Thursday 12/30/2010 Slow Cooker French Onion Soup with Beef and Cucumber Garden Salad

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup with Beef
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 8 hours  6 yellow onions , cut in half and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon butter 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat 3 10-ounce cans beef consommé 1 1/4 cups apple juice 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 loaf French bread, sliced 3/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded per serving: 443 calories; 38 grams protein; 18 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 8 grams saturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 92 mgs cholesterol; 813 mgs sodium; 10 weight watcher points		[1] Toss onions with butter in a slow cooker. Top with bay leaf and beef. [2] Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 hours or until onions are deep, golden brown. [3] Stir in the beef consomme, apple juice and thyme and increase the setting to high, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until hot. Remove the bay leaf. [4] To serve, spoon into ovenproof soup bowls and top each serving with a slice of bread and some of the cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown. [5] Using oven mitts, gently remove the soup bowls from the oven and serve.  Can you use beef broth instead of consomme? Yes, if you're in a bind but consomme is heartier and a little thicker.

Cucumber Garden Salad with Champagne Dressing
Prep time: 10 minutes 1/2 head Romaine lettuce, washed and torn 1 cucumber , peeled and diced 1 tomato , cored and diced 1/4 cup Girard's Champagne dressing 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese per serving: 83 calories; 5 grams protein; 5 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 3 grams saturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 15 mgs cholesterol; 53 mgs sodium; 2 weight watcher points		[1] In a medium salad bowl, combine lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Serve sprinkled with goat cheese.