This recipe comes in at 8-WW points with the arborio rice contributing most of the points value, it includes 456 calories, and 49g carbs. An addition of lemon zest and or fresh lemon juice will kick up the flavor and zest making it fresher tasting.

The WW recipe comes in at 1 point for those tracking their daily meal plan, and includes 353 calories and 41g carbs. The online recipe Grilled Cuban Chicken with Black Bean and Mango Salsa is fun to make and tastes great with the sweetness coming from the mangos. It’s a light refreshing grill item that will please just about anyone, who doesn’t like grilled chicken and mango?

I made the salsa several hours ahead, but you could make it a day before serving to marry the flavors. The chicken gets marinated for at least 2-hours, but it could stay there for a day or so as well before cooking.

This WW recipe was prepared using the recipe on page 37 of the Best of WW Recipe Cookbook, and is also available online from the WW website, Pan-Fried Fish Sandwich. The recipe comes in at just 5 points for those who track their daily meal plan, with 271 calories, and 29g total carbs.

The recipe calls for flounder fillets (4 4-ounce portions), but I utilized catfish fillets with satisfying results. Another modification I made to the recipe included mixing 1 whole egg with the Dijon mustard to create a cohesive batter. The recipe calls for coating the filets with the mustard, then dipping them into 2 beaten egg whites before dredging them in the cornmeal mixture. I found the recipe’s 3-step batter station a laborious process, and decided to combine the two wet ingredients into one, saving a step in the procedures.

Once the filets are coated with the cornmeal mixture they are pan-sauteed in a skillet over medium heat, cooked on each side for about 4-6 minutes before turning.

While the filets are cooking I set up the buns with the lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. The lettuce we used on our sandwich came from our garden including, arugula, spinach, and dwarf kale. The recipe calls for 4 tsp of tartar sauce, so we made up a small batch of our own. I’ve shared my quick tartar sauce recipe below. This sandwich is reminiscent of fish filet sandwiches you may find on restaurant menus, and is an upgrade from the typical pedestrian fare.

Tartar Sauce

• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped sweet pickle relish
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure

1. Using a medium bowl combine all the ingredients with a whisk or fork until mixed well. Store in a covered container in the fridge until ready for use.

This tarter sauce recipe makes much more than you will need for the pan-fried fish sandwiches. And keeps for a week or so refrigerated.

This refreshing tart is so good that we decided to make it several times after our initial meal plan, its that good. We also changed up the recipe a bit from the original making of the dish with the addition of kalamata olives, asparagus, fresh basil, and fresh sprig mix salad greens on various iterations. It’s one of the few recipes that we added back to several weeks in our WW meal plan rotation. We worked out of The Best of WW Cookbook volume 2 found on page 64, but you can find the recipe on the WW website too. Heck, the cookbook has the tart prominently displayed on it’s cover, it really is a spectacular meal.

Fresh heirloom tomatoes and grape tomatoes make this a wonderful burst of flavor. The phyllo dough bakes to a crispy crust, it reminded us of thin crust traditional pizza, but thinner and crispier. I also changed up the procedure just a bit, the original recipe has you pre-bake the crust with just the feta, salt and pepper until its golden brown, or 10-12 minutes, pressing down on the phyllo dough about half-way through the bake. I followed the pre-bake crust, but the modification was to put the tart back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes after all the remaining toppings were added.

A serving portion is 2 WW points, 76 calories, and 10g carbs.