Weight Watchers

Last week, I got an email from one of my beet-loving Twitter friends. Jen and I bond over fabulous beet recipes and new ways to cook with our favorite root vegetable. (She blogs over at Such a Funny Fat… check her out!)

When she sent me this borcht recipe from the new Weight Watchers cookbook… I knew I wanted to try it. My usual picky self, I was a little nervous about the dish… but I went ahead and made it.

I’ve honestly never made such a pretty soup. Just gorgeous.

It also confirms something. I do, in fact, have a beet-colored bathroom!!!

The base of the soup is made from every purple vegetable you can imagine: Beets, Red Onion, and Purple Cabbage!

No wonder it has such a fantastic color! The soup itself can be served cold or warm, but my preference was definitely warm. Try it both ways and see what you think.

Borscht with Sour Cream

From Weight Watchers

INGREDIENTS

2 cups raw, fresh shredded beets

1 (14-oz) can fat free beef broth

1 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup red cabbage, finely shredded

1/2 tsp. packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare your veggies. I used a mandoline slicer… and made a royal mess of my kitchen!

2. In a large, non-reactive pan, combine beets, broth, onions, cabbage, brown sugar, and water. Bring ingredients to a boil.

3. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes covered (or until cabbage is tender.)

4. Add dill, and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Optional: Puree soup with an immersion blender.

6. Remove to a 1 quart storage container, and refrigerate until chilled at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

7. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbsp. sour cream and dill, if using.

Per 1 Cup Serving:

CAL 68; CARB 13g; FAT 1g; PROT 4g; FIB 2g; WW Points Plus: 2

Grilled Chicken Paillard with Tapenade

Better Butter Chicken {and a BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY}

Healthy Chicken Saag

Ever make a dish that has SO MUCH more flavor than you ever thought it would?? Yep, that was this dish for me.

After LaDawn and Dana tried it last month and told me how tasty it was, I knew that this recipe was going to be the next one for me to try from my quarterly Weight Watchers cookbook.

The dish itself is incredibly easy to make. Just a few ingredients, and you’re ready to go. The most interesting of the bunch is the pepper jelly. It was my first time to use it, but most certainly not the last. I didn’t see jalapeno jelly at my grocery store, but found hot red pepper jelly that worked really well. Combined with the garlic, it created a sweet sticky glaze that was awesome. The cilantro-cream cheese mixture on the inside of the chicken added a flavor punch as well. I’ll definitely make this recipe again… and was really impressed with this Weight Watchers creation.

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Chicken

From Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Chicken Recipes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup jalapeno pepper jelly

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4 oz. tub-style 1/3 less fat cream cheese

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

4 (6-oz) boneless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Cooking spray

2 Tbsp. water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

2. Place jelly and garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds or until jelly melts, stirring after 30 seconds.

3. Combine cream cheese and cilantro in another bowl. Note: I used Laughing Cow cheese in place of the cream cheese.

4. Cut a horizontal slit through chicken portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 Tbsp. cheese mixture in each pocket. Close openings with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Note: I used thinly sliced chicken breasts and just rolled the chicken up, as opposed to cutting the slit.

5. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan, skinned sides down. Cook 4 minutes.

6. Turn chicken over; brush with jelly mixture.

7. Place pan in oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done, basting with jelly mixture in skillet after 7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and remove chicken from the pan. Add 2 Tbsp. water to pan, stirring with a whisk to deglaze pan.