Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce+

5 points

Don’t add extra salt – the process of reducing it concentrates the salt that is in the tomato sauce

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound boneless top sirloin steak (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Combine the presliced mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove the steak from bag, reserving marinade. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook for 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning after 3 minutes. Remove from pan

Combine the onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.

Cut the beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on a serving platter. Spoon the mushroom sauce over beef. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces beef and 1/2 cup sauce)

  • Calories: 229
  • Fat: 6.6g
  • Fiber: 1.7g

Ginger Shrimp Pot Stickers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

3 points

Pot stickers:
3/4 cup shredded green cabbage
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound cooked peeled small shrimp
Dash of hot sauce
24 wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 cup water, divided

Sauce:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Remaining ingredient:
Chopped green onions (optional)

To prepare pot stickers, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 4 times or until coarsely chopped. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons shrimp mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 12 pot stickers to pan; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Slowly add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, 12 pot stickers, and 1/2 cup water.

To prepare sauce, combine 1/4 cup water and next 5 ingredients (through sugar) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve sauce with pot stickers. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

Yield:  12 servings (serving size: 2 pot stickers and 1 tablespoon sauce)

  • CALORIES 125
  • FAT 4.9g
  • FIBER 0.9g

Chicken with Cider and Bacon Sauce+

6 points

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 bacon slices, chopped (center cut is leaner)
¼ tsp fresh onion
¾ c unsweetened apple cider
½ c chicken broth

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan.  Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring constantly.  Add cider and broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loose browned bits.  Cook until broth mixture is reduced to ½ cup (about 5 minutes).  Stir in bacon; serve sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings.

  • Calories: 269
  • Fat: 7.2g
  • Fiber: 0.2g

Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Red Wine Tarragon Sauce

5 points

1/4 cup low-salt beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
2 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.
Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add shallots to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1 minute). Serve sauce with the steaks. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 steak, about 2 tablespoons sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon parsley)

  • Calories: 228
  • Fat: 10.6g
  • Fiber: 0.2g

Feta Spinach Tarts+

1 point

Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
6 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper and salt. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Combine egg whites and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach mixture, parsley, oregano, and milk, stirring to combine.
Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover the remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat layers with remaining phyllo and cooking spray, ending with phyllo. Gently press phyllo layers together. Lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Cut stack lengthwise into 3 (4 1/4-inch-wide) strips, and cut each strip crosswise to form 4 (4 1/2-inch) squares. Carefully place 1 layered square into each of 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; gently press squares into pan to form cups. Fan corners of phyllo cups. Lightly coat the corners of each phyllo cup with cooking spray.
Divide the spinach mixture evenly among phyllo cups. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Loosely cover; bake an additional 3 minutes.

Yield:  12 servings (serving size: 1 tart)

  • CALORIES 62
  • FAT 2.1g
  • FIBER 1.1g

 

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas+

8 points (3=cheese, tortilla=2: you can use non-fat spicy jack cheese and low-carb ww tortilla to bring their total to 2)

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup green salsa
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Calories: 398
Fat: 13.1g
Fiber: 3.1g

Beef Tenderloins with French Onion Sauce+

5 points

2  teaspoons butter or stick margarine, divided
2  cups thinly sliced onion
3  cups cremini or button mush-room caps, halved (about 1/2 pound)
2/3  cup water
1  (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consomme
1  teaspoon dried thyme
1/4  teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8  teaspoon garlic powder
4  (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks (1 inch thick)
1/2  cup dry red wine
4  (1-ounce) slices French bread (about 1 inch thick), toasted

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in water and consomme, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove onion mixture from pan.

Combine thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Rub the thyme mixture over steaks. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove steaks from pan; keep warm.

Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in onion mixture; bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute. Return steaks to pan; simmer 1 minute.

Place one toast slice in each of 4 shallow serving bowls, and top each slice with steak. Spoon the onion mixture over each serving. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 piece toast, 1 steak, and 1/2 cup sauce)

  • Calories: 228
  • Fat: 10.6g
  • Fiber: 0.2g

Curried Crab Spread+

Note: this recipe makes a lot – could easily halve it for a party; I ran out of baguette with the full recipe.

It is actually great as a sandwich spread!

3 points

1/2 cup minced celery (3 stalks)
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper (1 small)
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper (1 small)
8 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed (4 small cans)
36 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (about 18 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well combined. Gently fold in crabmeat.
Prepare broiler.
Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush 1 side of the bread slices evenly with the olive oil. Broil 1 minute or until lightly browned. Serve with spread.

Yield: 18 servings (serving size: about 2 tablespoons spread and 2 bread slices)

  • Calories: 156
  • Fat: 4.6g
  • Fiber: 1.8g