Dylan has been bugging me to make banana bread with the almost unrecognizable bananas sitting on the counter for quite some time now. But I have yet to come across a great banana bread recipe that isn't just shy of being cake. I looked at about 10 different recipes and mated the best parts of each to come up with this recipe.The stars have aligned and this bread is healthier, delicious, and moist.
This bread has whole wheat flour, yogurt, eggs, chia seeds and dark chocolate. Really the most important thing to remember, as with anything, is portion control. This bread is definitely a healthier version of most banana breads, but it also should not be a used as a meal replacement, enjoyed as a slice, not a hunk.
Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
Directions:
1 cup truvia (or other sugar substitute)
10 T butter, softened
4 eggs
*Cream butter and sugar sub together for at least 2 minutes, then add eggs, one at a time to mixture.
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 T chia, or flax seeds
2 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
*Combine dry ingredients, and add to egg mixture, alternating with 12 oz. vanilla yogurt. Beginning and ending with flour mixture.( I used Yo plus vanilla yogurt, but have used strawberry yogurt in the past as well. Using a low fat yogurt will not affect the bread at all and will improve the overall health benefit.)
*Lastly, fold in 2 cups of mashed, ripe bananas and 1 cup of dark chocolate chunks.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. This recipe makes 2 large loaves.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
January Dinner Party
We decided to go with a healthy soup theme for January's dinner party. This time of year, it is so nice to have something warm, and filling, and healthy, to snack on during the cold days. I also don't hate smelling the soup simmering on the stove or in the crock pot all day long.
Abbie hosted this month and made a kale and white bean soup, a couple of breads, and THE most delicious thing I have tasted in a long time. I made Tortilla Soup, Liena made WonTon Soup, Michelle brought Italian Sausage Soup, and Alli rounded out the group with an awesome corn chowder. We had an incredible evening of laughter and good, good food. Recipes are as follows.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 fresh jalapenos, diced (optional)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green Chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans
2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
*Here's the best thing about this soup, besides the taste, you dump it all in the crock pot and cook it on low 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Abbie hosted this month and made a kale and white bean soup, a couple of breads, and THE most delicious thing I have tasted in a long time. I made Tortilla Soup, Liena made WonTon Soup, Michelle brought Italian Sausage Soup, and Alli rounded out the group with an awesome corn chowder. We had an incredible evening of laughter and good, good food. Recipes are as follows.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 fresh jalapenos, diced (optional)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green Chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans
2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
*Here's the best thing about this soup, besides the taste, you dump it all in the crock pot and cook it on low 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
*Here's the next best thing about this soup. You can adjust it for whatever your likes and tastes are. I happened to have jalapenos, and pasilla peppers, and red bell peppers on hand, so I diced and added one of each. The next day, I had some left over roasted sweet potato, which I diced and tossed into the soup before I reheated it. It was delicious, and I will probably add it to my next batch.
*Because of the amount of canned goods involved, it is really important to rinse the items that you can, i,e beans, corn, and wash off all the extra sodium. For sure, do not add any extra salt.
*You can also place a couple of frozen chicken breasts into the soup, and shred them at the end of cooking. Also you can shred a rotisserie chicken and toss it in.
*Top the soup with whatever you like, reduced fat sour cream, plain yogurt, salsa, jalapenos, sharp cheddar cheese, cilantro, ect...
Italian Sausage Soup
Ingredients
1 lb. turkey or chicken Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14oz.) cans beef broth
1 (14.5oz.) can Italian-Style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 oz.) can great northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini , cubed
2 cups fresh spinach, packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
diced onion as desired
diced jalapeno as desired
* In stockpot brown sausage with garlic, jalapeno and onions. Stir in broth, tomatoes, carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
*Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
*Remove from heat and add spinach. Replace lid, allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves for 5 minutes. Serve.
Abbie made a couple of these breads with one of our girlfriends, who is gluten intolerant, in mind. They were delicious, and kept well the next day
Make-at-Home Socca
Taken from the Nourish Network
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to oil the pan
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt, for garnish
Whisk together flour, water, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours.
Position rack 8 inches from broiler in oven. Preheat broiler.
Pour a thin layer of oil into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, swirling pan to coat thoroughly. Heat pan over high heat. Pour half of batter (about 3/4 cup) into pan, swirling to distribute batter evenly. Cook 2 minutes.
Transfer pan to oven and broil 2 minutes, or until socca is golden.
Remove pan from oven and transfer socca to a clean work surface. Repeat procedure with additional oil and remaining batter.
To serve, garnish socca with fleur de sel and additional pepper. Cut it into wedges or serve it whole and let diners tear off pieces as they wish.
Yields 2 (10-inch) soccas
Green Socca
Taken from Pure2raw
Pure2raw recipe: Green Socca
Ingredients:
Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat oil in 10 in pizza pan till for about 2 minutes. Place remaining ingredients to your Vita-mix blender and blend together. Pour green socca batter into hot oil and bake for 30-40 minutes.
No-Knead Spelt Bread
Taken from Prairie Table. See additional info and pictures at their site.
No-Knead Spelt Bread adapted from The New York Times
3 cups white spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt - though next time I think I'll use 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 1/2 cups water
In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and water and stir until combined. Dough will be shaggy and much stickier than most bread dough. Cover bowl with plastic and leave in a warm place for at least 12 hours. Flour your hands, turn dough out onto a liberally floured board, dust dough with flour and fold into thirds - like a business letter. Then fold into thirds again, and shape it into a ball. Place seam side down in a well-floured bowl, and sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Cover bowl with kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size, and it retains the impression of your finger when poked. At least 30 minutes before the end of this rise, preheat oven to 500, place a baking stone on the center rack and another pan - not glass - on the bottom rack. When dough is finished rising, turn it out onto the hot baking stone, seam side up. Don't worry if it looks messy, that's part of its charm. Pour about a cup of water into the pan on the bottom rack and quickly close the oven door. Turn oven down to 450. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust is a deep golden brown.
Kale and White Bean Soup
(Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook)
2 tablespoons oil (olive, grapeseed, coconut, etc.)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped kale, with hard spine removed (there are different kinds of kale. I
used the dinosaur or lactino kale and didn't have to take out the stem)
1 (14 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelini beans)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (I omitted this b/c I didn't have it)
Pinch of pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until
golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomato
paste, and saute until the ingredients are well combined. Add the water, miso,
cumin, coriander, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 30
minutes. Add the kale, white beans, and thyme and simmer another half hour. (I added
the kale at the very, very end, right before serving to keep it crunchy and bright
green). Garnish with basil and pepper before serving.
Chicken and Shrimp Dumpling Soup
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 pound shelled, deveined shrimp, chopped
1/2# ground chicken
2 green onions thinly sliced, tops & bottoms divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp sesame oil; divided
1 tsp fresh minced ginger, and Sriracha chilli sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tap pepper
4 square egg roll wrappers -6" wide/or the small ones
4 fresh Shiite mushrooms
Combine broth & soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to barely a simmer.
Mix shrimp, chicken, onion bottoms, garlic, 1 tsp sesame oil, ginger, sriracha, salt
& pepper in a bowl. Place a spoonful in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the
edges with wayer, pull up all 4 corners and meet in the center & seal.
Lower dumplings gently into broth, cover & simmer until cooked (8 min).
Last 2 min of cooking add shiitakes. Serve with broth. Sprinkle with onion tops and
remaining sesame oil.
And lastly for the best dessert ever! Don't let the dates fool you. This is TAS-TEE!
Chocolate Covered Birthday Dates!
Taken from Making Love in the Kitchen
Chocolate Covered Birthday Dates
12 medjool dates, pitted (can do this by hand)
3/4 cup almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1 dark chocolate bar or make your own raw chocolate sauce using this recipe
1-2 Tbs coconut oil (if using the chocolate bar method).
Sea salt to taste
Still waiting on Allie's soup recipe, but I will post it soon!
Italian Sausage Soup
Ingredients
1 lb. turkey or chicken Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14oz.) cans beef broth
1 (14.5oz.) can Italian-Style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 oz.) can great northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini , cubed
2 cups fresh spinach, packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
diced onion as desired
diced jalapeno as desired
* In stockpot brown sausage with garlic, jalapeno and onions. Stir in broth, tomatoes, carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
*Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
*Remove from heat and add spinach. Replace lid, allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves for 5 minutes. Serve.
Abbie made a couple of these breads with one of our girlfriends, who is gluten intolerant, in mind. They were delicious, and kept well the next day
Make-at-Home Socca
Taken from the Nourish Network
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to oil the pan
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt, for garnish
Whisk together flour, water, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours.
Position rack 8 inches from broiler in oven. Preheat broiler.
Pour a thin layer of oil into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, swirling pan to coat thoroughly. Heat pan over high heat. Pour half of batter (about 3/4 cup) into pan, swirling to distribute batter evenly. Cook 2 minutes.
Transfer pan to oven and broil 2 minutes, or until socca is golden.
Remove pan from oven and transfer socca to a clean work surface. Repeat procedure with additional oil and remaining batter.
To serve, garnish socca with fleur de sel and additional pepper. Cut it into wedges or serve it whole and let diners tear off pieces as they wish.
Yields 2 (10-inch) soccas
Green Socca
Taken from Pure2raw
Pure2raw recipe: Green Socca
Ingredients:
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 large handful of fresh spinach
- 2 tbsp oil (we did coconut oil)
Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat oil in 10 in pizza pan till for about 2 minutes. Place remaining ingredients to your Vita-mix blender and blend together. Pour green socca batter into hot oil and bake for 30-40 minutes.
No-Knead Spelt Bread
Taken from Prairie Table. See additional info and pictures at their site.
No-Knead Spelt Bread adapted from The New York Times
3 cups white spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt - though next time I think I'll use 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 1/2 cups water
In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and water and stir until combined. Dough will be shaggy and much stickier than most bread dough. Cover bowl with plastic and leave in a warm place for at least 12 hours. Flour your hands, turn dough out onto a liberally floured board, dust dough with flour and fold into thirds - like a business letter. Then fold into thirds again, and shape it into a ball. Place seam side down in a well-floured bowl, and sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Cover bowl with kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size, and it retains the impression of your finger when poked. At least 30 minutes before the end of this rise, preheat oven to 500, place a baking stone on the center rack and another pan - not glass - on the bottom rack. When dough is finished rising, turn it out onto the hot baking stone, seam side up. Don't worry if it looks messy, that's part of its charm. Pour about a cup of water into the pan on the bottom rack and quickly close the oven door. Turn oven down to 450. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust is a deep golden brown.
Kale and White Bean Soup
(Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook)
2 tablespoons oil (olive, grapeseed, coconut, etc.)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped kale, with hard spine removed (there are different kinds of kale. I
used the dinosaur or lactino kale and didn't have to take out the stem)
1 (14 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelini beans)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (I omitted this b/c I didn't have it)
Pinch of pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until
golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomato
paste, and saute until the ingredients are well combined. Add the water, miso,
cumin, coriander, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 30
minutes. Add the kale, white beans, and thyme and simmer another half hour. (I added
the kale at the very, very end, right before serving to keep it crunchy and bright
green). Garnish with basil and pepper before serving.
Chicken and Shrimp Dumpling Soup
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 pound shelled, deveined shrimp, chopped
1/2# ground chicken
2 green onions thinly sliced, tops & bottoms divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp sesame oil; divided
1 tsp fresh minced ginger, and Sriracha chilli sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tap pepper
4 square egg roll wrappers -6" wide/or the small ones
4 fresh Shiite mushrooms
Combine broth & soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to barely a simmer.
Mix shrimp, chicken, onion bottoms, garlic, 1 tsp sesame oil, ginger, sriracha, salt
& pepper in a bowl. Place a spoonful in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the
edges with wayer, pull up all 4 corners and meet in the center & seal.
Lower dumplings gently into broth, cover & simmer until cooked (8 min).
Last 2 min of cooking add shiitakes. Serve with broth. Sprinkle with onion tops and
remaining sesame oil.
And lastly for the best dessert ever! Don't let the dates fool you. This is TAS-TEE!
Chocolate Covered Birthday Dates!
Taken from Making Love in the Kitchen
Chocolate Covered Birthday Dates
12 medjool dates, pitted (can do this by hand)
3/4 cup almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1 dark chocolate bar or make your own raw chocolate sauce using this recipe
1-2 Tbs coconut oil (if using the chocolate bar method).
Sea salt to taste
- Remove pits from your dates.
- With the tenderest of loving touches, pry open the dates and put it approx 1 Tbs of almond butter for each date. Close’r on up as best you can.
- In a double boiler, melt your chocolate.
- Using kitchen tongs (or a fork if you don’t have tongs), dip your almond butter filled date into the chocolate.
- Place on parchment paper and continue with the rest.
- Sprinkle with a dash of sea salt (or use hemp seeds, ground gogi- whatever you like…) and put in the freezer for about 20 mins, or until serving.
- Serve straight out of the freezer.
Still waiting on Allie's soup recipe, but I will post it soon!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Black Bean Brownies
For reals.
I was looking through my cooking mag the other night and there was a little box with a tip for substituting a 16 oz. can of pureed black beans for the oil AND eggs in a boxed brownie mix.
I didn't believe it, but happened to have both on hand to give it a try.
I used a Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk Brownie mix, which, in the high altitude directions called for 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup oil, and 2-3 eggs.
I drained and rinsed my beans and threw them in the Ninja until mashed, then added the water and brownie mix, but omitted the oil and eggs. I baked it as directed, although I don't have a 9x9 pan so I used a 8x11.
They were freaking awesome.
I was looking through my cooking mag the other night and there was a little box with a tip for substituting a 16 oz. can of pureed black beans for the oil AND eggs in a boxed brownie mix.
I didn't believe it, but happened to have both on hand to give it a try.
I used a Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk Brownie mix, which, in the high altitude directions called for 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup oil, and 2-3 eggs.
I drained and rinsed my beans and threw them in the Ninja until mashed, then added the water and brownie mix, but omitted the oil and eggs. I baked it as directed, although I don't have a 9x9 pan so I used a 8x11.
They were freaking awesome.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Muhammara
My friend Kelli, also the Kellie from my recipe club, brought some Muhammara to work the other day. She was talking about how she loves this stuff called Muhammara, that they serve at Mazza (Middle Eastern Restaurant).
Anyhoo, she loved it so much, she found a recipe on Epicurious for it and brought some in for her lunch. At first offer, I was hesitant, only because I have been spending a lot of time potty training our new puppy in the back yard, and the Muhammara looked suspiciously familiar. After my first taste however, I think Kelli was wishing she hadn't offered, as I was double knuckle deep in her dip. It was tastee.
Kelli brought carrot sticks to eat it with, and the consistency is much like hummus, but she also had used it as a sandwich spread, and the recipe says it would make a good accompaniment to kebabs, meat or fish, or grilled pita.
I immediately printed myself off a copy and have been happily snacking ever since. The day I made it, Dawson was hovering around, and kept making comments about how he doesn't like peppers. Then when I was giving the walnuts a quick stove top toasting, he said how he didn't care for walnuts. I understood what he was talking about, since giving the list of ingredients a once over, there was no way I would have tried it, had I not already tasted it. Dawson hung around though, and since I didn't have bread crumbs and substituted my Food Should Be Good Chips, which he likes, he gave it a taste. Hallelujah, it was a hit. Both Boyz went to town and I immediately had to make a second batch.
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread
Gourmet/August 2009
by Gina Marie Miraglia Enquez
A take on muhammara, a Turkish and Syrian red pepper spread thickened with bread crumbs and walnuts, this sunset-hued condiment comes together in minutes and does double duty as an accompaniment to both the kebabs and the grilled pita.
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
2 (7-to 8-ounces) jars roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (from a baguette)
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Puree roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, vinegar, cumin, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until almost smooth.
With motor running, add oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated.
Cooks' Notes:
*Spread is also delicious with crudites, crackers or toasts.
*Spread can be made 3 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Anyhoo, she loved it so much, she found a recipe on Epicurious for it and brought some in for her lunch. At first offer, I was hesitant, only because I have been spending a lot of time potty training our new puppy in the back yard, and the Muhammara looked suspiciously familiar. After my first taste however, I think Kelli was wishing she hadn't offered, as I was double knuckle deep in her dip. It was tastee.
Kelli brought carrot sticks to eat it with, and the consistency is much like hummus, but she also had used it as a sandwich spread, and the recipe says it would make a good accompaniment to kebabs, meat or fish, or grilled pita.
I immediately printed myself off a copy and have been happily snacking ever since. The day I made it, Dawson was hovering around, and kept making comments about how he doesn't like peppers. Then when I was giving the walnuts a quick stove top toasting, he said how he didn't care for walnuts. I understood what he was talking about, since giving the list of ingredients a once over, there was no way I would have tried it, had I not already tasted it. Dawson hung around though, and since I didn't have bread crumbs and substituted my Food Should Be Good Chips, which he likes, he gave it a taste. Hallelujah, it was a hit. Both Boyz went to town and I immediately had to make a second batch.
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread
Gourmet/August 2009
by Gina Marie Miraglia Enquez
A take on muhammara, a Turkish and Syrian red pepper spread thickened with bread crumbs and walnuts, this sunset-hued condiment comes together in minutes and does double duty as an accompaniment to both the kebabs and the grilled pita.
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
2 (7-to 8-ounces) jars roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (from a baguette)
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Puree roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, vinegar, cumin, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until almost smooth.
With motor running, add oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated.
Cooks' Notes:
*Spread is also delicious with crudites, crackers or toasts.
*Spread can be made 3 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Blackened Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia
We love fish. Really any kind, but what I love the most is a fish dinner that comes together quickly and without a lot of fuss. When Dawson asked me what we were having for dinner tonight, and I told him, Tilapia, I got a giant hug and a "You're the best Mom ever." It was a bit dramatic, but made me reminiscent of the days when I got teary if Dave suggested we go to Don Pedro's for nachos.
It was one of those nights that Dave and I both had things going on, so it was a sort of tag-in, tag-out situation. I love the Tilapia from Costco because they are individually wrapped and portioned and thaw out way faster than my plan for them, usually. This recipe came from Cooking Light, (shocker, I know) but I had everything on hand and it went together beautifully.
Dave was tagged in on the side dishes, so we had broccoli and mashed potatoes, but this fish would work really well for fish tacos as well. We broiled it on the broiler pan, lined with foil and the clean up was even faster than the prep. Besides being easy, convenient, and fast; this dinner was Tastee.
Ingredients
2. Rub oil evenly over fish. Combine cumin, salt, garlic powder, and peppers; sprinkle over fish. Arrange fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness.
It was one of those nights that Dave and I both had things going on, so it was a sort of tag-in, tag-out situation. I love the Tilapia from Costco because they are individually wrapped and portioned and thaw out way faster than my plan for them, usually. This recipe came from Cooking Light, (shocker, I know) but I had everything on hand and it went together beautifully.
Dave was tagged in on the side dishes, so we had broccoli and mashed potatoes, but this fish would work really well for fish tacos as well. We broiled it on the broiler pan, lined with foil and the clean up was even faster than the prep. Besides being easy, convenient, and fast; this dinner was Tastee.
Blackened Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.2. Rub oil evenly over fish. Combine cumin, salt, garlic powder, and peppers; sprinkle over fish. Arrange fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness.
Nutritional Information
- Calories:159 Fat: 5.8g (sat 1.2g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.9g) Protein: 25.9g Carbohydrate: 0.9g Fiber: 0.5g Cholesterol: 64mg Iron: 1.1mg Sodium: 364mg Calcium: 22mg Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2009
Sunday, November 21, 2010
November Girls Club Dinner
A few of the awesome nurses I work with, use our healthy recipes as an excuse to get together once a month for a dinner party. Sometimes there is a theme, sometimes not, but always for weeks leading up to the party, lots of chatter about what looks good, what we are excited to try, and what we are bringing.
Tonight we gathered at Liena's for a pre-holiday meal. I went the healthified appetizer route with Mini Corn Bread Crab Cakes with Lemon Caper Sauce, and stuffed mushrooms, both recipes taken from Cooking Light, which is one of my favorite recipe sites. The corn bread in the crab cakes was so delicious and moist and sweet. I just made the corn bread from a mix before hand. It was an extra step, but so worth it.
Abbie made some fantastic Dolmathes with Tzatziki Sauce, (grape leaves wrapped around a wild rice, veggie, and nut mixture), Michelle brought Butternut Soup, and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Liena made Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sarah brought Tomato and Red Pepper Bruschetta, Emily made a delicious turkey ham and Kelly supplied the Spice Bundt Cake for dessert. Along with dessert, Michelle gave us an in service on garter belts. It was a lovely evening.
Still retrieving recipes for turkey, bruschetta and Dolmathes, stay tuned.
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare crab cakes, heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Combine bell pepper mixture, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, and next 6 ingredients (through Old Bay); stir in egg. Fold in Buttermilk Corn Bread and crab meat. Scoop mixture into 16 portions (about 1/4 cup each) onto 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly cover, and refrigerate 1 hour. Uncover and bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet with a metal spatula. Serve with sauce. Garnish with chives, if desired.
1/4 C pancetta
Lightly spoon all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add sugar, stirring until well blended. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Scrape batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle walnuts in a 2 1/2-inch-wide strip down center of loaf.
Bake the loaf at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan on a wire rack.
Tonight we gathered at Liena's for a pre-holiday meal. I went the healthified appetizer route with Mini Corn Bread Crab Cakes with Lemon Caper Sauce, and stuffed mushrooms, both recipes taken from Cooking Light, which is one of my favorite recipe sites. The corn bread in the crab cakes was so delicious and moist and sweet. I just made the corn bread from a mix before hand. It was an extra step, but so worth it.
Abbie made some fantastic Dolmathes with Tzatziki Sauce, (grape leaves wrapped around a wild rice, veggie, and nut mixture), Michelle brought Butternut Soup, and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Liena made Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sarah brought Tomato and Red Pepper Bruschetta, Emily made a delicious turkey ham and Kelly supplied the Spice Bundt Cake for dessert. Along with dessert, Michelle gave us an in service on garter belts. It was a lovely evening.
Still retrieving recipes for turkey, bruschetta and Dolmathes, stay tuned.
Mini Corn Bread Crab Cakes with Lemon-Caper Sauce
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
- 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic
- Dash of freshly ground black pepper
- Crab cakes:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon (30%-less-sodium) Old Bay seasoning
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups crumbled Buttermilk Corn Bread
- 1 pound lump crab meat, shell pieces removed
- Cooking spray
- Fresh chives (optional)
Preparation
To prepare sauce, combine first 8 ingredients; chill.Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare crab cakes, heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Combine bell pepper mixture, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, and next 6 ingredients (through Old Bay); stir in egg. Fold in Buttermilk Corn Bread and crab meat. Scoop mixture into 16 portions (about 1/4 cup each) onto 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly cover, and refrigerate 1 hour. Uncover and bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet with a metal spatula. Serve with sauce. Garnish with chives, if desired.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 cup fat-free cottage cheese
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- 24 button mushroom caps
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in cottage cheese and Worcestershire sauce, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon mixture evenly into mushroom caps.
Place the mushroom caps in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle mushrooms evenly with paprika. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
Michelle never gave me her actual recipe, so I did some research and made up my own, mostly adding things from my Bountiful Basket. This has a little heat to it, no so much that my kids wouldn't eat it, but it might make some people uncomfortable. Obviously if this is you, omit the jalapeno or cayenne pepper, or if you are a super wuss, omit both.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 butternut squash
- 2 potatoes, I've used sweet and Yukon, peeled and diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 white or yellow onion, sliced
- 1 head garlic
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 8oz. light cream cheese
Preparation
First things first. I like to roast the squash and garlic in the oven for 1 hour at 450 degrees. Poke a few holes in the squash and wrap the garlic in tin foil. While that cooks, peel and dice all the other veggies. Use gloves to handle the jalapeno. Seriously.
Saute the onion, pepper, and jalapeno in a little ghee or olive oil. Add potato, carrots broth and spices, and simmer. When the squash and garlic are done, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, and scoop the squash out and add both to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes. The final stage is somewhat of a touchy point. Dave thinks that the soup would be better left chunky. I disagree. Finally, you puree the soup with the cream cheese, until the whole thing is smooth like butta. Yum.
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
- Bag o' spinach
- sliced mushrooms
- thinly sliced red onion
- feta cheese
- 1 Tbls. bacon fat or oil
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 c. cider vinegar
- 2/3 c. water
- Salt and Peppa
Heat vinaigrette on stove top to thicken a bit, then dump in salad and mix it up.
Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1/4 C pancetta
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 shallot, sliced
2 pounds Brussel sprouts, stem trimmed, halved lengthwise
1/2 C chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 C grated Parmesan
Pancetta in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat; 2 min.
Add garlic and shallot and saute for another minute.
Add brussels sprouts, chicken broth, salt and pepper; then stir.
Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until desired doneness.
Transfer to serving plate/bowl and garnish with Parmesan.
I couldn't find pancetta, so I used bacon. I first cooked the bacon then drained
the fat. The pan was coated enough so I didn't use the olive oil. I also used an
onion because I didn't have a shallot on hand.
Gingerbread Loaf
So Kelly made this in a bundt pan, and brought homemade whipped cream for the top. Delish.Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- 1 cup warm 1% low-fat milk (100° to 110°)
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons prune baby food
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly spoon all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add sugar, stirring until well blended. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Scrape batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle walnuts in a 2 1/2-inch-wide strip down center of loaf.
Bake the loaf at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan on a wire rack.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Inaugural Recipe Club Dinner
Abbie, who is a co-worker, great friend, and fellow foodie, was chatting with me at work the other day trying to have a conversation over the dramatic moaning and groaning coming out of a patient room in the ECU. It is like the step-down ER, where the pace is significantly slower, and when we get stuck over there for a shift, we like to make the most of our downtime, i.e, reading food blogs and talking recipes.
During our banter we decided that we needed to form a dinner party club, that met once a month and everyone brought something delicious and healthy to share. By the end of the shift, we had a full club, an inaugural date, and more ideas for what we were going to bring, than we could possibly fulfill in years of clubbing.
I hosted the first dinner, and we had an amazing time eating and laughing and eating and laughing some more. One of the rules of this dinner club, was that you had to bring a copy of the recipes that you brought. That was overlooked in the frenzy of food and joy, but I managed to pin down a few of the girls for the following recipes.
I was going to make about a thousand different things, but as fate would have it, my copy of Cooking Light came in the mail that very same day, and this recipe was on the cover. The fish looked so delicious in the picture, and while I was at the grocery store, the salmon just kept calling to me. There real secret to this recipe is the pure Maple syrup. It makes all the difference, do not try to substitute pancake syrup or Aunt Jemima.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over flesh side of fillets. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Brush fillets evenly with syrup; broil 1 minute.
Abbie who always manages to bring delicious stuff that I have never tried brought an appetizer of Fresh Figs and Apples with Low-Fat Ricotta Dip, and a delicious warm salad. They were both delicious, and it was fun to try figs that hadn't been crammed into a newton. They were so good and beautiful to look at. The salad was equally delicious and a great way to use up any veggies you might have sitting around. I don't necessarily love eggplant, but it was delicious cubed and roasted in the salad. The recipe made a crazy amount of salad, so Abbie gave me some left overs and I enjoyed it for days after. Really tastee.
Fresh Figs & Apples with Low-Fat Ricotta Dip
Ingredients:
8-10 fresh figs
1 apple
2 cups reduced fat ricotta cheese
2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
sweetener to taste ( I used agave nectar to taste which you can find in any grocery store, but honey or stevia or even straight up sugar will do the trick.)
Cut each fig into 4 pieces and slice apple. Put dip in center of a plate and arrange fruit around it. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey/agave nectar. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top. You could also add some chopped Medjool dates on top if you would like.
Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
Vegetables for roasting- for today's salad I used:
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
1 eggplant
2-3 cups mushrooms
*Chop veggies into equal size pieces and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until veggies are soft. They will shrink quite a bit.
In a bowl, combine roasted veggies with:
1 can artichokes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 (15oz.) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 (4oz) containers, or as much as you like of feta cheese. I used one 4 oz. pkg of sun dried tomato feta and 1 4oz. container of reduced fat feta. (Athenos brand)
Make dressing:
1 T. dry basil or 2 T. fresh basil, chopped
2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice ( about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T. red wine vinegar
Pour dressing over mixture in bowl. Taste before serving and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature. This makes a ton, and could serve 6-10 as a side dish.
*As always you could changed this up so many ways. Add whatever veggies you have in your fridge that need to be used up. You could add chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, or omit any of these ingredients that you don't like!
During our banter we decided that we needed to form a dinner party club, that met once a month and everyone brought something delicious and healthy to share. By the end of the shift, we had a full club, an inaugural date, and more ideas for what we were going to bring, than we could possibly fulfill in years of clubbing.
I hosted the first dinner, and we had an amazing time eating and laughing and eating and laughing some more. One of the rules of this dinner club, was that you had to bring a copy of the recipes that you brought. That was overlooked in the frenzy of food and joy, but I managed to pin down a few of the girls for the following recipes.
I was going to make about a thousand different things, but as fate would have it, my copy of Cooking Light came in the mail that very same day, and this recipe was on the cover. The fish looked so delicious in the picture, and while I was at the grocery store, the salmon just kept calling to me. There real secret to this recipe is the pure Maple syrup. It makes all the difference, do not try to substitute pancake syrup or Aunt Jemima.
Maple-Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 (6-ounce) Alaskan salmon fillets
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.2. Combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over flesh side of fillets. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Brush fillets evenly with syrup; broil 1 minute.
Abbie who always manages to bring delicious stuff that I have never tried brought an appetizer of Fresh Figs and Apples with Low-Fat Ricotta Dip, and a delicious warm salad. They were both delicious, and it was fun to try figs that hadn't been crammed into a newton. They were so good and beautiful to look at. The salad was equally delicious and a great way to use up any veggies you might have sitting around. I don't necessarily love eggplant, but it was delicious cubed and roasted in the salad. The recipe made a crazy amount of salad, so Abbie gave me some left overs and I enjoyed it for days after. Really tastee.
Fresh Figs & Apples with Low-Fat Ricotta Dip
Ingredients:
8-10 fresh figs
1 apple
2 cups reduced fat ricotta cheese
2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
sweetener to taste ( I used agave nectar to taste which you can find in any grocery store, but honey or stevia or even straight up sugar will do the trick.)
Cut each fig into 4 pieces and slice apple. Put dip in center of a plate and arrange fruit around it. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey/agave nectar. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top. You could also add some chopped Medjool dates on top if you would like.
Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
Vegetables for roasting- for today's salad I used:
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
1 eggplant
2-3 cups mushrooms
*Chop veggies into equal size pieces and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until veggies are soft. They will shrink quite a bit.
In a bowl, combine roasted veggies with:
1 can artichokes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 (15oz.) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 (4oz) containers, or as much as you like of feta cheese. I used one 4 oz. pkg of sun dried tomato feta and 1 4oz. container of reduced fat feta. (Athenos brand)
Make dressing:
1 T. dry basil or 2 T. fresh basil, chopped
2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice ( about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T. red wine vinegar
Pour dressing over mixture in bowl. Taste before serving and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature. This makes a ton, and could serve 6-10 as a side dish.
*As always you could changed this up so many ways. Add whatever veggies you have in your fridge that need to be used up. You could add chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, or omit any of these ingredients that you don't like!
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