Tomato-Fennel Pizza

Fennel is one of those vegetables I do not cook with regularly and I'm not sure why. The leaves (fronds) are delicately flavored and similar in shape to dill. The bulb is a crisp, hardy root vegetable and may be sautéd, stewed, braised, grilled, or even eaten raw. It is also a great source of Vitamin C. This delightful pizza, when served to my family, made them sing my praises; so naturally, I'll be making it again real soon. :)

Ingredients:

- 1 Tbs olive oil
- Thinly sliced fennel bulb (you can gauge how much you'd like on your pizzas)
- fronds from the fennel stalk (looks similar to dill)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tube reduced-fat crescent rolls
- 4 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 4 Tbs reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese or Mexican-four cheese blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thinly slice most or all of the fennel bulb (about one and a half to two-inch thin strips). Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. After the oil is hot, turn heat down to medium and add fennel bulb strips, garlic, salt, and oregano. Sauté for several minutes, until fennel and garlic start to turn a brownish color. Remove from heat. On a baking sheet, unroll crescent rolls and take two triangles, match them up, making one rectangle. Do that for the other triangles. The eight triangles will become four rectangles. Bake dough for five minutes. Remove from oven and add one tablespoon of tomato paste to each of the four little pizzas. Top with diced tomatoes and fennel bulb mixture. Spoon one tablespoon of shredded cheese onto each pizza and place back in the oven. Bake pizza for another 7 to 8 minutes. Remove, top with fennel fronds, and enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"I am not afraid of tomorrow; for I have seen yesterday and I love today." - William Allen White

Low-Point Garlic and Parmesan Crusted Pork Cutlets

The best way to describe how great-tasting this pork cutlet entre' is, is probably just to say my family can't wait to for me to fix it again. :) They loved the garlic and parmesan crusted coating, making it hard to believe it's low point. Hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe just as much.

Low-Point Garlic and Parmesan Crusted Pork Cutlets

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. (or a little over) pork tenderloin

- 1 slice white bread

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt

- 1/4 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

- 1/2 tsp. pepper

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1 egg

- 1 Tbs water

- 2 Tbs olive oil

Cut the pork loin into five equal-portioned pork chops. Toast bread and place in food processor along with parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic, and Panko. Pulse until you have small to medium sized bread crumbs. Transfer the crumb mixture into a shallow bowl. Place flour in second shallow bowl. In a third shallow bowl beat egg with water until egg is no longer stringy. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip the pork chops in the flour to lightly dust, shaking off excess, then dip in the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumb mixture. Cook the pork until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

Total servings - 5 

Serving size - 1

Points per serving - 5.5

"Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." - Tony Robbins

Low-Point Chicken Cacciatore

A hearty dish to warm you up during these chilly fall days. This wonderful chicken cacciatore with a combination of tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers and more will give you a savory taste with every bite.


Low-Point Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:
- 5, 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp. onion powder or 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 Tbs capers
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1, 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Pam cooking spray
Cut chicken into small cubes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion powder and dredge the chicken pieces through flour. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Saute chicken, stirring occasionally to evenly cook, until brown (approximately six minutes). Remove chicken and spray same skillet with Pam cooking spray. Add the bell pepper and garlic and saute for about five minutes. Add wine and bay leaf and let cook until wine is reduced by half. Remove bay leaf and add capers, oregano, tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for about 15 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve over rice, noodles, or tortellini and enjoy. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings - About 6 cups
Serving size - 1 cup
Points per serving - 4

"If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone." - John Maxwell

Low-Point Chorizo and Black Bean Burrito

Chorizo (pork sausage) has such a mouth-watering savory taste, you don't even need to add taco seasoning to this wonderful burrito recipe. Wrapped in a flour tortilla or spooned on top of a bed of lettuce, this recipe is scrumptious!

Low-Point Chorizo and Black Bean Burrito

Ingredients:

- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 4 Chorizo Spicy Sausage Links, casing removed (about 10.5 oz)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbs onion, minced
- 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 Tbs green chiles
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
- lettuce
- Light sour cream
- Mexican-style four-cheese blend shredded cheese
- 8, small 6" flour tortillas
- Pam cooking spray

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add chorizo meat (without casing) and brown, chopping into small pieces as you stir. If olive oil soaks up too quickly, move chorizo to one side of the skillet and spray empty side with Pam cooking spray. Gently push chorizo to other side and add more cooking spray if needed. Cook until chorizo is done and then add garlic, onion, black beans, chiles, diced tomatoes, and bell pepper. Continue cooking until heated through (or if you're using bell pepper, cook until it begins to soften a little bit). Turn off heat. Spray another skillet with Pam cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add tortillas and slightly brown or warm on each side, making sure the tortilla does not become stiff. You're ready to build your burrito! Add one-fourth cup chorizo mixture in the center of tortilla. Top with lettuce, one tablespoon of shredded cheese, and one tablespoon of sour cream. Roll up and enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

Total servings - 8 (1/4 cups)
Serving size - 1 (1/4 cup)
Points per serving - 4 (However, with 1 Tbs cheese and 1 Tbs sour cream the total points is 5)

NOTE: By omitting the flour tortilla and spooning 1/4 cup chorizo mixture on a bed of lettuce instead, the total points are 2.2. Add 1 Tbs cheese and 1 Tbs sour cream for a total of 3.2 points.

"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." - Julia Child 

Low-Point Pork Schnitzel Sandwich

Schnitzel: A thin slice of meat, dipped in batter, and fried. What can be better than that? By lightly pounding a pork chop cutlet, flattening it out to one-fourth-inch thick, even a small four-ounce pork chop provides enormous satisfaction and great taste! Try using the savory strawberry mayonnaise recipe below. A little dollop on top and your tastebuds will thank you!


Low-Point Pork Schnitzel Sandwich
Ingredients:
- 5, 4 oz. thin boneless pork chop cutlets, fat removed
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. Goya Adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbs 1% or fat-free milk
- 1/2 cup Panko, Japanese bread crumbs (you will have a little excess leftover; discard)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Pam cooking spray with olive oil
- Saran wrap
- Arnold Sandwich Thins (bread rolls)
Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Place each pork chop on a flat service or cutting board. Take a piece of saran wrap and place it over the top of the pork chop. Take a meat mallet and lightly pound pork chop, pulling outward as you pound to make it flatter and larger in size. Get out three shallow bowls. In one bowl, add flour, Adobo, paprika and pepper. Mix. In the second bowl, mix egg and milk. In the third bowl place the Panko bread crumbs. Taking one pork chop at a time, dip pork chop in egg mixture, then flour mixture (shaking off excess), and coat with Panko. Place pork chops in large skillet heated with olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook/fry on each side for about 4 minutes. Use Pam cooking spray if you need a little more oil. Once pork chops are done, place them on a grill rack that has been placed on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to keep warm while the other pork chops are frying. Once pork chops are done, place on Arnold Sandwich Thins and top with strawberry mayonnaise. Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Strawberry Mayo
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
- 1 Tbs strawberry preserves (you can also use raspberry)
- 1/2 Tbs lemon juice
- pepper to taste
Mix ingredients and use as condiment for schnitzel sandwiches.
Total servings - 5 schnitzel sandwiches
Serving size - 1
Points per serving - 5.4 (without sandwich thins or strawberry mayo); 6.7 (with sandwich thins but without strawberry mayo); or 7 (with sandwich thins and 1 tablespoon strawberry mayo).

"I know and I believe that everything I got is everything I need." - O.A.R.