If you follow The Flying Fork on Facebook (and if you don’t, why the heck not?), you know that I have flown the coop. I have given in, acquiesced, bitten the proverbial bullet. I have joined Weight Watchers. Not that anyone cares, except, well, my recipes ’round these parts might change a bit. I’m not going raw vegan or anything. I’m just trying to tone down my usual cooking a bit, and work on the ole portion control part of the show. I tell you this because I hope you’ll keep me honest. Dieting is not my forte. Oh, I know, I know, Weight Watchers isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle change. Well, lifestyle changes are also not really my bag. But, here goes nothin’. Or, rather, hopefully, here goes some fat.

After I took the $40 plunge and signed up to join a Weight Watcher’s group at work, I ran right out to the grocery store to get my new food. The first two meals were a little demoralizing. After all, I’m the cook, right? My food almost always comes out tasting maddeningly good.

The first thing I tried was a chicken stir-fry with brown rice. The chicken, vegetables, and sauce were miraculously delicious, considering how low in points they were. But that rice? NO THANK YOU. I cooked it in some lite coconut milk and lime juice, hoping to glean some extra flavor from it, and I cooked, and I cooked, and I cooked some more and the stuff would not get done. So after an hour, I pulled it from the stove and just ate it. Later, I was informed that that is just how brown rice is. Kind of has a “tooth” to it, and seems underdone. Uh, no. NEXT. I would rather just have a bowl of chicken, veggies and sauce than face that brown rice again.

The next meal I attempted was spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs, made with lean meat and browned in a skillet, were delicious. The sauce was my usual red sauce with a bit less olive oil, and it was good too. But, once again, I ruined it with the starch. Whole grain pasta? Again, a resounding NO THANK YOU. Slimy, texturally weird, and just all around wrong. In the future, if I require a pasta meal, I will just plan my points accordingly and eat the good stuff. If the “fake” stuff or replacement food item ruins the dish? That just doesn’t work for me.

So, I’m learning. I’m getting tips and tricks from friends and the internet and strangers and it’s all coming together. I don’t have to use weird ingredients or abandon my favorite foods. I just have to take it down a notch, scrap a lot of the butter, embrace canola oil and watch my portions.

In that vein, I give you a more successful recent dinner. I had planned to make very traditional (however lighter) chicken enchiladas, but my tortillas kept falling apart because I didn’t fry them first, so I ended up adapting it to an enchilada “casserole” which, by the way, I recommend. So much easier to throw together on a weeknight than rolling up individual tubes of meat and cheese.

I started by cooking some chicken. I had a bag of frozen chicken tenders, about half full, so I pulled it out and thawed them. I cooked them all, even though I only needed about five tenders (equivalent of maybe two large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts) because I figured I could use that cooked chicken for another meal later.

I just sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam, gave the chicken strips a light dusting of salt and cracked black pepper, and baked them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. When I pulled them from the oven, I used a fork and a knife to “shred” them into small pieces.

Then I started on chili gravy. If you have read The Flying Fork for long, you might remember my amazing chili gravy from a previous post. I wanted to use this basic recipe but lighten it up a bit. So, I poured about a tablespoon and a half of canola oil into a large skillet over medium heat, and added 1/3 cup of flour. I whisked that together to make a paste, and then I turned up the heat to medium high and started adding chicken broth (Kitchen Basics fat-free is the best). I added about half a box and whisked to remove lumps, and then added a bit more. This mixture should come to a boil and thicken rather quickly. Keep adding broth until you get the desired consistency. It shouldn’t be runny, but it also shouldn’t be tacky. Think of gravy. This really is, after all, a gravy. Then I added a half teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder, 3 tablespoons chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of cumin, and continued to whisk. Delicious! And very low in fat and calories!

Next I made my filling mixture. Into a mixing bowl went the chicken, 2 tablespoons of chili gravy, half a small can of diced green chilis, a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, and 1/4 cup of diced onions.

I used a small casserole dish for this – I think it’s a 2-quart size. I sprayed the bottom of the pan with Pam (I love Pam), dipped two corn tortillas in the chili gravy, and laid them in. I tore a third one in half, dipped it, and filled in the gaps on the bottom of the pan.

Then I used half of the chicken mixture — just sprinkled it over the tortillas, and then sprinkled 1/3 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese over that. And, repeat. Top with one more layer of tortillas and a little more cheese, if you so desire.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until warm through. I garnished it with some green onion and cilantro and a tiny dob of light sour cream.

Enchilada Casserole

Yields: 6 portions Weight Watchers Points Plus: 9

1.5 cups diced chicken, white meat
9 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cups flour
1/2 box (about 2 cups) fat-free chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons diced green chilis
1/4 cup diced onions
fresh cilantro
1/2 cup (or less) shredded low fat cheddar
For garnish: fresh cilantro, green onions, lite or fat free sour cream (all optional)

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2012/jan/30/229079/

I cut the casserole into six pieces. I made the cuts smaller on one end (portion control for me) so there would be bigger pieces on the other end (for my husband, who doesn’t need to diet). By my calculations, my sixth of this casserole (granted it was a small sixth) was about nine points. And that’s generous — I would rather over estimate the points than underestimate. Because then I’ll just stay fat, and be confused.

I ate this with a handful of baked tortilla chips and some salsa (zero points!) I had made fresh that day. I also had a big salad with salsa for dressing (a completely point free dish!), so the entire meal was somewhere around 12 or 13 points. Again, estimate high.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2012/jan/30/229080/

I got to feel like I ate Mexican food, which is probably my favorite and usually the first to be nixed from a dieter’s repertoire. And I got full. What more could I want?

I’m definitely getting the hang of this.