Recipe Review: Zucchini Pancakes

I made Hungry Girl's Zucchini Pancakes last night. The first one was pretty good. When I started eating the other two pancakes, the texture was getting to me. (They are mostly made with zucchini, those tofu faker noodles, and pancake mix.) I dipped them into ff sour cream. I think they would be better with some seasoning/herbs and maybe something crunchy in the batter. I also would cut the recipe in half.

It is a lot of food for very little points, which is a plus. A decent sized pancake is only 1 point. I made them on our electric griddle. I was really full and didn't even finish the suggested serving size of three pancakes. (Recipe makes 15).  My other tip is do not smell the Tofu Noodles before you rinse them.

From HG's website (link above):
Noodlicious Zucchini Pancakes

2 x 8 oz. pkgs. House Tofu Shirataki Noodles (Spaghetti shaped)
4 egg whites or 1/2 cup eggbeaters
1 cup pancake mix
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup green onions (scallions), chopped
4.5 cups zucchini, shredded
1 cup finely sliced fresh mushrooms

Rinse noodles well and cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Combine egg whites, pancake mix and salt in a bowl. Stir in noodles, green onions, mushrooms and zucchini. Place skillet over medium heat, and coat with non-stick cooking spray. When hot, scoop 1/3 cup of the mixture (per pancake) onto the skillet. Cook until underside is golden, then flip and cook the other side. Continue until all the batter is gone. Makes 15 4-inch pancakes.

PER SERVING (1 pancake): 50 Calories, <0.5g Fat, 8 Carbs, 1.2g Fiber, 4g protein - 1 pt

Mushroom Gravy

Mushroom Gravy 

1. Mix 1/4 cup flour with 2 cups vegetable broth. Set aside.
2. Sautee one thinly sliced onion in a little olive oil until translucent.
3. Add three cloves garlic and 4 cups Cremini Mushrooms and sautee for 5 minutes.
4. Add spices (1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp salt, & pepper to taste). Sautee one minute.
5. Add 1/4 cup non-sweet white wine. Bring to a simmer.
6. Reduce heat. Add the flour/broth mix and stir until thick (about 5 minutes).

Makes 4 cups.
1 cup = 2pts
1/2 cup = 1pt

Points based on using 2 TBSP oil. I used olive oil spray.

Beef & Noodles

Beef & Noodles

1. Brown 1/2 lb of the leanest ground beef that you can find in a dutch oven. (Trader Joe's has ground beef that has only 4.5 grams of fat per serving.)
2. Remove the beef and wipe out the pot. Sautee 1 cup diced onions and 2 cloves of garlic until translucent.
3. Add the ground beef, 3 cups of broth (Beef or chicken broth is suggested. I used 1/2 chicken and 1/2 vegetable broth, because I am a use-what-I-got rock star.), 14.5 ounces of stewed tomatoes, and 2 TBSP worchester sauce. Bring to a boil.
4. Add 8 oz. whole wheat pasta (recipe called for egg noodles) cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Add 1 cup frozen (but thawed) peas, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for an additional 3 minutes.

*The recipe states that it makes 5 servings. I divided this into 6 servings, with each serving being slightly more than one cup.

**Using the Nutritional Information from the recipe, 1/5 of the recipe is 5 points. When I use the recipe builder on WW, each 1/5 serving is 6 points. Therefore, I am counting my slightly larger than one cup serving (1/6 of the dish) as 5 points.

Pizza Cupcakes

1 Can Reduced-Fat Refrigerated Biscuits 

(10 biscuits)

1 Teaspoon Olive Oil

1.5 Cups Assorted Diced Fresh Vegetables (red bell pepper, zucchini, mushroom, etc.)

1 Cup Pizza Sauce

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Saute the vegetables and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally until vegetables are tender.

3. Stir in pizza sauce and simmer for 2 minutes over low heat to reduce the sauce.

4. Press each biscuit evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a muffin pan.

5. Evenly spoon the vegetable mixture into the muffin cups on top of the pressed biscuit.

6. Sprinkle with cheese.

7. Bake 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then serve.

4 pts per Pizza Cupcake

Southwestern Breakfast Bowl

I have been struggling with a healthy & filling breakfast that I can bring to work. I have been fearful about microwaving eggs in the past, but this recipe has been working well for me. 

1.  Microwave 1/2 cup eggbeaters for a minute at a time until cooked.

2.  Add 1/2 cup black beans and microwave for 30 seconds longer or until warm.

3.  Garnish with 2 Tablespoons salsa, 2 Tablespoons fat free sour cream, and green onions.

This is 4 points for WW.

The original Cooking Light recipe adds shredded cheddar cheese to the black beans. Additionally, CL suggests serving this on top of a corn tortilla. I prefer flour tortillas and the tortilla will add extra points/calories.

I bring the egg substitute to work in a small tupperware container. In a second container I will bring the 1/2 cup of black beans. I use these silicone hearts to hold the sour cream and salsa. I place the condiments in the hearts and package them with the black beans. 

Spinach Orzo Pasta Salad

1-16 ounce package uncooked orzo pasta

1-10 ounce package baby spinach, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Cook orzo as directed; drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar.

Sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.

***Thanks for sharing this recipe Kari!***

Pineapple with Coconut Curls

All it takes is one pineapple and one coconut to make a healthy and impressive dessert. The fresh pineapple with coconut curls looks more impressive if it is served on the same day that the pineapple is sliced (this photo was taken on the 2nd day).

• Bake the coconut at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

• Cut the pineapple in half, lengthwise. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Leaves should remain intact.
• Cut the core from the center of each wedge.
• Cut the pineapple from the skin, lengthwise, then crosswise. Leave the pieces on the wedge.
• Arrange the pineapple wedges on a serving platter.
  
  
• Crack open the coconut. Remove and reserve the coconut milk.
• Using a sharp vegetable peeler, make ribbons of coconut.
• Arrange the coconut ribbons on top of the pineapple wedges.
• Sprinkle each wedge with a tablespoon of the coconut milk.

Each pineapple used makes 4 servings.

Taken from The Martha Stewart Cookbook

Mushroom Barley Soup

I made this soup several times this winter and it is still a favorite. I substituted chicken broth for the turkey stock. Vegetable broth would also work.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
4 3/4 cups Rich Turkey Stock
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in barley, and sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, celery, and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add thyme, and cook 5 minutes.

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 217(19% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 1g,mono 2.1g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 13.9g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 42mg; SODIUM 624mg; FIBER 6.8g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.1g

Cynthia De Persio, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2003