Hootenannies - with whole wheat

Melissa's Notes: This is a Cook family favorite, and no, they are not German Pancakes or Dutch Babies, the correct name for them is Hootenannies. This morning, Annie asked me what they were called, and after I told her she said, "My name's Annie, too!" Pretty cute. Sometimes James even calls them "Hoote-Natskers" for the Nat girl. Anyway, I have always wanted to try them with whole wheat, but have never had the guts to change what was already a perfect recipe! But this morning, I went for it, I substituted 1 cup flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup regular flour. And instead of 1/4 c. butter, I used 3 Tbsp. light butter (Smart Balance 50/50). Now I'm not going to claim that I improved upon the recipe...I didn't. But, I will say that my girls did not say a thing and ate their usual 2 pieces. And James approved as well, although he prefers the normal version, he said he still thought this one was good. Here is the original recipe, make substitutions if you're feeling daring that morning. With my substitutions it is 150 calories for 1/8 of the recipe.

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter (3 Tbsp. works for me)

Preheat oven to 425. Combine eggs, flour, milk and salt in a mixing bowl or blender. Stir well, until all lumps are gone. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in microwave, and pour into pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until sides are rising over the pan and browning. Serve with syrup or powdered sugar.

Raspberry (or Blackberry) Almond Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers Magazine

Melissa's Notes: I made this for book club, it turned out great! I needed a dessert I could enjoy while on my diet, and came across this one. I went to two stores and both were out of raspberries, so I used blackberries instead and it didn't seem to make any difference. The sauce was really the star of the recipe, IMO, it was delicious and looked very gourmet. I used Splenda, and didn't think it took away from the taste at all. However, you could tell a couple days later, so if you use Splenda, eat the cake that night. The best part is each serving is only around 150 calories!! I also served it with a dollop of low fat Cool Whip.

Cake Ingredients

2 Tbsp. chopped almonds
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. low fat baking mix (like Bisquick)
1/2 c. sugar (or Splenda)
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1/2 c. plain fat-free yogurt (or vanilla flavored)
1/4 c. egg substitute or 1 egg
3 Tbsp. light stick butter, melted (I used Smart Balance)
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries (or blackberries)
Raspberry Sauce (below)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Wrap bottom of 10-in. springform pan with foil; attach springform ring. Spray foil and sides of springform pan with nonstick spray.
2. Mix almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon in small bowl.
3. Combine baking mix and sugar in large bowl. Whisk milk, yogurt, egg, melted butter, and almond extract in small bowl until blended. Add milk mixture to baking-mix mixture; stir just until blended.
4. With rubber spatula, gently fold in raspberries just until blended. Pour batter into springform pan; sprinkle top evenly with nut mixture.
5. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove springform ring and bottom of pan (leaving foil on) and let cool completely on rack. Cut into 12 wedges. Serve with Raspberry Sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

Puree 3 c. fresh raspberries in food processor or blender. Strain through sieve set over bowl; discard seeds. Puree raspberry puree, 1/2 c. raspberry spreadable fruit, 2 Tbsp. honey, and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Makes 12 servings.