Applebee's  Low-Fat Asian Chicken Salad

As the seasons change so does the menu, at this
 popular 1064-unit casual restaurant chain. You’ll
 find this item in the “Low-Fat and Fabulous” column
 during the summer months where it’s been a favorite
 since 1997. As with any salad, the waistline violator
 is the traditionally fat-filled dressing that’s
drizzled in gobs over the top of very healthy greens
 (a tablespoon of dressing is usually around 10-12
grams of fat each). So if we can just figure out a
cool way to make the dressing fat-free, we’re well
on our way to making huge salad – four of them to be
 exact – with only 12 grams of fat on the entire plate.
 Most of those grams come from the chicken breast, while
 the crunchy chow mein noodles pick up the rest. Just be
sure to plan ahead when you make this one. The chicken
should marinate for a few hours if you want it to taste
 like the original. Get ready for some big, meal-size salads. 
1 cup teriyaki marinade
4 chicken breast fillets
Fat-Free Asian Dressing
2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dry pectin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3 cups shredded red cabbage
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped green onion
1 1/3 cups crispy chow mein noodles

1. Combine teriyaki marinade and chicken breasts in a medium
 bowl or resealable plastic bag. Marinate chicken for 3-4 hours.
2. Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients
 in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a
 rolling boil while stirring often with a whisk, then remove
 the pan from the heat to cool. When dressing has cooled, pour
 it into a covered container and chill.
3. When chicken breasts have marinated, preheat barbecue grill
 to high heat. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, or until
 done.
4. Combine the romaine and iceberg lettuce, red and green cabbage
 and 1 cup of shredded carrots in a large bowl with the dressing.
 Toss well.
5. Divide the tossed greens among four plates. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of
 green onions over each salad, followed by 1/3 cup of crispy chow
 mein noodles.
6. When the chicken breasts are done, slice each one, widthwise,
 into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle the sliced chicken breasts over
 each salad.
7. Place a 1/4 cup pile of shredded carrots in the center of
each salad.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size – 1 salad
Total servings – 4
Fat (per serving) – 12g
Calories (per serving) – 575

Applebee's  Bananaberry Freeze

Ah, if only kitchen cloning was an exact science.
While working on this one I saw the same bartender
make the drink two different ways on two different
days. Only after a firm grilling did I get her
admitting to her personal "improvement" to the chain's
secret recipe. The official clone includes the
ingredients found below. But if you want to add a little
pineapple juice -- as some independent thinking
bartenders are apt to do -- you might discover you
have indeed created a tastier version of this refreshing
smoothie. On that day the cloning gods shall be looking
the other way.
But, for heaven's sake, be sure your banana is soft
and ripe. This is a detail the gods won't ignore.

1 10-ounce box frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1/3 cup pina colada mix
2 cups ice
2 ripe bananas

Garnish
whipped cream
2 fresh strawberries

1. Use a blender to puree the entire contents of the thawed
 box of frozen strawberries.
2. Add 1/3 cup pina colada mix and 2 cups of ice to the blender.
3. Cut the end off end banana -- set these pieces aside to use
later as a garnish -- then put the bananas into the blender.
4. Blend on high speed until the ice is crushed and the drink
 is smooth. Pour into two tall stemmed glasses, such as daiquiri
 glasses.
5. Slice each strawberry halfway up through the middle and add
 one to the rim of each glass.
6. Cut each banana slice halfway through the middle and add one
 to the rim of each glass next to the strawberry. Top with
whipped cream and serve with a straw.
Makes 2 servings.

Applebee's  Baked French Onion Soup

Don't even try to find this one on the menu at Applebee's,
because it isn't there; though it's the most popular soup
served each day at this huge restaurant chain.  This is the
first of several big-time soup clones we'll unveil here in
the next few weeks to help get you through the cold winter
months. And they're all a cinch to make. Just be sure you
have some oven-safe soup bowls for this one, since we'll
have to broil it a bit before serving. Under the gooey
melted provolone of the original version you get from A
pplebee's is a unique round crouton that's made from bread
similar to a hamburger bun. So that's exactly what we'll use
in our clone.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium white onions, sliced
8 cups beef broth (Swanson is best)
1 cup water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 plain hamburger buns
10 slices provolone cheese
10 teaspoons shredded parmesan cheese

1. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a large soup pot or saucepan
 over medium/high heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté
for 20 minutes until the onions begin to soften and start
 to become translucent. You don't want them to brown.
2. Add the beef broth, water, salt, garlic powder and
black pepper to the pan and bring mixture to a boil.
When soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for
 45 minutes.
3. To make the croutons cut off the top half of each top
 of the hamburger bun so that the bread is the same thickness
 as the bottom half of each bun. Throw the tops away. Now you
 should have 10 round pieces of bread -- 5 bottom buns, and 5
 top buns with the tops cut off. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
 Place the bread in the the oven directly on the rack and bake
 for 15 to 20 minutes or until each piece is golden brown
 and crispy. Set these croutons aside until you need them.
4. When the soup is done, spoon about 1 cup into an oven-safe
 bowl. Float a crouton on top of the soup, then place a slice
 of provolone cheese on top of the crouton. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon
 of shredded parmesan cheese over the provolone.
5. Place the bowl into your oven set to high broil. Broil the
 soup for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and
starting to brown (you may need to broil longer if you are
making more than one bowl at a time). Sprinkle an additional
1/2 teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the
soup and serve. Repeat process to prepare remaining servings.
Makes 10 servings.

Applebee's Pico de Gallo

Notes:  This is a great summer relish to serve with chips,
 or even on a hamburger.
INGREDIENTS:
 3 large tomatoes diced, 1 large onion diced
 2 Tbsp. diced Jalapenos, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (diced)
 2 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar

Preparation Instructions: Mix all ingredients together in
large container until well blended. Allow to sit for at least
 6 hours, it is better if allowed to sit overnight.

Almost Snickers

Recipe By     : Mary Ann Housman (WW leader)
Serving Size  : 8    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Copycat

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  12      ounces        Low fat ice cream -- softened
   1      cup           Low fat Cool Whip
     1/4  cup           Crunchy peanut butter
   1      package       Sugar free Chocolate pudding
   3      ounces        Grape Nut cereal

Mix together ice cream, Cool Whip, peanut butter and pudding.
Fold in Grape Nuts.
Spread in 8x8 inch pan and freeze.