Chicken Stew with Drop Dumplings - 9 PointsPlus!

This makes 8 servings and it's only 9 PointsPlus!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (no need to cook, they will cook right in the stew)
1 small onion, diced
2 cups of celery, diced
8 ounces of baby carrots, sliced
4 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups of Swanson Chicken Broth
1/4 cup of fat free skim milk
1 teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of frozen peas (unfortunately I was out and had to use canned but the frozen would be much better)
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley


For the dumplings:
2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup of fat free skim milk
3 tablespoon of butter

Heat the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour taste. Whisk in the chicken broth and 1/4 cup of skim milk. Add the thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Right before you are ready to add the dumplings, Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Heat the skim milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Add both the butter and the milk to the flour and mix well until smooth.

Return the stew to a simmer. dd the peas and parsley. Drop golf-ball sized dumplings onto the hot stew. It will make about 18 dumplings. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the dumplings have doubled in size, about 15 minutes.

Salisbury Steak - 4 PointsPlus!

Dinner that is.....I lightened up my Salisbury Steak recipe (made it 4 PointsPlus) and put together a recipe for mashed cauliflower that tastes a lot like mashed potatoes (only 2 PointsPlus) but not quite what I'm looking for.  As soon as I perfect the recipe, I'll post it.  Meanwhile, I served it with steamed broccoli for a total of 6 PointsPlus for the ENTIRE meal.  We're not talking about a little bitty steak either....this steak weighed in at 5 ounces...that's over a quarter pound.  You know how tiny those lean cuisine Salisbury Steaks are...well, not this steak.  This meal was very satisfying!

Salisbury Steak

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (8-ounce) package of baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup of finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of egg beaters
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

For the gravy:
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 cups of water
6 tablespoons of brown gravy mix

In a bowl, using your clean hands, mix together all of the Salisbury Steak ingredients (except the non-stick cooking spray) until it holds together in a ball.  Divide into 6 equal parts, about 5 ounces each.  Form into patties.  spray a large skillet with cooking spray and brown the patties over medium heat.  Remove the patties to a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the same skillet, saute the sliced onions in the Olive Oil until soft.   Mix the gravy mix with the water and add to the skillet stirring until mixture comes to a bubble.  Simmer, stirring occasionally 1 minute.  Pour over the steaks.

Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes.

Servings: 6
PointsPlus: 4