Weight Watchers - The Complete Kitchen Cookbook Review and One Pan Fry-Up Recipe

I was pretty excited to receive a copy of the new Weight Watchers cookbook to review because I was such a fan of the Simply Enjoy cookbook I received previously and I have bought most of the Weight Watchers cookbooks that feature the new Pro Points recipes. Rather than having a narrow theme like some of their other publications e.g Oriental Express Cookbook and One Pot Meals, this is a one stop guide to all the recipes you would need to follow the Weight Watcher plan and not get bored.

It is great for someone who is a novice in the kitchen because it has a helpful section on how to make basics like bread, stock and white sauce, general cooking tips like browning meat and making breadcrumbs and a glossary of cooking terms.
It has over 145 new recipes, 70 of which are vegetarian and many vegetarian alternatives which makes The Complete Cookbook suitable for all tastes. I really like the Pro Points value index which makes it easy to figure out what to have for dinner when you only have a certain number of points left.

The sections which I found most appealing were the Kitchen Basics and Everyday Value because I will be using these a lot to make meals for the whole family on a budget. This cookbook doesn't feature a lot of expensive or obscure ingredients which suits me but it does feature some gorgeous desserts and impressive mains like Tiger Prawn Tagliatelle and Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes.

I would have liked the book to feature more photos of the finished products and preparation methods as I tend to have some kitchen disasters and love to see what it is supposed to look like. I would also like to  have seen a few more 0 point recipes like soup but those are my only real criticisms.

This book is available to buy on January 1st from Weight Watchers classes all over the UK and from the Weight Watchers website.

I have a great recipe to share with you from the new book. I have been cooking this a lot over the festive period because I haven't had to go to work in the morning. With only one pot to wash this would make a great weekend breakfast to share leaving you plenty of time to relax.


One Pan Fry-Up

11 Pro Points per recipe
20 minutes in total to make
Serves 2

You will need:

Calorie controlled cooking spray
250g potatoes peeled an cut into 2cm dice
3 bacon medallions chopped
150g chestnut or button mushrooms, sliced thickly
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Spray a lidded non stick frying pan lightly with cooking spray. Stir-fry the potatoes for 3-4 minutes over a high heat until starting to brown at the edges. Season with pepper, add 3 tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes over a low heat, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are almost cooked through.

2. Remove the lid, add the bacon and increase the heat under the pan to medium. Cook for 2 minutes , then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

3. Make two spaces in the potato mixture and break an egg into each gap. Cover the pan again and cook gently for 2 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve on warmed plates.

Veggie Tip- Replace the bacon with 50g of Quorn Deli Bacon Style Rashers chopped. They need less cooking than bacon so add them to the mixture just before adding the eggs to the pan. The Pro Points value will be the same.

Have you tried any of the Weight Watcher cookbooks? What are your favourite cookbooks to use when you are on a diet?

I will feature another recipe from the book next week but what would you like to see? A veggie option, dessert, or a main?