Category Archives: Recipe Makeovers

Upside-Down Pear Cake

My grandpa gave us lots of pears last time we were back home for a visit. I have been trying my best to eat them all before they go bad. But it has been difficult with all the good produce in season.

We are having a fall dinner tomorrow and I think this will be the perfect finish to our menu. I have always wanted to make an upside- down cake with pears and since I have plenty on hand I thought there is no better time then now.

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 pears (peeled. sliced, and cored)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg whites or egg substitute
1/3 cup Maple syrup
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 350.

2. Line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

2. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger in a bowl and mix.

3. In a separate bowl mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites.

4. Add flour mix and buttermilk alternating the two and mixing after each addition.

5. In small sauce pan over medium heat warm maple syrup until thick about 2 to 4 minutes.

6. Spread the pears evenly on the parchment paper.

7. Once the maple syrup has thickened pour over the sliced pears.

8. Now pour batter over pears.

9. Bake on 350 for 23-25 minutes.

10. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes and remove from pan

Whole Wheat Yellow Squash Bread

Our neighbors brought over beautiful heirloom yellow squash from their bountiful garden. I couldn’t wait to prepare a baked treat with it. I used a recipe that originally called for twice as much oil and 1/3 more sugar! I swapped out the half the fat with flaxseed and substituted half of the flour with whole wheat. You’ll never know the difference !

Yields 6 mini loaves or 2 large loaves

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 cup ap flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 milled flaxseed
2 1/2 sugar
2 cups of shredded yellow squash
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
4 eggs (lightly beaten)

Directions:

1.Place all flours, spices, salt , flaxseed, and soda in large bowl.

2. Whisk around the ingredients until blended well.

3. Place wet ingredients, and sugar in a separate bowl.

4. Whisk in squash.

5. Add the wet ingredients into dry.

6. Spray cooking spray on bread pans.

7. Place about a cup to a 1 1/2 cups in each mini pan.

8. Bake at 350 for 35-30 minutes for minis and an hour or until toothpick comes out clean for standard loaves.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

Zucchini! I am bound and determined to make something with Zucchini everyday! Until my supply from the garden is exhausted! I decided to try a new cookie recipe even though I love my grandma’s (which I also have featured on this site). Yum yum!

Ingredients:
2 cups of Zucchini( after drained well it should yield about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 cup old fashion oats
2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 -1cups of raisins (optional)

Yields 4.5 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

2. Mix applesauce, oil, vanilla and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs and stir until combined.

Ingredients

2. Add flour, soda, baking powder, salt and spiced sifted over wet ingredients.

3. Mix until incorporated. Add zucchini and mix.

4. Mix until zucchini is spread throughout.

5. Now toss in the oats and raisins and fold mixture until mixed throughout.

6. Use scoop of your choice or spoon out onto parchment paper.

7. 12 cookies to a half sheet pan is a nice amount. Bake in oven for 9 to 11 minutes depending on your oven.

Enjoy!

Baked Cinnamon Apple Fritter Donuts

We went back home yesterday to find a nice surprise of early apples from grandpa’s garden!

I couldn’t wait to bake a delicious treat with them! Early apples are best for baking because they hold their shape and they’re tart!

Ingredients:
2 cups of chopped apples (no need to peel the peel is where the nutrients and fiber are)
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
One and a half cups of AP flour
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking soda
Two eggs or half a cup egg substitute
1/2 cup of dried powdered nonfat milk
1 cup of water
Cinnamon and sugar to taste
Yields: 15 if using Wilton Donut Pan

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place all dry ingredients in large bowl whisk until combined.

2. Place water and eggs in small bowl and mix with fork until smooth.

3. Add wet mixture to dry and mix with large spoon until incorporated.

3. Once mixed well as picture below

4. Fold in chopped apples

5. Fold until evenly distributed

6. Spray baking donut pan with cooking spray.

7. Pipe with large round tip the dough around the ring of the pan to make batter evenly distributed.

8. Bake on 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

9. Let donuts cool for 1 minute in pan and remove to wire rack. Spray donuts with cooking spray on side where pan was and dip in cinnamon and sugar blend.

Enjoy

Grandma’s Zucchini Cookies

Grandma’s Zucchini Cookies

My grandma always had fresh zucchini from her garden in the summer. She would make me these cookies all the time !! They are very versatile you can add whatever nut you like or swap out the raisins and go for chocolate chips if you rather. This recipe always bring me back to childhood! I make them every year for my family. Not to mention these cookies are egg free
and dairy free !

34 Serving. Prep Time: 15 min. Cook: 12 min.

Ingredients:

1 cup of grated zucchini (peeled or not either way but not peeled will give you more fiber!!)
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
0.5 cup canola oil
1.5 cups of AP flour
0.5 cup of whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoon of cinnamon
0.5 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
0.5 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of raisins
0.5 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

Mix the sugar and oil together until combined. Mix this recipe by
hand not a mixer. In a separate bowl mix remainder of dry
ingredients together then mix into sugar and oil mixture w/ spatula.
Fold in zucchini, raisins, and walnuts at the end.

Drop on cookie sheet w/ parchment and spray w/ cooking spray.
Bake on 375 for 12-15 minutes or on convection at 325 for 8-10
minutes, until cookies are browned.

Yields: serves 34

Cheesecake Remake

We recently celebrated a few special birthdays in the family this past holiday. The request came in for a classic cheesecake recipe. I did a lot of homework and came up this this recipe. I added quite a few of healthy alternatives such as switching out the full fat cream cheese to to the Neufchatel reduced fat cream cheese (no one ever will know!!) I also incorporated more protein by swapping some of the sour cream (which I did use fat free) to fat free greek plain yogurt ( any kind will work but the recipe revealed below was made with the costco’s brand).

Classic Cheesecake Remake

Serves 10 to 12 people (use a 9 inch spring-form cake pan)

Crust Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 Cup of reduced fat graham cracker crumbs (about 2 packages plus 2 sheets)

1/3 cup of sugar

5 TB of butter (melted)

Directions for crust :

Place the first 2 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixture looks like sand consistency. Once mixture is ground, add melted butter. Pour mixture into 9 inch spring-form cake pan. Using your fingers press graham cracker mixture along the bottom and sides of the springform pan (only go up to 1/4 to 1/2 way up the side). Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Filling Ingredients:

3 eggs (farm fresh or eggland’s best are my top tow choices) (*special note you can also use 2 egg whites to replace one whole egg)

16 oz (2 packages of 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese aka “Neufchatel” (room temp)

1 Cup of sugar

½ teaspoon of Mexican Vanilla (penzey’s is my favorite)

Directions for filling:

Softened cream with paddle mixture <(check out mine above).. it has a built in spatula <(look for beater blade) and you never have to scrape down the sides )>, add one egg at a time. Once combined, add sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Pour into prepared crust. Please note make sure to wrap foil around the bottom we don’t want any water leaking into the pan).

Place the foil wrapped springform pan in a baking pan with side and do not fill with water until placed in the oven (see picture above). Bake for 55 minutes in a water bath. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add topping below.

Topping Ingredients:

½ cup sugar

½ cup fat free sour cream

½ fat free greek plain yogurt

½ teaspoon of Mexican vanilla

Direction for topping

Combine ingredients and put on top of cake: return to oven for 10 minutes.

Once cake has cooled and right before serving add your favorite fresh fruit or topping of choice.

A Pinch of Luv

from scratch baking and cooking blog

Category Archives: Recipe Makeovers

Upside-Down Pear Cake

Whole Wheat Yellow Squash Bread

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

Baked Cinnamon Apple Fritter Donuts

Grandma’s Zucchini Cookies

Directions:

Cheesecake Remake