This is a new one I tried the other night. Very simple preparation and flavors but also very good. I love using fresh ginger in anything. The "sauce" is brown like the whole wheat noodles so I just told my girls it was plain spaghetti and they fell for it and ate it. It was torture getting Hazel to eat two pieces of asparagus but then she asked for more. You could also easily add a lean protein in the stir-fry: chicken, shrimp, lean steak, pork. We served it with strawberry-blueberry-banana fruit salad.

Asparagus & Pasta Stir-Fry

1 lb. asparagus
6 oz dry angel hair or thin spaghetti (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
2 tsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp minced fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup diagonally sliced green onions
2 T soy sauce
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Cilantro for garnish

1. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; then cut stalks diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.

2. Heat oil in wide frying pan or wok over high heat. Add asparagus, garlic, ginger, and onions. Cook, stirring often, until asparagus is tender-crisp to bite (about 3 minutes). Add soy sauce and red pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.

3. Drain pasta; pour into pan with asparagus and mix gently. Garnish with cilantro. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I love recipes that make me stop and think. Unusual combinations with uncomplicated preparations are my favorite. This one was in the Washington Post Food section just after New Year's - a spread on healthy recipes. It's originally sourced from The EatingWell Diet.

So when I had some leftover chicken and blueberries were on sale one week, I made it. Below is the original recipe but as usual I used a little less oil - about 1 or 1 1/2 Tablespoons, I used meat leftover from a roasted chicken (though normally I would grill, roast or saute it, not poach!), and I used about half the amount of feta cheese. Cheese isn't core (and trust me, fat-free feta is lame) so if you use it you have to count the Points. The flavors were great, it was easy and filling and the kids ate it. It's the PERFECT recipe!

Chicken & Blueberry Pasta Salad

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat
8 oz. whole wheat fusilli or corkscrew pasta
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, cut crosswise into thin slices
1/3 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1/3 cup crumbled feta
3 T freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 1/2 limes)
1 T chopped thyme leaves
1 tsp freshly grated lime zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over

1. Cook chicken: place in a large skillet and add enough water to cover; boil over med-hi heat, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Transfer to a cutting board to cool. Shred into bite-size strips.

2. Bring water to boil for pasta. Cook according to package directions until just tender. Drain and place in large bowl.

3. Make the dressing: combine oil and shallot in a small skillet over med-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 5 minutes, until the shallot has softened and is beginning to brown. Add the broth, feta cheese and lime juice; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, until the feta begins to melt.

4. Add the chicken to the bowl with the pasta, then add the thyme, lime zest and salt. Toss to combine. If serving right away, add the dressing and blueberries. If making in advance, cover and refrigerate the elements separately: the seasoned pasta with chicken, the blueberries, the dressing. Makes 6 servings

Nutrition (if prepared as above but I use less oil and feta): per 1 1/2 cup serving
324 cal, 24g protein, 33 g carb, 11g fat, 2 g sat fat, 51mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 4g fiber

I don't have a picture of this one; it's a new find I've only made once but it's a keeper. To roast and peel a red pepper: If you have a gas cooktop or other open flame, you can place the pepper right over the flame. Hold it with tongs or just rest it on the burner grate. If you cook with electricity, put it on a baking sheet under the broiler. Turn the pepper frequently. You want to blacken the skin all over, but you don’t want to char the flesh. Once it is black, put it in a paper bag and close it, or cover it with a kitchen towel for five minutes. I've also done a plastic ziploc and it didn't melt. It steams its own skin loose. Then rub off the blackened skin, and core, cut, and seed the pepper.

1 to 2 red peppers, roasted as described above
1 to 2 bunches arugula, washed & coarsely chopped
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Thinly shaved Parmesan for garnish (not Core)

Toss the peppers and arugula. Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper for dressing. Pour over and toss. Garnish with shaved Parmesan (but count the Points.)

This salad is totally delicious but the grilled potatoes are slightly a pain. Either you have to grill them in batches inside on your grill pan, which smokes up the kitchen pretty good, or outside on your grill where about 1/3 of them will fall through the gaps. Take your pick. Either way, it's worth it.

The Core Plan suggests consuming 2 tsp of olive oil each day, which is how I justify a little olive oil in salad or other recipes. This calls for 5 T and makes 4 servings so that's more than 2 tsp per person, so I just decrease it a little, using only as much as I have to.
Grilled Potato Salad

4 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
5 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 T grill seasoning blend
2 T rosemary leaves, 3 sprigs, stripped and chopped
2 navel oranges, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 to 5 cups arugula, chopped, 2 bunches
2 T red wine vinegar

1. Preheat grill. Place potatoes in large bowl and toss with about 3 T olive oil, 2 T grill seasoning and rosemary. Grill potatoes 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

2. While potatoes are cooking, combine oranges and red onion and dress with red wine vinegar and some extra virgin olive oil.

3. Remove potatoes from grill to the dressed oranges and onions. Toss to coat. When you grill potatoes they will be slightly drier than when you use other methods of cooking. By adding the potatoes to the dressing while hot, they really soak it up. When ready to serve, add the arugula to the potatoes and toss to distribute.

When I think "salad" I still have my blinders on: lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green pepper, tomatoes. Cold, crunchy and boring. Which is why I'm sooo happy when I come across a different vegetable combination that I actually like. This one's a perfect example. Plus it's hard to get more nutritious than a big helping of edamame.

Edamame Salad

1 (16 oz.) bag edamame
1 1/2 cups corn
1 cup sliced radishes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 T rice vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Cook and shell (if necessary) edamame. Toss with corn, radishes, cilantro and scallions. In a small bowl, make dressing by whisking vinegar, oil and garlic. Pour over vegetables and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I've been in a bit of a funk lately - a fog the last few days. Feeling behind, unorganized, can't think clearly. Just keeping head above water. That also means lots of blog posts stuck in the conceptual stage, not getting thought out or written properly. So in the meantime at least I can post recipes I promised.

Here's one of my favorite salads - fast, easy, flavorful, and most importantly to me in the winter - warm! It's really tough swallowing cold green salad when the temperature's below freezing. So serve this up with anything - rice, fish, chicken, or eat it plain. Pictured here with Trader Joe's flax seed chips though sadly they're not Core. Everything in the salad is, though, except the olive oil. I decrease it to about 1 T.
Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
½ to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (medium heat to extra spicy)
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 (10 oz.) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted (or kernels cut from about 4 ears fresh corn)
½ cup chicken stock or broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime
2 to 3 T fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
6 cups baby spinach

1. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 T olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

2. To the cooked onions, add the bell pepper and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lime juice, cilantro and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste to adjust the seasoning.

A couple of people have asked me what the heck I eat for dinner on the Core plan. Remember, the Weight Watchers Core plan allows you to eat mostly unlimited amounts of pretty limited foods: whole grains (think brown rice & Shredded Wheat), fresh or frozen (un-added-to) fruits and vegetables, lean protein (lean cuts of beef and pork, chicken, turkey, seafood), and fat-free unsweetened dairy (plain yogurt & skim milk.) Those are the basics. Anything you eat in addition to Core foods must be counted in WW Points and you get 35 points a week (which doesn't go far if you want to have goodies!) WW has just come out with a new program, Momentum, which sounds like a combination of Flex Points and Core, but I don't care - since I wasn't going to the meetings anyway I'm just sticking to what I know.