Ranchero Burgers

This is a bit high in points for a normal supper, but worth every point. Very delicious. Even my WW meeting leader tried this and raved about it. Apparently, her family fought over the leftovers. Totally delicious, and like no burger I've ever eaten.

• 1 lb ground round
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/3 c crushed baked tortilla chips
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• cooking spray
• 1c fat free refried beans
• 4 tsp light mayo
• 1x 1.5 oz wheat hamburger buns, toasted
• 1.2 c shredded lettuce
• 1/2c thick and chunky salsa

Combine first 6 ingredients, divide into 4 portions, then shape into half-inch thick patties. Prepare grill, grill pan, or skillet with cooking spray and heat. Cook patties until done, 6-7 min per side.

While patties cook, heat beans one minute in microwave. Then assemble burgers as follows:

Spread mayo on the bottom bun, top with 2 TB lettuce, and patty. Then, add 1/4 c beans and 2 TB salsa, then top with the other bun half.

Yield, 4 servings, 8 points each

Chicken Puttanesca with Pasta

I ate this for lunch every day last week and loved it. It's got a great, tart flavor, and is hearty at the same time. Yum.

• 4oz whole wheat penne
• 2/3c seasoned dried bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb chicken cutlets (or chicken tenders flattened with a tenderizing mallet)
• 6 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 3 anchovy fillets, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 TB drained capers
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Cook the penne according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Place the bread crumbs in one shallow bowl, and the egg in another. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumbs, turning and pressing crumbs to chicken to coat evenly. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet, and cook until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

Add the tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, capers, vinegar, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 min. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with pasta.

Yield: 4 servings, .25 lb chicken, 1/2c sauce and 1/2 cup pasta

7 points

Red Beans & Rice

This is a fairly simple and really delicious recipe for the New Orleans classic from Cooking Light. It's also good for getting your healthy oils, since there is a lot of oil in the recipe. I used brown rice instead of white and added a little more green pepper than called for here. Great for leftovers.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (3-ounce) chicken andouille sausage links, chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) container prechopped onion, bell pepper, and celery mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion mix to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Add Cajun seasoning, salt, oregano, and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Partially mash beans with a fork. Add beans, 1/4 cup water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in pepper. Serve over rice.

Yield: 5 servings, (3/4c rice and 3/4c bean mixture), 7 points each

Nutritional Information
Calories:
336
Fat:
8.4g (sat 1.8g,mono 5.1g,poly 1.3g)
Protein:
12.7g
Carbohydrate:
51.6g
Fiber:
5.9g
Cholesterol:
36mg
Iron:
3.3mg
Sodium:
698mg
Calcium:
90mg

Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad

I'm not normally a big fan of salad recipes because I improvise on these instead of using a recipe. However, I saw this listed as an award winner in Cooking Light and figured I'd try it. YUUUUUM. Much better than I thought it would be, with really nice complex, spicy flavors. It's little bit complicated, though, there are a lot of different steps to it, but if you multi-task well, it shouldn't take too long to make. I've put aside the different pieces of this to eat it again tomorrow for dinner - Unlike most salads, which I tend to throw out leftovers of, if you keep things separate, it should keep for several days.


Salad dressing:

• 6 tablespoons ranch dressing
• 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Steaks:

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground coffee
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
• Cooking spray
  

Remaining ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 cups loosely packed arugula
• 12 (1-ounce) slices French bread, toasted

1. To prepare salad dressing, combine ranch dressing and horseradish in a small bowl; cover and chill.
2. To prepare steaks, combine black pepper, ground coffee, ground cumin, and ancho chile powder. Rub both sides of steaks with pepper mixture, and let stand 10 minutes.
3. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat. Coat steaks with cooking spray. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks from pan; let stand 7 minutes.
4. Combine shallots, fresh basil, bell peppers, juice, and tomatoes in a small bowl; toss well.
5. Arrange 1 cup arugula on each of 6 serving plates, and top each serving with 2 toast slices. Cut each steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Divide steak slices evenly among the toast slices; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons tomato mixture. Drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon of the salad dressing. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings, 8 points each

Nutritional Information
Calories:
384
Fat:
13.2g (sat 3g,mono 2g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:
25.3g
Carbohydrate:
41.4g
Fiber:
3.4g
Cholesterol:
55mg
Iron:
4.2mg
Sodium:
565mg
Calcium:
88mg