Mexican-Inspired Vegetable Soup, WW Website.

** Guest Review by GenAmy **

Recipe: If you are a Weight Watcher member please follow the link for the full list of ingredients and directions. Let us know if you liked it or what you did to make it better!  http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=140831

Ingredients: Green beans, garlic, zucchini, canned Mexican diced tomatoes, onion, green pepper, tomatillos, jalepeno pepper, poblano chile, oregano, cumin, vegetable broth, roasted red peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

PP: 1 per serving, makes 12.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 50 min

End Result:

Verdict: It needs meat!!!  But since that would make it a totally different recipe, it can’t be added.  I’ve come to terms with it.  The recipe says this is the spicy version of everyone’s “FAVORITE” soup.  I didn’t really like the original Zero Point Veggie soup, but this is surprisingly much better.  The broth is yummy with a bold Mexican zest to it.  The key for this soup is time.  I let it sit on the stove for several hours to cool (because my plan is to freeze this and use it as back up for my not-so-friendly WW days – I know that you know what I’m talking about!).  When I sampled it again later, it was much better than my first encounter!  Everything was tender and the flavors really came together.  I hope it freezes well because it’s all nicely portioned out in my freezer now.

Improvements: I left out the jalapeño pepper because I can NOT handle the heat, thank you.  I did have to add a ton of salt, and I think it still needs more.  I added a small can (could use another) of diced green chilies, and I never could find the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  (I don’t know what the heck an adobo is! And wasn’t saying it correctly until Jodi – thanks – corrected me!)  So maybe that was the defining ingredient.  I also used half vegetable broth and half chicken broth because I NEEDED to. You don’t have to.  I’m carnivorous like that though.  This soup is a lot of prep work, so I’ll likely not make it again.  We’ll see how I do with my frozen portions.  This recipe gets 3 whisks!

Rating:

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Skillet-Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary, Pg. 206.

Ingredients: Potatoes, butter, water, garlic, seasoning (I used thyme and parsley, but you can use rosemary and sage, too), S&P.

PP: 3 per serving.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes.

End Result:

Verdict: Near perfection!  These potatoes will be a family hit.  Parents will eat them as is.  Kids will love them with ketchup.  It’s also a great recipe because you can easily cook them while paying attention to other dishes.

Improvements: Use kosher salt instead of regular table salt.  The larger grains give not only flavor but more texture.

Rating:   

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Spring Peas Braised with Lettuce, Pg. 220.

Ingredients: Peas, lettuce, scallions (I used green onions), water, butter, sugar, S&P.

PP: 2 per serving.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes.

End Result:

Verdict: Hey!  I like green peas, Sam-I-Am!   And so did my non-pea loving husband.  They are both sweet and savory and should appeal to the masses.

Improvements: I like extra cracked pepper, so I’d recommend that.  If you don’t want them as sweet, drop some of the sugar.  Also, I noticed that my lettuce kind of clumped together.  I’m not sure how to fix this, but I suppose some extra stirring might help.

Rating:   

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables, Pg. 137.

Ingredients: Pork tenderloin, fresh chives, salt, artichoke hearts (not pictured), small potatoes, asparagus (squash substituted), baby carrots, olive oil, pepper.

PP: 7 per serving.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes.

End Result:

Verdict: What a wonderful dish!  The pork was moist and tender.  The carrots still had some bite.  It’s easy to make, and you have a whole family meal in one pan.

Improvements: Add more seasoning to the meat – kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.  The vegetables need more salt and pepper, too.

Rating:   This dish will easily earn 5 whisks if the improvements are implemented.  A great Sunday meal!

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Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Lemon, Pg. 215.

Ingredients: Cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper, cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley, lemon zest.  (I used chopped Roma tomatoes in place of the cherry ones and opted for a broccoli/cauliflower mix.)

PP: 1 per serving…. though you really do need more oil than the recipe calls for, so it likely is about 2 PP per serving.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 35 minutes.

End Result:

Verdict: Delicious!  I was really surprised at how my broccoli roasted so well.  The lemon zest and parsley added at the end kept the vegetables very bright and light.

Improvements: As mentioned above, you really need a little more oil than this recipe calls for.  Just use more.  If you skimp your veggies will dry out and burn.

Rating:   

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Tomato-Topped Corn Pudding, Pg. 218.

Ingredients: Fresh corn, olive oil, flour, milk, egg substitute, salt, pepper, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, chives.

PP: 3 per serving.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 50 minutes.

End Result:

Verdict: Bland.  Bland.  Bland.  Presentation-wise these cups are gorgeous, but let me tell you they are the ultimate in blandness.  The texture was okay.  The smell was nonexistent.

Improvements: We added salt and pepper, but that didn’t do much to aid it.  This thing needs some MAJOR flavor improvements.

Rating: I’m giving it two whisks, but I almost gave it  .

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