Poached Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

Salmon:

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. chicken-flavored bouillon cubes
• 6 peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh dillweed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 small lemon, sliced
• 6 (4 oz.) salmon fillets, 1/2-inch thick

Cucumber-Dill Sauce:

• 1/3 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped cucumber
• 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
•  2 tsp. chopped fresh dillweed
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• fresh dillweed sprigs

Makes 6 Servings 

To make the salmon:

1. Combine the wine, water, bouillon peppercorns, dillweed, bay leaves, celery, and lemon in a skillet. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the salmon to the mixture in the skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
2. Transfer the salmon to a platter, using a slotted spoon. Cover, and chill thoroughly. Discard the liquid mixture remaining in the skillet.

To make the cucumber-dill sauce:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cucumber, sour cream, yogurt, dillweed and mustard.
2. To serve, place the fillets on individual serving plates. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fillets. Garnish with fresh dillweed sprigs, if using. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Book. This is a delicious dinner to kick-start your healthy lifestyle or if and when you fell off the healthy bandwagon and want to jump back on. If you don't want to poach the salmon, you can marinate the salmon in this liquid, grill the salmon and then serve the salmon with grilled vegetables of your choice with the Cucumber-Dill sauce. The sauce is actually nice with the grilled fish and vegetables. 

Caramelized Onion and Chicken Soup au Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 3 Vidalia onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 (10 oz.) French baguette, cut into 16 rounds
• 1/2 cup shredded Comte, Gruyere, Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese

Makes 4 Servings

1. Melt the butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and well softened, about 12 minutes.
2. Add the broth, wine, thyme, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, about 25 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
3. Preheat the broiler. Place the bread rounds on a baking sheet and broil 5 inches from the heat until toasted, about 2 minutes on each side.
4. Place 4 bread rounds in each of 4 ovenproof soup bowls. Add the soup (a generous 2 cups in each bowl) and sprinkle evenly with the cheese.
5. Place the bowls on the baking sheet and broil 5 inches from the heat until the cheese melts and is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 11 pts. (1 bowl per serving)

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Ultimate Chicken Cookbook. This is what I call upscale gourmet comfort food. French food is elegant and comforting. This is a hearty take on the classic French onion soup due to adding chicken. It's a really comforting and delicious soup you can enjoy for lunch or dinner and it's a compliment to France. I added a pinch of salt, a chicken bouillion cube and minced garlic for more flavor. It was worth adding those ingredients to the soup. The cheese makes this soup nice and gooey. Comte cheese is from the Gruyere family; if you don't have Comte cheese, you can use Gruyere, Jarlsburg or Swiss cheese in this recipe and your soup will be delicious. If you don't have ovenproof soup bowls, you can use small casserole dishes and you'll still have the flavorful soup.

Poblano Chili Strips with Corn, Cream and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
• 2 oz. (about 1/4 cup) fresh corn
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat milk
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 small onion, finely sliced
• 1 poblano chili, roasted, peeled, seedless, deveined and cut into strips
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 2 Servings

1. Heat oil in a skillet on low heat; saute the onion. Add the corn and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the poblano chili strips.
2. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream and milk into a smooth, thick sauce. Season it with bouillon and mix well.
3. Pour the mixture into the pan with the poblano strips and onions. simmer for about 3 more minutes. Serve hot.

WW POINTS VALUE: Who Knows?

Note: This recipe is something I learned at the Cocina Cosmopolita Culinary School in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. This is another sauce/side dish that is so delicious and can be served with any dish-chicken, beef, pork and any kind of fish. You can even make little empanadas with this sauce or even serve this sauce on top of a crostini. You will serve this dish again and again after one bite of this sauce because it's so creamy and spicy.

Paella (My Version)

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 Spanish Chorizo (cured) thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 cup regular long-grain rice or Bomba (Spanish) rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 chicken or fish bouillion cube 
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 cup peas
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2-3 saffron strands, crushed
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Makes 8 Servings

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Saute the bell pepper, onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peas and cook stirring well for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and the rice, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the chicken stock, boullion cube, paprika, cumin, saffron and chorizo; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10-20 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts. (1/4 of paella)

Note: This recipe appears in the New WW Complete Cookbook. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that combines meats, sausage, and fish in a rice base. The original WW recipe calls for chicken, shrimp and mussels to create lots of flavor with little fat. It was my mom's birthday and she wanted Paella for her birthday. I learned how to cook paella and I was ready to cook this dish. I had the original Paella recipe from my cooking class and incorporated some of the ingredients from that recipe to the WW recipe. The original WW recipe called for shrimp and mussels and I substituted tomatoes, peas, chicken boullion cube and chorizo and added paprika and cumin for a more flavorful dish. A Paella MUST include chorizo, Bomba Rice, saffron, paprika and cumin for that authentic Spanish taste. Don't use too much because a little spice goes a long way. The points value may be affected but it's a very filling dish that is perfect for any occasion and it's a healthy comfort food. Ole!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 tbsp flour
• 5 oz. fat-free evaporated milk
• 1 cup white corn
• 6 sheets of phyllo dough

Makes 6 Servings

1. Place chicken, water, wine and bouillon cubes in a medium saucepan> Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook gently, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside one cup of  broth and chop chicken into chunks.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Coat a deep 8-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
3. Microwave carrots and peas for 2 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in a medium nonstick pan, add onions and cook until soft. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
4. Remove pan from  heat and stir in milk and reserved broth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add carrots, peas, chicken and corn.
5. Pour chicken mixture into prepared pie dish. Layer sheets of phyllo dough over pie, trim edges and press down firmly to seal.  Lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, lower temperature to 350 F and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes more.

WW Points Value: 5

Note: This recipe came from http://www.weightwatchers/ .com. I've been making this recipe for over a year now and it's always delish.