Spaghetti Squash Cakes

These are the creation of a seasoned Weight Watchers blogger, Roni. Click here for her site and original recipe of these cakes. I had never used spaghetti squash and if you haven't either, watch Roni's instructional video on the same web site. It's really easy and pretty cool the first time! Here's my version, which made 14 cakes. My husband and I decided it's a good idea for a side dish or light lunch but not really a main course at dinner. That being said, we did enjoy them and you can pretty much add anything you want!

6 egg whites
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 large ~ 3 lb. spaghetti squash (about 4.5 cups)
1/2 bunch scallions (green onions), diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the spaghetti squash. I put fork holes all around it and microwaved it for 20 minutes. When it was done, I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds and soft insides, then shredded it with a fork into a bowl (watch her video, you'll see how easy it is!). While it was cooking, I diced the onions and pepper and whisked together the egg and flour to form the mixture. Then, grate the garlic into the flour mixture and add in the rest of the ingredients. Combine together so that the mixture coats everything. Heat a pan, coated with cooking spray, and spoon the cakes into it, cooking each about 3-5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Enjoy with your favorite condiment (we used ketchup and BBQ sauce) or alone.

Rice Pudding

I have always loved rice pudding, ever since my grandmother would make it for us when I was a kid. I got this recipe out of Cooking Light and am so excited to have found a lower fat version of a favorite dessert.

2 cups Arborio rice
3-1/2 cups fat free milk (I used half milk, half Silk Light Vanilla soy milk)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk (I skipped this and it made no difference)
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs beaten (I used eggbeaters)
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Bring the milk, sugar and rice to a boil. Cook rice until soft and creamy, about 35-40 minutes. Continue to add more milk as necessary to prevent the rice from drying out or burning.

When the rice is done, gradually add half of it to the eggs in a separate bowl, stirring constantly with a wisk. Return egg and rice mixture to the rest of the rice in the pot and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add in the raisins and vanilla. Makes 8 servings.

Vegetable soup

I thought I would try to make a vegetable soup and began working off of a recipe my mother had given me but then it took on a life of it's own. I needed to use up the veggies in my fridge so I pretty much threw in everything I had.

olive oil, 1 turn of the pot
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated and sliced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 portobello mushroom cap, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 cup rotini pasta
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the onion in the oil approximately 5 minutes or until translucent. Mix in all the veggies, seasonings, and the potatoes. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add the pasta in at the 20 minute mark. Enjoy!

Turkey Tettrazini

This is a recipe I made based on Trisha's (One Tiny Pink Kitchen). I have to say, I love it. I added a little more cheese which will probably increase the points a little but it really is a nice hearty meal that is somewhat guiltless. Plus, you can make it ahead and bake it when you're ready to eat.

1/2 lb ground turkey
1 (8oz) whole wheat penne or any other whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup of light margarine (I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Light)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup fat free half and half
2 tbsp. water (Trisha recommended to use the water from the noodles which I did and is better because it is starchy and thickens up the sauce more)
1/4 cup part skim mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko
1 tsp light margarine

Heat Oven to 350. Cook the pasta to al dente. Brown turkey. Set aside in strainer or additional bowl. Melt butter in same pan as browned turkey over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, & pepper and garlic powder. Cook, stirring until flour is coated. Then, Stir in broth & half and half. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a whisk to break up flour and thicken the sauce. This will take 5-7 minutes of constant stirring so as not to burn the sauce. Add in 1/3 cup of parm cheese and 1/4 cup of mozz cheese when the sauce was thick and stir until melted. Mix the noodles, water, & turkey into sauce. Pour noodle mixture into ungreased casserole dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Drop little bits of the 1 tsp of margarine over breadcrumbs to help brown. Bake 30 mins. or until bubbly in center.

Yields 6 servings about 1-1/2 cup each

POINTS per Serving: 8

Mini Meat Loaf

Weight watchers friendly! I borrowed this from a fellow blogger One Tiny Pink Kitchen. She has a great selection of WW friendly foods if you're interested! Two of these make a serving and a serving is 5 points each. I think they make a great lunch or light dinner combined with a salad.

1 lb. lean beef
1/4 cup eggbeaters
1 small onion diced
1/2 red pepper finely diced
2/3 C. Bread Crumbs
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. BBQ Sauce

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Spray muffin tins (12) with cooking spray and scoop the meat loaf mixture into the tins. Cook on 350 for 30 minutes.