Found on page 31 of the WW Cookbook Weight Watchers Annual Recipes For Success 2002, this recipe has become our favorite scone. Coming in at 5 WW points for those counting their meal plan, with 169 calories, and 28 carbs per serving. The original recipe has the points listed as 4 per serving, but because I make the batch with 8 servings instead of 10, my version has 1 extra point.

I’ve also doubled the amount of dried cranberries from 1/4-cup to 1/2-cup measure, and use the zest from an entire navel orange, which probably comes out to more than the 2 teaspoons of zest called for in the printed recipe. I also make my own buttermilk by using a measuring cup, adding about 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the measuring cup, then filling the cup to the 1/2-cup mark with 2% milk, and stirring well. My version of the Cranberry Orange Scone recipe is listed below.

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest (zest from one navel orange)
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (see note above on how I make my own)
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Coat a baking sheet pan with the cooking stray, and set aside.
2. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, table salt, and granulated sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or use two knives until dry ingredients resemble coarse meal. Stir in cranberries and orange zest.
3. Add the beaten egg to the buttermilk, then stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until dough is moist.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured and knead the dough 15 times, or until the dough is smooth, add a bit more flour if the dough is wet. Form dough into a smooth ball.
5. Transfer the dough ball to the coated baking sheet and pat the dough down into a 7-inch circle. Cut the dough into 8 wedges
6. Bake the dough in the 375° F oven for about 25 minutes, or until dough is golden brown on top. Remove dough from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Sift the powdered sugar over the top and enjoy warm scones.

This Sesame Chicken recipe is a great way to enjoy the Chinese cuisine favorite, and in just about 30-minutes time you can delight in the juicy sesame, soy, ginger infused sauce and chicken tenders.

The recipe is found on page 152 of the Best of WW cookbook, or you can get the same recipe on the WW website at Sesame Chicken. The recipe comes in at 3 WW points for those tracking their meals, and 218 calories with 8 total carbs.

A couple of things I changed with the recipe:

1. I doubled the flour amount because just 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour will not be enough to totally coat the chicken tenders. The 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour ensures each piece of chicken is adequately coated.
2. I did not use skewers for dipping the chicken into the toasted sesame seeds, rather, I lightly sprinkled them over the top of the sauce-coated chicken (see image below)

The recipe is found on page 184 in the Best of WW Cookbook, and this is about the best cauliflower crust recipe we’ve come across. The crust holds it’s shape after cooking, has a great flavor, and creates a perfect alternative to traditional flour-based pizza crust. While there is a little all purpose flour (2/3 cup) in this crust, the majority of ingredients comes from the riced cauliflower, while being held together with 2 whisked large eggs. Click for the online WW recipe for Cauliflower-crust pizza with feta, peppers, and olives.

The recipe comes in at 2 slices per portion with 6 points for the blue trackers, is 287 calories, and 34g total carbs per serving.

Total Time: 55 min – Prep: 20 min – Cook: 35 min – Serves: 4

This WW recipe is on page 156 in the Soups & Stews chapter of the Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2004 edition. I could not find the exact recipe online, all the versions I did find included bacon or anchovies. The recipe I’m sharing today has no meat, only vegetable stock, and lots of fresh vegetables, my version has a bit more fresh vegetables than the original recipe, since vegetables are now “free” on the WW points plan, it makes sense to bump up the ingredients for a hearty soup. The original recipe from 2004 is listed at 2 WW points per serving, however, with the new points system all vegetables are “free”, with the newly updated 1 point* now coming from the portion of parmesan cheese I suppose . The recipe serving size is 1 1/2 cups (12-fluid ounces), with 148 calories, and 23g total carbs per portion. (*according to the WW app).

We harvested the kale for this recipe from our backyard garden patch of dwarf kale we grew from direct seed in the garden bed.

I’m not sure why WW recipes include a cup or so of water in recipes that also have some form of stock in them, it makes sense to me to use extra stock in place of the water for the flavor benefit. I’ve incorporated the 1 cup of water into the total stock required for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion
• 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (could use more if you like fennel)
• 6 cups chopped fresh kale
• 1 quart plus 1 cup (5-cups) vegetable stock or broth
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened, about 5-minutes. Add the garlic and fennel, and stir well, cooking until aromatic. Add the kale, stock, beans, and tomatoes, stir well. Simmer uncovered for 30-minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of the soup into bowls and top each with 2 teaspoons of the Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size 1 1/2 cups)- Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cook Time: 40 minutes