Weight Watchers Friendly Sauces

I’ve found that having low-calorie, flavorful sauces, toppings, and dressings on hand is a game-changer for staying on track with my weight loss following Weight Watchers.  

Plain steamed veggies or a simple baked potato instantly become more exciting with the right homemade healthy low calorie dressing or topping which helps make eating simple foods feel less like a chore. 

 The other day, I went out to a Chinese restaurant and ordered plain steamed broccoli, steamed bok choy, and steamed tofu— without any of their  sauces- just plain - and boring. 

Instead, I brought a small individualized container of my homemade low calorie peanut sauce (made with PB2, a no-fat peanut butter powder), and dipped my vegetables in it. It made all the difference. It was delicious, satisfying, and totally kept me on weight loss plan! ( I did it partially because I am dieting and partially because of my celiac concerns).

Regardless, my low calorie homemade sauce upped the game for me to make it a tastier meal without the added calories. 

I also use this sauce with rice noodle vegetable wraps and it is delicious. 

This recipe makes a small amount. Multiply the PB2, Hoisin sauce, and tamari sauce times 3 to make more sauce (add a little more water as needed) I estimate- the recipe is 2 points on WW. 

Recipe for Low Calorie Peanut Sauce : 

2 tablespoons of gluten-free peanut butter powder (PB2)

1 tablespoon of gluten-free hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons water 

1 small individualized package of stevia (1/2 teaspoon) 

1 tablespoon of tamari sauce (or GF soy sauce)

Directions: 

Mix all of the ingredients together forming a pasty sauce. If too thick, add another tablespoon of water. Use on steamed vegetables.

Try some other sauces 

Spicy Orange Sauce  (link to the recipe)

Cilantro Lime Oil-Free Dressing (link to recipe)

Delicious High Protein Pastas and Vegan Sauces

Pasta made from red lentils, mung beans, fava beans, and edamame??? Yes - and they are delicious. 

I want to share some of the wonderful high protein pastas that I received from a company called Explore Cuisine. 

 

Don't they look amazing?  AND they are!! 

Part of the fun of being a blogger is being asked to review books and products. I received 5 boxes of this new high protein pasta. 

I tried the fava bean fusilli and the red lentil pasta first. I enjoyed them both. 

I have always loved pasta (who hasn't? ) but as an adult, I usually have avoided it because it is low in protein and low in fiber. In addition, many pastas that are gluten -free often get gooey and gummy. That was not my experience with these pastas. 

I was pleased to see the high amount of both fiber and protein in each of these Explore Cuisine boxes. In addition, these pastas are organic and gluten-free -another big plus for me!

After trying all five boxes that they sent me, I decided that fava bean fusilli tastes and looks like most like regular pasta. This is good news because I often make pasta for my grandkids and they are FUSSY. The fava been fusilli meets my grandkid's taste standards and my standards for both taste, fiber, protein, and nutrients.

The fava bean fusilli provides 25 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce serving. That is amazing! Certainly enough protein for any meal. The red lentil pasta has the least protein with 12 grams which is still a significant amount of protein considering the following guidelines (always check with your doctor to be sure of your own needs)

General Protein Needs

1-3 year olds need about 13 grams of protein per day

4-5 year olds need about 19 grams of protein per day

6-13 year olds need about 20-35 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height

Adult females need about 46 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height

Adult males need about 56 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height.

I know that my daughter-in-laws are always concerned about the grandkids eating enough protein. These delicious pastas are a mother's dream come true. 

Perhaps you are trying to cut back on meat and other animal products. High protein pasta is a great choice! 

I'm really enjoying these Explore Cuisine healthy high protein bean pastas. 

I live in South Florida and I haven't seen them in my local markets, but I have seen them in my local Costco. 

Creamy Almond Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients : 

2 cups of red lentil penne pasta, cooked according to the directions on the box and set aside.

1 clove of fresh garlic

1/2 cup of basil

3/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, all liquid drained

2/3 cup of blanched almonds

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 and half cups of nut milk

 

Directions: 

Add garlic and fresh basil to a food processor and process until chopped ( adding a tablespoon of water if needed). Add sun dried tomatoes, almonds, tomato paste and continue to process adding small amounts of nut milk to begin to get a saucy consistency. Toss into the pasta for a wonderful plant-based dinner.

Try some of my other delicious sauces

Eggplant Sauce for Pasta

Marinated Cherry Tomato Sauce for Pasta 

Cashew Basil Cream Sauce 

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Disclaimer: Although I was provided with the products all thoughts in the review are my own.

NOTES: 

The 5 pastas that I reviewed meet gluten-free standards

Cauliflower with Creamy Lemon Sauce-Zero points and Vegan

If you are a lemon lover and looking for an idea to perk up your plain vegetables, this creamy lemon sauce over cauliflower is not to be ignored. 

Cashew Basil Cream

I am excited about this simple cashew creamy sauce that not only can be made using a variety of ingredients, it also can be used on a variety of different dishes! I'm sharing my favorite way to prepare it which is the basic cashew basil cream. 

Chunky Eggplant Sauce for Pasta

Got an eggplant? Oh you will love this delicious recipe!
This chunky plant-based eggplant sauce makes my mouth water! And it's fast and easy to make too!!

With only 5 ingredients, it's a perfect complement for any kind of pasta (gluten free of course), including  zucchini noodles which are made with a spiralizer as shown below. 

Made from entirely vegetables, this healthy sauce is nutritious, filling, and absolutely delicious too.

I like to simmer the sauce covered on a very low flame for about forty minutes to allow the eggplant, red peppers, and tomato flavors to mingle while the vegetables soften and the sauce thickens.

I used this eggplant sauce two ways for dinner.

1. I ate my eggplant spaghetti sauce over zucchini noodles 
2. My husband ate his over gluten free brown rice noodles that I bought from Trader Joe's. 

   Brown Rice Gluten Free Pasta (Trader Joe's) 

If you don't know how to make zucchini noodles, it is really really simple and so healthy.

Buy a medium or large zucchini, cut it in half, place in the spiralizer, and turn the handle of your spriralizer to make the noodles. 

I use this one from Amazon (affiliate link) Spiralizer By Palermo.  I can easily make a full bowl of spiraled zucchini for one person in 1 minute.

Zucchini noodles (zoodles) can be enjoyed raw or personally, I like mine tossed quickly in a skillet (with a 1/4 cup of water or vegetables broth) to soften them. 


Author: Judee Algazi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped in chunks
5 red mini peppers, cleaned and chopped
2 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 8 ounce can of organic chopped tomatoes with jalepenos (or add your own)
1/2 can of tomato paste mixed with 2 cups of water
Optional: 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves

Directions: 

Type of Pan: Dutch oven or a deep wide skillet
Add the eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and the tomato paste mixed with water. Stir and cook on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Check periodically and stir. Cook for about 25 minutes until eggplant is soft.  Serve when eggplant is soft.


Where do you buy a spiralizer? 

They sell spiralizers in any store where they have kitchen items.
I bought a hand held spiralizer, but didn't like it. I found it too difficult to make a large quantity of spirals.

I then went online and bought the Palermo.
It's light, easy to use, and easy to wash. 

(affiliate link too see the sprializer on Amazon click the red wording) Spiralizer By Palermo- Voted the Best Vegetable Maker 

Get one- they are reasonable and so so easy to use and clean up! Once you have one, you won't know how you lived without it! 



I highly recommend this one!!!

shared on Pin Junkie How would you use this sauce? Do you spiralize?  Love your comments-

My Notes: 

1, This is a perfect recipe that meets Kosher for Passover requirements. Imagine the zucchini spirals with this sauce for lunch. If you eat cheese, pile it on!!!

2. This is a perfect recipe for using summer zucchini, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. 


Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Amazon and will receive a very  small compensation if buy on Amazon after clicking on a link on my blog. Thank you for helping me cover some of the costs of blog expenses.

Cherry Tomato Marinade Sauce for Pasta, Rice, Vegetables or Zoodles

Looking for a quick, but tasty and easy spring or summer dinner?
Marinate some halved cherry tomatoes for about an hour and then use them for a delicious sauce for zucchini noodles or your favorite cooked ( gf) pasta. It's that easy and cherry tomatoes grow abundantly or are always available in the market. It's a perfect seasonal dish!

Great Sauce - No Cooking- Just Marinating
I grow lots of cherry tomatoes plants, and right now they are so prolific that we are having trouble keeping up with what to do with all those beautiful little gems. In addition, I belong to a CSA that provides me with additional cherry tomatoes.  This sauce is the perfect answer since it requires no cooking. 

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free and Raw
The beauty of this recipe is that it is not only gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.! So it's a perfect allergy friendly recipe that most guests or family members can enjoy.

Since this delicious sauce is not cooked, it's especially great for those who eat a raw food diet or for those who want to include more raw food enzymes in their diets. Some nutritionists say that a diet of 80% raw food and 20% cooked food is the healthiest diet.

In addition to the cherry tomatoes, this recipe calls for some fresh chopped basil or any other fresh herbs that you may have growing in your garden or on your windowsill. There is something about tomatoes and fresh basil that scream summer. Their flavors are fabulous together.

Need to use up lots of cherry tomatoes and also zucchini?
This fabulous pasta recipe will do the job!
I never tire of making simple zucchini noodles in minutes using my sprializer, and I love this marinated cherry tomato sauce. Of course if you are a pasta lover, you could use any kind of pasta. It's a perfect recipe for a hot summer night!

Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow and will keep you well supplied with tomatoes from end of July through at least the end of September if you live on the East coast. If you are ever interested in growing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are the easiest and most prolific to grow. They are great plants for little ones who can enjoy the thrill of picking their own little tomatoes. They grow best in the ground, but can be planted in pots.

The marinated tomato recipe is  light and tangy and gives any pasta a delicious flavor. Feel free to add toppings of your choice like feta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, or even some cooked chickpeas. Any of them would make great toppings, or you can just eat the sauce plain or top it with slices of avocado if you are vegan.
Check out this post from last year for cherry tomatoes, avocado and chickpeas

The marinated cherry tomato sauce only has to marinate for about an hour, but it can marinate for even 6 hours. The taste just gets better and better.

Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: none
Marinating Time: Minimum 30 minutes up to 6 hours

Cherry Tomato Sauce Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved ( I used yellow, orange, and red cherry tomatoes)
juice of one fresh lemon
1/4 cup ( or more)  of olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
( any other fresh herb you have in the garden -rosemary oregano, thyme, etc.)
optional: 1 clove fresh garlic, pressed
salt and freshly cracked pepper to tast

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, marinate for at least an hour. Eat over pasta, rice or zucchini pasta. Makes a great side dish or a BBQ. The marinade can be used cold or at room temperature. You can use it over hot pasta or hot vegetable pasta too.

When writing this post I wasn't sure whether marinade was spelled with a "d" or a '"t" . I learned something.

• Marinade with a "d" is a noun- so it's a tomato sauce marinade
• Marinate with a " t" is a verb- so I would marinate the tomatoes

Whew! Glad I got that straight!

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