Something Borrowed

A friend and co-worker recently introduced me to the idea of "strategies". Strategies, how we deal with challenging situations, can apply to parenting, our careers, sports and more. We've all used them, so you might wonder why an introduction was needed. The particular context my friend and fellow Weight Watchers member was talking about though, was a corporate holiday party, where peril (from a Weight Watchers perspective, at least) seemed to be lurking around every corner.

From the plethora of decadent appetizer and desert selections to the open bar, at first blush, it seemed highly unlikely I would make it through the day with any daily (or weekly, for that matter) Weight Watchers points to spare. I knew that, should I give in and start sampling or sipping, the end result wouldn't be what I wanted it to be. Thankfully though, while I didn't have a strategy, my friend did. We simply walked around, mingled, talked, sipped our water or diet pop, and used our mouths to converse instead of consume. It wasn't until the party was mostly over that we each picked out one small, especially delectable-looking tidbit to end the day with.

The experience gave me a better appreciation for the importance of strategies. From a Weight Watcher perspective, strategies need to encompass our own behavioral tendencies while leveraging the 'toolkits' we've built up over time. In a past blog, I shared some of the tips and tricks in my own toolkit. Other valued 'tools' I continue to collect are new recipes and cooking techniques, which I often integrate into newer recipes that become part of the strategy du jour.

Today's case in point: New Years Eve. How do you navigate the many perils of a night dedicated to celebratory revelry, and the food and drink that usually accompanies such revelry? In my case, my strategy was multi-fauceted. First of all, my wife and I decided to stay home (versus going out), which left us in control of the menu. Stocking the larder with Weight Watchers power foods, including tale-on shrimp and fresh fruit, also factored into our New Years Eve strategy. Finally, I came up with a delicious new recipe that helped us navigate the evening's perils without expending a week's worth of Weight Watchers points.

That said, I hope you enjoy the latest addition to my toolkit.....  

Roasted Veggie & Goat Cheese Mini-Pizzas

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Tomato sauce, canned

1 cup Canned diced tomatoes

½ cup Onion, uncooked, diced

1 Tbsp Dried basil 

1 tsp Dried oregano

1 tsp Sugar

¾ tsp Pepper, black

1 tsp Minced garlic

2 small Zucchini, raw, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds

1 medium Peppers, sweet , yellow, raw, cut into bite-size segments/slices

1 medium Onion, red, raw, cut into bite-size segments/pieces

5 sprays Cooking spray, olive oil

1 Tbsp Dried thyme

1 Tbsp Sea salt

4 items Muffin, English (any type)

4 oz Cheese, goat, soft type

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse sweet pepper , red onion  and zucchini. Slice the zucchini in 1/4" thick rounds. Slice the sweet pepper  and onion  into bite-size segments. Spray olive oil spray on a cookie sheet, spread the veggies on the sheet and spray the veggies with olive oil. Sprinkle the veggies with thyme, fresh-ground pepper and sea salt, and roast in the oven at 375F for ◴ 40 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (with liquid), diced onion , basil , oregano, minced garlic, sugar and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for ◴ 10 minutes, set aside.

Split 4 English muffins and coat each half with ~3-4 tbsp. of the set aside, homemade pizza sauce. Spread ~1 tbsp. goat cheese on each muffin half, add roasted onions , sweet peppers  and 4 zucchini rounds atop each mini pizza, and finish each off with a small dollop (~1/4 tsp.) of goat cheese atop each zucchini round. Spray another cookie sheet or large baking pan with olive oil and roast the mini pizzas for ◴ 20 mins. @375F. Serve warm.

Makes 8 mini-pizzas/serving, 4 WW Points+ per serving.

 
A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe:

• A new #NewYearsEve2014 #recipe f/mini pizzas (http://t.co/2Sgrpx5S1N), accompanied by a #pic: http://t.co/SwrJ9Ls9eb. @WeightWatchers

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from an older recipe for pizza sauce from Better Homes & Gardens (http://bit.ly/13LcfpS), and an oven roasted vegetables recipe from Weight Watchers (http://bit.ly/1tt6G6o).

Frugal & Flexible

In a prior blog post, I wrote about my recent attempts at frugality... Shopping at discount grocers, reading sales circulars, sticking  to shopping lists, making foods from scratch instead of buying them prepared. Planning is key, as is flexibility, whether you're making lists of ingredients or mapping out errands. For example, I now think through where I need to go in advance, sometimes putting off one errand for another day or selecting alternate store locations so as to save on gas.

Flexibility also plays into other circumstances, including ingredient selection.  Having a daughter who's been either vegetarian or vegan for a number of years, I've been adapting new ingredients to older recipes for some time now. The easiest adaptations often involve newer, prepared food products such as Tofurky Italian Sausage or Boca Crumbles that allow you to simply swap out a traditional ingredient for a vegan alternative. Such products can be expensive, though. By using other fresh ingredients such as eggplant or lentils, an equally delicious meal can be made at less cost.

Another frugal and flexible practice is to build on, and even combine, prior tried-and-true recipes as needed to meet current needs. I've recently used my favorite scratch sugar cookie dough recipe to make both fruit-filled cookies for a charity auction and a desert for the local shelter. Most recently, I combined an old scratch biscuit recipe with an adapted version of my "Quick and easy eggplant and sausage" recipe to create "pocket pizzas" that were both vegan and gluten-free.

What I really like about this recipe is that it can be shared with practically anyone, it's appropriate for both lunches and dinners, and it freezes and reheats well too (Note: If you're planning on using your FoodSaver, as I did, make sure you freeze your pocket pizzas in advance of sealing them). Here's the recipe, let me know what you think of it.

Vegan & gluten-free pocket pizzas *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants
2 medium yellow onions
2 medium red, yellow or orange sweet peppers
Dried oregano
Course-ground sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 jar store-brand (cheese-free) pizza sauce
GoVeggie!-brand vegan 'mozzarella' shredded 'cheese'
Olive oil spray (Note: I use my own refillable olive oil sprayer filled with inexpensive Kirkland-brand olive oil)
5 cups Nameste-brand brown rice flour
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
5 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
5/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cup shortening
1 2/3 cups soy milk

Directions

Rinse off the eggplants, remove their tops/bottoms, cut each into 3/4" cubes leaving the skin on, and soak the pieces in the refrigerator covered in brine (i.e. water with a generous sprinkling of sea salt) for approximately two hours. Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Drain the eggplant, arrange the pieces on the cookie sheet, cover with onions and sweet peppers sliced into strips, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano/sea salt/fresh ground pepper, and roast for 35-40 minutes until onions/peppers start to caramelize. Combine roasted vegetables and pizza sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Stir together rice flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tarter and table salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center; add soy milk all at once. Stir until dough clings together. Turn dough onto a cutting board lightly coated in rice flour and need gently for 10 to 12 stokes. Divide dough in two, hand form into two equally long rolls, slice each roll into six pieces.

Press or roll each piece of dough until ~7-8" in diameter, place 1/2 cup of the vegetable/sauce mixture onto each rolled/pressed circle and sprinkle shredded 'mozzarella' on top of vegetables/sauce. Brush the edges of the dough with soy milk, fold over to form half moon-shaped pies, lightly press together the dough's edges and place on olive oil-coated cookie sheets. Brush tops of pies with soy milk. Bake at 450 for 14-16 minutes until golden. Serves 12.

* NOTE: Portions of this recipe were inspired by Weight Watchers "Roasted Vegetables" recipe and Better Homes and Gardens "Biscuits Supreme" recipe.