Delicious in 20 minutes
Most of the dishes you can put on the table in a hurry are higher in convenience than nutrition or health benefits. People looking for ways to eat well but do it without a lot of fuss can find 250 ideas for dishes to eat from morning through night, plus desserts and options for vegetarians, in a new book, “Weight Watchers in 20 Minutes” (Wiley, $29.95). A kitchen-friendly feature of the book is that it’s in a concealed, wirebound format for easy viewing while cooking. Here’s an option for lunch or a light dinner.
Lebanese Chicken-Pita Salad
To save even more time, instead of cooking the chicken in Step 1, use a 10-ounce package of sliced grilled chicken breast. Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 ( 6-inch) white or wheat pita breads, toasted
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and chopped
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8teaspoon of the pepper. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 5 minutes; transfer to a serving bowl. Set aside.
Tear the pitas into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl with the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, cumin, and the remaining 1/4teaspoon salt and 1/8teaspoon pepper. Toss to mix well.
Per serving (about 2 cups) 292 calories; 7g fat; 2g saturated fat (0 g trans fat), 68mg cholesterol; 583mg sodium; 27g carbohydrates; 4g fiber; 30g protein; 47mg calcium.
