Classic Lasagna

This filling dish is easy enough for a weeknight, but good enough to serve for a special occasion. The no-cook lasagna noodles take away a lot of the extra work associated with making lasagna, and truly make it easy. You'll end up with lots of leftovers -- this recipe makes 8 servings -- so if you don't want that many, cut the recipe in half and use a smaller casserole dish.

Classic Lasagna

2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp dried parsley
1 lb 93% lean (or leaner) ground beef
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
26 oz Whole Foods Everyday 365 Fat Free Pasta Sauce, divided
14.5 oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
8 sheets DeLallo no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 3/4 cups fat free mozzarella cheese, divided

In a medium bowl, beat egg and then add cottage cheese and parsley. Stir until combined and refrigerate until needed. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta sauce and set aside. In a skillet, brown ground beef with garlic and onion; drain fat. Stir in remaining pasta sauce (about 2 3/4 cups), diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Warm through and remove from heat.

Assemble lasagna as follows in 13x9" casserole dish lightly misted with olive oil:

Reserved 1/2 cup sauce
4 sheets lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly to fit
Half of cottage cheese mixture
Half of meat sauce
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
4 sheets lasagna noodles
Remaining cottage cheese mixture
Remaining meat sauce
1 cup cheese

Cover and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes to melt and crisp cheese on top.

Vegetarian Lasagna

I love this lasagna recipe because it's so tasty and very versatile. You can substitute any veggies you want and it should come out just fine. It was also very easy to make SFT-friendly by using fat free cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese in place of the full-fat versions. I think my mom cut it out of the newspaper when I was in high school, so we've been making it for a while. The version I'm posting is half of the original recipe, perfect for 4 people and made in an 8x8" baking dish. If you are serving more or want lots of leftovers, make it in a 13x9" pan and double it.

Vegetarian Lasagna

4 sheets DeLallo whole wheat no-boil lasagna
3/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese*
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 tsp dried parsley
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 small yellow summer squash, quartered and sliced
3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
14.5 oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
4 tsp olive oil
1 3/4 cups Kraft fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
2 1/4 cups Whole Foods 365 Fat Free Pasta Sauce
3 oz tomato paste

In a small bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, parsley, and grated Parmesan. Refrigerate until needed. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and tomatoes (slightly drained) until tender. Stir together marinara sauce and tomato paste in small bowl.

Assemble lasagna as follows in 8x8" baking dish:

Layer of marinara sauce mixture (about 1/3 of it)
2 sheets lasagna
Half of cottage cheese mixture
Half of vegetables
2/3 cup mozzarella
Layer of marinara sauce mixture (about 1/3 of it)
2 sheets lasagna
Remainder of cottage cheese mixture
Remainder of vegetables
2/3 cup mozzarella
Remainder of marinara sauce mixture
Remainder of mozzarella

Using a misting oil sprayer or olive oil cooking spray, lightly mist the top layer of cheese to aid in melting and browning. I used a 10-pump spray in my Weight Watchers oil sprayer.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 4 servings.

Apple Cider Beef Stew

I created this recipe today after looking at several different ones for apple cider beef stew. Since I'm too lazy to simmer anything on the stove for over 2 hours, I brought the slow cooker into play, and came up with this. It was very tasty, with a nice combination of sweet and savory flavors.

Apple Cider Beef Stew

1/2 lb lean and trimmed stew beef (I buy mine at Walmart, it's called "super trim" there)
1 medium potato, peeled & diced
1 large carrot, peeled & cut into 3/4" chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2" slices
1 medium apple, peeled, cored & diced
1/2 small onion, cut into large squares
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups apple cider*
4 tsp apple cider vinegar

Layer vegetables and meat in bottom of 2 1/2-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle seasonings over meat. Pour cider and vinegar over all. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Makes 3 servings of 1 1/2 cups each.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

While it's not quite the same as grandma's buttery version, this mac and cheese is very creamy, cheesy and satisfying. There is a small amount of flour in the recipe, but it's not enough to bother counting (unless you consume the whole recipe all by yourself). Each serving also contains 1 tsp of healthy oils for the day.

I usually cut this recipe in half and bake it in a 1-quart casserole dish for just my husband and I (and that's what's in the photo). The full recipe as written below contains 6 servings of about 3/4 cup each -- if you plan to eat more or have a large family you might want to double it. The original recipe also uses whole wheat penne, but I find that the medium shells work better and seem more classic "mac and cheese"-like.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

8 oz whole wheat pasta (I use Whole Foods Organic Whole Wheat Shells)
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
2 1/3 cups fat free cheddar cheese (divided)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain & rinse with warm water; set aside. In a large saucepan (a round-bottomed saucier pan works best) heat oil over medium, then whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk gradually until smooth. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese and salt and pepper. Stir in pasta. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish and top with remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

When it gets a little chilly outside, I love to sit down and relax with a nice cup of hot cocoa. I have a favorite hot cocoa mix recipe that looked like it would be easily made lower calorie, and it turns out I was right! Now I can enjoy my hot cocoa without having to count points for it (except the marshmallows, of course). This would also make a great gift for a fellow Weight Watcher or someone with diabetes.

Homemade Sugar Free Hot Cocoa Mix

4 cups dry nonfat milk powder
1 1/2 cups granulated Splenda
1 cup fat free powder nondairy coffee creamer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 small box sugar free instant chocolate or chocolate fudge pudding mix*

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Makes 5 1/2 cups of mix. Store tightly sealed. (I use mason jars.) To make cocoa, put 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup mix in a mug (depending on how rich you want it), add 8 oz hot water, and stir.

Texas Trail Beef Macaroni

This recipe gets passed around a lot on the Weight Watchers Power Foods board. I believe it was originally posted by Anne, and I have seen it posted many times by others as well, always with rave reviews. I had been meaning to try it for a while but never had a full box of whole wheat elbow macaroni or enough tomato sauce. Yesterday, I purchased both and decided to give it a try. I am very pleased with the results -- tasty, cheap, and made a lot of leftovers for later lunches and dinners.

Texas Trail Beef Macaroni

Source: Anne from the WW.com Power Foods Board

1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
32 oz beef broth
29 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
4 cups dried whole wheat elbow macaroni

In a large stockpot, brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve topped with fat free cheddar cheese and/or sour cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each.

Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce

In the fall, one of our local orchards here in Southern Indiana sells half-bushels of "utility" apples for a cheap price. I bought one last year and made a lot of apple butter, apple pie filling, and applesauce. This year, I bought another, looking forward to canning some yummy goodies for my husband and I to enjoy this winter. First up? Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce. I used a 5.5 qt slow cooker for this recipe, and had it full to the brim with finely chopped apples when I started. This made 6 full pints to can plus one mostly filled pint to enjoy as a reward for all of that hard work. :) If you want to can this, use my recipe...if not, use the original version linked below.

Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce

Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

25-30 small and medium-sized Jonathan apples (depending on size), about 8 lbs
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar or raw cane sugar (see note below)
1 1/2 cups water

Peel & core apples, and finely chop using a food processor (working in batches). As each batch comes out of the food processor, dump it into the Crock Pot with the lemon juice and stir to prevent apples from browning. (If some browning occurs, it's okay...this is a spiced applesauce so you won't be able to tell.) Stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sugar. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Very carefully puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. (Hot liquids will expand in a regular blender so be sure you pop the top vent loose and cover it with a kitchen towel while blending.)

Processing: Ladle applesauce into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rims, place lids on top, and secure with rings. Process in waterbath canner for 20 minutes. Remove from canner and allow jars to sit undisturbed for 24 hours to cool completely. Check seals. Reprocess any unsealed jars or refrigerate and enjoy within 7 days.

You could also freeze the applesauce if you prefer not to can it. Ball makes stackable freezer jars that work perfectly for this purpose. To freeze it, just allow it to cool and ladle into freezer containers, refrigerate overnight, then freeze.

Note: There is a small amount of sugar in this recipe, which I left in because of sugar's preservative properties in canning. However, there is nothing to count in a serving. :)