Avocado Ranch Coleslaw

Well HELLO! I apologize for getting a little off-track with my posts the last couple of weeks. Work was really busy and then I was thrown off by the holiday weekend. I hope everyone who had a three-day weekend enjoyed it! My parents have a house in upstate New York and every Memorial Day my dad's side of the family heads up there. There are tents and bonfires and games and music and singing and hanging out by the pool ... oh, and there's a TON of eating. And drinking. Let's just say Memorial Day weekend is NOT a Weight Watchers weekend. Oh well ... worth it.

But, the holiday is over and I need some healthy food back in my life. Enter this week's recipe: Avocado Ranch Coleslaw! 

I absolutely love coleslaw. But prepared the traditional way, with a ton of mayo, it's definitely not healthy. Another thing I absolutely love is avocado. Especially in summer. Something about fresh avocado (and homemade guacamole) just resembles summer to me. I came up with the idea to combine the two, and it worked out pretty nicely. The addition of ranch is just because I think ranch dressing makes everything better. Wings, veggies - what doesn't benefit from a little ranch?

Anyway, let's discuss this recipe. It's really easy and tasty too. And I'm already thinking of ways it can be used other than just as a side dish (hint: I think it would be REALLY yummy on shrimp tacos. There may or may not be a recipe coming soon that uses this coleslaw that way ...)

Start with a package of coleslaw in a large bowl. I usually buy Dole Classic Coleslaw when I make slaw, but any brand will do.

Then, in a small bowl, combine everything else (avocado, ranch, sour cream, mayo, and vinegar). The avocado I used was perfectly ripe, so I only needed to use a spoon to combine everything. If your avocado is still a little hard, you may need to use a hand mixer. I think that avocados taste the best when they're slightly mushy to touch but still firm overall. They're also much easier to mix when they're like this.

Add the avocado mix to the slaw and stir, stir, stir until the slaw is coated evenly. Season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir again.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. It tastes best if you're able to refrigerate for at least an hour. Since this uses avocado, it may start to brown after a day or so, so I recommend making this when you know you'll be eating it or serving it within a day.

Before serving, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder again and give it a final stir to combine.

That's it! It's good on the side of a summer meal, but I personally think it would be even better when incorporated into a meal, like on a burger or sandwich, or inside some shrimp tacos ... (hint, hint)!

Enjoy! As always, feedback is appreciated!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 1 bag coleslaw mix 
• 1 medium avocado (about 7 oz), shelled and pit discarded
• 3 tbsp fat free ranch dressing
• 1 tbsp fat free sour cream
• 1 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste, but I recommend being generous with these)

Serving size: 1/4 of recipe
Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 3

Instructions

1. Empty the coleslaw mix into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, ranch, sour cream, mayo, and vinegar. Depending on how soft your avocado is, you may need a hand mixer for this.
3. Add the avocado mix to the slaw and stir until the slaw is evenly coated. Season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and stir to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (I recommend refrigerating for at least an hour, and serving within a day).
5. Before serving, season again with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and give the slaw a final stir.

Nutritional Information

Pistachio Cups with Mini Chocolate Chips

Well hello again and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this blog. This week's recipe is one that I made a few weeks ago, didn't love, and tweaked slightly. Now I love it, and I brought a tray to my parents' house tonight for Mother's Day and they were a huge hit! (Side note: as a new food blogger, there's nothing more satisfying than hearing rave reviews from your family when they taste test your recipe. Really gives you the extra confidence to share it with your blog followers).

We're gonna keep it kind of simple this weekend. This recipe is so easy to prepare it only requires one picture. Also, instead of my usual step-by-step instructions with photos, I'm just going to list a few things I learned from tweaking this recipe. Trust me, it's all you'll need.

- The first time I made these, I baked the fillo shells for 5 minutes. YOU DON'T NEED TO FOR THIS RECIPE. I thought the flavor of the baked shells was too distinct - it almost overpowered the pistachio filling.

- I'm a HUGE fan of Cool Whip Free, but I found that Cool Whip Lite works better for this recipe. It's slightly creamier, which ends up working out better for this recipe. Since this is basically the main ingredient, flavor/texture plays a major part, and using Lite instead of Free doesn't significantly alter the nutritional information, so I recommend going for it.

- Same for the Jell O pudding mix. First time I made these I used fat free, sugar free mix - this time I used the regular mix. Again, it doesn't alter the nutrition significantly and it really gives the recipe a stronger flavor, so definitely go with the regular stuff if you ever make these.

So without further ado, here's the recipe! Hope you enjoy it. As always, feedback is appreciated!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 30 Athens mini fillo shells
• 4 oz Cool Whip Lite whipped topping (1/2 container)
• 3/4 package Jell O pistachio pudding and pie filling mix
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 tbsp semi sweet mini chocolate chips

Serving size: 1 fillo shell

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 1

Instructions

1. Arrange the fillo shells on the serving tray of your choice.
2. In a small/medium bowl, combine the Cool Whip, Jello O mix, and almond extract. Distribute among the fillo shells.
3. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the shells. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional information