Chicken with Tomato-Gorgonzola Salsa

This has a nice fresh taste, good for a hot day.

• 2c chopped tomato
• 1/3c chopped red onion
• 1/3 c chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided into two
• 6x 6oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• cooking spray
• 3 TB crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Combine tomato, onion, basil, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature.

Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to a quarter inch thickness with a meat mallet. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with remaining salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan and cook 4 min per side, or until browned and done. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Stir cheese into tomato mixture. Serve chicken breasts with salsa on top of them.

Yield: 6 servings, each one chicken breast with 1/3c salsa

4 points per serving

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

I make this one for either breakfast or dinner, and it's very low calorie. Fabulous.

• 1 TB light butter
• 1x 1lb 4oz package refrigerated diced potato with onion (such as Simply Potatoes)
• 1.25 cups chopped onion
• 1 c chopped green pepper
• 2 c diced lean deli corned beef (about 1/2 lb)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 eggs

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, 1.25 c chopped onions, and bell pepper. Cook until tender, stirring frequently. Add corned beef and remaining ingredients, cook until thoroughly heated.

Remove from pan, spray pan with cooking spray, and reheat. Crack eggs directly into pan and cook sunny side up. Serve hash with eggs on top.

Yield: 4 servings, about 1.25 cups hash plus one egg

5 points

Mac and Cheese Lorraine

I got this from a Rachael Ray 30-min meals and just skinnied it up. The points are from the WW recipe builder, so they should be pretty accurate. In any case, this recipe is TO DIE FOR. So good, feels like it should be way more points. For those of you who were there, this is what I was eating during the WW meeting when everyone was saying how good my lunch smelled.

• 8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta
• 2 oz gruyere cheese
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 cup chopped onion(s)
• 2 cup Fat-free Half & Half
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 slices Center Cut bacon
• 1/4 cup white wine
• (optional) 8 oz sliced mushrooms

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cook bacon in a large skillet, when crispy, remove and crumble. Set aside. Do not drain pan.

Then, add onions (and mushrooms if desired) to drippings, cook until soft but not brown, add wine and cook a bit longer. Add half and half and flour, cook until thick and bubbly. Add cheese. Add bacon back to sauce and serve over pasta.

4 servings, 7 points each

Southwest Pork Soup

Tried this for the first time tonight, with a little cheese melted into it for some extra dairy. Since this recipe is only 4 servings and we had 6 people, I stretched it with some extra broth, tomatoes, and a can of corn. Even my stepkids, who can be picky eaters, liked it:

• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 2/3c chopped bell pepper
• 1TB minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 2c fat free chicken broth
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1x 15 oz can pink or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1x14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2TB chopped fresh cilantro (I added more than this)
• 1c diced avocado

Heat a nonstick Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno, saute for a few minutes. Add pork, cook an additional 3 minutes. Add broth and next 6 ingedients - through tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 min or until the pork is done, stirring occasionally (Note: I let this simmer longer to cook off some of the liquid and let the flavor settle in)

Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Serve with avocado.

Yield: 4 servings, 6 points each

310 calories, 10.5g fat, 8.3 g fiber, 30.6 mg protein, 74 mg cholesterol

Potato Sausage and Beer Skillet

This recipe is one that's always amazing and makes for awesome leftovers:

• 1x 14-oz Healthy Choice smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 sweet onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1x 20-oz package Simply Potatoes sliced red potato wedges
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light beer or Sprite

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, cook several minutes until browned. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.

Add onion and potato to pan. Cook 5 min until browned, stirring often. Return sausage to pan. Add Broth and Beer, cook 10 min or until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.

Yield: 4 servings, 5 points each

Yummy new recipes - Week of Sept 22nd

I've worked on a few new things this week, all of which are amazing, plus one old favorite. Very good stuff:

• Potato Sausage and Beer Skillet
• Mac & Cheese Lorraine
• Southwestern Pork soup

Mnnnnn.

Southwest Chicken Bean Salad

We had a barbecue over the weekend and I've been eating some wonderful shrimp skewers from that for days now. But, I also made a personal party favorite - this salad - that I haven't played with for a while, and it was a big hit. It's really crisp and refreshing, but has a nice zing. I use extra cilantro to jazz it up a bit.

2 medium scallion(s), chopped
1/2 medium sweet red pepper(s), chopped
1/2 medium bell pepper(s), chopped
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 piece corn on the cob, kernels removed
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp canola oil
8 oz chicken breast, cooked, skinless, chopped
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium taco seasoning, about 1/2 a 1.25 oz packet
4 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
4 Tbsp fat-free sour cream

Combine scallions, peppers, beans and corn in a large bowl; toss until well mixed.Add lime juice and oil to bean mixture; toss to coat. Add chicken, taco seasoning and cilantro; toss. Top with sour cream and serve.

Yields 4 servings: about 1 1/2 cups salad plus 1 tablespoon sour cream per serving.
5 points each

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

I made this over the weekend, and it was AWESOME. I used a bit more sauce than this calls for, and a can of diced tomatoes, to get a few extra veggies.

• 1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 15 oz jar chunky Italian-style tomato sauce
• Cooking spray
• 1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 6 1 oz slices part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook meat in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drian, if necessary and return to skillet. Add tomato sauce and cook until heated.

While meat cooks, coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza dough and press into bottom and halfway-up sides of baking dish. Line bottom of pizza crust with 3 slices mozzarella cheese. Top with meat mixture.Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Top with remaining 3 cheese slices, and bake 5 additional mintues or until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

General Tso's Chicken

I haven't made this yet, so we'll see how it comes out.

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp ginger root
2 tsp peanut oil
2 medium scallion(s)
4 clove garlic clove(s)
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 head broccoli
2 cup cooked white rice

Cut chicken into 2" pieces. Cut broccoli and steam until just tender.

In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add scallions, garlic, and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Add reserved sauce and steamed broccoli and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.
4 servings, 7 points each (subtract 3 if you skip the rice, or 1 if you use brown rice)

Meat Loaf

My husband says he was brought up to "just want a meatloaf every once in a while." This recipe's a pretty good one, though I'll admit, I double their recommended tomato sauce, and use about 2/3 as much hot sauce as they call for.

• 8 oz uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
• 12 oz lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion(s), chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
• 8 oz canned tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce
• 2 large egg white(s), beaten slightly
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine beef, turkey, onion and oats in a large bowl. Mix together tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, egg whites, salt and pepper. Add to meat mixture and mix well with hands. Press into pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. (Note: Add an extra egg white if meatloaf does not hold together properly.)

Yield: 6 servings, 3 points each (or 3 servings, 6 points each!)

Hearty Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

This is another perennial favorite, hearty and with an awesome flavor, but fairly low points. I always add more cilantro than it calls for, yum. Great for all the rain we've been having.

• 1/4 pound chorizo
• 1 small onion(s), chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
• 1 small sweet red pepper(s), chopped
• 1 small green pepper(s), chopped
• 2 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 15 oz canned black beans, undrained (x2)
• 15 oz fat-free chicken broth
• 1 medium lime(s), squeezed
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
  

Discard chorizo skin. Crumble meat and brown in 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet for 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic and peppers. Sauté over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add to slow cooker. Add sherry, cumin, bay leaf, beans and broth. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove lid. Scoop out 1 cup beans and press with the back of a fork to mash. Return to pot. Add lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered just to warm through, about 5 minutes. Yields about 1.5 cup per serving.

4 Servings, 4 points each
6 points if you add fat free sour cream and low fat shredded cheese

Labor Day Week Recipes

I've had some good time over the weekend to do some cooking. Got a few good ones, and some very new ones from the Weight Watchers Community Recipe stores:

• Hearty Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
• Meatloaf
• Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
• Deep Dish Pizza casserole
• General Tso's Chicken

The last three are from the community forum and I've never made them before, so I can't vouch for them yet, but they looked pretty good.