Caesar Salad with Poblano Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 small poblano pepper
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• grated zest of lime
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 garlic love, minced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 (12 oz.) package romaine lettuce hearts, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fat-free croutons
• 1/3 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese

Makes 6 Servings (2 1/3 cups per serving)

1. Preheat broiler.
2. To roast poblano, put pepper on broiler rack and broil 5 inches from heat, turning, until charred on all sides, 8-9 minutes. Transfer to small zip-close plastic bag and seal; let steam 10 minutes. Peel of charred skin, remove stems and seeds, and mince flesh.
3. To make dressing, transfer poblano to salad bowl. Add buttermilk, mayonnaise, cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic, and salt, whisking until blended well. Add romaine, croutons, and Romano; toss until coated evenly with dressing.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. A Caesar salad is a wonderful comfort food anytime and it's also a great salad to cleanse your system whenever you had a rough day. This is a different take on the traditional Caesar salad. This salad uses a roasted poblano pepper mixed with lime juice, cilantro and mayonnaise. This dressing certainly kicks up the heat and is flavorful in its own way. This dressing would go great on grilled chicken or fish.

Pork and Poblano Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. poblano peppers (8-10 peppers), seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 lbs. lean pork, cut into  3/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can unsalted diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 (15-ounce) cans canellini beans, rinsed and dried

Makes 16 (1-cup) Servings

1. Pulse poblano peppers in a food processor until finely chopped but not pureed; transfer to a large bowl. Pulse onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic in food processor until finelt chopped but not pureed. Strain to remove any excess liquid and combine vegetables with poblano peppers.
2. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan orr dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pepper mixture, reduce ehat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 10-12 minutes. Stir in pork, broth, tomatoes and their liquid, and cumin. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender, about 2 hours. Add beans and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes more. Serve hot or warm.

WW POINT VALUE: 4pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. I was cleaning out the pantry and fridge this big football weekend and this chili looked too good to pass up. This chili is not your typical chili because it contains pork cut into small pieces and lots of vegetables including 3 kinds of peppers. mt mother and I had this chili for game day this past weekend and we LOVED it. This chili was packed with heat (not too much heat!) and flavor. It also quickly filled you up due to all the vegetables and with so little points. This chili is even better the next day when all the flavors are blended together. The pork also melts in your mouth which is SO good. I highly recommend serving this chili at your next game day party. This chili is filled with so much heat and flavor people will be going back for more. If your guests include Iron Chefs Jose Garces or Bobby Flay, they will be very impressed. Iron Chef Flay, I'm still waiting to challenge you to a Tailgating Throwdown at Boston College!

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.

Santa Fe Steak

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large poblano pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup water
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepper strips and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 8 minutes.
2. Add water, increase heat to high and boil until liquid, is almost evaporated and vegetables are tender, 4 minutes more. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and cover to keep warm.
3. Heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Mix garlic, cumin and remaining oil together to form a thin paste. Spread over steak and rub well into both sides of the meat.
4. Season steak with salt and pepper and grill 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove from heat, allow steak to rest for 5 minutes, and then thinly slice across the grain. Serve with peppers and onions.

 

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts

 Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. Who doesn't like steak and vegetables? This recipe is a fun twist on steak and vegetables with Southwestern flavors like cumin, garlic and poblano peppers. Poblano peppers are now in season at the farmers' market and if you are unable to get poblano peppers, any bell pepper with a touch of hot sauce will do. You can also use any kind of steak with this recipe as well as chicken, pork and fish. If you're looking for a side dish to serve alongside the steak, try Mexican Rice, Savory Cheddar Biscuits or Spicy Frijoles for an authentic Southwestern/Mexican dinner. Iron Chef Bobby Flay will be so happy.