Flourless Chocolate Cake with Almonds

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp trans-free margarine or unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup granular sugar substitute
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
• 5 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Makes 12 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Gently coat  9" springform pan with 2 tsp of the margarine or butter and dust with the cocoa powder. (Don't tap out the excess cocoa; leave it in the pan.)
3. In a food processor, combine the blanched almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Process until finely ground.
4. In the top of a double broiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and the remaining 4 teaspoons of butter, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat. Place chocolate mixture in a large bowl. Add the almond mixture, sour cream, sugar substitute, egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and 1/4 cup of the remaining sugar. Stir until well blended.
5. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites and salt until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.
6. Stir one-quarter of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain. Place in the prepared pan. Gently smooth the top.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake has risen, the top is dry, and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
8. Place the pan on a rack and cool until warm. The cake will fall dramatically. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and remove the pan sides. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds, if using.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. The holiday season is approaching and you're looking for a devilishly delicious chocolate cake recipe, this one is worth trying. It's a flourless version and will be enjoyed by everyone, including people who eat a gluten-free diet. Don't worry  if the cake looks somewhat flat after baking. It is so delicious with the combination of almonds, vanilla and bittersweet chocolate that give this cake a rich and decadent taste in every bite. 

Vietnamese-Style Vegetables with Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 ounce rice noodles
• 1 tbsp chili paste (from a jar)
• 1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets (4 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 4  lime wedges

Makes 4 Servings

1. Place noodles in a mediun bowl, cover with very warm tap water, and soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. While noodles are soaking, in a small bowl whisk together chili paste, fish sauce, lime juice, and vinegar.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil ove medium-high heat. Add broccoli and toss to coat; cook, tossing gently, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a plate.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the shillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add pepper, onion and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables arejust beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Return broccoli to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes more. Stir in chili paste mixture, cover, Add cilantro and toss again. Divide among 4 plates and serve warm with lime wedges.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Just because it's not summer, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy summer meals in the comfort of your home. I have really come to love Asian food and I have never tried Vietnamese before. I have passed this recipe a  number of times and the picture looked so good I had to try it. This dish was LOVE AT FIRST BITE! I loved this dish because it was spicy and tangy from the flavors of chili paste, Asian fish sauce and rice vinegar which are common in Vietnamese cuisine. I really loved this dish because I loved all the vegetables with the rice noodles. The vegetables really filled me up and I really liked the rice noodles. If you love Italian pasta dishes, you will enjoy this dish. It's totally better than ordering Asian takeout, TRUST ME!! The scent of this dish is not too strong and it's really filling and delicious. This colorful dish is perfect for vegetarians and meat lovers as well. And if you really want to fill yourself up, add some shrimp. The next time you think about ordering Asian, takeout, PUT DOWN THE PHONE! Cook this dish and everyone will be happy.

 

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!

Apple and Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples, red and/or green, cored and thinly sliced into matchsticks
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups uncooked carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz. crumbled feta  or blue cheese

Makes 8 Servings

 

Place apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice. Add carrots, chives, oil, sugar, salt, pepper and cheese; toss to mix thoroughly.

 

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts (3/4 cup per serving)

 

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. Apples are in season right now and this slaw was delicious. Normally, when you think of slaw you think of vegetables with a little dressing. The apples and lemon juice put a  nice fruity twist on this slaw. Plus, the apples and carrots give the slaw a nice crunch to it. The orginal recipe calls for feta cheese. I didn't have feta so I used blue cheese and it gave the slaw a tangier bite to it. This slaw will quickly fill you up and leave you happy with so little points.

 

                        

Angel Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 8 large egg whites
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tsp powdered egg whites
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Makes 18 Servings

1. To make cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 18 muffin cups with foil or paper liners. Sift flour and confectioners' sugar onto a piece of wax paper. with electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in granulated sugar. Beat in vanilla. Sift half of the flour mixture over beaten egg whites and fold in with rubber spatula. Repeat with remaining flour mixture.
2. Spoon batter into muffin cups, almost filling each; smooth tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed, 14-15 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack.
3. To make frosting, with electric mixer on high speed, beat corn syrup, powdered egg whites, water, vanilla and salt until mixture is very thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Spread frosting on cupcakes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts (1 cupcake per serving)

 

Note: This recipe appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of Weight Watchers Magazine. These cupcakes were not your typical cupcakes. The angel food cupcakes were very light and airy and quite delicious. The Marshmallow frosting was quite gooey and tastey as well. These cupcakes were not as fluffy as your typical cupcakes probably because they were angel food cupcakes and it takes a lot of patience and skill to make angel food cakes from scratch. The marshmallow frosting made from scratch was really tasty and better than the marshmallows you buy at the store. I do recommend using the frosting on or in chocolate cakes, in hot chocolate or even as a fondue dip. 

Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• cooking spray

Makes 5 Servings

1. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder and next four ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
2. Combine egg, brown sugar, oil, pumpkin and buttermilk in a bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined.
3. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1⁄4 cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat with remaining batter.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts (serving size: 2 waffles)

 

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. These were such a nice and filling treat for breakfast. Waffles are such a nice treat from time to time. Pumpkin waffles are perfect for this time of year because it's autumn and pumpkins are in season. Pumpkin also goes well with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Maple syrup, melted butter or margarine and apple preserves are the perfect toppings for these waffles because these flavors compliment the pumpkin flavor. Waffles are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and Weight Watchers has another winner with this waffle recipe.



Thousand Island Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp minced green bell pepper
• 2 tbsp minced red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tbsp drained prepaired horseradish
• 1 tbsp grated onion
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

 

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all the ingredients; cover and shake well.  Refrigerate, covered, 2-3 hours. Shake again before serving.

 

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

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Forget the name brands you buy at the grocery store; you can make this classic salad dressing at home in no time at all. Thousand Island dressing gets its name in the 1000 Islands region of upsate New York. Horseradish, Dijon mustard and chili powder give this dressing a kick. Once you learn how to make your own salad dressings at home, you'll never buy the name brands again.