Caribbean Pavlovas

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp boiling water
• 1 medium pineapple, cubed
• 1 medium papayas, cubed
• 2 Tbsp spearmint, cut into thin strips (about 8 large leaves)
• 1 medium fresh lime, cut in half

Makes 8 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 250ºF. Very lightly coat 2 nonstick baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Blend egg whites, Splenda, vinegar and hot water together at high speed until soft, white peaks form, about 5 minutes.
3. Spoon egg white mixture by half cupfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon, spread out and smooth mixture into eight 6- to 8-inch circles, no more than 1-inch thick each. Cook for about one hour and ten minutes, until crisp. Allow to cool completely on wire rack. (These are very fragile. Handle very delicately.)
4. While pavlovas cook, make fruit topping. Combine pineapple, mango, papaya and mint in a large bowl. Squeeze juice of both lime halves over fruit mixture and gently stir fruit until ingredients are just combined. Allow fruit to macerate for 30 minutes.
5. When pavlovas are cool, gently mound about 3/4 cup of fruit filling on top of each pavlova.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts (1 pavlova per serving)

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. I have come to really love tropical food, especially fruit because it's so clean and fresh. I really love pineapple and have come to love mango and papaya. I had this treat for lunch after my workout and I LOVED it because it was so clean and fresh. The pavlova really woke up the taste buds in my mouth with the fruit, pineapple and lime juices and the mint. The meringue pavlova gave this dish a sweet and chewy bite to this dish. You can eat the salad alone as well. You can use canned pineapple if you can't find a fresh pineapple and it will taste just as delicious. I highly recommend eating this dish for lunch, a light dinner, dessert or even as a snack because it leaves a refreshing aftertaste in your mouth and leave you happy.

                       

Classic Cheese Souffle

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs at room temperature, separated
• 2 large egg whites at room temperature

Makes 4 Servings

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, whisk the milk and flour; cook, stirring, until thickened and no longer floury, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the cheese, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the cayanne.
2. Preheat  the oven to 350 F.
3. In a small bowl, stir a small amount of the cheese mixture into the egg yolks, then stir the egg yolk mixture into the cheese mixture.
4. In a large bowl, beat all 4 egg whites until foamy; add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and beat until stiff but not dry. Stir one-fourth of the egg whites into the cheese mixture; with a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape in to a 3-quart ungreased souffle dish. Bake until pouffed and cooled through, about 35 minutes. Serve at once.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. They say that souffles are difficult to make. NOT TRUE! If you carefully follow the directions step-by-step and your souffles will turn out delicious. When you beat the egg whites, make sure they are at room temperature and beat the egg whites for 5 minutes for the souffles to really poof up. These souffles were absolutely delicious because they were airy and cheesey. You can use any kind of shredded cheese in this recipe and your souffle will be delicious. I used a combination of cheddar and parmesean cheeses they were heavenly. Don't forget to serve these souffles immeadiately because they begin to deflate the minute they are removed from the oven. I highly recommend serving this dish at your next dinner party because it is so elegant.

 

Grilled Ginger Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, about 1-inch thick

Makes 10 (6-ounce) Servings

1. Whisk together oil, ginger, soy sauce and garlic in a small bowl; divide marinade between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Place 5 fillets in each bag, seal bags and turn to coat salmon with marinade. Lay bags flat in the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight, turning once.
2. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Remove salmon from bags and grill until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side. Serve warm.

WW POINTS VALUE: 10 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. I have now come to really enjoy fish no matter what kind it is. Grilled salmon or Arctic char is really delicious because it's flaky and moist.  Salmon is high in point and calorie value but it's also high in omega-3 and protein and will fill you up. If you don't want to use salmon, I highly recommend Arctic Char because it's just like salmon but has fewer calories. This is a great main dish if you want a simple dinner but I do recommend marinating the fish for more than an hour if you want more flavor. 5-ingredient fox queen Claire Robinsoon will be impressed with this meal as well. 

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 4 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Jack cheese
• 2 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup refrigerated  fresh salsa
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat the oven to 200 F.
2. Heat 1 tortilla in a large skillet (wider than the tortilla) over medium heat until warm, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with one-quarter each of the cheese, chicken, avocado and scallions and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Cover and cook until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to e cutting board, fold tortilla in half,and place on baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat to use remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 3 triangles and serve with salsa.

WW POINTS VALUE: 8 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. Who doesn't love Mexican food? Whatever you do, DO NOT GO TO THOSE MEXICAN FAST FOOD RESTAURANT because they are an embarassment to Mexico. You can make fresh Mexican food in your own kitchen in 20 minutes or less. These quesadillas are loaded with lean protein and vegetables and will quickly fill you up. They will also leave you satisfied and not be looking for dessert afterwards. I do recommend using fresh avocados in this dish because the avocados are better when they are fresh and creamy.

Chipotle Chili Dogs

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lb. extra-lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo, plus 1 tsp sauce from can
• 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 4 reduced-fat beef hot dogs
• 4 whole wheat or whole-grain hot dog buns, lightly toasted (optional)

Makes 4 Servings

1. In a mediumsaucepan, heat oil over meduim heat. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add beef, increase heat to high, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon and stirring until all pink is gone, 2-3 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in tomato paste, chile, and adobo sauce. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook unti lmeat is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. While chili is cooking, lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Grill hot dogs, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and heated through, 5-7 minutes. Serve hot dogs on buns, if using, topped with chili.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts with bun & 5 pts without bun

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Who doesn't love a hot dog once in a while? Hot dogs get a bad name because of what kind of ingredients are in them and sometimes they don't taste good at all. However, when hot dogs are cooked right and are topped with a flavorful topping, they can be delicious. I wasn't terribly hungry and I had a craving fora hot dog. The weather was really nice to day and I wanted to cook something filling and delicious. This chili dogs totally hit the spot. Chili dogs have a reputation of giving you heatburn or some other weird feeling in your stomach; these won't. They are very sophisticated and leave you satisfied. if you don't have any beef broth, don't worry. I used dry red wine in place of the beef broth and it gave the chili a more sophisticated taste. I highly recommend serving these chili dogs at your next gathering because they are so delicious and people will be asking for seconds. 

South Beach Meat Loaf with Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice

Makes 6 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender.
3. In a large bowl, combine the beef, turkey, salsa, egg, salt, pepper and garlic. Stir in the vegetables and rice. Place the mixture in a round baking dish and pat into an oblong loaf.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 F and the meat is no longer pink.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. Cooler weather is here and it's time to turn on the oven and make some delicious comfort food. Meatloaf is delicious comfort food when it's done right. I was never crazy about meatloaf when I was younger because it was dry. I was cleaning out the refrigerator while watching my beloved Patriots play the New York Jets (the Pats won in overtime) and it looked so good I had to try it. My mom and I LOVED this meatloaf. I used 1 pound of ground turkey breast instead of 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground turkey for a leaner taste. I made 6 individual meatloaves and they were delicious! I highly recommend making 6 individual meatloaves so everyone can have their own little meatloaf in the same portion. This meatloaf was also very colorful and filling with the bell peppers, onions and salsa. You won't get hungry later on because the meatloaf is filled with lean protein and lots of vegetables. Also, whatever individual meatloaves you don't eat, just wrap them in the freezer and save them for dinner another time. This meatloaf was a standout because it had all the flavors of Mexico in it with bell peppers, onions, garlic and Pico de Gallo salsa. Bobby Flay would be impressed with this meatloaf, I guarantee. Iron Chef Flay, I'm not giving up to challenging to to a tailgating Throwdown!!

Grilled Canadian Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Canadian bacon, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup sugar-free apricot preserves
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place the bacon on a broiler rack 3 inches from the heat and cook for 4 mintues.
3. In a small bowl, combine the preserves and mustard. Turn the bacon and brish with the preserve mixture. Broil for 4 minutes longer, or until bacon is well-done.
    

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. Last night, I wasn't terribly hungry and I had bacon and eggs. I have come to love bacon but I didn't know how to cook it well. I always cooked bacon in the microwave so I wouldn't have to clean up all the grease. I decided to broil it with some flavor and it was SO delicious! It didn't burn, it wasn't too crispy and it was just perfect/ I loved the taste of the bacon with the preserves and dry mustard because they gave the bacon some tang and flavor. This bacon can be made in 10 miunutes to make it crispy and delicious. Plus, there are less than 5 ingredients in this side dish so 5-ingredient queen will be very impressed that you made this.