Creamy Zucchini Dip

So this is a take on the Zucchini Low Carb Hummus recipe.  However that recipe has a whopping 1776 calories (mostly due to the 1200 calories of tahini paste).  My version has 186 for the whole batch.  You could replace the PB2 powdered peanut butter with 2 Tbsp of actual peanut butter and add 145 calories to the total or (331 calories).

Creamy Zucchini Dip (186 calories)

Ingredients:
2 medium skin on zucchini cut in chunks (73 calories)
4 garlic cloves (16 calories)
2 Tbsp fat free cream cheese (30 calories)
2 Tbsp fat free cottage cheese (20 calories)
2 Tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter (45 calories)
1 lemon juiced (2 calories)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coarse kosher salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whirl until smooth.  Serve with raw veggies or some zucchini or radish chips. 

Spaghetti Squash n Eggplant Lasagna

I love lasagna and love to eat a lot of it.  Well fellow big eaters this one will allow you to eat a ton without packing on the pounds.  You could eat the whole 9 x 13 pan of this for 1291 calories (I would love for someone to try).  That said, I am gonna eat 1/3 and I am gonna eat it right now.

 

 

The Sauce

 

 

The Eggplant 

 

Cottage Cheese Mixture 

 

Layered Sauce and Squash

 

 Layered with Eggplant, Cottage Cheese and Sauce

 

 

 Topped with Mozzarella and Romano

Spaghetti Squash n Eggplant Lasagna 

If you eat the whole thing 1291 calories

If you eat half 645.5 calories

If you eat a quarter 322.75 calories

If you eat a fifth 258 calories

If you eat a sixth 215.17 calories 

 

1 medium/large eggplant  (140 calories)

16 ounces lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese (320 calories)

1 large egg (72 calories)

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley or 1 tbsp dried parsley (5 calories)

1/2 tsp course kosher salt

2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce of your choosing (or see recipe below 325 calories)

24 ounces cooked spaghetti squash  (dry with paper towels) (about4 cups) see note* (184 calories)

1 cup fat free shredded mozzarella cheese (180 calories)

1/4 cup grated romano cheese (60 calories) 

Cut eggplant into ½ inch slices and bake on a greased baking sheet at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes.  Set aside.

 

In a bowl combine cottage cheese, egg, parsley and salt.  Set aside. 

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of dish.  Layer 2 cups spaghetti squash,  1/2 of the eggplant, 1/2  of the cottage cheese mixture,  1 cup sauce, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat starting with squash.  Then top with the romano cheese.  Sprinkle with more parsley to make it look pretty. 

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Cool slightly before cutting.

*I like to pierce my spaghetti squash with a knife and cook in a microwave for about 9 minutes.  Then cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and bake cut side down at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes.  Let cool and scoop out strands.  Dry on paper towels.

 

Spaghetti  Sauce (about 650 Calories for 5 ½ cups) 

2 Lean Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (320 calories)

1 medium onion chopped (44 calories)

2 jalapeno chopped (8 calories)

6 cloves garlic chopped (24 calories)

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

28 oz can tomato sauce (251 calories) 

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat add a little water as it sticks until cooked through.  Add in onion, jalapeno, garlic, red pepper and salt.  Cook until softened about 6 minutes.  Add in sauce and simmer 10 minutes.

Makes about 5 ½ cups of sauce. 

 

 

 

 

The Lightest Unbread Sticks Ever

The original version of these bread sticks has 8 servings at 175 calories per serving (per breadstick).  That is a whopping 1400 calories if you eat all 8 servings.  My version has 393 calories for the whole dog gone recipe or 49 calores (per breadstick).  You know what I am gonna do?  I am gonna eat all 8 breadsticks by myself and not give my skinny husband Todd any.  Nom nom nom nom.  Oh and because I also think the orignal recipe is brilliant I am adding a link to it at the bottom of this blog.

Cauliflower Bread Sticks – The Lightest Version 

1 1/2  cup grated raw cauliflower (about 45 calories)
1 egg (72 calories)

1 egg white (16 calories)
1 cup fat free mozzarella cheese (180 calories)
20 slices(about 1 oz) chopped  turkey pepperoni (80 calories)
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray a 6x6 oven proof dish with cooking spray and press in cauliflower ingredients.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until set.  Let cool slightly.

Remove the sticks from pan carefully and cut into bread stick like slices.

Place slices on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F. until the tops brown (about 10 minutes). Let cool little before eating.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Original recipe link:  http://yourlighterside.com/cauliflower-pepperoni-bread-sticks/

 

Oatmeal Cookie Dough in the Raw - Guilt Free

 

 

 

So who doesn't want to sit down and eat cookie dough.  I for one want to eat cookie dough at every meal.  I came across an interesting recipe on the internet the other day and thought okay this is too good to be true.  Diet cookie dough that is good for you. Hmmm we will see.  Boy was I happy I wasn't afraid to give it a try.  I modified the recipe a bit because the original included fattening nut butters and I am all about calorie count. I also wanted to try out a new sugar I came across that is all natural and made of chicory root, orange peels and vitamin C.  It is called Just Like Sugar.  I can't find it in stores (maybe Whole Foods) but you can get some off the internet.  I believe this sugar will replace my Stevia in the Raw and Splenda Granulated as a healthy fiber filled alternative. 

 

Did you know Splenda Granulated or Splenda Brown Sugar while they say is calorie free actually has about 5 calories a tsp?  That is 15 calories a Tbsp or 60 calories a 1/4 cup or 240 calories a cup.  Wow.  This new sugar has nothing nada not a one.  I read an artical that you would have to eat 5 lbs of this stuff to get 5 calories.

 

I have made the recipe with both small white beans and chickpeas and have to say I give the taste edge to the small white bean but both are good.

 

Oh and don't try and bake this.  I'm thinking it might be a disaster.  This is meant to be eaten off the spoon.  I am thinking I might try freezing balls of dough next time.  I will update you on the success or failure of that experiment.

 

 I want to give credit for the orignal recipe.  This girl is pretty brilliant.  See original recipe link at the end.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Oatmeal Cookie Dough In The Raw 

1 14.5 ounce can small white beans or chickpeas (350 calories)

1/2  to 3/4 cup quick Quaker oats (150 calories for ½ cup)

4 oz unsweetened apple sauce (50 calories)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup  to 3/4  cup Just Like Sugar Brown  (0 Calories) Or Sweetener of your choice

2 Tblsp to 1/4 cup Torani sugar free vanilla syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 or 2 ounces raisins (90 calories for 1 ounce) 

Whirl up all the ingredients except the oats and raisins in a food processor.  Stir in oats and raisins.

Optionally add some cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa.

Original recipe link:  http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/23/want-to-eat-an-entire-bowl-of-cookie-dough/

Cherry Fluff Squares

So I was going to make the handmade marshmallows off of pinterest today and I almost suceeded.  However after adding the 1/4 cup of splenda into my gelatin mixture and then tasting that mixture it was so horrible I dumped out the concoction and decided to use sugar-free jello instead.  Well this is what it made.  Nothing like a marshmallow but tastes pretty darn good.  I think next time I will add an additional packet of plain gelatin to see if I can get a more dense product in the end.

 

 

Ingedients:

1 cup water

1 (.3oz) box sugar free jello (I used cherry)

3 egg whites

 

Boil water.  Remove from heat and whisk in jello.  Let cool to the touch (about 10 minutes).  Whip egg whites until soft peaks form.  Slowly stream in jello mixture until mixed well.  Add to 8 x 8 pan and refrigerate until set (about an hour or so).  Cut into squares and eat.

 



 

 

Fluff added to pan



 

Fluff spread out in pan

 

Ready to eat

 

 

 



Avocado and Chayote Salad

This is delicious and healthy.

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

1 tsp lime zest

2 tbsp horseradish-dijon reduced fat mayonnaise

½ tsp hot sauce

½ tsp soy sauce or fish sauce

2 avocados diced

½ chayote squash diced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes quartered

2 scallions chopped

½ cup cilantro minced

Boiled shrimp optional 
 

Mix all ingredients (except shrimp) together.  Serve immediately.  Optionally top with salted boiled shrimp and dot with extra hot sauce.

This recipe was adapted from one I found here.http://www.girlsgonefood.com/2012/03/avocado-salad-with-grilled-shrimp.html


 

OMFG

This one is really really really not for my dieting friends.  My normal daily diet is about 1500 calories.  This dessert is gonna blow my wad.  If you think the better than sex desert is good you have to try this.  Don't be scared by the ganache or the espresso mousse they are both so easy to make.



Pecan cookie base

Espresso Mousse (super good on it's own)

 

 The ganache after hot cream added (not pretty yet)

 

 Oh what 30 seconds can do (pretty shiny ganache now)

 

 Boring marscapone layer (tastes great)

 

Ganache layer going down over cookie crust

 

Marscapone going down over ganache

 

Espresso mousse over marscapone

 

Toffee bits over mousse (I think some curled chocolate would look better)

 

 



Crust Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup glazed chopped pecans
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour

Espresso Mousse Ingredients:
12 oz white chocolate chips
5 Tbsp water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tsp instant espresso powder

Ganache Ingredients:
7 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Cheese Layer Ingredients:
8 oz marscapone or cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip

Top Layer:
8 oz bag of Toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix all crust ingredients together and press the mixture into the baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.

For the mousse, stir white chocolate and water in microwave safe bowl.  Microwave at 50% power 1 minute, stir and continue heating checking every 15 - 30 seconds until chocolate is smooth add espresso powder.  Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.  Using an electric mixer, beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  Gradually pour white chocolate over cream, folding to blend well.  Cover bowl and chill until firm, at least 3 hours.  Keep chilled.  May be made 1 day ahead.

For the ganache, place chocolate and corn syrup in medium bowl.  Bring cream to a boil in small saucepan; pour over chocolate and corn syrup.  Stir until melted and smooth.   Cool to room temperature.  May be made 1 day ahead.

For the cheese layer, in a mixer add marscapone, powdered sugar and cool whip.  Mix until light and fluffy.

After crust is cooled.  Spread ganache over crust evenly.  Spread cheese layer over ganache, then spread on espresso mousse.  Top evenly with toffee bits.  Refrigerate for a few hours until set.