Low Fat Baked Onion Rings

Crispy and light with no greasy mess. Great as a snack or a perfect side dish to a nice juicy burger!

When I was a kid, I loved onion rings with my burger, but never loved that greasy after-taste. Baking them with a blend of Panko, cornflake crumbs and breadcrumbs gives these a fabulous crunch without all the fat.

If you can’t find cornflake crumbs you can make your own by pulsing corn flakes in the food processor. The best way to bread them so the breading doesn’t fall off is to avoid using your fingers, instead use tongs to take them out of the breadcrumbs.

Note: I was left with 2/3 of the crumb mixture and 2 cups of the buttermilk after these were done, which I deducted from the nutritional values.

Low Fat Baked Onion Rings
Adapted from Life as a Lofthouse
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1/2 • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 2 pt
Calories: 74.7 • Fat: 0.6 g • Carb: 14.7 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Sugar: 1.7 g • Protein: 2.9 g

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
salt to taste
olive oil baking spray (I used my Misto)

Directions:

Place slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for about 1 – 2 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes and place half of the crumbs in a large dish, season with salt. Reserve the rest for when the first batch is used up. This should help avoid clumping and they should stick better to the onions.

Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto two cookie sheets. Lightly spray with oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

A perfect week night meal the whole family will enjoy. Baked ziti is a favorite in my home, sneaking spinach into it is a great way to get your picky kids to eat more leafy greens without any complaints. Perfect with a garden salad on the side.

This makes enough for eight, so if you have a small family, you’ll probably have leftovers for lunch or freeze the rest for convenient freezer meals. This can be made a day ahead if you are planning on serving this for a party, keep it refrigerated then pop it in the oven when it’s ready. Enjoy!

Note: I made slight adjustments to the original recipe to make it better, if you have an old printout of this, you may want to re-print it.

Low Fat Baked Pasta with Spinach
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 1/8th portion • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 296 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 16 g • Carb: 44 g • Fiber: 5.5 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 524 mg

Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked pasta such as ziti
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I recommend: Tuttorosso)
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste
8 oz fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella (I recommend: Polly-O)
olive oil cooking spray (I used my Misto)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with oil spray.

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and crushed tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned. Let it cool 5 minutes, then cut it into 8 equal portions.

This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.