Day 1

First day of my first blog is starting off great, and this is how it all began....  My cousin's wife Desiree has her own blog which I read everyday and I love it. It gives me something to look forward to and makes me smile for so many reasons.  Her blog is based on her amazing talent artistic ideas.  Me I am not at all artistic but I can cook... and so is born the 100 days of Weight Watchers.  I will be cooking meals out of my favourite recipe book "Weight Watchers All time favourites"


And so begins day one Valentines Day

Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with Butternut Squash Sauce

Courtesy of Weight Watchers All Time Favorites PG 170

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil 1 small onion 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 cups fresh, or thawed frozen butternut squash chunks 1 (14 1/2 oz) can reduced-sodium vegetable broth 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage 1/2 tsp group pepper 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp and pinch of nutmeg 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 5 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 Egg White 1 12 oz package of wonton wrappers 

The How-To:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. I love garlic so I used 4 cloves

Add the squash, broth, chopped sage(I used celantro) 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, the salt, and the 1/8 teaspoon of the nutmeg; cook stirring until the squash is very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat; let cool 15 minutes.

  .

Meanwhile, to make the ravioli, combine the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan, the egg white, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Place 12 wonton wrappers on the surface and put 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture in the center of each wrapper. With pastry brush that has been dipped in water, dampen the edges of the wrappers, then place another wrapper on top, pressing out the air as you pinch the edges together to seal them. Cover lightly with a damp towel, set aside.VERY IMPORTANT: do not layer and do not make to far in advance

Puree the squash mixture in a food processor. If too think, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture has a sauce like consistency. Pour into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently; keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil; slip half of the ravioli into the water and cook until they float to the surface, about 4 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a colander. Drain well, then transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cook and drain the remaining ravioli.

Spoon the sauce evenly into each of 4 shallow bowls and top with the ravioli. Sprinkle the ravioli with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg. Garnish with sage leaves and serve at once.

The Review: The butternut squash sauce was amazing, it really tastes like vodka sauce and the whole family loved it. It was smooth and creamy. Great alternative to traditional red sauce. The ravioli was good  I will definitely make this again.

Well now the first day is down and you can look forward for more to come 99 days to go.


P.S.  The best part of this recipe is that 6 Ravioli and sauce is only 293 calories and 8 grams of fat. 


Hilary