Mexican-Style Chocolate Bananas

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 medium bananas, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each

Makes 4 (4-piece) Servings

1. Heat chocolate in a small skillet over low heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Add cinnamon and stir to combine.
2. Holding 1 piece of the banana by the end, dip it into the chocolate mixture to coat the other end. Place it, chocolate end up, on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining banana pieces, coating the pointed ends of the four "tip" pieces (gently reheat chocolate if necessary). Serve or place in the refirgerator until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.  If you are craving something heavenly sweet and delicious, this is the treat for you. This 3-ingredients fix will give you a big flavor out of these little bites. Cinnamon and chocolate are what I call the official flavors of sweet Mexican dishes. The Mexican chocolate mixture can be served with any kind of fruit and the dessert will still be delightful you'll feel like you're walking the beaches of Mexico at sunset. 

Herb and Citrus Cream Cheese on Cucumber Wheels

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp minced red onion
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large (8-inch-long) cucumber or 2 smaller cucumbers

Makes 10 (3-piece) Servings

1. Whisk together cream cheese , basil, parsley, onion, zest, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Trim cucumber ends and peel cucumber lengthwise wo make "zebra strips," alternating peeled and unpeeled sections. Slice into 30 (1/4-inch-thick) rounds.
3. Top each cucumber round with a heaping 1/2 tsp cheese mixture. Transfer to a platter and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 Pt.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook. This is a mice treat as a light lunch or snack that will fill you up and lighten your taste buds. Vegetables and cream cheese is a delightlful treat. If you can find garden vegetable cream cheese, use it  for this recipe and the recipe will be just as delicious. You can also use this cream cheese dip with other assorted vegetables as well. The cream cheese mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in a covered container. Bring  the cheese to room temperature before spreading. 

Spaghetti with Ricotta and Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti
• 6 large plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus basil leaves for garnish
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 ( 1 1/2-cup)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to the package directions al dente.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl,combine the tomatoes, ricotta, Parmasean, chopped basil and garlic.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta. Add pasta to the bowl with tomato mixture. Add oil, salt and pepper; toss gently. Add reserved cooking liquid and stir to make a sauce. Garnish with basil leaves and serve warm.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste Summer Cookbook. I have always wanted to try this recipe and today was the perfect day for this dish because it was a little hot outside to grill and I wanted some comfort food to fill me up. This was such a delicious dish I would have it again. The taste of a summer-fresh tomato from the farmers' market mixed in with ricotta, basil and Parmesean cheese. This dish is perfect for warm weather dinning because the only thing you have ot cook is the pasta. The sauce is cold and heavenly and can be used to make a different kind of grilled cheese sandwich for lunch the next day (if you have any sauce leftover!). I like to think of this dish as the alternative to spaghetti and meatballs and it's the perfect meal for vegetarians. One bite of this dish and you'll feel like you're in Italy.

Grilled Chipotle Onion Rings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium  onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, rinsed, seeded, and minced
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice

Makes 4 (1/2 cup) Servings

1. Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high.
2. In a medium bowl, toss onions with salt and pepper (rings can separate). Grill onions, turning occsaionally, until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Return onions to bowl, add chiles and lime juice, and toss until the onions are well coated. Serve warm.

WW POINTS VALUE: 0 PTS

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. The heat wave has escaped us for now and this recipe is perfect for your outdoor grill. You can use any kind of onion for this recipe. These are not your typical onion rings because they're not covered in batter or fried. Grilled vegetables has a noce flavor to them, especially these onion rings with the heat of the chipotle and tartness of the lime. When you're using an outdoor grill, remember to use a grill topper or grill basket so the onions won't fall through the grate.



Smoky Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp cayenne

Make 8 Servings

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the ketchup, dark brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, chili powder, dry mustard, paprika, ginger, and cayenne; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until thickened, 10-12 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts (1/4 cup per serving)

Note: This recipe appears in The WW New Complete Cookbook. This is the second time I've made barbeque sauce this month and I loved this recipe. This barbeque sauce TASTES like a barbeque sauce you'd get at a restaurant. I used the South Beach Ketchup in this recipe and it was a good move. The South Beach Ketchup is so nice and thick it gives this barbeque sauce more thickness and what barbeque sauce is suposed to taste like. The sauces rich taste comes from the sweet smoked paprika. Even though the recipe says not to puree the sauce, I highly recommend putting the sauce in a blender or food processsor and pureeing it to make it more thick and rich in taste. You can use this sauce over chicken, pork, salmon, beef and maybe some beans if you want. 

Nutty Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup granlular sugar substitute
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Makes 16 Servings

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking pan wiith cooking spray.
2. Pulse walnuts ina food processor until finely chopped. Place in a large mixing bowl; add sugar substitute, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla. Make a well in dry ingredients and whisk wet into dry ingredients to combine.
4. Heat chocolate chips in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to melt, about 1 minute. Whisk into batter.
5. Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely, cut into 16 squares, and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. This is such a yummy treat and a tasty guilty pleasure that melts in your mouth after a filling meal. You can use any kind of nut with this recipe and it will still be delicious. I used dry roasted almonds and walnuts that were finely ground up and the brownies were heavenly. Nuts and chocolate mix very well together. What makes these brownies heavenly is the sour cream, olive oil, vanilla, the cocoa powder and the nuts all combined into a chewy baked goo that melts right in your mouth after the first bite. these brownies make a wonderful after-dinner dessert and should be the grand finale that your mouth experiences that day because it's so hard to top the taste of these brownies. 

Southwest-Style Chicken Fritatta

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, light;y beaten
• 1 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and thinly sliced
• 2 oz shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup salsa
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat broiler, Season eggs with salt and pepper
2. Heat an 8-inch cast-iron or oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray pan (including sides) with cooking spray and add chicken, dispersing meat around the pan in a singer layer.
3. Pour eggs over chicken and cook, undisturbed, until eggs are almost set, about 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle eggs evenly with cheese and dollop with salsa. Broil until eggs are set, fritatta is puffed up, and cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Cut into 4 portions and serve hot.

WW POINTS VALUE:5 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. This is a delicious dish to kick-start your weight loss and will keep you filled so you won't be doing any unnecessary snacking or eating. Fritattas orginated in Italy so this is an East meets West dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it can be made in about 15 minutes. If you don't have any leftover chicken, season and cook a 6-8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast on a grill pan over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per side. This egg dish comes out of the oven puffy and golden with crisp edges and it's a hacienda in your mouth. Leftover fritatta can stay in the fridge for 2-3 days covered and easily reheats in low oven or microwave.