Green Chile & Cheddar Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground skinless turkey breast
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 1/3 cup dried whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced fire-roasted green chilies, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 whole wheat sandwich thins

Makes 4 Servings (1 burger per serving)

1. Combine turkey, zucchini, bread crumbs, chili powder, and cumin in a large bowl. Shape into 4 (3/4-inch-thick) patties.
2. Spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add patties and cook until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into side of patties registers 165 F, 4-5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, mix chilies and cheddar in medium bowl.
4. Top burgers evenly with cheese mixture. Reduce heat to low; cover skillet and cook until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Serve burgers. onion and tomato in sandwich thins.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Tastier than Takeout. Who doesn't love a good cheeseburger once in a while? The folks at Weight Watchers have done it again with these gourmet cheeseburgers. These cheeseburgers are packed with vegetables, heat and flavor you'll even forget they're good for you. I highly recommend adding minced garlic, a tablespoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper to make these burgers more flavorful and to absorb the heat from the chilies.

Spiced Grouper with Mild Chile Puree

Ingredients:

• Sauce:
• 1 (4 oz.) can whole green chiles, drained
• 2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 tsp salt

• Fish:
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 (6 oz.) grouper fillets, about  1/2-inch thick
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. For the sauce: Chop chilies, sour cream and salt in a food processor until well blended.
2. For the fish: Mix cumin and cayenne together and rub into both sides of the fish. Season fish well with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 grouper fillets and cook until opaque and tender, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and fish. Squeeze lime over fish and serve with hot sauce.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. I was craving fish and I wanted a Latin flavor and this looked good. Miled chilies blend very well with cumin and lime. I made this dish with cod for a meaty flavor. Or fishy flavor? This dish was fair abut I would try it again with grouper or snapper to see how it tastes. I really enjoyed the flavors of cumin and lime but I would probably use mayonnaise instead of sour cream for the sauce because mayonnaise tastes better with fish because it has more flavor and it's thicker in texture. 

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey breast
• 1/2 large onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 jar (4 oz.) chopped green chile peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp salt (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups salsa
• 4 whole wheat tortillas (6" in diameter), halved
• 1 1/4 cup (5 oz.) shredded, reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Makes 8 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 9" X 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the ground beef or turkey and cook, turning several times, for 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
2. Remove the ground beef or turkey to a medium bowl. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel. Coat the skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add to the ground beef or turkey in the bowl. 
3. In another medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, peppers, cilantro, cumin and salt.
4. Spread 1 cup of the salsa across the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange half of the tortillas evenly over the salsa. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the tortillas. Top with half of the ground beef or turkey mixture. Top with 1 cup of the remaining salsa and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Repeat the layering sequence with the remaining tortillas, cheese and ground beef or turkey.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Loosely cover with foil if the cheese browns to quickly.

WW POINTS VALUES PER SERVING: 5

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. I've been in the mood for Mexican food all week and this recipe lloked so delicious. I've cooked Italian Spinach Lasagna and Greek Lasagna and so I decided to go for a South-of-the-Border flavor. This dish was so delicious I felt like I was back in Mexico. I also highly recommend adding a pinch of hot sauce to the cottage cheese mixture for more heat and flavor and a mixed array of Mexican cheeses in this lasagna dish. This dish is even perfect for Cinco de Mayo.  Eat your hearts out Bobby Flay, Jose Garces and Emril Lagasse!