Soft Corn Tortillas -- 2 Smart Points

I used my Kitchenaid mixer to make these and it took no time at all.  The original recipe does not call for salt.  After tasting some, I did sprinkle the rest with salt before frying. Next batch I make will include the teaspoon of salt.

CORN TORTILLAS

2 cups Maseca Amarillo flour
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix until a ball forms.  Divide into 12 portions and roll each into a ball.
Place each piece in between waxed paper and press firmly with a plate.
Preheat a cast iron skillet and cook each tortilla 45 seconds on each side.

For the ingredients I used, the recipe totaled 24 Smart Points = 2 points per tortilla.

Taco Soup --- 5 Smart Points

Now that the weather is cooling off, it's soup time!  This super simple recipe is one that I really enjoy.  It's very filling and goes great with some corn bread or even tortilla chips.

The Smart Points I calculated are based on the ingredients I used.  Check your labels and calculate the points based on the brands you use.

Some taco soup recipes call for a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix.  I've made it using it as well as omitting it and found I prefer to leave it out.

You can add a can of Rotel tomatoes if you like it spicy or a can of green chilies if you prefer it to be mild.

You can have this ready and on the table in under 30 minutes.

TACO SOUP

Makes 9 cups

5 Smart Points per cup

10 oz. 85/15 ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 can Ranch Style beans

1 can Bush yellow hominy

1 can Bush pinto beans

1- 14.5 oz. can Hunt’s diced tomatoes

1-15 oz. can Hunt’s tomato sauce

2 T. Tone’s taco seasoning

1 T. Williams chili seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef with onions.  Add remaining ingredients and

heat thoroughly.

Smart Points

Ground beef                 20

Hominy                        7

Pinto beans                   7

Ranch beans                 12

If you use 90/10% ground beef = 13.3 Smart Points

If you use 95/5% ground beef = 10 Smart Points

If you use 93/7% ground beef = 13.3 Smart Points

If you use 80/20% ground beef = 20 Smart Points

If you use 92/8% Harvestland Ground chicken = 10 Smart Points

Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas -- 1 Smart Point

I tweaked an online recipe to make these.  Based on the ingredients I used, regular full fat cheddar cheese and Great Value deli sliced ham, the Smart Point total for the entire recipe is only 8!

Two mini-fritatas are only 1 Smart Point.  Four of them would make a really hearty filling breakfast and would have the same number of points as a single egg.



MINI HAM AND CHEESE FRITTATAS -- 8 Smart Points

Makes 16 mini frittatas
2 mini frittatas are 1 Smart Point

½ cup diced onion
5 slices of thin sliced deli ham ( 2 oz.)
4 large egg whites +  1 large whole egg
1 oz. grated cheddar cheese
2 T. chopped green onion or chives
Ground pepper

Sweat diced onion in a non-stick skillet with a tiny amount of water until tender.
Finely chop the ham slices and add to the onion.  Set aside to cool.
Beat the egg whites and egg until frothy.  Add to cooled ham and onion mixture.  Stir in grated cheese and green onion or chives.  Sprinkle in black pepper. 

I found that no salt needed to be added, the ham and cheese provides enough.

Spoon into 18 mini-muffin cups.

Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes.  Just until the eggs set.  Frittatas will continue cooking after removing them from the oven.

Smart Points
egg                                 2
Great Value deli ham     1
cheddar cheese              5

More Christmas Cards

 The letters were cut with a Cameo.  I used an embossing folder and Cuttlebug on the white background pieces.  The snowflakes and holly leaves were punched.  I added some Pearl Pen dots.

 The coffee cup is a Tim Holtz die.  I printed the sentiment using Hallmark card making software.  The background was embossed with the Divine Swirls folder.

The sentiment was computer generated and punched out.  The mittens are a retired Stampin' Up punch.  The background was embossed using a Cuttlebug.

All these will be sent to military overseas.

Christmas Cards

Black Bean Soup -- 5 Smart Points

I like black bean soup, but not whole black beans so I use a stick blender to make a rough puree of the beans when I make this soup recipe.  Once the beans are pureed, if you don't add some extra water, the soup will be really too thick.  I estimated adding 1 cup of water, you may want to add more.
 



BLACK BEAN SOUP
Makes 5 1/2 cups
5 Smart Points per cup

3 cans Bush's black beans
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 cup water

Sweat the onion and garlic in a non-stick pan with a small amount of water.  Cook and stir until the onion is tender.

Put beans into a mixing bowl and puree using a stick blender, or, pour into a blender and puree them.  Don't over do it, you'll have no texture left in the soup.

Add pureed beans, 1 cup water, and spices to the onion and garlic mixture.  Cover and simmer abut 15 minutes.  Serve topped with sour cream, chopped cilantro, jalapeno peppers, or lime slices if desired.

Christmas Cards

 Cards done today using embossing folders, punches and clip art images.

Christmas Cards

 Used some clip art images found online, punches and the Cameo to cut some shapes.

Soft Wrap Bread -- 6 Smart Points

This is a recipe from King Arthur Flour.  It's simple to make and the bread turns out tender and will be perfect for a sandwich wrap, soft taco, or as the base for an Indian Taco.

This is the photo from King Arthur Flour.

This is a photo of the bread I made today.  You'll definitely want to roll each ball of dough to at least 7" in diameter for it to be large enough for a sandwich wrap.  You could make it slightly smaller and it will cook up thicker and use as a base for Indian Tacos.  I think it needs more than the 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt.  Next batch, I'll use 1 1/2 teaspoons.

SOFT WRAP BREAD RECIPE  -- 6 Smart Points per serving

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

• 3 to 3 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup potato flour or 1/2 cup potato flakes
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast

Instructions

1. Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir until smooth. Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast.
3. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes — by hand, mixer or bread machine — to form a soft dough. A 5-minute knead in the bread machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour.
4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
5. Roll each piece into a 7" to 8" circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out.
6. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft.
7. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to a month.

Tips from our bakers

• This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat "slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.
• You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour.

Smart Points  -- calculated on the brands of ingredients I used

3 cups flour     36

¼ cup potato flakes     1.5

2 T. oil             8

Potato flakes were used rather than the potato flour.  I didn’t need to use the additional ¼ cup of  regular flour.  If your dough requires using it, add an additional 3 Smart Points.  Each serving will then be slightly over 6 Smart Points.  As I prepared it, the points calculated at 5.7 so I rounded them up to 6.