Weight Watcher's Wednesday - May 11

 Welcome to the very first Weight Watcher's Wednesday! I'm so excited to share recipes out of my Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook with everyone and even though I don't follow the Weight Watcher's plan, I love their healthy recipes! Today as a kick-off I'm going to give you a Main Dish and a Dessert - both were delicious!

Best Ever Black Bean Soup - 3 points per 1 cup serving

This really was fantastic. I love Black Bean soup. The only thing I would do differently is add another can of rinsed and drained black beans - yum!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz reduced sodium chicken broth (like Swanson)

1 cup water

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 scallions, thinly sliced

lime wedges

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. (I had to add some of the chicken broth about 3 minutes in because mine was browning too quickly). Stir in beans, broth, water, cumin and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to blender (do in batches if needed). Return soup to sauce pan, serve with cilantro, scallions and lime wedges. Ladle up and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - 3 points each

These were really good. I would use this recipe in the future regardless of Weight Watcher's points - they had a wonderful texture and flavor. I thought you could easily make this batch with just 1/2 cup of chips but my husband said he "respectfully disagreed" - ha!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used unbleached all purpose)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (I used Smart Balance)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Put oats in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Whisk together ground oats, flour, salt and baking soda, set aside. In another bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla with a mixer until well blended. Add in dry ingredients until just mixed through. Stir in chocolate chips and drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes on 350, cool serve and enjoy! Makes 24 cookies.