Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup warm water
• pinch salt
• 1 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. light corn syrup

Makes 2 Cups (16 Servings; 2 tablespoons per serving)

1. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 inches of water and set over medium-low heat; bring to a slow simmer. Combine the chocolate, 1/4 cup of the warm water, and salt in a medium bowl; set over the saucepan. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan; set aside. Pour out the water in the saucepan.
2. Pour the half-and-half into the same saucepan and set over medium heat; heat until just hot, about 3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat; set aside.
3. Combine the sugar, the remaining 3/4 cup of warm water, and the corn syrup in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is  dissolved. Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil, washing down the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped into cool water to dissolve any sugar crystals. Boil, without stirring, until the caramel turns a rich golden brown.
4. Immediately remove the saucepan from the saucepan. Wearing long oven mitts to protect your arms and being careful to avoid any spatters, whisk in the half-and-half, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Set the saucepan over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat; pour in the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Use immediately, or cool to room temperature. Transfer to a covered container; refrigerate up to 1 month. Gently reheat the sauce before serving, adding a little water to the sauce slightly, if necessary.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. This is a quick and easy sauce to make and enjoy. If you love chocolate and caramel but can't decide which, make this sauce, you get the best of both flavors. You can put this over frozen yogurt, gelato, fruit, angel food cake or even over pancakes, waffles or even in oatmeal. You can refrigerate this sauce for about a month but it will thicken over time and become more flavorful.  

Easy Baked Sole

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sweet marjoram or parsley
• 1 1/2 -2 lbs. sole filets

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan until it is bubbling. Add the garlic and tomato and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Do not let the garlic brown. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and herbs.
3. Lay the sole filets out on the counter and spread half of each fillet with the butter cheese mixture. Fold over the other half of the fillet, as if you were folding a piece of paper. A little butter may leak out of the sides of the fish, but that's okay.
4. Place the fillets in a buttered baking dish. Dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. bake for 12-15 minutes. If you wish, before serving, pour the pan juices into a nonreactive saucepan and boil them down to make a sauce.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the Legal Sea Foods Cookbook. The folks at Legal Sea Foods certainly know how to cook elegant seafood dishes. You can make this dinner any night of the week when you have a limited time to make dinner. It's a nice meal that's both elegant and tasty. I highly recommend adding a touch of sauce on top of the fish and serve a side of rice and vegetables alongside the fish to make the elegant meal complete.

Grilled Summer Fruits

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for grill rack
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• pinch ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice
• 2 ripe plums, halved and pitted
• 2 ripe nectarines, halved and pitted
• 4 tbsp. no-sugar-added lite whipped topping (optional)

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat a grill to medium.
2. In a cup, combine the oil, lemon juice, and spice (if using). Brush over the cut sides of the plums and nectarines.
3. Lightly coat the grill rack with oil. Place the plums and nectarines, cut side down, on the rack. Grill, uncovered, turning once, until the fruit is tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Top each fruit half with 1/2 tablespoon whipped topping, if using.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. Who says you cannot have a sugar-free dessert? Grilled fruit is absolutely delicious. Grilling the fruit caramelizes its natural sugars which allows the fruit to enhance the flavor. The lemon juice and the spices also enhance the flavors when grilling the fruit. Always keep an eye when grilling the fruit so the skin does not burn and the fruit doesn't get too mushy. Also, make sure to clean the grill so the fruit doesn't have the flavor of meats. You can use other fruits in this recipe such as peaches, bananas, mangoes, strawberries, apples and pears. Harder fruits will take longer to cook than softer fruits.

Tropical Shrimp & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking whole-grain rice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 small mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (11/2 -cup) Servings

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
2. While rice is cooking, heat the oven to 350 F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add shrimp, reduce to a simmer, and cook until shrimp turn pink, 1-2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to the bowl with rice.
4. Add coconut, mango, parsley, oil, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper to shrimp mixture; toss well. Divide shrimp and rice among 4 bowls and serve at room temperature.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. This dish was an unexpected surprise. This shrimp dish was very tasty and filling. The combination of toasted coconut and the mango add a nice sweetness to the dish and make it more succulent and juicy. Don't be intimidated if the dish looks a little messy. It actually tastes good when you combine the shrimp, mango, coconut and rice.

Skewered Sesame Meatbals with Sweet-Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground skinless chicken breast
• 1 (7 oz.) can whole water chestnuts, drained & finely chopped
• 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 36 snow peas (about 3 oz.), trimmed
• 3/4 cup bottled sweet-and-sour dipping sauce

Makes 12 Servings (3 skewers with 1 tablespoon sauce per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray.
2. To make the meatballs, combine the chicken, water chestnuts, bread crumbs, egg whites, soy sauce, shallot, and ginger in a medium bowl until well blended. Shape the mixture into 36 meatballs and place in the pan. Sprinkle the meatballs with the sesame seeds. then lightly spray with nonstick spray. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and boil for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under running water to stop the cooking. Drain again.
4. Skewer a snow pea and meatball onto each wooden pick. Repeat with the remaining 35 snow peas and 35 meatballs. Pile the skewers onto a platter and serve the dipping sauce alongside.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Ultimate Chicken Cookbook. These meatballs are what I call elegant appetizers. You can serve these meatballs on game day, at a brunch, luncheon and even a Chinese New Year's Party. These take on meatballs are actually quite tasty and they taste better than what you would order for takeout. The meatballs are flavorful and moist. I do recommend adding some minced garlic to the meatballs for more flavor and making your own sweet and sour sauce.  

Banana Spice Cake with Coconut Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp. light coconut milk
• 1 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Makes 16 Servings (1/16 of cake per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. To make the cake, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the remaining cake ingredients in a separate medium bowl. Gradually add the banana mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until blended.
3.  Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
4. Meanwhile, to make the frosting, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat all the frosting ingredients except the coconut in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. With a narrow metal spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the cake; sprinkle with the coconut.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. Who would have thought the combination of bananas, coconuts and spices would be so delicious? This is what I call an elegant and decadent dessert. You can even make these into cupcakes and the sweet treats will still be delicious. Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients in this recipe. You can cut the granulated sugar in half because there are natural sugars in the bananas and the cake will still taste good. I added a touch of nutmeg to the cake because nutmeg and cinnamon go so well together.

Grilled Vegetable Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp. extra-olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green bell peppers, each cut into 8 pieces
• 12 grape tomatoes
• 12 cremini mushrooms

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat grill to high or prepare hot fire
2. Mix together parsley, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Add bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms and toss until coated evenly. Thread vegetables onto 4 long metal skewers, dividing evenly.
3. Place skewers on grill rack and grill, turning, until vegetables are tender and lightly charred, about 10 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 0 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. These kebabs will light up your grill and waistline. These kebabs are gluten free, quick, easy and flavorful. They will also quickly fill you up. You can use any color bell pepper in this recipe and the kebabs will still taste good. If you have any leftover kebabs, turn them into a salad and serve them alongside any protein for a filling meal.