Instead of grated chocolate, you can also roll the truffles in coconut. They will keep for up to 2 weeks in a cool place.

Weight Watchers Italian Chocolate Truffles recipe
Makes 24 balls

Ingredients
6 ounces dark chocolate (or milk chocolate)
1 3/4 ounces grated chocolate
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons almond liqueur or orange liqueur

Preparation
1. In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate with the liqueur; stir until well blended.
2. Add the butter and stir until melted.
3. Stir in the sugar and ground almonds.
4. Leave the mixture in a cool place until firm enough to roll into balls.
5. Put the grated chocolate on a plate and roll the balls in the chocolate to coat them.
6. Put the truffles in paper candy cups and chill.

WW POINTS for one ball: 2
Nutritional information for one ball: 79 calories, 7.2g fat, 1.8g fiber

This is a wonderful lemon cheesecake that the whole family will love.

You can use less lemon and more vanilla if you want. You can top the cake with berries (if they are in season) or with lemon slices.

Easy Recipes  Lemon Cheesecake recipe
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
2 lemons (juice and rind of), freshly grated
150 g digestive biscuits or coconut biscuits, crushed
2 eggs, separated
125 ml milk
100 g butter
500 g cream-style cottage cheese
250 ml cream, whipped
30 ml gelatin
200 g sugar
10 ml vanilla essence
60 ml water, cold

Preparation
1. Mix the biscuits and butter together, and press into the base of a springform tin.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water; allow to become spongy.
3. Dissolve by placing over boiling water or in the microwave oven (for 30 seconds on medium).
4. Combine the egg yolks, milk and sugar in a pan; place on medium heat and cook, stirring until slightly thickened.
5. Pour in the dissolved gelatin and lemon rind; set aside to cool slightly.
6. Beat the lemon juice and vanilla into the cheese, then gradually stir in the gelatin mixture.
7. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and three quarters of the whipped cream.
8. Pour this mixture over the pie crust.
9. Refrigerate for several hours until firmly set.
10. Remove from springform and decorate with the remaining cream.

WW POINTS per serving: 6
Nutritional information per serving: 229 calories, 17.2g fat, 0g fiber

Weight Watchers Chocolate Star Cookies recipe
Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients
48 Brach’s chocolate stars
1 cup Crisco
2 large egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugars, Crisco, water and vanilla until well mixed.
3. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the mixing bowl; mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.
5. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for about 9-11 minutes (or until they turn light brown).
7. As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, place a chocolate star on the top of each cookie.

WW POINTS for one cookie: 4
Nutritional information for one cookie: 152 calories, 7.6g fat, 0.5g fiber

While some people know about these little tricks, the majority do not. These are small tips to help you improve the foods we commonly eat - most are recommended by top chefs and others by very experienced home cooks.

10. Carrots and Sugar

While it may seem strange to add sugar to vegetables, it is a very common method of preparing carrots in France. The technical term for this dish is Vichy Carrots, in which you combine Carrots, Salt, Pepper, sugar, and Vichy water (a sparkling water from the Vichy region) and cook them down until the carrots are glazed. The sugar heightens the flavor of the carrots and the end result is a stunning dish of brilliantly orange vegetables.

9. Coffee and Salt

Add a touch of salt to coffee to heighten the flavor - this is a very common use of salt as it is used in virtually all dishes (including sweet dishes served for pudding). Just a pinch is enough to make a brilliant espresso.

8. Tomatoes and Sugar

Use sugar, not salt. Tomatoes are already acidic and the addition of salt just increases that acidic flavor. Sugar sweetens and increases the tomato flavor. Tomatoes are fruits after all.

7. Chocolate and Coffee

When baking with chocolate, add a little coffee - it strengthens the chocolate flavor without adding a strong coffee flavor.

6. Meat and Aniseed

When stewing meat, throw in a star anise - you can’t taste the aniseed but the flavor adds a deep richness to the meat. This is a trick used in all meat dishes by Heston Blumenthal the owner of the Fat Duck (3 Michelin stars) - voted the world’s best restaurant for three years in a row.

5. Cooking tomatoes and Foliage

Throw in a tomato branch - the branch contains all of the flavor that we love in tomatoes - pick a leaf and smell it and you will see what I mean. Simply throw in a small stick of the tomato plant and it will give your cooked tomatoes a much stronger tomato flavor.

4. Potatoes and Nutmeg

Add nutmeg - just a little - it adds a depth to the potatoes that people won’t recognize, but will definitely like. This is true of virtually every potato dish.

3. Chili and Chocolate

Add chocolate to chili. It deepens the meaty flavor of the chili while giving a strong base note to the peppers. This is a trick well known in the South where Chili bake-offs are common.

2. Apples and Vanilla

Apples are very acidic and normally require some sugar in their cooking. Most people add nutmeg or cinnamon to their apple dishes, but vanilla extract adds a deep layer of flavor that most people won’t recognize but will certainly appreciate.

1. Strawberries and Pepper

Strawberries (fresh) are usually served with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar, but the addition of very finely ground pepper (from fresh corns) heightens the flavor.Via Weight Watchers Recipes and Diets

Mixed Baby Greens with Blackberries and Pecans With Champagne Vinaigrette
This is an elegant salad full of antioxidants, fiber and vitamin E and C. Baby greens and arugula tossed with pecans and berries is a nice light salad to complement a meal. This salad relies on different textures rather than fat for flavor. Sweet, crunchy pecans, peppery arugula, and juicy berries all complimented with a light vinaigrette.
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 servings • Time: 5 minutes • Points: 3 ww points

• 1 large bunch mixed baby greens
• 1 medium bunch arugula
• 1 package blackberries
• 30 pecan halves

CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE

• 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp basil
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the dressing, place vinegar in a non reactive mixing bowl with basil, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until the oil is emulsified.
Toss the washed mixed greens with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with blackberries and pecans and serve.