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