Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

Satay:

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. top round beef, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch thick slices

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup creamy trans-fat-free peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Makes 4 servings

1. For the satay: In a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, combine garlic, lime juice, ginger and oil. Add beef and turn to coat with marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and marinate beef at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. For the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and pepper flakes.
3. Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Thread equal amounts of sliced meat onto 4 skewers. Grill meat 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Serve warm with peanut sauce drizzled evenly over the meat or on side for dipping.

WW POINTS VALUE: 8 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. You ever have one of those days where you're craving a fancy steak or you want to go to an upscale Asian restaurant and order a fancy steak dinner? This dinner is DEFINITELY for you! This dinner was surprisingly delicious because the peanut sauce was rich, creamy and spicy and the marinated beef in Asian flavors was moist and spicy as well. Even though the recipe calls for skewers, you can enjoy this dinner without the skewers. You can also serve the satay sauce with chicken, pork or noodles for other Asian inspired dishes as well. 

Summer's Bounty Greek Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. green beans, trimmed
• 1 (12 oz.) head romaine lettuce, chopped (6 cups)
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 oz. reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled (2/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

 

Makes 4 (2 1/2-cup) Servings

1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under very cold water for 1 minute to stop the cooking. Drain again and pat dry. Cut beans into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a large bowl, combine beans lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, feat and olives. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar salt and pepper; pour over salad and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates and sprinkle parsley just before serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Summer is here as is the heat wave and you're hungry but you don't want to cook in this hot weather, this Greek salad is for you. I think this salad tastes like a high-end restaurant quality salad. This colorful salad is full of vegetables and will fill you up in a hurry. This salad can be made in about 30 minutes or less and can be enjoyed any day of the week. Next time you order a salad at a Greek restaurant, you now know what to expect after having this salad. 

Floating Caribbean Islands

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups cantaloupe cubes + 1/2 cup tiny cantaloupe balls (about 2 1/2-lb. melon)
• 2 small bananas, sliced
• 1 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 3 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup granular sugar substitute
• 1/2 cup red raspberries
• 1/2 cup golden raspberries

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat the oven to 275 F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 4-5 minutes. Tranfer to a plate to cool.
2. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil and increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
3. In a blender, puree cubbed cantaloupe, bananas and yogurt until smooth; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and salt until  soft peaks form, 2-3 minutes. add sugar substitute and continue beating until stiff peaks form; fold in coconut. Spoon egg white mixture into 4 mounds on baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Meringues should be slightly crisp and lightly browned on the outside.
5. Divide reserved fruit puree among 4 shallow bowls. Using a spatula, transfer meringue to the center of each bowl. Arrange a few cantaloupe balls and some raspberries decoratively around each meringue and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. If you ever saw the movie 'Julie & Julia,' you may have seen Julie and Julia making and writing/blogging the recipes for floating islands. A Floating island is a French dessert that is made up of meringue "island" floating on a sea of sweet sauce. When baking meringues, make sure to use nonstick foil, parchment paper or even a silipat baking mat to ensure that the meringues will not stick. I LOVED this dessert! I loved how the fruity combinations of cantaloupe, banana and berries blended so well with the coconut meringues. One bute of this guilty pleasure and you'll feel like you're on an island in he Caribbean enjoying the sound and views of the beach. If you don't have golden raspberries, you can use any other berry and it will taste delicious. I highly recemmend serving this guilty pleasure for dessert for family and friends because it's a cool and refreshing way to end dinner.

Crispy Jicama Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) head red leaf lettuce, chopped (6 cups)
• 1 (1-pound) jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced

Makes 4 (2 1/2-Cups) Servings

In a small bowl, combine, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, oil, salt and pepper. Place lettuce in a large bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing; divide among 4 salad plates. Add jicama and cucumber to the same large bowl and toss with remaining dressing. Spoon jicama and cucumber mixture on top of lettuce and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. The folks at South Beach have done it again. This salad was crunchy and delicious. The combination of olive oil and lime juice really wakes up your taste buds. I really loved how the jicama was a refreshing crunch in your mouth along with the creamy cilantro dressing. This salad makes a great meal during a heat wave when you don't want to cook and you want something filling and satisfying. And you can make this salad can be made in 20 minutes or less. 

Asian Slaw over Sliced Pineapple

Ingredients:

• 1 medium pineapple, golden variety, peeled and cored
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup uncooked jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1/4 medium jicama)
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions, sliced
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepepr
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Makes 6 Servings

1. Cut six 1/2-inch-thick slices from pineapple; set aside.
2. Dice remaining pineapple (you should have about 1 cup); place in a large bowl. Add cabbage, carrots, jicama, cilantro, scallions, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper; toss to mix and coat. Let stand a few minutes for flavors to blend.
3. Arrange pineapple slices on a serving platter or 6 serving plates; top with slaw and sprinkle with sesame seeds (and lime juice, if desired). Yields 1 pineapple slice, about 1 cup slaw and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds per serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. I have really become to love slaws and salads and I was craving Asian food  and pineapple today and this slaw totally hit the spot.This slaw was cool, refershing and hit the spot. It may look like a hot mess but it tastes delicious. Jicama is a sweet root vegetable that can be eaten raw and commonly found in salads. Jicama has the texture of a potato and sort of tastes like an apple. I also recommend grilling the 6 thick slices of pineapple because grilled pineapple is so heavenly delicious. I totally recommend servings this dish to family and friends because it's packed with flavor and it's fresh. If your guests include Iron Chef Morimoto and Super Chef Ming Tsai, they will be very proud of you that you made this dish, I promise.



Asian-Style Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 6 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp dry sherry
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 4 scallions, white part only
• 4 thin slices ginger
• 1/4 tsp Chinese chili sauce
• 2 limes

Makes 6 Servings

1. Place the tomatoes in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Add the broth, sherry, cilantro, soy sauce scallions and ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Puree in a food processor or blender. Chill.
2. Right before serving, stir in the chili sauce. Grate the peel from 1 lime and add it to the soup. Squeeze the juice from both limes into the soup. Serve in chilled bowls.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. Now that summer has arrived, you want a dish that does not require a lot of heat but packs a fusion of flavor this is the dish for you. Gazpacho is widely comsumed in Spanish cuisine as well in its neighboring country of Portugal. Gazpacho is served in the summertime to cool you off. I loved this gazpacho because it was cool and refreshing with the Asian flavors melting in my mouth. Normally when I think of Asian food, I think hot, spicy and exotic. This dish was cool, refreshing and exotic. It's great for a light lunch or dinner out on the patio or to serve as a first course at a dinner party. 

Moroccan Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp granular sugar substitute
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 (1-to 1 1/2-lb) head green cabbage shredded (4-5 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 8 (3/4-cup) Servings

Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, scallions, sugar substitute and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Add cabbage and carrots and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. The folks at South Beach have done it again with a delicious and colorful salad. I needed a side dish to accompany my Baked Sea Bass Chermoula and this was perfect. It was cool and colorful and filled with tang and spice. Plus, this slaw is great for the summer when you don't want to cook in a heat wave. This was my thrid time making slaw from scratch and I'm now 3 for 3. I will say that the slaws from South Beach are way better than the packaged slaws you find at the grocery store.