Mexican Chili Beef Burgers

Weight Watchers Recipe

Course: main meals PointsPlus™ Value:    8 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  20 min Cooking Time:  12 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Father’s Day and burgers go hand-in-hand. We spiked ours with chili powder and then topped them with a salsa of fresh tomato, avocado and radish.

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Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat grill (or grill pan) to medium heat.
• In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, tomato juice, egg white, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; combine thoroughly. Form mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2-inch-thick each.
• Place burgers on grill and increase heat to medium-high; cook for 5 minutes. Flip burgers and cook for 5 minutes more. Flip and cook 1 minute more on each side for medium (and longer for desired degree of doneness).
• Meanwhile, make salsa. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, radishes, avocado, cilantro, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; mix to combine.
• Serve each burger on a roll topped with about 1/4 cup of salsa

Course: desserts
PointsPlus™ Value:    5
Servings:  20
Preparation Time:  15 min
Cooking Time:  60 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 8- X 4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add egg, sugar, vanilla extract, oil and applesauce, and beat until thoroughly combined; beat in zucchini.
• Add sifted ingredients to egg mixture and mix well; fold in nuts and raisins. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Slice each bread into 10 pieces and serve warm or at room temperature. Yields 1 slice per serving.

Notes

* You’ll need about 1 1/2 medium zucchinis (about 3/4 lb) to yield 2 cups shredded zucchini.

This zucchini bread is delicious as is or toasted and spread with reduced-fat cream cheese (could affect PointsPlus values). For a different twist, swap the raisins for dried cranberries and the walnuts for pecans.

This bread freezes well. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and then place in a sealable freezer bag.

We renovated Zucchini Bread from 9 PointsPlus values to 3 PointsPlus values by:

Cutting back on the oil and sugar and replacing some of each with applesauce for its moisture and sweetness.

Replacing most of the white flour with much more nutritious whole-wheat flour (and adding more baking powder to help maintain a proper result).

Replacing some eggs with egg whites.

Cutting back on the quantity of nuts and raisins used but chopping them up to help sprinkle them throughout.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 lb extra-lean ground sirloin
• ¹/₂ t salt
• ¹/₄ t black pepper
• 4 1-inch cubes Gorgonzola or any blue cheese (about 4 ounces total)
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• ¹/₄ cup shredded cucumber
• 2 t chopped fresh dill
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1 t garlic powder
• 4 whole-wheat rolls

Directions

Spritz a large grill pan with cooking spray; set over medium heat. In a large bowl, combine sirloin, salt, and pepper. Shape mixture into 4 equal balls. Press a cube of Gorgonzola into the center of each, covering cheese completely with meat. Shape balls into patties, each about 1 inch thick. Place burgers on hot pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through (less for medium-rare meat). Meanwhile, mix next 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Place burgers on rolls and top each with 2 tablespoons yogurt sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

This dish supplies a third of your daily protein requirement.

Nutrition Score per serving:

(1 burger, ¼ cup cucumber-yogurt sauce) – 292 calories, 10 g fat (30% of calories), 5 g saturated fat, 28 g carbs, 26 g protein, 3 g fiber, 210 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 595 mg sodium

Ingredients

• For The Pico de Gallo
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded
• and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• ¹/₄ cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 t extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• For The Burgers
• 1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium black beans
• Cooking spray
• 3 clv garlic, minced
• ¹/₄ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), preferably whole-wheat
• ¹/₂ t ground cumin
• ¹/₂ t dried oregano
• ¹/₄ t kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 large California avocado, peeled and sliced

These healthy breakfast bars provide a respectable level of protein and fiber without a ton of calories. Best of all, they can be eaten on the run. Reconfigure the “additions” to suit your fancy…. or replace the Splenda with another sweetener if you’re trying to stay “au natural.” This is a base recipe that can be tweaked to your taste!

40 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

 

Ingredients

Directions

1 tbsp oil
I chop onion
1 10 oz package frozen chop spinach
5 egg beaten
3 cups cheese ( i used lowfat mozzarella but recipes calls for muenster)
Salt n pepp

Stir fry onions, add spinach until moisture disappears.
In bowl combine all ingredients mix and put into lightly greased pie pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min



Ingredients

Directions

NOTE: The reason the ingredients and the nutrition may seem a bit off is because you will be THROWING AWAY more than half the breadcrumbs and most of the flour. It’ll never make it to your mouth, but it makes the breading process much easier.
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1. Preheat oven to 350F. Set up a breading station: put flour, breadcrumbs, and egg white in small separate dishes.
2. Carefully bread chicken chunks by first rolling in flour, dunking in egg white, then rolling and pressing in breadcrumbs until well-coated. DISPOSE of leftover breading ingredients! They’ve been all over that raw chicken.
3. Place chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray tops of chicken nuggets with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Halfway through the cooking, flip chicken nuggets and spray bottoms with nonstick spray.
5. Dump half the hot sauce into a large bowl. When nuggets are cooked through, add them on top of the hot sauce, and cover them with the remaining hot sauce. Toss until coated with tongs.
6. Place chicken back onto baking sheet, and place under broiler for 2 minutes. Keep an eye — broilers burn things. Quickly. The sauce will get hot and fragrant, and the nuggets will turn that great orangey color.
7. Plate your delicious boneless buffalo wings, and drizzle with more hot sauce and ranch dressing. 1 tbsp may not seem like a lot, but it’s plenty unless you like your wings coated with it. If so, add more calories. :p
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Makes 12 good-sized nuggets; 3 4-nugget servings. (Although I ate 6. Tee hee.)

Number of Servings: 3

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 219.9

• Total Fat: 3.2 g
• Cholesterol: 65.8 mg
• Sodium: 696.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 19.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
• Protein: 29.8 g

Quickie Muffaletta Tapenade
The chunky olive salad atop the classic New Orleans sandwich is just as responsible for its deliciousness as all those cured meats. This version has no added oil, but piled onto a turkey, prosciutto or tuna salad sandwich, you won’t even miss it.

Roughly chopping all the components with a knife gives them a wonderful texture, but if you prefer to use a food processor, process ingredients separately until coarsely chopped (do not mash to a paste!) and mix together in a bowl.

Easy prep: Chop 1 cup mixed pitted brine-cured olives and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper over top of olives and stir to combine. Mix in 1/2 cup drained chopped roasted red peppers and 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley. Stir in a dash of oregano and, if you like your muffaletta pungent, one minced clove garlic.

Have leftovers? Serve as an antipasto with toasted whole-wheat pita wedges.

White Bean Pesto
This gains its body from pureed white beans, not cheese or high-fat pine nuts, but it’s just as flavorful as the original. Try on turkey or chicken sandwiches, or spread on crusty bread to make crostini. It’s a delicious way to eat your healthy oil for the day!

Easy prep: Toss into a food processor 1 cup canned drained white beans, 1 garlic clove (cut into a few pieces), 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Have leftovers? Even if you’ve shied away from whole-wheat pasta before, you’ll love how its nutty bite complements this creamy sauce. Toss some pesto with whole-wheat spaghetti cooked to al dente, stirring in some reserved pasta water to thin the sauce a bit. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Garlic Spread
Roasting brings out garlic cloves’ natural sweetness, making them an excellent partner for roast beef or cheese sandwiches.

Easy prep: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Remove the papery outer skin of a bulb of garlic, and with a paring knife or kitchen scissors, trim the tips of each clove. Place whole bulb on a piece of foil and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, then wrap in the foil, place in the oven and roast until cloves are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Allow bulb to cool several minutes, then, using an oven mitt to protect your hands, turn bulb over and squeeze the softened cloves from bulb into a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Have leftovers? Stir cloves in with boiled potatoes and mash them together for extra flavor without extra fat, or mash and stir into soup for extra body and flavor.

Carrot-Ginger Spread
A nod to the classic Japanese salad dressing, this spread is delicious with tuna salad or lean roast beef sandwiches.

Easy prep: Toss into the bowl of a food processor 5 medium carrots (cut into large pieces), 1 small shallot, 2 pieces peeled fresh ginger (about 1 by 1 1/2 inches each), 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Pulse to a paste.

Have leftovers? It still makes salad greens irresistible. To convert to a dressing, whisk in an additional tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Salsa Giardiniera
Giardiniera is an Italian condiment of mixed, pickled vegetables marinated in oil. This spread is a quick and easy way to add a spicy Italian tang to any meat sandwich.

Easy prep: Puree 1 cup giardiniera vegetables (make sure to remove any stems from hot peppers) with 1/2 cup canned drained white beans or chickpeas.

Have leftovers? Stir into hummus for a burst of tanginess.

Horseradish Mustard
These two sandwich greats add a serious kick to any combination, and the “recipe” is simple as can be.

Easy prep: Stir 1 tablespoon drained horseradish into 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard.

Have leftovers? This tangy combo makes a great dressing for warm potato salad. Boil six quartered new potatoes until very tender; drain and place in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine. Then stir in 2 teaspoons of horseradish mustard and a handful of chopped, fresh sugar snap peas. Serve warm.