Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup -- Zero Smart Points

This recipe is zero Smart Points on the new Freestyle Weight Watcher program.  It would be good made with chicken broth and adding some chicken breast too.

It calls for "herbes de provence"  which is a combination of herbs and lavender.  Don't worry about not having it on hand, I list the ingredients of the mixture and doubt if you'd even miss the lavender flowers!  I happened to have some of the herbes de provence on hand left over from a recipe I tried some time ago.  This is the first occasion I've had to use any more of it.  

RED LENTIL AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Zero Smart Points on Freestyle program

1 ½ cups dried red lentils

1-32 oz. carton Swanson beef broth

2 tsp. beef bouillon granules

1 c. chopped onion

¾ c. sliced celery

1 c. diced carrots

2 c. water

2 c. fresh spinach

1 tsp. herbes de provence **

1 tsp. smoked paprika

Combine all ingredients in a 3 quart sauce pan and simmer until vegetables are tender.

**herbes de provence

3 T. oregano leaves

3 T. thyme leaves

1 tsp. basil leaves

1 tsp. sage leaves

1 tsp. rosemary

2 T. lavender flowers

Veggie Burgers -- 4 Smart Points

I've tried commercially prepared veggie burgers and, to me, they're pretty much edible but "meh!" nothing to write home about.  Since I've been investigating the concept of a whole food plant based diet, I bought Rip Esselstyn's book "The Engine 2 Diet".  He advocated a totally plant based diet for health reasons.  This recipe is from the book.

I used diced onion in place of the green onion, garlic powder and a combination of parsley and cilantro.  You definitely need to add some salt to the mixture.

These are on a large dinner plate.  They make a pattie about the same size as a 4 oz. beef pattie.

NEW YORK TIMES VEGGIE BURGERS

Makes 8 patties - 4 Smart Points per patty

 

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can mild tomatoes and green chilies

1 garlic clove, minced or 1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup parsley or cilantro

2 cups quick rolled oats

Process the first seven ingredients using an immersion blender or food processor.  Stir in oats and form into 8 patties.  Saute burgers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

Zucchini and Tomatoes - 0 Smart Points

Although I've eaten canned zucchini and tomatoes, I'd never tried to prepare them myself until today.

I had purchased a few zucchini and after fixing the same recipe a few times, I decided to try something different and it turned out really delicious.

The Smart Points total for the entire recipe is only one, so unless you eat the entire pan full, it's going to be zero points.

ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES

Makes 3-4 servings -- 0 Smart Points per serving

1 can Hunt’s diced tomatoes

2 T. tomato paste

1 small zucchini, cut into chunks

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Cover and

simmer until zucchini is tender.  Top with grated

Parmesan cheese, if desired---add points for cheese if 

you decide to use it.

Smart Points

Tomato  paste      1