This is a DELICIOUS meal ! Serve them up alone as an appetizer, with a small salad for lunch, or with a few sides for a great dinner. The recipes packs a punch of flavor and anyone in your family who likes buffalo wings will love this. The sauce is really what makes the dish in my mind !

Buffalo Meatballs

6 servings
6 meatballs per serving
177 calories per serving

1 lb ground chicken
1/4 c Egg Beaters
1/2 c minced celery
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/3 c Frank’s Buffalo Sauce (or your favorite brand)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
Pam
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c chicken or beef stock
1/4 c Frank’s Buffalo Sauce (or your favorite brand)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix meat, egg beaters, breadcrumbs, 1/3 c sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Make 36 small cocktail sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet with the sides all touching (this helps retain moisture in the meatballs as they cook). Bake 15-20 minutes or until done. While they are cooking melt butter in a small saucepan and then add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring the entire time. Add stock and simmer 3 minutes. Add 1/4 c buffalo sauce, salt and pepper and simmer 1 minute. Serve this sauce over the meatballs or on the side as a dipping sauce.

Add some celery and carrot stix and some low fat blue cheese dressing on the side. You won’t miss the mess of wings with this healthy option that is just as good !

Just the perfect little spice cake with a great ginger icing to top it all off. These are sooooo tasty !

Gingerbread Cupcakes

12 servings
160 calories per serving

1 1/3 c flour
1 T ground ginger
1 t dry mustard
1 t baking soda
½ t cinnamon
¼ t salt
1/8 t ground cloves
½ c packed Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
¼ c molasses
3 T vegetable oil
2 egg whites
½ c low fat buttermilk
2 inch piece of fresh ginger (to make 2 t worth of juice)
½ c confectioner’s sugar
Pam

Preheat oven t 350 degrees. Spray a cupcake pan with Pam. On a sheet of wax paper combine flour, ginger, mustard, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Beat brown sugar and molasses and oil and once combined add the egg whites one at a time and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Alternately fold the flour mix and the buttermilk into the sugar mix beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon into the cupcake pan and bake 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan.

Grate the ginger finely and squeeze to extract 2 t of juice. Combine juice with confectioner’s sugar and spread on the top of the cupcakes. (if too dry, add a t of more of water)

This is one of those ‘all in one dishes’ that I love to make. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate, and then do the baking right at the very end. Very convenient, very easy, very good !

Chicken Casserole with Wild Rice

8 servings
371 calories per serving

You can make this casserole ahead and refrigerate until you are ready – just bake longer (about an hour) to make sure it heats all the way through.

2 c water
1/2 c wild rice
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cooked (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !) and cut into bit sized pieces
2 T oil
3 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c flour
2 c skim milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 c low fat sour cream
1/3 c chopped parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c frozen French cut green beans
1/2 c sliced almonds

Mix water and rice and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook 35-40 minutes. Drain and reserve. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and cook mushrooms 12 minutes or so to release all the liquid and allow it to dry up. Add broth and scallions and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir then add milk and simmer 2 minutes. Add cheese, sour cream parsley, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with Pam and place the rice in as the bottom layer. Top with chicken and beans then pour over the mushroom sauce and sprinkle with nuts. Cook 30 minutes and let stand a bit to cool before serving.

What a great side dish – the sweetness of the corn really shines though and makes this a tasty treat that the whole family will love. It’s like a savory pancake with corn and herbs.

Corn Cakes

5 servings (2 cakes each)
180 calories per serving

1/2 c white whole wheat flour
1/2 c skim milk
2 large eggs
2 T oil
1/2 t baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c frozen corn, thawed
¼ c chopped basil and parsley
Pam

Whish together flour, eggs, milk, 1 T oil, salt, pepper and baking powder. Add in corn and basil. Working in batches, brush skillet with a bit of oil and spray with Pam and heat to medium high. Using a ¼ c measuring cup, pour batter into cakes about 3 inches wide leaving room in between so you can flip them easily. Cook 2 minutes then flip and cook another 2 minutes.

What a great way to make cauliflower ! The spicing is subtle and the coating is just right. No more boring cauliflower !!

Crispy Cauliflower

6 servings
92 calories per serving

4 c cauliflower florets
6 T flour
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¼ t paprika
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 ½ c cornflakes, crushed
2 egg whites
Pam

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Place cauliflower in a pan with 2 T water, cover and cook 6 minutes or until still crisp yet tender. In a zip loc bag mix all the spices and flour. In another zip loc, place the cornflakes. Beat the eggs lightly and one at a time roll the florets in the egg mix, then toss in the spice bag, the coat with egg again, then toss in the crumbs being sure to press so the flakes stick to the florets. Then place on baking sheet and cook 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Sweet, chewy, yummy Butterscotch Bars that the whole family will love !

Butterscotch Bars

36 servings
148 calories per serving

1 c packed brown sugar
5 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
9 oz. flour
2 1/2 c quick oats
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Pam
3/4 c fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 c butterscotch morsels
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar and butter with a mixer until light colored and then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda then add this mix to the sugar mix stirring with a fork until combined. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and then take 3 c of the oat mix and press it into the pan making a crust. Heat morsels and condensed milk until morsels are all melted and then stir in nuts. Spread this mix over the crust and then sprinkle with the rest of the oat mix. Bake ½ hour or until golden brown. When it comes out of the oven, loosen the edges with a knife and then let cool completely before cutting into bars.

These are more vegetable pancakes than potato pancakes, but there’s still enough potato in there to call them ‘potato pancakes’ and hopefully get the kids to eat them They are sooooo nutritious and so good.

Potato Pancakes

8 servings
148 calories per serving (1 serving = 2 pancakes)

2 large potatoes (1/5 lb.)
2 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
½ c finely chopped onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ c flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t salt
½ t basil flakes
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
1 T oil

Coarsely shred the potatoes, zucchini and carrots and drain on paper towels. Mix ½ the potato mix with ¼ c onion in a food processor and chop finely then move to a bowl and add the eggs, flour, garlic, basil, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and rest of the onion and rest of the veggies. Heat oil in a skillet and drop batter by ¼ cupfuls and flatten then fry until golden brown turning once.

Talk about decadent and delicious !! This breakfast dish will give you legendary ‘short order cook’ status ! The bananas and cream cheese make a perfect middle to the grilled raisin bread.

Grilled Banana French Toast

8 servings
206 calories per serving

8 slices 80 calories cinnamon raisin bread
2 medium bananas, in slices
1 c skim milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c egg beaters
1/3 c Splenda
3 T flour
2 t vanilla
Powdered sugar (optional)
Pam

Spray skillet with Pam and heat well. Mix milk, cheese, eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla with a mixer until. Take 4 slices of bread and spread with cream cheese then add banana slices and top with the remaining bread. Gently dip into the egg mix and then place on pan and cook 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Cut in half and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

I have been searching for a recipe that would turn out my Grandma’s babka, but, alas, I cannot find one that compares. After years of Grandma’s being passed around, something is surely missing as it just does not turn out the right product. This one is close – it has most of the right ingredients and it turns out a really nice tasting babka that is quite traditional (like many of the Polish delis sell), but it is not my Grandma’s babka. Hers was much flatter and less dense – it was drier and airier. It was more a cross between a cake and a bread (she even cooked it in a 9×13 pan rather than a bundt or in bread pans) whereas this one is more the traditional heavier bread. So if you’re looking for a traditional babka recipe, this is a great one to try.

If anyone out there knows of how to get the babka tasting more like I remember, please let me know !!

Polish Babka

20 servings
239 calories per serving

6 c flour
1 t salt
1 package of yeast
½ c warm water
¾ c sugar
1 ½ c skim milk
1 stick unsalted butter
¾ c golden raisins
2 eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk
2 T water
Pam

Soak raisins in some warm water to plump them up a little then drain before adding to dough. Heat milk in a saucepan then add the butter and cook on low until the butter is melted. Pour into a mixing bowl and add sugar and salt and cool for 20 minutes. Mix the yeast and ½ c water and let sit 5 minutes then add it to the milk and sugar mix. Add in the 2 beaten eggs and then gradually add the flour and mix. Then knead the dough ½ hour by hand or 10-12 minutes in a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the raisins during the last couple minutes of kneading.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour. Then punch down, re-cover and let it rise another hour.

Then take dough and place in a 13×9 pan (or in 2 bread pans). Mix the egg yolk and 2 T water and brush onto the top of the bread dough. Spray foil with Pam and cover pan and let rise again until doubled – again, about an hour.

Then uncover and bake at 350 degrees for ½ hour for a 9×13 pan or 45 minutes for a large pan or bread pans. It’s done when you tape on it and it makes a hollow sound. Let cool and then cut into slices.

Rich, decadent, creamy goodness – this has a great cream cheese / cheesecake flavor while screaming CHOCOLATE !! It makes a great special occasion dessert.

Chocolate Cheesecake

10 servings
265 calories per serving

1 Oreo crust
1 c nonfat cottage cheese
½ c Egg Beaters
12 oz. Nefchatel (low fat cream cheese) at room temperature
1 c sugar
½ c unsweetened cocoa
¼ c flour
1 t vanilla
¾ c powdered sugar
¾ c nonfat sour cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a blender or food processor, mix cottage cheese and eggs until smooth. In another beat cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth and then add the cottage cheese mix, cocoa, flour and vanilla. When smooth pour into the prepared pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until set. Cool 15 minutes and then cover and chill 4 hours. Just before serving, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the cake.