Date Night--April 24, 2013

I've been a little lax with my posting.  I am truly and deeply sorry.  Last week we were in the city and there was not really a "date night."  The week before, I just ran out of time.  I know that's no excuse.

But I'm back now and ready to share my dinner plans.

Appetizer
Shrimp and crab cocktail  (WW pp+--3)

Cocktail
I'll have whiskey and diet coke.  I'm not sure what I'll  make for Josh.  Maybe a Manhattan, maybe a gimlet.  Maybe I'll read some of his books.  Maybe I'll let him tell me what he'd like.  (WW pp+--4)

Dinner
Grilled Thai Beef Salad (WW pp+--4)
  
Grilled Thai Beef Salad

Weight Watchers Recipe

TurnAround Program Book, from Weight Watchers Publishing Group

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4PointsPlus Value

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Prep time: 16 min

Cook time: 8 min

Other time: 0 min

Serves: 4

Thai salads often call for sugar to balance the acidity in their dressings. We use the natural sweetness of carrots to mellow the lime juice and soy sauce.

Ingredients   3/4 pound(s) uncooked lean flank steak, trimmed of all visible fat    1/4 tsp table salt      1 1/4 cup(s) shredded carrot(s)    3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce    3 Tbsp water    3 Tbsp fresh lime juice    1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, peeled and minced      1 average serrano chile(s)(average), seeded and coarsely chopped (wear gloves to prevent irritation)      3 cup(s) (shredded) romaine lettuce, shredded      1/2 medium English cucumber(s), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced      1 medium sweet red pepper(s), seeded and thinly sliced    3/4 cup(s) mint leaves, fresh, coarsely chopped      1/2 cup(s) (sliced) uncooked red onion(s), thinly sliced    Instructions Spray a grill rack with canola oil nonstick spray; prepare the grill. Lightly spray the steak with canola oil nonstick spray and sprinkle with the salt. Grill the steak 5 inches from the heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the steak registers 145°F for medium-rare, 3–4 minutes on each side. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Slice thinly on an angle across the grain. Meanwhile, put 1⁄4 cup of the carrots, the soy sauce, water, lime juice, ginger, and chile in a mini–food processor; process until the carrots and chile are very finely minced. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup carrots, the steak, lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, mint, and onion; mix well. Yields 2 cups per serving.

I think I'll make extra salad dressing an marinade the steak for a few hours.  And, since it is getting warmer (marginally) I may actually grill the steak.  How novel.

Since this is a salad, there will be no veggie side dish.

Dessert
Yoghurt, Berry, Granola Parfait  (WW pp+--6)  This is kind of a recipe of my own creation.  It began with this Emily Bites recipe:

Granola Cups with Yoghurt

Granola Cups with Yogurt

Source: adapted from Mommie CooksIngredients: 2 cups old-fashioned oats ½ cup wheat germ ¼ cup sliced almonds ¼ cup dried cranberries 2 T light butter ¼ cup honey ¼ cup molasses 2 T brown sugar 1 t cinnamon ½ t ground ginger ¼ t ground cloves ¼ t salt 1 t vanilla extract 2 ¼ cups fat free vanilla yogurt (I used Dannon light & fit) assorted berries for topping
Directions: 1.    In a large bowl combine the oats, wheat germ, almonds and cranberries and stir until thoroughly mixed and set aside. 2.    In a small skillet, combine the butter, honey, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and bring over medium heat. Stir and heat until ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir to combine. 3.    Pour the molasses mixture into the bowl with the oats and stir until the oats are completely coated. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. 4.    Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly mist 12 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide the granola mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Using your fingers, press the granola down into each cup and up the sides to from a cup. The mixture will be sticky so every few cups I rinsed my fingers in cold water to keep them from getting too sticky. 5.    Bake the granola cups for 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the granola to cool completely before removing the cups from the muffin tin. The cups will firm while cooling. Once they are cooled, spoon in the filling of your choice. I filled mine with 3 tablespoons of fat free vanilla yogurt each and then topped them with berries.
Yields 12 cups.Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4 per cup *with 3 T fat free vanilla yogurt* (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com). Nutrition per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 170 calories, 31 g carbs, 3 g fat, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber
Weight Watchers Points Plus:  4 per cup *without yogurt* (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 150 calories, 27 g carbs, 3 g fat, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber

We found the cups were a little awkward to eat.  But if I crush a cup (perfect portion control!) and layer it with a carton of Yoplait 100 Greek Yoghurt and berries, I get a nice breakfast treat, or for tonight, I a tasty dessert.

Probably I'll have coffee with Amaretto in it as well.  (WW pp+--4)

So this is my Date Night plan.  What's your dinner plan?

happy cooking