Mongolian Beef

This is a nice weeknight recipe from Cooking Light's "super fast" section. Very quick and pretty darned good. It doesn't call for rice or noodles, but it does make lots of yummy sauce, so it's better to serve it with something that will help soak that up.

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.


Yield: 4 servings, 5 points each
Calories:237
Fat:10.5g (sat 3.5g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.1g)
Protein:26g
Carbohydrate:9.1g
Fiber:1.7g

Maple Soy Glazed Flank Steak

Oh my goodness! Tried this one last night and had to post immediately, if not sooner. YUM. My husband said, "This is the best new recipe you've tried in ages." Nice sweet-spicy flavor, really different. The trick, by the way, is to make sure to use pure maple syrup (I found a small thing of it for $2.50 in my grocery store) rather than pancake syrup. It'll turn out much better. Since the servings on this aren't very big, though, you need to serve this with a vegetable, be aware.

• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• 1/4 cup less-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (Asian hot chile sauce)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Pierce steak gently on both sides. Combine steak and next 6 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish; turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

3. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Pour marinade into a small skillet; bring to a boil, stirring well. Cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until thick and syrupy.

4. Brush steak with half of glaze; broil 5 minutes. Turn steak over, and brush with remaining glaze; broil 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Place steak on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Yield: 4 servings, 5 points each

Philly Cheese Steak

So, I have tried about 5 different Philly cheese steak recipes and this one is totally the best. Super-easy, really delicious, and reheats well. I really like to use Earthgrains rolls in this, as well as the HEB frozen precooked fajita beef.

• 16 oz package frozen pepper stir fry or one onion, two red and one green pepper, chopped
• 9 oz package frozen beef strips
• 2 TB Dijonnaise
• 6 hoagie rolls
• 3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add either frozen mix, or fresh onions and peppers - cook until soft. Add beef, cook until thoroughly heated. Drain.

Spread 1 tsp mustard blend on each roll. Spoon half cup beef mixture on each, then sprinkle cheese and top with remaining half of roll. Wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 6-7 min or until cheese melts.

Yield: 6 servings, 6 points each

310 calories, 8.1 g fat, 3.2g fiber

Chicken Pasta Carbonara

Bacon, pasta and peas. What more could a girl want? Oh, yes, a cream sauce that's not going to add an inch to my hips. I'm so there. FYI, originally Hungry Girl had this with Tofu Shirataki noodles, which I can't really get near me, so I substituted whole wheat pasta for a slightly higher point total. BTW, this tastes pretty good when you cook it, but even better reheated. I did find that it definitely needed the "optional" salt and pepper in the recipe, though.

• 10 oz whole wheat fettucine or penne
• 4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
• 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
• 4 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
• 12 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
• 2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1 cup frozen no-salt-added peas
• 8 tbsp. real crumbled bacon (like the kind by Oscar Mayer)
• Optional: salt and black pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Break cheese wedge into pieces, and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Nuke for about 15 seconds, and stir until smooth. Add egg substitute, Parm topping, and 8 tbsp. water, and whisk until mixed and almost smooth. Set aside.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken, mushrooms, and garlic to the skillet, and cook until mushrooms are browned and chicken is mostly cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add peas, and cook until thawed and hot.Add noodles and bacon to the skillet, and toss until mixed and hot. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Add cheese-egg mixture and immediately toss with other ingredients, until everything is coated and sauce has fully thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, if you like.

Yield: 4 servings

7 points each

Inside Out Cheeseburgers

You know, I have made this recipe about a gazillion times now, and I just realized I never posted it. It is a simple, delicious and unique cheeseburger recipe I got from Hungry Girl. I love the cheese "surprise" on the inside, since you can taste it much more so than if you put a thin slice across the top. Good stuff. I like to eat this on a 2-point low carb bagel. Mmmnnn.

• 1lb raw extra-lean ground beef
• 4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• dash salt, or more to taste
• dash black pepper, or more to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the cheese. Add as much salt and pepper as you like. Knead mixture by hand until integrated. Form into a ball and, using your thumb, make a large, hollow indentation in the ball (past the center but not all the way through). Fill the hole with cheese and squeeze the meat to seal, making sure no cheese is exposed. Flatten slightly into a thick patty.

Bring a pan misted with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. (Use a grill pan if you've got one.) Place patty in the pan, cover, and cook for 4 - 7 minutes per side, depending on how well done you like your burger. Heads Up: Don't press on the patty with your spatula (your burger might ooze cheese!).

Yield: 4 patties, 4 points each (doesn't include bread)

179 calories, 6.5g fat, 502mg sodium, 1.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g

Balsamic Roast Beef Sandwiches with Gorgonzola Tomato Mayonnaise

This is a great new recipe I just made tonight, and YUM. Worth buying fresh bread for. Not too much work either. The "marinade" for the roast beef is genius, I recommend leaving it in there for a few minutes before eating, so it can soak up the flavor.

• 2 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 lb shaved deli roast beef
• 1/3 c fat free mayonnaise
• 2 TB chopped, oil-packed sundried tomatoes
• 4 tsp blue or gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 8 slices Italian bread (toasted)
• Lettuce or spinach leaves
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

Combine Worcestershire, balsamic in a bowl. Add roast beef, toss to coat, and allow to marinate for a few minutes.

Combine mayo, sundried tomatoes and cheese, stir well. Spread 1.5 TB mayo mixture on each sandwich. Top with beef, lettuce and tomato.

Yield: 4 sandwiches, 4 points each

(220 cal, 4.4 g fat, 2.4g fiber)

Curry Ginger Roasted Cauliflower

This is one of my absolute favorite side dishes. It's filling, flavorful and low in calories. The roasted garlic and ginger give this a sweet flavor, while the curry gives it a little zip. It's also quite simple to make, though it does take some time - I usually get this in the oven, then go play with my son while it cooks. It reheats decently, although it does get soggier than at the first serving.

• 1 medium head(s) cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 2 clove(s) garlic clove(s)
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger

Chop cauliflower into florets, arrange in a baking dish. Heat oven to 425.

Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with curry, garlic and ginger. Bake in oven for 45 min, stirring every 15 min.

Yield: 4 servings, 1 point each

Maryland Crab Cakes

I've tried a ton of different crab cake recipes, and this one is the best I've ever had. I took a recipe from a book I got for Christmas and lightened it up - points come from the WW recipe builder. Yum. Simple, not too many crazy ingredients, and quick. Also makes good leftovers. The original recipe had a homemade tartar sauce with it, but I think that's too much work and too many calories. I've been eating them happily with Dijonnaise, for 5 cal/tsp.

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4c fat free mayonnaise
• 1 TB stone ground mustard
• 1 bunch parsley leaves, minced
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• Dash or two of tabasco sauce
• 1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
• 1/2 c whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 TB olive oil

Mix all ingredients but olive oil together in a bowl, then form into 6 patties. Meanwhile, heat oil until very hot in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the patties until golden on each side, about 5 min per side.

Yield: 3 servings, 5 points each