Big Family Dinner #1

I remember growing up that every Sunday afternoon at my friend Kristen's house her family got together for a big dinner that her mom prepared. I could sense that it was a really special thing that they did together. In my own home growing up, dinner was a special event every night. My friend Beth even made up a saying about it, she said "Every night is Thanksgiving at the Schkolnick's." Pretty funny, but true. My mom spent a great deal of her time in the kitchen preparing food from scratch. None of that processed stuff for us.

In my own home, I have to admit, it's been a challenge. We've had the vast majority of our "family" dinners at a local restaurant called Alladin's Eatery. Yes, the food is great, and we go there because I'm generally exhausted after a long week. But this week, I'm up for the challenge. So, here's this Friday Night's Dinner menu:

Challah (1/2 whole wheat)
Grape Juice (the unfiltered kind from Trader Joes)
Cauliflower & Leek Potage (recipe below)
Talapia with mustard and capers (testing tonight, recipe below)
Roasted Sweet Potato and Red Onion Salad (recipe below)
Raw Broccoli Salad (recipe posted on February 3rd)
Dessert (still figuring that one out)

This soup was so simple and quick to prepare. I was inspired to make it because I happened to have a cauliflower on hand and when I did a search for cauliflower on one of my favorite blogs (http://fatfreevegan.com) this recipe came up. I happened to have leftover leeks and all the other ingredients already in my pantry.

Cauliflower & Leek Potage
5 servings (2 cups each) = 1 WW point

Recipe by: Vegetarian Times May 2005

1 large cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
2 medium sized leeks, trimmed and chopped
3 C vegetable stock
2 tsp herbs de Provence (I used oregano, thyme and rosemary)
2 C unsweetened soymilk (I used coconut milk--my new favorite nut milk)

Combine cauliflower, leeks, stock and herbs in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in soymilk/coconut milk. Puree soup using immersion blender or food processor, adding more soymilk/coconut milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Talapia with Mustard and Capers
This is simply stupendous!
serves 2 = 2 WW Points

8 oz. Tilapia (4oz per serving)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard or to taste
2 Tbsp capers
sea salt

Sprinkle a little sea salt on the talapia.  Spread the dijon mustard on the tilapia.  Sprinkle capers.  Bake at 350 for 15 mins. That's it!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Red Onion Salad
This is an ALL TIME FAVORITE of ours from the WW website.  We even have it now for Thanksgiving instead of the sweet potatoes with marshmallows.  Recipe courtesy weightwatchers.com

Printable Recipe

Makes 6 servings of 2/3 cup = 1 WW Point

3 spray(s) cooking spray
2 large sweet potato(es), peeled, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large red onion(s), cut in 1-inch chunks
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 oz frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted), about 2 Tbsp

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place potatoes and onion on prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray; toss to mix and coat. Roast until tender, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; spoon into a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together chili powder, salt, pepper, vinegar and apple juice concentrate; spoon over vegetables and toss to coat. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.