Category Archives: Recipe Makeovers

Pumpkin Pecan Braid Remake

I’m still trying to use up some of crescent rolls that I had stock piled. Not to mention we received homegrown pecans from my husband’s aunt from Louisiana! And I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to add them to a dish or meal ASAP!

This recipe is a Pillsbury Recipe. I wanted to decrease some of the extra unwanted calories and fat From the original recipe so this is what I came up with. I was able to cut calories down by 28% and decrease the fat content by 32 %, which took the ww plus points from a 9 to a 7.

This recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup puréed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!)
1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed) or use Splenda brown sugar (2 1/2 TB)
1 tsp ground high quality cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp egg substitute
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 can Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
Egg white wash (one egg white mixed with scant water)

Glaze
1/3 cup powered sugar
2 tsp skim milk or soy vanilla
1/2 tsp high quality vanilla extract
1 TB chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl add pumpkin, egg substitute, spices, and brown sugar. Mix with spoon.

3. Add chopped pecans and stir to combine.

.
Set a side.

4. Now open the crescent dough and spread out on baking pan. Made sure to pinch seems together.

5. Add pumpkin filling to center of the pastry dough (3 1/2 inch wide lengthwise) down center of the dough within 1 inch of the ends.

6. Take kitchen scissors and make 1 inch cuts down the sides of the rectangle just to the edge of the filling.

7. Fold strips at an angle across filling, overlapping ends and alternating from side to side.

8. Brush with egg wash.

9. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

10. While the braid is baking mix together milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Set a side.

11. Once braid is done removed from cookie sheet and place on platter. Pour the glaze over the braid sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts Pumpkin Braid Remake
6 Servings

Amount Per Serving (7 ww plus points)

Calories		239.1

Total Fat		10.9 g

	Saturated Fat	2.5 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.0 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	4.4 g

Cholesterol		0.1 mg

Sodium		304.9 mg

Potassium		66.1 mg

Total Carbohydrate		37.4 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.6 g

	Sugars	22.0 g

Protein		4.1 g


Vitamin A	37.7 %

Vitamin B-12	0.0 %

Vitamin B-6	0.9 %

Vitamin C	0.6 %

Vitamin D	0.3 %

Vitamin E	2.0 %

Calcium	2.4 %

Copper	5.7 %

Folate	0.5 %

Iron	5.9 %

Magnesium	2.9 %

Manganese	21.7 %

Niacin	0.5 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.7 %

Phosphorus	2.4 %

Riboflavin	0.6 %

Selenium	0.7 %

Thiamin	3.4 %

Zinc	2.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The original recipe had 330 calorie, 16 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein. Previous recipe as website reports was 9 WW plus points.

The calorie amount listed above is entered by using the first ingredients listed on the ingredients list.

Spice Wheat Waffles

We had the pleasure of having my nephew stay the night. One of my favorite things to do when he stays is make breakfast with his help. Today we made homemade waffles.

By the looks of this picture I think he liked them okay!

This recipe yields 6 (6 1/2 inch in diameter) waffles

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp ground Cardamon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup egg substitute or 4 egg whites
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 5.3 oz container of greek cinnamon vanilla or plain greek yogurt
1 tsp of vanilla extract (I prefer Mexican)
1 TB canola oil

Directions:

Take the first 8 ingredients and place them in a large bowl and whisk together ( this was the fun park for my nephew).

In a separate bowl whisk egg substitute, milk, sugar, vanilla, greek yogurt, & canola oil.

The kids can also help with this part.

Now pour the liquid batter into the dry ingredients.

Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated with no signs of dry flour.

Heat your waffle iron according to manufacture’s directions.

Follow manufacture’s directions as to how much batter to fill the hot waffle iron with. My iron used about 2/3 cup but every iron is different.

Cook for as long as you like and again stick with the directions for your iron.

Enjoy!

Hazelnut Spread No Bake Bars

We had a quarterly meeting today at work. To help improve attendance I try and made a home baked treat. During my research for the perfect mid morning treat, I came across a no bake recipe using hazelnut spread which intrigued me. However I was appalled by the recipes I found adding up two two cups of sugar into the recipe! Yikes! In preparation for this snack I wanted to decease some of the less favorable calories by removing the butter (saturated fat) and significantly decreasing the added sugar to make the bars a little more diet friendly.

Recipe yields 24 bars

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup Nutella or the New the Jif Hazelnut Spread (or any other Hazelnut Spread)
1/2 cup skim milk
3 1/8 cup of old fashion oats (not the quick oats)
1/2 TB of Mexican vanilla extract (however if you do not have this kind on hand I recommend purchasing it!! However in the meantime you could double the traditional McCormick Vanilla extract for this recipe)
Canola oil cooking spray

Directions:

Line an 8 by 8 inch glass dish or pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking oil spray and set a side.

Add hazelnut spread, sugar, and milk into heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer for approximately a minute to dissolve the sugar granules.

Add vanilla and oats to the sauce pan.

Mix to fully incorporate and then pour into the lined pan.

Spread the batter evenly and freeze for at least 2 hours in the freezer.

Remove the bars from the freezer and lift the bars out using the foil to make for easy cutting. Store in a cold dry place for optimal flavor and shelve life .

Enjoy! WW Plus 4 points per serving.

Nutrition Facts Hazelnut Bar
24 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		139.4

Total Fat		5.5 g

	Saturated Fat	1.3 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.3 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.3 g

Cholesterol		1.8 mg

Sodium		15.5 mg

Potassium		8.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate		20.2 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.4 g

	Sugars	13.1 g

Protein		2.1 g


Vitamin A	0.2 %

Vitamin B-12	0.3 %

Vitamin B-6	0.1 %

Vitamin C	0.1 %

Vitamin D	0.5 %

Vitamin E	0.0 %

Calcium	2.6 %

Copper	0.0 %

Folate	0.1 %

Iron	4.6 %

Magnesium	0.1 %

Manganese	0.0 %

Niacin	0.0 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.2 %

Phosphorus	0.5 %

Riboflavin	0.4 %

Selenium	0.2 %

Thiamin	0.1 %

Zinc	0.1 %

Pumpkin Long Johns with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have the Wilton Long John Pan and have been trying to think of a good recipe to make to use it. I tend to use the doughnut pan more often when baking a breakfast.

Yields 5 to 6 large long johns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray with canola oil cooking spray your Long John Pan.

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2/3 Cup Sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp good quality Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puréed
1 tsp if Mexican Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup low fat buttermilk
4 TB Canola Oil
1/2 cup Egg Substitute or 4 Egg Whites

Cream Cheese Glaze:
3 oz Reduced Fat (neufchatel) softened
2 tsp butter
1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 TB Skim milk

Toppings:
Walnuts toasted 1/3 cup Chopped (optional)

Directions:
Place all dry ingredients in bowl and whisk together.

In a separate bowl place the wet ingredients.

Whisk together until incorporated.

Add dry ingredients into wet and whisk together well until there are no signs of flour visible.

Now place batter scant amount in 2/3 cup and add to the long john cooking sprayed pan.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tooth picked inserted into center comes out clean.

Place on wire rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert & remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack.

Once cooled completely ice with cream cheese frosting.

For an added touch sprinkle with Walnuts.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins

This recipe is one of my favorite muffin recipes. Cinnamon is one of the main staples spices in my diet. So anytime I can showcase a recipe incorporating cinnamon I do. My husband and I were lucky enough to catch up with one of our good friends yesterday while she was home for the holidays. She was asking me about a healthy item that she could have for Breakfast. I knew just the muffin, one she could make, freeze and take on the go for when she commutes to work on the public transportation in California. These freeze well and are amazing, not to mention are full of fiber to get you going and keep you full in the morning !

Yields: 14 standard muffins (using 2 oz (size 16 scoop) or 28 mini muffins (using number 60 scoop).
Ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of old fashion oats (not instant)
1/2 tsp Vietnamese ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup fat free or low fat buttermilk
1/8 cup Splenda brown sugar not packed
1 TB ground flaxseed
1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup egg substitute or 2 egg whites
1 tsp Mexican vanilla
Cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray with canola oil cooking spray 12 muffin tins. I use silicone tin but paper will work well as also.

1.Soak oats in buttermilk for ten minutes.

2. In the meantime in a separate bowl combine applesauce, egg substitute, vanilla, and Splenda brown sugar.

Then set a side until oats have soaked for 10 minutes .

3. In a separate bowl measure out whole wheat pastry flour, salt, baking soda, flaxseed, baking powder and cinnamon.

4. Add buttermilk mixture to applesauce liquid mixture. Mix well to incorporate.

5. Now fold the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients.

6. Fold well until incorporated.

7. Scoop out into tins. For standard sized muffins use 2 oz (size 16 scoop) or mini muffins use number 60 scoop.

8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes for standard size and 8 to 10 for minis.

Eggs Benedict Casserole

I got my taste of home magazine a few weeks back and I have been dying to make the Eggs Benedict Casserole recipe on page 55. One of my husband’s favorite breakfasts is Egg’s Benedict. The original recipe made enough for 12 people so I cut it down to 1/3 of the original. Here is the original if you’d like to view it Eggs Benedict Casserole . I also tried to cut down the calories as well by using skim milk, whole wheat bread, & egg substitute.

Ingredients:
4 to 5 slices of toasted or stale wheat bread ( cut into 1″ pieces)
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup skim milk
Pepper to taste
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 tsp onion powder

Hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TB melted butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup fat free half and half
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Spray an 8 by 8 glass baking dish with Cooking Spray.

Place 1/2 cup of ham on the bottom of the dish. I browned my ham up in the skillet for a few minutes (my ham was frozen). So adding this step helped crisp up the ham.

Now add the toasted/stale bread to the ham.

Pour milk mixture evenly over the bread and let rest for overnight or at least an hour.

Take out of refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before placing in preheated 375 degree oven. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper before placing into oven.

Bake covered for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. In the meantime start the hollandaise sauce in double boiler.

Add the egg yolks, half and half, cream, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard whisk until incorporated.

Once the mixture starts to thicken add melted butter and continue to whisk.

Once the dish is removed from the oven pour the hollandaise sauce and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Cabbage and Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

Nothing says warm up the soul like a good dish of cabbage and noodles! There was an Orthodox Church near my mother’s place of employment that made homemade halushki a.k.a. cabbage and noodles and pierogies. I can still remember when my mom use to bring them home for us when my sister and I were growing up. This noodle dish is definitely a comfort food for me. Not to mention they pair well with pierogies. The bad news is halushki the church made was saturated in butter and high in calories! The good news, I found a way to enjoy the flavor without all the extra calories of butter. There is one secret ingredient and that is freshly Cracked Pepper!!!

Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage (Rinsed & chopped)
6 oz of dry whole wheat egg noodles
2 small onions, chopped
Canola oil Spray
4 Large cloves of garlic, diced
Salt to taste
Up to 1 TB freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat.

Spray heavily with Cooking spray.

Add onions and garlic to heated pan and sauté until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle onions and garlic with salt and sprinkle with cracked black pepper. Don’t add all the pepper at one time. I like to add a little at a time.

Add the chopped cabbage.

Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle some additional black pepper. Cover and continue to stir every 5 minutes.

After 15 minutes have elapsed turn heat to low.

Add egg noodles to boiling water and cook according to package.

Add drained noodles to cabbage and season with pepper and salt one last time.

Enjoy! Hopefully with some Pierogies !

Say it isn’t so ….Pumpkin Alfredo

I am been working on trying to make all the canned pumpkin recipes that FN had in their October 2013 Magazine. The other night I was making my pumpkin granola bars and had some left over fresh roasted pumpkin puree. I don’t like to waste food, so I decided now was as perfect time as ever to make this Alfredo for dinner. I made a few modifications to lighten up the recipe and add some whole grains as well.

Ingredients:

12 ounces of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (if you do not like the nutty flavor of whole grain go with Dreamfield’s pasta or Smart Taste made by Ronzoni) both of these pasta’s cook white and trust me no one will know the difference!!
1 Cup of fresh pumpkin puree
1 Cup of Fat Free Half and Half
2 TB of Butter
10-12 Fresh Sage leaves
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.

2. In the meantime whisk pumpkin puree, half and half & nutmeg in a 2 qt sauce pan on medium heat allow to simmer for 5 minutes. In a small sauté pan melt butter and add sage leaves sauté for 2 to 3 minutes add to pumpkin puree mixture, whisk until incorporated.

3. Drain the pasta and add the penne to the sauce.

4. Add freshly grated cheese to taste and serve.

Enjoy !

Baked Whole Wheat Cinnamon & Sugar Donuts

I asked my husband last night, “what would you like for breakfast tomorrow” and he responded “Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts” no added frills. I dare not deviate from the request, even though I wanted to add pumpkin …just saying

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup AP Flour
2 eggs
1 TB canola oil
1/2 cup sugar &,1/4 for for cinnamon sugar
1 tsp cinnamon and 1 1/2 for cinnamon sugar blend
1/2 TB baking powder
1/4 cup & 1/8 cup skim milk
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions:,

Preheat oven to 350!

Spray with cooking spray your donut mold.

In a medium bowl mix canola oil and sugar.

Add one egg at a time.

In a separate bowl blend flours, baking powder, salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, & nutmeg.

A whisk works well for this.

Alternate flour and milk into sugar batter.

Taking turns batter will look like this make sure to mix on low after each addition.

Refrigerate batter for 1-2 hours.

Place batter in frosting piping bag with large tip and fill the donut molds accordingly.

While donuts are baking mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in either paper bag or ziplock bag and set aside.

Bake donuts on 350 for 7 to 8 minutes. Test using toothpick method.

Let cool in pan for about one minute.

While still hot toss into sugar & cinnamon blend.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

At our house we love pumpkin! We put it in everything during the fall. I made these pancakes for dinner. You can finish them off with pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, or greek vanilla yogurt !

Yields 6 hearty pancakes

Ingredients:

1 farm fresh egg
1 TB canola oil
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
2/3 cup puréed pumpkin
3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 and 1/8 cup of AP Flour
1 TB of milled flaxseed
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions :

1. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar into medium bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Mix but don’t over mix

4. Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet batter

6. Heat griddle on medium to medium high heat. Measure scant 1/2 cup size pancakes onto pan.

7. Watch for the pancakes to brown up on the side and flip

8. Enjoy 😉

A Pinch of Luv

from scratch baking and cooking blog

Category Archives: Recipe Makeovers

Pumpkin Pecan Braid Remake

The original recipe had 330 calorie, 16 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein. Previous recipe as website reports was 9 WW plus points.

Spice Wheat Waffles

Hazelnut Spread No Bake Bars

Pumpkin Long Johns with Cream Cheese Frosting

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Cabbage and Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

Say it isn’t so ….Pumpkin Alfredo

Baked Whole Wheat Cinnamon & Sugar Donuts

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes