Archive | April, 2010

Gansevoort 69 by the Highline

23 Apr

My friend, Debbie and I were wandering around by the entrance to the Highline looking for a bite to eat one beautiful Saturday afternoon. We saw Gansevoort 69 and it looked like a nice diner, so we decided to try it.  I was actually pretty surprised by the inside. It was very modern and looked like an upscale restaurant inside.

Debbie was torn between a few dishes, including the Mac & Cheese.  The waiter mentioned that they were just written up in AM New York as one of the best Mac & Cheeses in town.  Strangely enough, I have read one AM New York in the past 3 years and this was the one I had read.  No brainer… Debbie went for the Mac & Cheese.  She was nice enough to give me a bite and it was good, but nothing spectacular.

I went with the “Not Your Mama’s Bennie” which included 2 poached eggs (healthier because there is no oil used to cook them) with Canadian Bacon (the healthier bacon) on a homemade hashbrown.  I asked for the hollandaise on the side (and didn’t even touch it!), went with whole wheat bread, and made sure to eat every bite of the salad.  Simple changes!

Here’s a zoom in.

And a further zoom in… 

See that under the egg there?  Does that look like a hashbrown to anyone?  I mean MAYBE if it were warm and soft… but it was like potato sticks made into a nest.  Not bad, really, but not what I’d consider a “hashbrown.” Made it easier not to eat and spare me the point though. 🙂

Luckily, the egg was cooked PERFECTLY.  This was definitely the highlight of the meal as a perfectly cooked poached egg is surprisingly hard to come by.

Total points for 2 poached eggs, salad, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, 2 bites of “hashbrowns,” and Canadian bacon? 8 points!  Not too bad for a very filling brunch.

In the end, Gansevoort 69 was good, but nothing special.

Total Nom Points: 6 out of 10

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Weight Watchers Cooking Take 3: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Roasted Veggies, and Diet Potato Au Gratin

21 Apr

I’ve had a recipe for Sweet and Sour Low Carb chicken in my stash for years.  I was pleased to see that the point value was quite low and I could take one of my favorite recipes from the past and use it without alteration.  The key is diet orange soda (I’m a huge Diet Sunkist fan now anyway).  I have served this recipe to many who haven’t been any wiser that it’s a “healthy” version.  It has a ton of flavor.

It takes a good amount of time for the sauce to cook down to look like this…

We decided to pair it with broccoli and yellow cauliflower roasted with garlic.



(I have a new camera that I love… and this picture marks the point where I learned how to use it)

I also found a recipe for Weight Watchers au gratin potatoes sounded so good.

I was shocked that this was so low in points and tasted so good.  Next time I’ll make it in a larger, shallower dish so the top crisps more, but it was delish and definitely worth adding to the recipe stash… Weight Watchers or no Weight Watchers!



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RECIPES
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Low Carb Sweet & Sour Chicken

4 Servings
3 Points per Serving

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Brown chicken and onions in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray.
  2. When chicken is brown, add the remaining ingredients.
  3. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
  4. Uncover and reduce liquid until it makes a syrupy sauce (about 20-30 minutes- Keep an eye on it that it doesn’t burn).

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Weight Watchers Au Gratin Potato

3 Points per Serving
8 Servings

Instructions:

  • 1 spray cooking spray
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup fat-free skim milk
  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold potato(es), thinly sliced
  • 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Coat a 2-quart covered baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in flour; add milk slowly, stirring. Add potatoes and stir to mix. Bring to a boil.
  5. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper.
  6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and level out surface.
  7. Bake for 1 hour, uncovered.
  8. Cover and bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes more.
  9. Change oven temperature to broil.
  10. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes.
  11. Broil 6 inches from the heating element until the cheese is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

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My First Weight Watchers Oops: Ramen!

19 Apr

One day I had soup with some dumplings. I was impressed to see that the broth was “free” for points and the dumplings were surprisingly low in points.  The lunch was one of the best I found (points wise) in Chinatown.  So Ramen couldn’t be THAT bad, right? Oh so very wrong…

I saw the serving of the noodles was 5 points… so I thought maybe this whole thing (including half an egg and some grilled pork) couldn’t be more than 8 points.  Well… it was 5 points for a HALF cup.  I had about a cup and a half… 15 points on NOODLES.  That’s a mistake I won’t make again.  Nearly 20 points of my 24 for the day slurped up in one sitting.

Luckily there is a great alternative… SOBA! Buckwheat noodles are two points for one full cup.  That’s a no brainer right there!

So after all this I’m sure you’re wondering if my 20 point lunch was worth it? Absolutely not.  It was just… bland.  So bland that it’s not even worth looking up what random place we went for this bowl of flavorlessness. 

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