Pointless Eating
These diet recipes are low in Weight Watchers points but high in flavor.
Of course, the recipes in this new book are not with-
out limitations. After all, Winning Points is still meant
to reduce and control weight. Most meat and fish por-
tions are limited to 4-6 ounces. You can eat anything,
just not a lot of it at any one time.
What the recipes offer is compromise — high-point
foods are "stretched" or augmented by low- or no-point
foods consisting mostly of vegetables.
"I stretch points all the time," says Mark. "I take a
`0-point' food like our vegetable soup and boil it down
to a sauce, add some garlic and mushrooms and serve it
over salmon. Or I'll make an egg white omelet and fill
it with low- or no-point vegetables."
The following recipes from Weight Watchers' new
Greatest Hits fit into any regime. Note that some of the
recipe directions here are shorter versions of those in
the book.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
M
ore and more people are getting the
point. You can eat and manage your
weight if you count points.
Winning Points that is. This pro-
gram, the newest in the Weight Watchers history, allots
points to nearly every food imaginable. Depending on
their weight and age, dieters are allotted a certain num-
ber of food points each day to consume. Individuals
can choose the way they "spend" these points.
Although encouraged to eat sensibly to control
hunger and nutritional values, one can eat anything.
Really.
"It's the most popular program we've ever had," says
franchise owner Florine Mark of Farmington Hills.
Part of the reason this program thrives is the network
of support materials available, including cookbooks,
newsletters and prepared foods stocked in supermarkets.
Now, 40 years after Weight Watchers began, there's a
brand new cookbook hitting the stores this week.
Greatest Hits offers the 250 most popular recipes
they've ever published, includes the classics, such as
meadoaf, Tuna Noodle Casserole and Baked Alaska, as
well as new-age California Rolls and Grilled Duck
Breasts with Balsamic-Orange Glaze, among many oth-
ers.
"These are real foods for real people," Mark says.
"Never go on a diet where you deprive yourself When
you deprive yourself over a period of time you get into
trouble."
ORANGE CHICKEN
1 medium orange
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, each 1/4-pound
(4 ounces), trimmed of visible fat
Preheat oven to 3500F. Peel off the orange zest with a
peeler (avoid the white pith) and mince it. Trim off
some of the remaining orange rind with a knife, then
cut the orange into 8 wedges.
Stir the orange zest, oil, paprika, rosemary, garlic salt
and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the orange mixture all
over the chicken. Transfer to a roasting pan and scatter
the orange wedges around the chicken pieces.
Roast until the juices run clear, about 45 minutes.
Cover loosely with foil and let stand 5 minutes before
serving. Makes 4 servings, 4 points per serving.
Fir
"r4tee'W;% '6'4'
Lemon Risotto with Spring Vegetables
Bake until the fish flakes easily when tested with a
fork, 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the
fish. Spoon any pan juices over the fish and sprinkle
with the parsley. Serve at once, with the lemon wedges.
Makes 4 servings; 4 points per serving.
LEMON RISOTTO WITH
SPRING VEGETABLES
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch
pieces
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 garlic doves, minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
BAKED HALIBUT WITH LEMON AND
1 cup thawed frozen baby peas
CAPERS
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 halibut steaks, each 1/4 pound
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. plain bread crumbs
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the aspara-
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
gus and salt, and cook just until the asparagus is bright
1/4 tsp. salt
green, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the asparagus
Freshly ground pepper
in a colander under cold running water to stop cook-
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
ing. Set aside.
4 lemon wedges
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer in a large
Preheat oven to 3500F. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish
saucepan over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat and
with nonstick spray.
keep at a simmer.
Place the fillets skin-side down in the baking dish
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Saute the leeks,
and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Brush each fil- garlic and thyme until the leeks begin to soften, about 3
let with the oil, then sprinkle them with the bread
minutes.
crumbs, capers, salt and pepper.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the outer shell
,
2/28
2003
79