Chicken, Black Bean and Cilantro Soup

I love cilantro, yes I do! I love cilantro, how about you? This is one of my favorite South Beach recipes. It's delicious whether you are dieting or not! Taken from Kayln'sKichen.


INGREDIENTS:

1 small diced onion
1 cup diced celery, plus celery leaves
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
4 cups chicken stock/broth
1 can vegetable broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa
6-8 drops Tabasco Sauce (optional - I left it out and it still had a nice little kick)
1 or 2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (or bottled lime juice)


DIRECTIONS:

Saute onions and celery in olive oil 3-5 minutes in large pot. Add the ground cumin, chile powder, celery seed, and garlic and saute about 2 minutes more.

Add the chicken stock, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and salsa, and simmer 10 minutes. Add Tabasco if desired. Add black beans and chicken and simmer 15-20 minutes more.

After 15-20 minutes, add the chopped cilantro and simmer 5 minutes, then add lime juice and cook 2-3 minutes more.

SERVES: 6

South Beach Diet 2012

Last year I went on the South Beach Diet in order to lose some weight. I was at a place where my eating was a little out of control and I needed to decide whether to buy new clothes in bigger sizes or go on a serious diet. I lost 12 lbs! Most of that I kept off all year, but around the holidays some of it was creeping back on.

I decided to start the SBD again in January. It really does amaze me how quickly my body loses the carb-cravings! I feel healthier, slimmer and proud of myself for exercising a little (okay, a LOT) of self-control.

Phase One is the hardest. It's two weeks of no sugar, fruit, breads, and limited vegetables. Basically a lot of eggs, cheese and meat. I was thrilled to find Kalyn's Kitchen, a food blog with tons of phase one recipes. Most of my recipes come from her site.

Last year, I posted some of my favorite recipes that came out of phase one. Here's my list from this year:

Breakfast:
Breakfast Crepes with Ricotta Cocoa Filling
Zucchini Frittata Ricotta
Egg Muffins with Ham, Cheese and Green Pepper

Main Dishes:
Chicken, Black Bean and Cilantro Soup
Grilled Zucchini and Sausage Kabobs
Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps

Salad
Homemade Sugar-free Greek Salad Dressing
Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Snacks/Desserts:
Peanut Butter Muffins
Jelled Ricotta Pudding

South Beach Peanut Butter Muffins

One of the things I miss most during phase one of the South Beach Diet is the loss of baked goods. Breads, cookies, rolls, muffins, cakes... *sigh.*  This year, I found a recipe for muffins, using ground flax seed and ground almonds instead of flour.  They will not win any tasting contest, but man did they hit the spot when a baked-good craving hit!


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup egg whites (2-3 eggs)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup ground almonds (* My Magic Bullet did a great job on this!)
1/4 cup Splenda granular, sugar substitute (* I used Stevia. This has a "different" aftertaste to it. If you're not used to it, I would use Splenda or another sugar substitute).
1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt peanut butter in microwave for 1 minute or until smooth.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Pour into mini muffin cups (24 cup tray), and bake 15 minutes.

*FYI - I received a Babycakes Cupcake Maker for Christmas. This was the first time I tried it out and it worked great! As you can see from the photo, it makes mini-muffins, but the non-stick meant I didn't need to use any liners. 

South Beach Diet - Phase One

After Thanksgiving, I was sick of not fitting into my clothes and wanted to be more healthy.  So, I decided to try the South Beach diet. It was very effective! I lost eight lbs by Christmas.

I checked out the following three books from the library and also used the internet as a source for recipes:

Here are some links to the recipes I liked most from phase one:

Breakfast:
Vegetable Frittata with Parmesan
Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Dinner:
Chicken Packets
Slow Cooker Recipe for Pulled Pork with Low-Sugar Barbecue Sauce
Souffle Stuffed Chicken
Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

Side Dish:
Surprise South Beach Mashed "Potatoes"

Snack/Dessert:
Turkey Roll-Ups (a snack)
South Beach Diet Faux Ice Cream
Chilled Espresso Custard

Cocoa-Nut Mousse

Salads:
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Armand Salad

Chicken Packets

While doing phase one of the South Beach Diet, we discovered this fantastic way to cook chicken breasts.  Quick and easy and yields tender, moist chicken!


INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)
Seasoning mix of your choice
Zucchini and/or yellow squash, in 1/2 pieces
Optional: 
Chopped scallions
Lemon slices
Other vegetables as desired

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut four 2 ft. lengths of aluminum foil. Fold each in half to make a 1 ft. square.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with seasoning. Place a breast in the middle of the foil square.  Add vegetables to each packet.

Fold foil over chicken and crimp edges to seal tightly.   Bake for 20 minutes on a baking sheet.

Serves: 4

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

This is a South Beach Diet Phase One recipe I found in the Parties and Celebrations cookbook. It was easy and good, but looks fancy!  This would be good to try with other herb combinations, like sage and rosemary.


INGREDIENTS:
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 (3 lb) boneless center-cut pork loin roast

DIRECTIONS:
Position rack in middle of oven and heat to 350 degrees.*
Combine garlic, oregano, fennel seeds, zest, oil and salt in a small bowl. Mash until mixture forms a thick paste.
Place pork on a cutting board so it lies perpendicular to you. Using a sharp knife and beginning at the top of the loin, make an incision down the center, about three-quarters of the way into the meat. Gently spread the loin open and repeat the incision in the center of each half of the loin, so the loin is opened, like a book.
Rub three-fourths of the garlic mixture inside the loin, then close up the loin by folding in half and then in half again. Use twine to tie loin closed.
Rub the remaining garlic mixture over the outside of the loin.
Roast pork until internal temperature reads 150 degrees F, 1 - 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before slicing; serve warm.

Makes 8 (6 oz) servings

* I used my Programmable Slow Cooker with the meat probe inserted into the loin, set to 150 degrees.