Jicama Hash Browns

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium jicama, (12 oz.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (1/2-cup) Servings

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
2.  Meanwhile, peel the jicama, then shred on the large holes of a box grater.
3. Add the jicama to the pan with the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water, the salt, and the black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the jicama begins to brown and is crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Serve warm.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. Don't be afraid of this side dish. It's really yummy and it's a great alternative to your typical hash browns. If you're starting your healthy lifestyle, this is a nice side dish that you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a snack. Jicama is a nonstarchy vegetable that can be found in Latin supermarkets or with the potatoes or the onions. Don't forget to peel the jicama to remove the skin. These hash browns are full of flavor and nice and crunchy too. I highly recommend adding 1-2 garlic cloves along with the onions and peppers because garlic always makes everything better. You can also use any color bell pepper is this dish and it will still be delicious. These hash browns go well with steak, chicken or eggs.

Five-Spice Grilled Chicken with Asian Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp. reduce-sodium soy sauce
• 2 (2-inch) pieces fresh ginger, grated (no need to peel)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Makes 4 Servings

1.  In a large shallow bowl, stir together the five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken breasts and rub the mixture into them. Add the oil and toss to coat.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken on the pan and grill until cooked through and still juicy, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil, and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. while chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and soy sauce. with your hands, squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl, extracting as much juice as possible into the vinegar mixture, Add the garlic to the sauce and stir to combine.
4. Slice the chicken on the diagonal. Transfer to 4 plates and serve with small bowls of the sauce (about 2 tablespoons each) for dipping.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. Here is another great way to kick-start your healthy lifestyle. You can have your Chinese and eat it too; plus, it's better than takeout. The time that it takes to make this dish is the same amount of time you would call to place and order and have it delivered to you or for you to pick it up yourself. You'll be amazed at how quick and simple tasty Chinese food can be without being fried. If you don't have five-spice powder on hand, don't worry. You can make it at home using equal amounts of cinnamon, ground cloves, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns, putting them in a coffee grinder or spice grinder and you'll have the best homemade five-spice powder in your Chinese cooking. This was a delicious dinner because the chicken was packed with flavor and the dipping sauce gives the chicken a nice kick too it. Cook this meal and you'll never order takeout again. 

Broiled Salmon with Creamy Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. capers
• 1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 1/2 lbs. salmon filet

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the lemon juice, capers, and lemon-pepper seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through.
3. Meanwhile, place the salmon and the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is just opaque. Serve with the sauce.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. This meal is a great way to kick-start your healthy lifestyle. The combination of lemon and sour cream mixed in with capers that's topped on top of salmon is so deliciously simple. It's very quick and simple and you can fix this dinner any night of the week.  

Homestyle Turkey Meatloaf with Mushrooms and White Beans

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried  thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black peppercorns
• 3/4 pounds mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can  Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 2 teaspoon Dijon  mustard, divided

Makes 6 Servings   

1. Heat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly coat an 8" by 4" by 2 1⁄2" metal or glass loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. 
3. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and mushrooms are incorporated, about 5 minutes longer. Add beans and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes.     
4. In a large bowl, combine cooled bean mixture, turkey, eggs, parsley, and 2 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce. Mix well with wet hands to combine. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan.      
5. Stir together mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and set aside.    
6. Bake meatloaf on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the reserved Worcestershire mixture. Return to the oven and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until a thermometer inserted into meatloaf registers 165°F. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional Dijon mustard.



WW POINTS VALUE 5pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in The South Beach Diet Supercharged book. This is a delicious way to kick-start your healthy lifestyle. This meatloaf will quickly fill you up and leave you happy. The cannellini beans add fiber to the meatloaf. You do get your share of vegetables in this meatloaf. Turkey meatloaf filled with vegetables, herbs, spices and topped off with Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard is really delicious and will quickly become a favorite at your dinner table.

 

 



Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

How is everyone doing? I'm still cooking away at any recipe I can get my hands on. I know I haven't been up to snuff  but I'm still cooking and exploring new things. I hope to have  more Twitter followers and maybe have a video or 2. But I still want to do the following things on my culinary bucket list:

• Cook side-by-side with Ina Garten and Emeril Lagasse
• Cook on the Rachael Ray or The Chew
• To have a celebrity chef or 2 over for dinner
• go to the South Beach, NYC or any Food & Wine Festival
• Have an Iron Chef Throwdown with Bobby Flay @ Boston College
• eat at another restaurant whose executive chef appeared on Iron Chef America

You can follow me on my blog, on Twitter @bcpostergirl, on Pinterest and follow the board Once Upon a Stovetop as well as Facebook. Bon Appettite!

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Latkes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini (1/2 lb.) ends trimmed
• 1 large sweet potato (3/4 lb.) peeled
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• unsweetened applesauce (optional)

Makes 24 (2-inch) latkes

1.  Slice zucchini lengthwise and remove seeds. Coarsely grate zucchini and potato in a food processor or with a hand grater; transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, egg, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
2. Heat 1 1 /2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoons to skillet, gently flattening with the back of a spoon as you go. Cook until edges are golden, 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook until bottom is golden, about 1 minute more (adjust heat if necessary to prevent burning). Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1 1/ 2 tablespoons oil and remaining zucchini mixture. Serve latkes hot with applesauce on the side, if desired.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. Latkes are the official potato pancakes enjoyed during the Hanukkah season but you can enjoy these treats year round. These potato pancakes are colorful, flavorful and good for you. You won't even need the applesauce to go with these treats they're that nice. Prepare the potato batter before you cook these treats so they won't get soggy. Pour off any excess liquid while cooking so they are golden and crisp. Also, be very careful when you're pressing down on them because they are very delicate when cooking in the pan.

Paprika Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1 (8 lb.) roasting chicken
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Makes 12 (6 oz.) Servings

1. Heat the oven to 400 f. place onion slices in a single layer in a roasting pan. Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the inside cavity with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
2. Place chicken on top of onion slices, tuck the wings under, and tie the legs together. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and paprika in a small bowl. Slide your hand under the skin of chicken breast to loosen skin. Rub chicken breast under skin with 1 teaspoon of the oil and most of paprika mixture. Press skin back down. Rub outside of skin with 2 teaspoons of remaining oil. Dust lightly with remaining paprika mixture.
3. Roast chicken for 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Continue to roast , basting every 30 minutes with accumulated pan juices, until a meat thermometer reads 180 F when placed into the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 1/2 hours. Allow chicken to rest for 15 minutes before serving hot with onions, if desired.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. This recipe originally was intended to be served for a Hanukkah party but you can serve this chicken anytime of the year. Also, the original recipe calls for a roast chicken but you can roast chicken breasts in place of a whole chicken with the same ingredients but roast the chicken breasts for 25-30 minutes at 375 F. I also highly recommend adding garlic to the paprika mixture because garlic mixed with olive oil and onions is a heavenly mixture. This chicken recipe is a nice dish and a nice way to kick-start your new lifestyle. I also highly recommend using Garlic-Infused Olive Oil from the Imperial Olive in Williamsburg, VA. For more information, visit www.TheImperialOlive.com.