl.  Add meat mixture and cheeses; mix lightly.

NOTES:

• I added the additional ingredients to the recipe.  I have used fresh mushrooms in the past, but tonight I am going to use canned.  
• You may want to add some additional seasoning like oregano or Italian seasoning.
• Not a fan of spinach?  You could omit and serve with a salad. 
• I like to serve with some type of bread