Weight Watchers for St. Patrick’s Day: corned beef and cabbage

Last year I posted 5 ways to stay lean and green this St. Patrick's Day with some tips to avoid overeating during the holiday.

Remember drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can increase appetite and cause you to over-eat at mealtime. Alcohol is also high in calories, so keep track of your intake. Make sure to hydrate with a lot of water, and try to lighten up your choices, like turning your wine into a wine spritzer or choosing a light beer. 

A quick guide:

• 12 ounces of regular beer: 2.5 POINTS values
• 12 ounces of light beer: 2 POINTS values
• 5 ounces of wine: 2 POINTS values
• 1 "shot" of 86 proof distilled spirits: 2 POINTS values

But if you must indulge, try these two corned beef and cabbage recipes from Weight Watchers. The recipes come from their new cookbook Now & Later – 160 Hearty Recipes that Turn One Meal into Two (available at Weight Watchers meetings). 

Pressure-Cooker Corned Beef

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-pound) low-sodium corned beef, trimmed
• 1 large onion, quartered through the root end
• 2 teaspoons pickling spice
• 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved
• ¾ pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 (2-pound) head green cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
• ¼ cup whole-grain mustard

Instructions:

1. Place the beef, onion, pickling spice, and enough cold water to cover in a 6-quart pressure cooker.  Cover and bring up to high pressure according to the manufacturers’ instructions.  Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle, steady release of the pressure.  Cook until the beef is fork-tender, 1 hour, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain constant pressure.
2. Remove the cooker from the heat and reduce the pressure quickly according to the manufacturers’ instructions.  With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.
3. Place the potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and cabbage in the cooking liquid.  Return the cooker to the heat and bring to high pressure.  Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle, steady release of the pressure.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 minutes.  Remove the cooker from the heat and reduce the pressure quickly.
4. Discard the cooking liquid.  Cut the beef crosswise in half.  Transfer half of the vegetables (6 cups) and half of the beef to a container and let cool.  Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days for later use in Corned Beef Hash.  Cut the remaining half of the beef across the grain into 12 slices.  Serve with the remaining vegetables and the mustard.

Per serving (3 slices beef with 1 ½ cups vegetables and 1 tablespoon mustard):  279 cal, 6 g fat, 6 g fib. 

POINTS value:  5

Note: I haven’t had the greatest luck with pressure cookers, probably because I live at high elevation. If you don’t own a pressure cooker, try cooking your corned beef in a crockpot using this recipe from Family Fun magazine.

Corned Beef Hash

The second recipe is made with leftovers from the first recipe. Not only can you lose weight with Weight Watchers, but you can save money, too.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds reserved cooked corned beef and 6 cups reserved cooked vegetables from Pressure-Cooker Corned Beef
• 4 scallions
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Coarsely chop the beef and vegetables; transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in the scallions, mustard, and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the vegetable mixture and spread evenly to cover the bottom of the skillet with a spatula.  Cook, turning occasionally, until heated through and vegetables are golden, about 8 minutes.

Per serving (1 ½ cups):  307 cal, 2 g fat, 7 g fib. 
POINTS value:  6

Posted on March 8, 2009 in Recipes,Weight Watchers and tagged as healthy recipes, St Patrick's Day

You might also like