by Lisa Lillien
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, nutmeg, and salt until mixed well. Add mushroom-onion mixture, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. Stir until blended.
Evenly distribute cheese mixture among mushroom caps. They will be super-stuffed and the mixture will be piled on top, too!
In a small dish, mix Parm-style topping with garlic powder. Sprinkle stuffed mushrooms with this mixture.
Place stuffed mushrooms back in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until topping begins to brown. Let cool slightly and enjoy!!!
MAKES 1 SERVING
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HG Trivia Tidbit:
On average, Americans eat about half a pound of cheese a week. Whoa! We recommend you get your fix with these low-fat, cheesy mushrooms.
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For Weight Watchers POINTS® values and photos of all the recipes in this book, check out hungry-girl.com/book.
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cheesy butternut bake
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PER SERVING (¼th of casserole): 101 calories, 1g fat, 457mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g fiber, 5g sugars, 4g protein
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Warning: This recipe is so good, you’ll want to devour all four servings at once. So invite some friends over to share it with you…or break it up into individual servings before digging in.
Ingredients
4 cups cubed butternut squash
2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature
¾ cup diced onion
¼ cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place squash in a large microwave-safe bowl with ¼ cup water. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes. Once bowl is cool enough to handle, uncover and drain any excess water. Set aside.
Place onion in a small microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons water. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, uncover and drain any excess water. Set aside.
Place squash in a blender. Add all of the other ingredients except for the onion. Pulse until thoroughly mixed but not liquefied.
Remove blender from base and stir in onion. Transfer mixture to a small casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until edges of the squash casserole begin to brown. Serve with a spoon as you would mashed potatoes.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
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Chew on This
The most popular variety of butternut squash, the Waltham butternut, originated in Stow, Massachusetts. The old farm is gone now, but in its place is the Butternut Farm Golf Club! Sounds like the people there may actually love squash as much as we do.
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crunchy sassy chinese slaw
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PER SERVING (about 1 cup): 111 calories, 3.5g fat, 375mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 10g sugars, 3g protein
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This slaw is so sassy and so good that you may want to inhale multiple servings of it. But even eating HALF of this six-serving batch would only set you back 333 calories! Not too bad…
Ingredients
One 16-ounce package dry broccoli slaw mix
1 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
1 cup canned mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice, drained and chopped (and rinsed, if packed in juice)
1 cup chopped scallions
2/3 cup Newman’s Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
¼ cup slivered almonds
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HG Heads Up!
Don’t miss our Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad on Chapter 3. It was inspired by several afternoons of adding chicken chunks to this slaw, turning it into a mini meal.
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Directions
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together and mix well.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir well before serving, then slaw it up!
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
bacon-bundled bbq shrimp
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PER SERVING (4 pieces): 116 calories, 1.75g fat, 587mg sodium, 7g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 6g sugars, 16g protein
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This is a fantastic party recipe! The shrimp, bacon, and BBQ sauce combo makes it nearly impossible for anyone to believe that these are guilt-free in any way. Yet each one has less than 30 calories!
Ingredients
16 large (not jumbo) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
8 slices extra-lean turkey bacon, halved widthwise
1/3 cup canned tomato sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar (not packed)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and garlic powder until mixed well. Set aside.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Take ½ slice bacon and coat it in the sauce. Wrap the sauce-covered bacon around a shrimp and place it, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the bacon and shrimp. Give them a quick mist with nonstick spray.
Bake in the oven until shrimp are cooked through and bacon is crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
spinach, mushroom, and mozzarella supreme
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PER SERVING (1/6th of casserole): 106 calories, 1g fat, 597mg sodium, 11g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 8g protein
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Here’s a side dish that’s so good, you may want to make it into a meal by having a few servings. We’ve been known to plow through dishes of this stuff like there’s no tomorrow.
Ingredients
Two 16-ounce bags frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and thoroughly dried
1½ cups canned sliced mushrooms (about 2 medium cans or 1 large one), drained
3 wedges The Laughing Cow cheese (any Light flavor), room temperature
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Optional: salt and black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook onion over high heat on the stove until browned, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Pat spinach with paper towels, making sure all excess moisture has been removed. In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, onion, cheese wedges, and garlic powder. Mix well, until thoroughly combined.
Spray a medium casserole dish with nonstick spray. Spread half the spinach mixture along the bottom. Layer half the mushrooms evenly over the spinach mixture.
Spread remaining spinach mixture over the mushroom layer. Layer remaining mushrooms on top. Sprinkle casserole with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese layer begins to crisp slightly.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, if you like.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
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HG Trivia Tidbit:
Crystal City, Texas, is strong to the finish and proud of it. In 1937, this spinach-growing community erected a statue of Popeye in honor of how popular he made their favorite leafy green veggie. However, the muscled-up sailor got no such love from the sweet potato community for his catchphrase, “I yam what I yam.”
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For Weight Watchers POINTS® values and photos of all the recipes in this book, check out hungry-girl.com/book.
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h-o-t hot boneless buffalo wings
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PER SERVING (5 wings): 175 calories, 1.5g fat, 1,153mg
sodium, 14g carbs, 4g fiber, <1g sugars, 27g protein
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If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love, love, love these spicy chicken nuggets. Dipping the chicken in Frank’s RedHot makes these taste like REAL wings. It’s hard to believe how low in fat and calories they are.
Ingredients
8 ounces raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into 10 nuggets
¼ cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1 ounce (about 14 crisps) Pringles Light Fat Free Barbeque Potato Crisps (or another fat-free BBQ-flavored potato chip)
3 tablespoons Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Dash onion powder
Dash garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash black pepper
Dash salt
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Heads up, F1 fans! Don’t miss our Fun with Fiber One chapter, starting on Chapter 13.
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Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Crush potato crisps completely. In a small dish, mix crushed crisps with cereal crumbs. Add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, and salt, and mix well.
Place chicken pieces in a separate dish. Cover with Frank’s RedHot and toss to coat.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Give each chicken piece a shake so it’s not dripping with sauce, and then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Lay crumb-covered nuggets on the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Flip nuggets over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
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Chew on This
Sources say that in 1964, Teressa Bellissimo was faced with whipping up a late-night snack for her son and his friends. The result of this cullinary improvisation was the hot wing recipe we all know and love. She soon put them on the menu at her bar in Buffalo, New York, and sealed her place in Hungry Girl history!
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lean-o cioppino
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PER SERVING (1 generous cup): 190 calories, 3.25g fat, 1,006mg sodium, 23g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 13.5g sugars, 17g protein
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Cioppino is a fish stew and it’s soooo good. This recipe is ridiculously easy to make, yet it tastes like a lot of work went into it. The best canned soup for this is definitely Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque!
Ingredients
2 cups creamy tomato soup with 4g fat or less per serving
1/3 cup canned or pouched whole baby clams, drained
3 ounces cooked medium-small shrimp (about 10 shrimp)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pot or microwave-safe bowl.
On the stove or in the microwave, bring stew to desired heat. Enjoy!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
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HG Tip! If salt’s a concern, look for a low-sodium canned soup—you can easily save hundreds of milligrams of sodium that way.
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cheesy-good cornbread muffins
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PER SERVING (1 muffin): 85 calories, 1.5g fat, 240mg sodium, 14g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g sugars, 4g protein
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These don’t taste particularly cheesy—they’re actually sweet and completely fantastic. Hard to believe they only have 85 calories each…
Ingredients
1 cup canned cream-style corn
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
½ cup fat-free sour cream
½ cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Optional: ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, Splenda, baking powder, and salt until mixed well.
In a small bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients: corn, egg substitute, sour cream, cheese, and scallions. Add the hot sauce, if you like.
Add contents of the small bowl to the large one and stir until mixed thoroughly.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute muffin batter among the cups.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until muffins are firm and light golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then enjoy!
MAKES 12 SERVINGS
butternut hash browns
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PER SERVING (about 1 cup): 104 calories, 3g fat, 162mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g fiber, 5g sugars, 2g protein
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These are an insanely fantastic addition to any egg dish. Zazzle up your plate—they’re great as a side with breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Ingredients
1 heaping cup shredded butternut squash
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Dash salt
Dash black pepper
Olive oil nonstick spray
Additional salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional toppings: ketchup, salsa, hot sauce
Directions
Spread shredded squash out between 2 layers of paper towels. Press down to absorb as much moisture from squash as possible. Repeat if necessary, until no more water can be removed.
In a medium bowl, toss squash shreds with onion, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until mixed well.
Mist a small to medium pan with a 2-second spray of olive oil nonstick spray. Bring to high heat.
Add squash mixture to the pan. Remove from heat and top with another 2-second spray of the olive oil spray. Return to heat and cook for 2 minutes.
Flip shreds with a spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, until mixture is thoroughly cooked and browned.
Plate your HBs, and season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Finish off with one of our optional toppings, if you like.
MAKES 1 SERVING
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HG Tip! Use a cheese grater to get perfectly shredded b-nut squash.
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Chew on This
A side order of hash browns from Denny’s packs in 12 grams fat and around 200 calories. And it’s typically served alongside an entrée of cheesy eggs, buttered toast, and some kind of salty, fatty meat. Um, no thanks!
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sassy southwestern egg rolls
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PER SERVING (3 egg roll halves with sauce): 181 calories, 4.5g fat, 666mg sodium, 27g carbs, 14g fiber, 2g sugars, 19g protein
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Here’s our take on the zesty egg rolls made famous by Chili’s. These are really delicious—and they have a teeny tiny fraction of the fat compared to the Chili’s version. Yeah, we’re good!
Ingredients
For Egg Rolls
3 original (not large) La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortillas
1 once cooked skinless lean chicken breast, shredded
¾ cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
2 tablespoons canned black beans
2 tablespoons canned sweet corn, drained
1 ounce fat-free jalapeño jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon diced red chili pepper
For Sauce
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon mashed avocado
1 tablespoon diced tomato
½ teaspoon dry ranch dressing/dip mix
Bl
ack pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chicken, spinach, beans, corn, cheese, and chili pepper. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Warm tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds. On a clean, flat surface, lay out tortillas side by side. Place one-third of the chicken-spinach mixture in the center of each tortilla.
To assemble each egg roll, fold sides in, so none of the filling can escape during cooking, and roll up from the bottom of the tortilla.
Place all three rolls seam side down on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, flipping rolls over about halfway through cooking. Egg rolls should be crispy when done.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, avocado, and ranch mix. Stir until smooth and blended. Season to taste with black pepper.
Once egg rolls are done baking, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Cut each in half on a diagonal and arrange them beautifully on a plate.
Top dipping sauce with the diced tomato and serve with your egg rolls. Mmmmm!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
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HG Fast Fact:
We’ve always known Chili’s little Southwestern Egg Roll appetizer is fatty. But 810 calories and 51 grams of fat for three little rolls That’s NUTS! These have sane stats and are just as delicious. Promise!