Monthly Archives: May 2014

Homemade Coconut Kiwi Strawberry Popsicle

Today we celebrated memorial day with friends and family! I cannot think a better way to cool off other a homemade Popsicle. Plus I knew my nephew would love these cold treats.

Ingredients:
1 can of light coconut milk ( I used trader joes)
2 kiwi pealed
1 cup of strawberries
1/4 cup honey

Directions:
Place all the goods and the food processor.

Pulse 2 to 3 times.

Pour into a container with a spout.

Freeze in a deep freezer for 5 to 6 hours.

Makes about 10 popsicles tupperwear size.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Almond Bread

Spring time means rhubarb season! This year my very own rhubarb plants are producing rhubarb stalks. I’m very excited to start baking with this vegetable!

This morning I ended up baking rhubarb mini loaves! This is the second recipe on rhubarb bread on this blog. I tried to decrease some of the calories with this one.

I just love the way fresh rhubarb looks so colorful!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 TB milled flaxseed
1 tsp high quality cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 Cardamon pod ground
1 cup fat free butter milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb ( frozen is okay just make sure to thaw it first)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Cinnamon sugar optional
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Set aside.

In a large bowl mix oil, flaxseed, and sugar with a whisk.

Add vanilla, egg, substitute and buttermilk.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, Cardamon, and baking soda.

Pour the dry ingredients into the liquid batter.

Whisk together once combined fold in rhubarb.

Fold in almonds.

Fold until batter is fully incorporated.

Scoop 1 cup of batter into mini bread pans and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove.

Enjoy!

Churro muffins… I miss Mexico

My husband and I just got back from Mexico! One of his favorite foods to eat during our adventure were the churros! I wanted to surprise him by making this treat after our long day of traveling yesterday. This is my take on the churro as a muffin (which traditionally churros are fried doughnut like sticks). I added some fiber with the whole wheat pastry flour and used a more heart healthy fat instead of butter or vegetable shortening in the dough batter. I also added a special touch with vanilla and I know traditional churros are not made with vanilla but I had to add it to kick the recipe up a notch!

Not to mention I couldn’t wait to use our Mexican vanilla!! Let me just say that I would make a trip to back to Mexico just to buy this type of vanilla for the flavor it brings to everything you add it to!

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla pure
1/2 tsp nutmeg ground
1/4 tsp cinnamon ground
1.5 cups of cake flour
1.5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup canola oil
2 farm fresh eggs
1 cup skim milk

Topping

2 TB butter unsalted melted
Cinnamon & sugar blend
1/4 cup for for cinnamon sugar blend
1 1/2 tsp for cinnamon sugar blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Line 18 muffin tins with silicone liners and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl whisk together oil, sugars and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients into wet batter in three increments. Alternating dry with milk.

Whisk together well after each addition.

Everything should be incorporated without any dry residue remaining in the bowl. Before moving on.

Portion out equal amounts into each muffin cooking sprayed liner. If you use a size 60 scope the recipe will yield 18 muffins.

Bake muffins at 325 degrees for 26 to 28 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).

Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes.

In the meantime in a microwaveable shallow dish melt butter in microwave ( 30 to 45 seconds) until liquid.

In another small shallow bowl mix cinnamon and sugar together preferably in a similar bowl.

Once muffins have cooled slightly in the tins (as mentioned above for 5 minutes), dip muffin top in butter quickly and let excess butter drip off.

Then dip into cinnamon and sugar blend.

Enjoy!

No bake peanut butter puffed brown rice granola bars

Tomorrow is our dietetic intern and my mentee’s last day at our facility. I cannot believe another dietetic intern group is graduating. Yikes ! Times flys!! I wanted to celebrate with a nice nutrition dense snack filled with peanut butter, slivered almonds, oats and brown puffed rice to get us through another busy Friday!

This recipe yields 12 to 16 bars

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of whole grain puffed rice
1 cup of old fashioned oats
1/2 cup of instant quick oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla high quality
1 cup of peanut butter or almond bitter
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup local honey
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips semi sweet
Cooking spray

1. Foil line and cooking spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish. Set aside.

2. Place oats, almonds, chocolate chips,& puffed rice in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In a microwavable safe glass dish portion out the peanut butter,honey, and sugar.

Microwave on high for one minute. Mix with spatula to combined.

Place the peanut butter batter back in the microwave for another minute. Remove from microwave and mix and vanilla.

Pour the hot liquid batter over the dry ingredients.

Using a spatula fold the ingredients together until well incorporated and no signs of dry residue.

Pour the combined batter into the cooking sprayed baking dish and press with spatula to form even top to the bars

Cover with plastic wrap and let the bars refrigerate overnight. Remove from pan using the foil to lift.

Cut into bars.

Enjoy ! They don’t last long …. They go quickly!

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband’s favorite cookie is a chocolate chip cookie so I’m always looking at ways to reinvent the wheel. As you all know I get bored and tired of you making the same recipes. One of his other favorite bedtime snacks is milk and graham crackers. You can only imagine when I came across this recipe I just had to try it. This recipe is truly a marriage of two of his favorite sweets. Believe it or not it beat out his all time favorite dark chocolate chip cookies

This recipe yields 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients :

1.5 cups Graham Cracker crumbs
1.5 cups of sugar
1 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup of chocolate chips (dark is my husbands favorite) but you pick you poison)
1 cup of unsalted butter (two sticks)
2 eggs (local or egglands best)
1 tsp vanilla extract high quality
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Line 1/2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

1. Cream butter and sugar together in stand mixer on medium high speed.