Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole

Course: main meals PointsPlus™ Value: 8 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 12 min Cooking Time: 30 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Like a burrito in a bowl, this dish is great for parties. Serve a big salad on the side.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	4 cup(s) cooked brown rice
	1 1/4 cup(s) salsa
	1 tsp Durkee Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand
	15 oz canned refried beans
	10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
	4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
	1 Tbsp chili powder
	10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl
	3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
	2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray
  
  
• In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.
  
  
• In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.
  
  
• Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  
  
• Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve.

I couldn't find mild chili peppers at our store and I didn't have any cumin, but it was pretty good without those two ingredients. I also used chopped fresh spinach in it.

Callie said that it was the best, Mike said that it was okay, and I liked it alright. We ended up putting it in tortillas with a little bit of sour cream. Added a few more points, but I thought that it was better that way.

Turkey Wraps

1 1/2 tsp olive oil mayo
1/2 tsp mustard
dash of salad supreme seasoning
1 cup spinach
2 oz sliced turkey meat
1/8 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tortilla

Mix mayo and mustard together. Spread on the tortilla and sprinkle with the salad supreme. Put spinach and cheese on. Top with turkey. Roll up tightly and cut.

With my two point tortilla, this entire wrap was only 5 pointsplus.

I ate it with 1/2 cup sf applesauce and 1/4 cup ff cottage cheese for a delicious 7 point lunch.

Sweet Potato and Squash Bake

1/2 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 pounds acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp oil
1 TBSP unpacked brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375*. Coat 8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place sweet potatoes and squash in pan and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat well.

Bake with a lid or tin foil for about 35 minutes. Stir a few times while cooking.

Makes 6 -- 1/2 cup servings.
3 pointsplus per serving.

Yummy!

The squash baked a lot faster, so that is why I put to cut it smaller.

Mug Brownies

Mug Brownies

3 Tbs quick oats
2 Tbs German Chocolate cake mix (I used a different chocolate one)
1/4 cup water
6 chocolate chips

Mix well in a mug. Microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds.
1 point

I love these. Bryan has loved them as well. I think that he eats more of mine than I do!

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

4 large egg whites
1/2 cup chopped scallions (both green and white parts)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 oz uncooked chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice, warm (not cold out of fridge)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add egg whites and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; sauté until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in reserved cooked egg whites, cooked brown rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Makes 6 servings. 3 pts a serving.

filling foods: egg whites, scallions, chicken breast, carrots, brown rice, peas

Kim's wonderful brownies

Wow these are good! We made them yesterday and they were gone so fast! The boys kept saying 'oh these are so good' as they enjoyed.

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c agave syrup
1/2 c flour
1/2 c egg whites (about 4)
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all above ingredients in food processor (I used my blender, and had to just stir a little with a fork at the end) til smooth.

Then add
6 TB mini semisweet chocolate chips--stir them in

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish and preheat oven to 350. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes til toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour til room temperature so the frosting won't melt away. (I put ours in the freezer for a little while)

Frosting
6 oz fat free cream cheese
1/4 c agave syrup
2 TB vanilla
Stir these together and spread on cooled brownies. The orig recipe says cut into 12. I cut them into 20 squares and 25 would have been a fine size too.

Melt 2 TB Mini Choc chips and drizzle them on top. Or--we tried grated orange zest on part of it. Both were so good!

These are definitely good enough to take somewhere to share. The cream cheese topping is soft and kind of pudding consistency so you can't stack them on a plate cause they will goo on each other. They are so yummy!

And they are lots different nutritionally than the ones we have all made and loved for years.
Have fun!

The whole pan of brownies has 29 points (including the frosting). 1-2 points for each brownie depending on how they are cut.

Renata's Salad

Renata Salad

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained well)
1 medium cucumber (peeled and diced)
1 cup super sweet frozen corn
3/4 cup chopped green pepper (it was 1/2 of a large pepper)
2 scallions chopped (both green and white)
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)
1/2 cup Kraft Free Catalina dressing

optional: celery, kidney beans, chicken chunks, basically anything that sounds good

(filling foods: black beans, cucumber, corn, pepper, scallion, tomato)

You can crush baked tortilla chips on it, use it for a salsa dip, or just eat it plain.

11 points for the entire salad

1 1/2 points for 1 cup serving