Peanut-ty Thai Noodles

I have a serious love of all foods Thai. I attribute this to my Uncle Terry and Aunt Shelley taking me to Festival of Nations for many years up in the twin cities, where we always made a stop at the pad thai booth. Oooh delicious pad thai, the "never gonna get this in LaCrosse" treat! It's still my favorite food to this day.

While I'd never actually had thai peanut noodles before, it wasn't hard to imagine the flavor country in there, and my wheels are always turning on how I could make it healthier than what you'd get at a restaraunt or from a food cart. Thus, a recipe was born.... and it's pretty damn good if I do say so myself!

Thai Peanut Noodles
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced, steamed
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
1 blockWestSoy Peanut Baked Tofu, diced
8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 cup starchy pasta water

1 large handful chopped cilantro

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

The sauce couldn't be simpler, wisk together the PB and Hoisin, adding the starchy pasta water when the pasta is almost done. Voila! Sauce. Once the pasta is fully cooked, toss with the sauce. The herbs could be added at thsi time too. Steam together the broccoli and carrots, and toss with the noodles once they've reached your desired texture.

This recipe serves 6 and has a WW point value of 5, but if you're like me, you'll want a heaping bowlful for dinner for 10 points :-)

Mom's Healthy Blueberry Muffins

I call these Mom's blueberry muffins because I recently had them at my mom's house, but the original recipe comes from my Aunt Beth in Minneapolis. They were a healthy muffin to begin with, but my mom and I tweaked the recipe and made them even healthier with the use of Splenda, light butter and egg beaters.

Mom's Healthy Blueberry Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup light butter
1/3 cup SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
1/3 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup skim milk
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another. Use a hand mixer to incorporate the wet ingredients thoroughly. Once well mixed, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.

Scoop batter evenly among 12 large muffin tins (sprayed with cooking spray for easy release, or you could use paper cups) and bake in a 350 oven for 17 minutes.

The muffins are absolutely fantastic! I am following in my mom's footsteps and freezing them, pulling one out for breakfast or a healthy snack here and there. 20 seconds in the microwave and they taste fresh from the oven all over again!

Thanks Mom (and Aunt Beth) for the great recipe!

One muffin is packed with fiber and nutrients for only 3 WW points!

Tooty Frooty Tabouleh!

Let's face it folks, mint is a weed, albeit a very tasty one. Okay, mint is, in the culinary world, an herbaceous annual/sometimes perennial, but let's face it, in the midst of our summer herb gardens, mint tends to take over. And if you are anything like me, you can't think of enough ways to use it. One can only stand so many mint/lemon waters and minted fruit salads before needing a change. That's when it dawned on me, Tabouleh!! Tabouleh is a fantastic dish to use up those overgrowing garden herbs, that leftover chicken, the cucumbers and tomatoes flooding your fridge as summer hits full swing. Try this next time you are looking for ways to use up those herbs! It couldn't be easier, more tasty or healthful!

Tabouleh Salad with Quinoa
3 cups cooked Quinoa, cooled
8 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced (or english/hothouse cucumber if you prefer)
4-5 small tomatoes, seeded and diced

6 oz crumbled RF feta
1 large handful of dill, chopped
1 large handful of mint, chopped
1 large handful of parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tbs olive oil
SnP to taste

There isn't much to this one other than mix it all together!

Traditional tabouleh is made with cracked bulgar, or sometimes with couscous. Those are both wonderful options, I like to use quinoa for the added health benfits. One serving of quinoa has as much protein as a 6 oz beef tenderloin, and as much calcium as an 8 oz glass of milk! Now THAT'S a superfood!

This recipe makes 4 giant servings, with a WW point value of 7