Creamy Cheesecake

I love cheesecake. I mean.....I really love cheesecake. And when it's this easy to make, I love it even more! This recipe has few ingredients but a lot of possibilities for the toppings if you choose to top it.  This tastes like you've spent a ton of time, but in less than an hour it's put together and baked. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill.

CREAMY CHEESECAKE

Makes 8 Servings

1 Serving = 5 Points Plus®

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust

10 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat-free egg substitute
¾ cup Splenda granulated
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350º.

Beat softened cream cheese slightly.

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until well combined.

Pour mixture into the crust.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cheesecake cool on rack and then refrigerate @4 hours before serving.

MY SPIN: You can serve this 'as is' or top it with whatever you like. Remember to add the topping into the P+ value if you're following Weight Watchers©. I topped my piece with a sliced strawberry, fat-free whipped topping and then grated a small amount of dark chocolate over it which didn't add to the P+ value.

 

And now I just want to share with you some kitchen gadgets I just love. The first one is my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  Sometimes I don't now what I'd do without it.

 

The next 'gadget' is this cute little zester. So much easier than that other 'thingy' because all the zest collects neatly in it.

 

 

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus® value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

 

Later!

Loving life!

Jan

Blueberry Lavender Donuts

I kept saying I was going to make these donuts.......for weeks! Well, today was THE day to make them. I just felt in the mood for a donut, and not a store-bought one. These are actually pretty easy to make and we all know I like easy recipes.  It looks like a lot of ingredients, but you probably already have them in your pantry. The original recipe said it makes about 24 donuts, but I don't see how. If you can get 24 out of the batter, the donut would be 2 PointsPlus®.

BLUEBERRY LAVENDER DONUTS

Makes 15 Donuts

1 Donut = 3 PointsPlus®

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Splenda granulated
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp dried lavender buds
½ cup light butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup buttermilk
¾ cups fat-free egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 375º. Lightly spray donut pan(s).

In a large bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger and lavender with a whisk.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, buttermilk, egg substitute and vanilla with a whisk until foamy.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a large wooden spoon until completely combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spread the batter in the donut wells. Bake 10 – 12 minutes until they spring back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

MY SPIN: I did use a tad more than 1 cup blueberries. The next time I make these, I'm going to use ½ cup dried lavender buds because I couldn't taste them using ¼ tsp.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus® value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving life!
Jan

Bowtie Burger Skillet

Well, here I am with a new computer and a new camera AND a new recipe! My husband's first reaction to this was one word:  Interesting.  I didn't know if that was good or bad, but when he went back for seconds I determined that it was good! The 'hardest' part of this recipe is cutting up the veggies, so that should tell you how easy this is to make. Add more garlic tho (see MY SPIN)!!! And I don't usually use salt, but this is one of those recipes where you do need it for flavor. I think this is even kid friendly if you wanted to leave out the cooking wine.

 

BOWTIE BURGER SKILLET

Makes 6 Servings

1 Serving = 7 PointsPlus®

1 pound 93/7 lean ground beef

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup chopped onion
1 medium carrot, peeled, 1/4” diced
1 celery stalk, 1/4” diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried tarragon
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz.) can low or no sodium beef broth
3 TBSP Marsala cooking wine
8 ounces bowtie pasta (farfalle)
½ cup low-fat ricotta cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the beef, breaking it up with a spoon until browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the garlic, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften.

Stir in the thyme, tarragon, diced tomatoes, water, broth and Marsala and bring to a boil.

Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally. Check pasta for doneness.

Remove from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese and parsley. Serve.

MY SPIN: When I make this again, I'm going to use only 1 ½ cups of water. I'm also going to use a tad more salt than I did this time and a lot more garlic! I was really 'looking' for the garlic flavor in this and it just wasn't there using only 2 cloves.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus® value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving life!
Jan