Chicken & Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp  fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 (1-pound) head romaine lettuce, chopped (8 cups)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 1 pound cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (3-cup) Servings

1.  Whisk together oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and a pinch or two of pepper in a small mixing bowl.
2. Combine lettuce tomatoes and cucumber in a large mixing bowl. Toss with half of the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper; divide among 4 plates.
3. Toss chicken with 1 tablespoon of the remaining dressing and divide among salads. Top with avocado slices, drizzle with remaining dressing, and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. Sometimes you just need a big salad to fill you up. Most salads you get at a restaurant or at the grocery store are plain, bland and don't have a lot of flavor. This salad is filled with Mexican flavor and leaves a refreshing aftertaste. The key to this salad is the dressing. I highly recommend using flavored olive oil such as Infused Lime Olive Oil in the dressing and Chipotle Infused Olive Oil used to cook the chicken both from the Imperial Olive in Williamsburg, VA. For more information on these flavored olive oils, visit www.TheImperialOlive.com.

 

Pissaladiere Squares with Tomato Coulis and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 vidalia onion or 2 yellow onions, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp butter
• 8 small tomatoes, chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 recipe or 1 pound Basic Pizza Dough, at room temperature
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 10 nicoise or other small oil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried

Makes 6 Servings

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer onion to a plate; set aside.
2. To make the tomato coulis, in the same skillet, met the butter; add the tomatoes and sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer, about 1 minute.
3. Arrange one rack on the bottom rung of the oven. Preheat theoven to 450 F.
4. With floured hands, stretch and press the pizzadough onto the bottom of a 10 1/2 X 15 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan. Spread the onion onto the dough. Spoon the tomato coulis on top. Sprinkle evenly with the goat cheese, then the olives, and thyme.
5. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the crust is golden and the cheese is slightly melted, 15-20 minutes. Cut into 6 Squares.
    

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. A Pissaladière is a pizza-like dish made in Nice, Marseilles, Toulon and the Var District of Southern France. Typical toppings include carmelized onions, olives, garlic aand anchovies. If you're thinking about ordering pizza, PUT DOWN THE PHONE! This gourmet pizza is just as delicious as what you'd get at a restaurant or at a pizza joint and better for your health. The tomato coulis is made by reducing the tomatoes with a little sugar and vinegar to intesify the flavor. This pizza is totally different than what you'd order  at your local pizza joint because the tomato coulis is intensified with flavor and the olives and goat cheese give it an extra kick of zing. I do recommend adding a little bit of garlic to the tomato coulis because garlic always makes everything better. Since this is a French pizza I recommend using Infused Herbes De Provence Olive Oil from The Imperial Olive in Williamsburg, VA for a more authentic French flavor. If you're hosting a French dinner party and you have vegetarian dinner guests, I highly recommend serving your vegetarians guests this because they will be very happy and leave satisfied.



Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
• 1 tps granulated sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Makes 12 Servings (2 [12-inch] pizza crusts)

1. In a 2-cup measuring jug, combine the water and the sugar. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand unitl foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil
2. In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube; pulse until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. If necessary, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic.
3. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; put the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough, then cut in half. Refrigerate or freeze in a floured zip-close freezer bags at this point or use as directed in the recipe.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. This was my first time making homemade pizza dough from scratch and it was delicious. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 pizzas. I highly recommend you cut the dough in half so you can freeze the dough for another time.  If you freeze pizza dough, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for an hour and a half. Pizza dough only needs to rise once, unlike other bread doughs. After it rises, punch down the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes before rolling and stretching to the desired shape. You can also let the dough rise in a floured zip-locked bag in the fridge overnight. It will be very easy to roll our or stretch the dough the next day at room temperature, trust me. 

South Beach Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 1 (3/4-pound) head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces (8-10 cups)
• 2 small Granny Smith apples, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tbsp +1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 10 (2-cup) Servings

1. Heat oven to 275 F. Place walnuts on a bakingsheet and toast until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool briefly and chop.
2. Toss lettuce, celery, apples and walnuts together in a large serving bowl.
3. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Pour dressing over lettuce mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with pepper and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

 

Note: this recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. Who hasn't tasted a version of this American classic? The Waldorf Salad orginated in the 1890's at New York's great Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and has been served in restaurants ever since. This salad is well know fir its combination of crunchy apple, crisp celery toasted nuts and mayonnaise. This salad is perfect for a light lunch, dinner or even served at a dinner party before the main dish. It's also perfect to eat when it's too hot to cook and it will quickly fill you up. 

New-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp trans-free margarine. softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated brown sugar substitute
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted oat flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped

Makes 24 Cookies

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the margarine and peanut butter for 1 minute, or until very smooth. Add the brown sugar and sugar substitutes and beat for 2 mintues, or until well-combined and light in color. Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla extract, beating unti lvery smmoth and a little fluffy. Mix in the flour and baking  powder, beating until a moist but cohesive dough forms. Stir in the peanuts.
3. Drop by the tablespoons about 2 inches apart on nonstick baking sheets. Use the tines of a fork dampened in cold water, flatten each cross-hatch pattern until 2 inches in diameter.
4. Bake for 15 mintues, or until golden brown.Remove to a rack to cool.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. I was glued to the TV when they were trying to get the Boston Marathon Bomber and I was craving for dessert. I also needed to keep busy and was craving peanut butter. These cookies totally hit the spot. You can use anykind of peanut butter, almond butter, etc in this recipe as well as any knid of nuts and the cookies will still be delicious. You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe if you don't have any oat flour on hand. You can also add some chocolate chips but they may affect the points value.

Naan

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda

Makes 8 Servings

1. In a small boel, beat the milk and egg.  In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. With the machine running, pour the milk mixture throught the feed tube until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth, about 30 times.
2. Spray a large bowl with nonctisk spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely wiht plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 3 hours.
3. Place a large baking sheet on the center of the oven rack; preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour; turn out the dough. Divide the dough into 8 pieces; flatten each into a 3/8-inch-thick teardrop shape. Transfer the teardrops to the baking sheet. Bake until firm, 10-12 minutes. If you like, run briefly under a broiler to lightly brown the tops. serve hot or at room temperature.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Naan is an indian flatbread that makes a nice accompaniment to spicy Indian dishes whe you want to cool off your taste buds. This was my first time making naan; it turned out puffy but it tasted delicious. I highly recommend making Naan when ever you're cooking Indian food because the Naan will tone down the heat in your mouth.

Indian Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 (2-pound) head cauliflower, cut into florets (4 cups)
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (2-cup) Servings

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion, garlic, curry powder, and ginger to the same skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower, coconut milk and broth; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until  vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken back to the pan and cook until sauce is thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. I was in the mood for chicken and veggies with some heat and this dish was perfect. The combination of coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder and ginger give this dish a dash of heat. The cauliflower and chicken will quickly fill you up. This meal is a great way to kick-start your weight-loss journey and it's also a great weeknight meal.