Southwestern Chicken Soup

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup uncooked white rice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (16 ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups chopped skinless boneless rotisserie chicken breast

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

3/4 cup diced peeled avocado

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic, sauté 3 minutes. Add broth, rice, cumin and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in chicken, cilantro, pepper and salt; simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in tomato, avocado, and juice. Can serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips. 

Glazed Salmon

4 salmon fillets (6 oz. each)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is always better)

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. ground cumin

Place salmon in a greased 11x7 in. baking dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over fillets.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Yields 4 servings.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1/2 large can of roasted red peppers, drained

2 tsp. tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp. Chili powder

Mix in food processor, and serve with low fat chips or crackers.

Tomato Vegetable Casserole

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings

2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces

Salt  and pepper

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons dried Italian-style bread  crumbs

Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the onion slices evenly over the vegetable mixture. Arrange the zucchini over the onion. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini. Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs over the vegetables in the baking dish. Drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil. Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender, and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.

Italian Chicken Chowder

1/4 cup Light  Italian Dressing

1/2 lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked ( I used whole wheat rotini)

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Parmesan or Asiago

Heat dressing in large saucepan on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min., stirring once. Add tomatoes, broth, zucchini, macaroni and basil. Bring to boil on high heat. Simmer on medium heat 8 min. or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.  Serves 4. Weight Watchers Points 5.

Garlic Breaded Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese. (Use real Parmesan - not the stuff in the green can for this one!)

1/2 c. bread crumbs

3 garlic cloves finely minced

A few tablespoons olive oil.

In a medium saucepan, warm the garlic in the olive oil. (To kick up the garlic flavor, you can do this a few hours in advance and let the flavors meld.) In a food processor combine the bread (if you're making your own bread crumbs; this is what I do) and Parmesan. Mix until finely crumbled. Pour this mixture into a shallow dish. Trim any fat off of the chicken. Dredge the chicken in the garlic oil and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place in a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. (You can easily adapt this recipe if you need to cook more chicken - simply make sure you have an even ratio of bread crumbs and Parmesan!) Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

1 cup Reduced Fat Bisquick

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)

2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed

2 cups cooked, chopped white chicken meat

2 cans fat-free Cream of Mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix together veggies, chicken, and soup. Pour into casserole dish. In another bowl, mix Bisquick, milk, and egg. Pour over the top of the chicken mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Healthy Garden Salad

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 limes, juiced

1 teaspoon white sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1 pound) package frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)

3 cups frozen corn kernels

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

In a large serving bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt and garlic. Set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the soybeans and boil for 3 minutes. Add corn to the boiling water and continue cooking for 1 more minute. Drain very well, and pour into the bowl with the dressing. Gently mix in the cherry tomatoes, green onions and black beans. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to chill and blend the flavors.

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup red wine or port or 100% cranberry juice

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 cup sugar

Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons each parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

8 slices extra sharp white cheddar cheese

4 large sandwich-size English muffins, toasted

Butter, for toasted muffins

8 pieces Bibb or leaf lettuce

Combine the cranberries, wine, juice and sugar in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the cranberries pop. Reduce to thicken the sauce, about 15 minutes or so. Allow the sauce to cool.

Combine the turkey with the herbs, shallot, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Form four large patties and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side in 1 tablespoon EVOO in large skillet over medium-high heat. During the last minute of cook time, cover the burgers with cheese and tent the pan with foil to melt the cheese.

Lightly butter the toasted sandwich-size English muffins and set the burgers on top. Top with slices of lettuce and lots of cranberry sauce, then set the muffin tops in place. Serves 4. (From Rachel Ray)

Yellow Cake

18 oz box of yellow cake (any brand)

1 Cup Canned or Fresh Pumpkin

1/4 Cup Water

2 Tblsp Vegetable Oil

2 Large Eggs

1 Large Egg White

6 Oz. Non-fat lemon, banana or vanilla yogurt

Pre-Heat oven to 350 and spray pan with baking spray (the kind with flour) OR flour it after spraying. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until smooth, 1-3 minutes.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Leave as is, or frost with whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. package of reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 C. Confectioners' sugar

2 Tblsp frozen Orange juice concentrate

Mix in bowl until smooth - wait until cake is cooled to frost. (Borrowed from Deceptively Delicious.)

Raspberry Angel Food Cake

1 box angel food cake mix

1 large tub of Cool Whip

1 bag frozen rapberries (no sugar added if you can find them), thawed

Bake cake to package directions and let cool completely.  Mix together Cool whip and raspberries thoroughly.  Frost cake with berry mixture.  Keep refrigerated!  Serves 12.