Jicama Salad with Cucumber and Lime

Happy September and happy Labor Day! I am excited to say that I moved this weekend and my sanity remained in tact. I haven't yet slept in the apartment yet because we haven't had Internet in the apartment, but that is getting installed tomorrow. We've decided to go without cable for the time being, so that should be interesting! The past few days have been spent cleaning and organizing - the previous tenants left the place a complete wreck. It's coming along nicely and I'll probably be settled in completely by the end of the week.

This salad does not look like much, but it is really tasty. It is also incredibly easy to throw together and really low in Points+ value. It is packed with fiber to keep you full. I had it along side a rotisserie chicken leg and was actually kept full all night.

Get ready for a whole slew of pumpkin and apple recipes in the next few weeks. Fall is my favorite season and I've got some really great recipes planned!

Zucchini Chips

If you told me 10 years ago that I would ever willingly eat zucchini, I would have totally laughed at you. I used to hate it. It was mushy and slimy and had a weird taste. However, since I am trying to expand my culinary horizons, I decided to give it one more shot. This recipe is perfect for someone like me who thought zucchini was too soft because the chips bake up really crunchy. Problem solved!

I have a total weakness for regular chips. That saying about not being able to have just one is totally true for me. I had these chips along with a sandwich I made for lunch and thought it was perfect. They were crunchy just like regular chips and way more healthy - just 1 Points+ and 55 calories a serving!

To bake these, I just sprayed a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and flipped the zucchini half way through. Some of the zucchini crisped up (read: burned) a little more than others so if you do it this way, make sure all of your chips are equal sized as much as possible. An alternative is to cook them on an oven safe rack.

Homemade Tomato Salsa

I'm not sure I have ever met a person who does not enjoy chips and salsa. It is one of the best snacks out there. I decided that homemade salsa was probably better than anything I could buy in the store ( I am convinced homemade >>> store-bought anything) and was pleased to find out I am right. The key is using very fresh ingredients. You can used canned tomatoes and bottled minced garlic for example, but using fresh ingredients really livens up the taste. Normally I do all my shopping for recipes at the beginning of the week but I bought the ingredients for the salsa the night before to ensure their freshness.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Clouds

This recipe was another first for me. I had wanted to try out meringues when I bought myself a stand mixer, bit I chickened out. I had planned to post a meringue recipe before the holidays but I heard that meringues are finicky. They often didn't set, stuck to pans, we just difficult in general. In the spirit of trying something new in the new year, I decided to just give them a try. I was very pleased to discover that they are not hard at all! I looked up many different variations of this recipe: some called for different flavored extracts, nuts, flour, etc. I decided to just keep it simple: just egg whites, sugar and chocolate chips. No stabilizers or anything and I am very happy to report that they turned out just fine.

I really like the subtle taste of the chocolate in these cookies. It does not overpower the meringue, but the chocolate taste is definitely there.