One-Pan Olive Oil and Herb Poached Flounder

 Ingredients:

• ¾ lb. flounder fillets
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp. rosemary, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sage, chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 2 Servings.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
2. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, parsley, sage, salt and pepper in a 9x13 baking dish.
4. Arrange flounder in a single layer in the olive oil mixture. Spoon olive oil mixture over the flounder to coat.
5. Lay lemon slices on top of the flounder.
6. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and liquid is bubbling.
7. Serve fish with pan sauce drizzled over top.

WW POINTS VALUE:? 

Note: This recipe appears on www.palm.southbeachdiet.com/recipes. Poached fish is quite delicious when it is done right. The combination of olive oil, lemon juice and herbs are so succulent when they go with fish. If you don't have flounder on hand, you can use another white fish such as cod, sole or halibut and the meal will still be delicious. This meal is so quick and easy it can be made any week night in 30 minutes or less. 

Blueberry Granita

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar substitute
• 1 bag (10 oz.) frozen blueberries
• 1 lemon, peeled and juiced
• Lemon twist, for garnish
• 1/2 cup low-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed (optional)

Makes 6 Servings

1. In a small pot over medium heat, combine the water and sugar substitute. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the blueberries, lemon peel, lemon juice and cooled syrup. Pulse for 2 minutes, or until the blueberries are coarsely ground. Pour into a small metal bowl and stir a few times with a fork to break up any large pieces. Cover the bowl with foil and place in the freezer overnight.
3. Spoon into 6 serving glasses, garnish with a lemon twist and top with the whipped topping, if using.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. This is a refreshing dessert to enjoy when you want to cleanse your palate. The combination of lemon juice and blueberries mixed with homemade syrup is delicious. You can use any kind of berry and use lemon, lime or orange juice in this recipe and your granita will be refreshingly delicious. 

Lemon-Rosemary Braised Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 (4 oz.) medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 leeks, white parts only, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 slices pancetta or bacon, diced (optional)
• 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, the other cut into wedges
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh sage (optional)
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning, until golden brown and all over, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and set it aside. 
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the leeks to the skillet  and saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and pancetta (if using), and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
3. Deglaze the pan with the white balsamic vinegar. Add the tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, and sage (if using), and return the chicken breasts to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then pour in the chicken broth. 
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the sauce is reduce by half and the chicken is fully cooked (an instant-read thermometer placed in the center of the breast should read 165 F). If the pan gets dry during cooking, add a splash of broth or water as needed. 
5. Slice the chicken breasts and spoon the sauce on top; serve with lemon wedges. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. This is a wonderful meal to kick-start your healthy lifestyle. It's both filling and flavorful. The combination of pancetta, tomatoes, leeks, garlic and herbs adds a nice zing to this dish. If you don't have leeks on hand, use minced onion or shallots and the dish will be delicious. 

Grilled Lemon-Orange Chicken with Gremolata

Ingredients

• 2 large lemons
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1 1 /2 tsp. salt
• 1 1 /2 cups orange juice
•  2 (3 lb.) chickens, cut into quarters, skinned, & first 2 wing joints removed, giblets discarded
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley

Makes 8 Servings (1 chicken quarter per serving)

1. Grate the zest from 1 lemon and set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the remaining lemon in strips, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Squeeze the juice from the lemons; set aside. Using the side of a large knife mash 2 of the garlic cloves with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt until it forms a paste.
2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, strips of lemon zest, garlic paste, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne in a jumbo zip-close plastic bag (or divide between 2 large zip-close plastic bags) and add the chicken. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the chicken. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours.
3. Meanwhile, spray the grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare a medium-high fire.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Place the chicken on the grill rack and grill, turning, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 165 F, about 25 minutes.
5. To make the gremolata, finely chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves with the parsley; stir in the grated lemon zest. Transfer the chicken to a medium serving platter and sprinkle with the gremolata.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Ultimate Chicken Cookbook. This grilled chicken dish is great for summer or warm weather. The combination of lemon and orange mixed with garlic and gremolata will take you back to Italy. Grilled Italian chicken is so succulent and juicy you'll have it again and again. Gremolata is a quick and easy way to add a touch of bold flavor to almost any dish.

Trout Amandine

Ingredients:

• 3 lemons
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (5 oz.) trout fillets
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Makes 4 Servings

1. Juice 2 lemons and thinly slice the third.
2. In a large skillet, bring 1/4 cup of the  lemon juice, 4 lemon juice, the wine, parsley, salt and pepper to a boil. Add the trout fillets, reduce the heat, and cover. Poach a gentle boil until the fillets are just opaque in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fillets to plates and spoon the poaching liquid over the fillers. Discard the lemon slices from the skillet. Top the trout with the remaining lemon slices and sprinkle with the almonds.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. This is a quick and easy dish you can make any night of the week. This meal tastes like something you would order in a fancy restaurant-simple and elegant. The trout will cook quickly so keep an eye on those fillets. Poaching fish in lemons and white wine is so heavenly delicious you'll want to do it again with other fish and also, poultry too. 

Lemon-Grilled Whole Trout with Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 whole trout (about 12 oz. each), cleaned and boned
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 lemons
• 2 tbsp store baught pesto or homemade pesto

Makes 4 Servings

1. Lightly coat the outside of each trout with oil. Sprnkle evenly inside and out with salt and season lightly with pepper. Slice 2 of the lemons into 8 slices eaach. Plce 4 slices, slightly overlapping, inside the cavity of each fish. Cut the remaining lemons into wedges.
2. Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Grll fish until lightly browned on the outside and opaque and tender insdie, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and remove heads and tails, if desired. Remove and discard lemon slices.
3. Place fish on 4 serving plates, gently open each. flesh side up, and spread 1 1/2 tsp of pesto on the inside of each fish. Serve warm with lemon wedges.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. I tried trout @ Legal Seafood earlier this year and loved it. I bought trout at the local farmer's market and wanted to cook trout myself. The dish had a nice flavor to it but I didn't realized the fish had to be deboned OOOPPSSS!!! I purchased the trout with its head cut off and I assumed it was deboned. If you ever buy fish at the farmer's market, make sure you debone the fish; otherwise you won't enjoy dinner. I will make thi dish again because the flavor of lemon and pesto is delicious and I'll but trout at the grocery store ALREADY CLEANED AND DEBONED!