Split Pea Soup -- 0 Smart Points

This is the first recipe I've tried for making split pea soup.  I adapted one found in a Weight Watcher cookbook.  Using the Freestyle program, it's zero points per bowl.

I used 3 small sized carrots.  I don't think I'd care for the soup if I'd used larger ones or added any more.  I could taste the sweetness of the carrots.

This is what I used for the ham flavoring that's in traditional split pea soup.

This recipe makes a lot of soup for one person!  Guess I'll be freezing some portions to have later.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

0 Smart Points

4 cups water

16 oz. bag dried green split peas

3 carrots, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 can Swanson chicken broth

3 packets Goya ham flavored concentrate

Sort and wash peas.  Drain well.  Put all ingredients into slow cooker.

Cook on high 3-4 hours until done.

Soft Pretzels -- 5 Smart Points

PRETZELS

Makes 12 pretzels – 5 Smart Points each

1 ½ cups warm water (110°)

2 T. oil

2 tsp. yeast

2 T. packed dark brown sugar

Mix and set aside for 3 minutes to let yeast bloom.

3 ¾ c. bread flour

4 tsp. salt

Add flour and salt to yeast mixture.  Using dough hook, knead at low speed for 5 minutes.

Remove from bowl onto floured surface and knead by hand for 1 minute.

Cover and let rise about 1 hour until doubled.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.  Then divide each quarter into 3 equal pieces.

Spray work surface with Pam.  Roll each of the 12 smaller pieces into 22” long ropes.  Shape into pretzels. 

Place onto cookie sheet sprinkled with flour and let rise 20 minutes.

Boil together 4 cups of water and ¼ cup baking soda. Drop pretzels into boiling water for 30 seconds, turning after 15 seconds. 

Drain on wire rack for 5 minutes.

Oil cookie sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Place pretzels onto cookie sheet and sprinkle tops with kosher salt.  Bake at 425° 15-20 minutes, rotating pan half-way through baking time.

This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen.  If you do not roll the dough into the 22" length ropes, you won't have the open spaces in a traditional pretzel.  The dough will rise as it bakes and look more like a knot.  Still tastes, good, just not a traditional pretzel shape.

Not Too Bad Biscuits-Version II

A friend suggested using buttermilk in the recipe instead of the fat free yogurt.  I gave her suggestion a try today and prefer it to the original version.  The recipe using the yogurt came out much more dense; these are fluffier and more like a traditional biscuit that includes fat.

This made 4 large biscuits and they're between 3 and 4 Smart Points each. 

BISCUITS

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine well using pastry blender.  Pat out on floured surface.  Bake at 400° until lightly browned.

Not Too Bad Biscuits -- 4 Smart Points

This recipe surprised me.  First, because it's supposed to make six biscuits and second, because the biscuits are really pretty good.

If you roll the dough out and only make six biscuit, they're going to be huge.  I divided the dough in half, cut six small rounds and topped a chicken pot pie with them.

The other half of the dough was rolled out and cut into four biscuits.  I baked them in my counter top convection oven.  They came out nicely browned and fluffy inside.  Since there's no added fat, the outer crust is tougher than a traditional biscuit.

NOT TOO BAD BISCUITS

Makes 6 – 4 Smart Points each

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 ¼ cups nonfat yogurt

Combine.  Roll out and cut 6 biscuits.

Bake 400° (convection) or 425° traditional 12 minutes.

Flour – 24 Smart Points

To make the chicken pot pie I used one can of Veg-All, one 9.75 oz. can grilled Swanson chicken breast, one .87 oz. package of McCormick chicken gravy mix.  I drained the Veg-All and chicken, reserved the liquid to mix with the gravy mix packet.  Combined the gravy mix, vegetables and chicken, topped with six biscuits and baked until biscuits were browned.  Using only half of the dough (12 points) makes these biscuits only 2 points each.