Lite Restaurant Challenge - Stella

Stella
www.bostonstella.com

Stella has become a regular fixture in my restaurant repertoire. It started so because it is about a block away from my friend Kevin’s condo in the South End, but it continues to be so because of its amazing food at reasonable prices - and equally important it has a fun chic atmosphere and interesting bar scene. You never know who you are going to meet there and the bartenders all know us at this point which make this a perfect neighborhood spot for any night of the week. It can get crowded so make a reservation on opentable.com or wait for seats at the bar which is usually my preference unless you have more than 2-3 people.

Over time we have sampled most of the menu which never disappoints, but for now I will focus on last night’s experience. The Bolognese is still the best I have EVER had so I highly recommend it – but since I rejoined weight watchers in September I am challenged to find dishes at my favorite places that I enjoy but won’t break my POINTS budget for the week.

Let’s see how I did:

Crudo Misto - If you like sashimi or sushi like dishes this is your appetizer. Alternating fresh (raw) salmon and tuna covered with a limoncello vinaigrette is to die for.

WW POINTS – 6 total – 3 per person since we shared

Swordfish Siciliano with Capers and Asparagus. – Beautiful presentation with a perfectly seared swordfish filet perched on top of roasted potatoes and topped with asparagus, red onion and capers. The swordfish was moist and the topping very flavorful. I give it an A- overall.

WW POINTS – 8

Wine - 05 Argiolas “Costamolino” Vermentino - 2 glasses

WW POINTS – 2

Total damage: 14 POINTS – not bad for 2 courses and wine

Not too bad! And if you were doing core plan all you would need to count is the wine and some for oil that is likely in the swordfish dish.

Lite Soups - Leek and Cauliflower Soup

I admit I stole this recipe from another blog while surfing around one day online. It was described as having a creamy texture while not having any cream in the soup at all. After reading the ingredients I realized this soup would be ZERO points so I had to give it a try. It was as delicious and creamy as described and utterly guilt free. This is nice enough to serve at a dinner party or make a batch on the weekend and eat all week as a filling appetizer.

Enjoy!

Leek & Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 medium leeks, sliced into rounds and washed
• 1 medium sweet onion
• olive oil
• 1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• ½ crown broccoli florets, optional
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and leeks with a bit of olive oil, until they soften but do not brown. Add cauliflower, broccoli, and stock and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in the blender (or if you have an immersion blender like I do you can do this right in the pot) , placing pureed soup in a bowl. When finished pureeing, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings – zero WW points!

Lite Veggie Side - Roasted Fennel

I first discovered fennel while on vacation in Italy in Positano, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We ordered an antipasti appetizer at one of the many restauraunts down along the beach, and the roasted fennel that was part of that plate was incredibly delicious! Of course I decided I would try and make that at home (I am told I say that about a lot of restaurant dishes!) and it is a very easy and low calorie vegetable you can make any day of the week. I now make this at least twice a month and get requests for how to make it from friends and relatives often. So easy! Enjoy.

Roasted Fennel

Ingredients:
1 -2 Fennel Bulbs, stalks and fronds removed
Olive oil cooking spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice fennel bulb into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Spray tops of fennel with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt.

Roast in oven 12 minutes or until fennel is soft and staring to brown.


WW Points - ZERO - YIPPEE

Lite Dinner Tonight - Scallops Gremolata

This might be the easiest recipe I have and yet looks like a restaurant quality dish. Nice sea scallops are readily available at most grocery stores and are frequently on sale. While the other ingredients seem mundane, when put together the flavor of this is delicious. I make this frequently and my boyfriend asks for it all the time. Enjoy!

Scallops Gremolata

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place breadcrumbs in large zip-top plastic bag; add scallops. Seal bag; shake to coat. Add scallops to pan; cook 4 minutes. Turn scallops; cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove from heat. Add parsley and remaining ingredients; stir gently to coat.

4 servings (serving size: about 5 ounces scallops) – 4 WW POINTS

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 217(28% from fat); FAT 6.7g (sat 0.8g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 29.3g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 60mg; SODIUM 557mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.5g

Lite Dinner Tonight - Asian Meat Loaf

I am not a fan of meat loaf - in fact I loathe meat loaf and have since I was a kid (ask my mom!). But this is no ordinary meat loaf - this Asian inspired version is moist and full of flavor from the hoisin sauce and ginger, and has a nice crunch from the water chestnuts.

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light, my favorite recipe resource. The only change I made was to separate the meat into 9 muffin tins and cooked for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees. It made enough for dinner, leftovers, and still some to freeze for future easy dinner on the fly. Served with sesame soy spinach and sauteed broccoli. Yum!

Asian Meat Loaf

(3 1/2-ounce) package plain rice crackers (such as ka-me)
1 pound ground turkey breast
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup hoisin sauce, divided
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup drained chopped canned water chestnuts
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely chopped.

Combine cracker crumbs, turkey, pork, green onions, 1/4 cup hoisin, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Shape mixture into 6 (5 x 2 1/2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons hoisin over top of each meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Let stand 5 minutes.

Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 loaf) : 6 WW POINTS

Adapted for 9 muffin sized mini-loaves : 4 WW POINTS

CALORIES 288(16% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 29.5g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 651mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.2g