Wednesday, September 2, 2009

WE INTERRUPT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM...

The Food of Love was born in May 2008, a product of both my love for cooking and writing. Over the ensuing 15 months, I've added some wonderful friends from the food blogging stratosphere to my life. On the negative side of the spreadsheet, I've also added a bit of girth to my no-longer-girlish figure. And so, as I've done in the past, I've returned to Weight Watchers. But this time, it's official. I've joined online to use the e-Tools and I've returned to the once a week meeting. Seems I need to pay and make public my largesse--or is that largeness--in order to have the program work for me. I considered putting The Food of Love on hiatus, but I'd miss my readers and the opportunity to capture my thoughts in writing. So...we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you the new Food of Love "lite." In the next few months I will be focusing on good food that has been made more healthy. I have an army of Weight Watcher cookbooks, Cooking Light magazine, and my own knowledge of how to substitute and replace to assist me.

If you're a regular reader, you know that I always have a few of those pork loins in my freezer. Last month they were on sale for $0.99 a pound, so I stocked up. This simple Weight Watcher recipe relies on two of my favorite flavor enhancers: fresh rosemary and garlic. Accompanying this flavorful herbed pork loin are roasted sweet potato wedges, which are also brought to life with fresh rosemary. Rounding out the meal was steamed broccoli and a tossed salad with red onion, tomatoes, and cukes.

Rosemary and Garlic Grilled Pork Loin
4 servings
5 WW points per serving

Ingredients
1 pound(s) lean pork tenderloin, use one whole loin
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium garlic clove(s), crushed
2 Tbsp rosemary, fresh
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
Place pork on a large sheet of plastic wrap. In a small bowl, mix together oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, crushing rosemary slightly with a spoon as you mix; spread mixture over pork, covering entire surface. Wrap loin tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (and up to overnight).
Prepare grill for medium-hot indirect cooking or preheat oven to 425°F.
Remove plastic wrap and place pork on grill. Grill, turning occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F, about 25 minutes. Or indoors, place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan and roast until internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 20 minutes. (Note: Pork loin can be pink and juicy inside and be fully cooked, but it is important that the internal temperature be at least 160°F.)
Remove pork from grill or oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Yields about 3 ounces of pork per serving.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
4 servings
2 WW points per serving

Ingredients
2 large sweet potato(es), washed and patted dry
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 item(s) rosemary sprig, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Cut each potato into 8 lengthwise wedges and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and dried rosemary. Roast for 15 minutes; toss and roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
Spoon potato wedges onto a serving plate and garnish with fresh rosemary. Yields 4 wedges per serving.

Taste Notes
This delicious meal "cost" me a mere 8 points (5 for the entree, 2 for the starch, and 1 for the vinegarette I used on my tossed salad), a true bargain and one I hope will result in less of me at Saturday's weigh in.

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad you decided to keep blogging! I enjoy the WW recipes. In fact, so many of them are really good. I have a couple of the WW cookbooks too, but I lent them to a friend who joined WW. You can't go wrong with the pork tenderloin. I enjoy the pork tenderloin whether I'm watching what I eat or not. Good luck!! Maybe I'll get some motivation from reading your posts : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ay Cariño, you make losing weight sound so delicious. I'm going to be paying attention, maybe I can follow you and lose a few pounds myself. I love pork loin, so it's nice that I wouldn't have to give it up. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am all for this! I love WW recipes and have several that I turn to over and over again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think Food of Love Lite will still be awesomely delicious and look forward to your scrumptious posts to come.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We have been away on vacation for the past two weeks in the "wild west" eating way too much red meat and drinking way too much micro beers, so I'll need weight watchers and "lite" recipes when I get back home!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting The Food of Love. I know it takes time to make a comment, but please know that they are very much appreciated.