Category Archives: Vegetarian

Chili Spice Fries in the actifry 

Today we had a healthy cooking food demo at work for the wellness program. Our dietetic intern presented on slow cooker meals and quick easy healthy dinners. This was her second presentation on this topic. Last week I made partytime beans in the crock pot for her presentation and today we decided to share the love of the actifry. The actifry is one of my favorite healthy kitchen tools, I love the fact it eliminates all the fat except for 1-2 TB or even sometimes, I just use cooking spray. I think by the end of the session we had everyone participating wanting an actifry. For the demo, I made my chili spicy fries, which were and always are a big hit.

 

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes (scrubbed well and washed with water)

1 1/2 c tsp chili powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tb olive oil

Directions:

  1. Cut fries about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long. Do not peel the skin (all the nutrition and fiber is in the skin). Place the fries, seasonings, and oil in actifry. Set timer for 40 minutes or until browning effect takes place and fries are cooked to your standard.
  2. Enjoy!

 

Red Velvet Donuts

 
It’s here Valentine’s Day weekend! I love Valentine’s Day! It is a perfect time of year to remember those we love and celebrate the relationships we hold dear. 

Last year I made red velvet scones! Red Velvet can be made just about into anything. I have made in the past pancakes, waffles, brownies, cake, cupcakes, & cookies. 

  
This recipe yields 14 donuts

Donut Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tb cocoa

1 1/2 tsp red food coloring 

1 tsp vinegar 

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

2 tb canola oil

Cream cheese frosting ingredients:

2 oz 1/3 fat reduced cream cheese (room temperature)

1 tb skim milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1cup powdered sugar

Sprinkles (optional)

Directions 

1. Preheat oven 425 degrees.   Cooking spray your donut pan. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar, & salt. 

3. In a seperate bowl mix vinegar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well with spatula however be careful to not overmuch.

4. Use a piping bag to fill the donut vessel 2/3 full. Please note this batter will leak out of the bag. 

5. Pat the pan on the counter and bake for 5-6 minutes at 425 degrees. Or until tooth pick comes out clean. 

6. Allow to cool in pan for 1-2 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool for 5 minutes on wire rack. 

7. While donuts are cooling, start the frosting. In a small bowl mix the soft cream cream with milk and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix well so all the powdered sugar clumps vanish.

8. Place the frosting in a squeeze bottle and once donuts cool decorate as you wish. Sprinkle with red hearts or lips. 

  

Grandma’s 60 minute rolls

  
I found this recipe by going through my grandma’s recipes. I couldn’t wait to try it! It makes me feel like she had dinner with us tonight. We had some hot peppers tonight that accompanied it well.
This recipe yields 22 rolls

   

This looked like a keeper. So I thought I’d give it a try.  

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 AP flours

1 tsp kosher salt

3 tb honey

1 1/2 Tb active yeast

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup water 

1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer bowl mix flour, salt, side aside. 

2. In a sauce pan combine milk,  butter, water, milk, & honey. Allow the liquid to reach 120 -130 degrees and remove from the heat and wait to add the yeast until the milk mixture reads 70-80 degrees. Add yeast and allow the yeast to proof this should take 5 minutes. 

3. After yeast blooms slowly add to the flour blend and beat with dough hook for two minutes on low speed. Increase the speed to medium low and continue to beat with dough hook for 5 more minutes or until dough ball forms.

4. Divide the dough into 22 round balls place in deep dish round baking stone. Cover the dough with plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rise for 60 minutes. 

5. Once the dough has rested for 60 minutes in a warm area. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 23 minutes or until the rolls turn slightly golden brown. 

6. Enjoy with some homemade apple butter or hot peppers. 



Candied Ginger Banana Streusel Muffins

 

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I love baking with banana’s. Banana muffins are delicious on their own. Today I thought I would take a spin off of the traditional banana muffin. I know often times recipes call for chocolate chips; however, not today. These muffins are moist, sweet, and spicy and not intended for little ones. These muffins will sure wake you up and get you going for the day. The ginger really comes on strong so if you do not like ginger they are not for you.

I adapted these muffins to incorporate greek yogurt to add moisture and protein. I only used whole wheat pastry flour which allows them to rise better than traditional whole wheat flour (so make sure not to interchange the two). I added flaxseed to add some omega 3 fatty acids. The ginger is a magical ingredient and research shows this spice can help with an upset stomach and improve digestion.

 

Ingredients for the muffin:

3/4 cup of Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt

2 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 Tsp ginger ground

1 Tsp ground vietnamese cinnamon

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup of finely chopped candied ginger

2 very ripe bananas (brown); mashed

2/3 cup raw sugar or brown sugar if you don’t have raw

4 tb of ground flaxseed

 

Ingredients for the topping:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger (very important to finely chop)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tb canola oil

1/2 tsp ground vietnamese cinnamon

 

This recipe will yield 12 standard muffins and 12 mini muffins

Predirections:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard baking muffin tins with muffin liners and spray generously with canola oil cooking spray. Set aside.

 

Directions for the muffins:

  1. In a large bowl, mix with whisk greek yogurt, banana, flaxseed, vanilla and raw sugar. Add in egg and mix to combine. Set aside
  2. In a medium bowl mix together, flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet greek yogurt mixture by folding the dry ingredients into the mix. Please make sure not to over mix muffins (you will create a tunnel effect with pointy muffins aka not very pretty).
  3. Lastly fold in the candied ginger. Once again caution against over mixing.
  4. By using a number 16 scoop portion out 12 standard muffins. Set aside.
  5. By using a size 60 scoop portion out 12 mini muffins. Set aside.

Directions for the streusel topping:

  1. In a small bowl mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, candied ginger and canola oil.
  2. Add about 1-1/2 TB to each muffin with the standard size and about 1/2 -1 TB to the minis.
  3. Bake the standard muffins for 20-23 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean. Bake the minis for 9-10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the muffin from the tins and allow to cool on wire rack.

 

 

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Orange Zest French Toast Sticks

  

Blood oranges are in season and mighty delicious! I put this recipe together to start this bright and sunny warm day (60 degrees) on January 31st in the burgh right. 

I am happy since with this recipe, I was also able to use leftover fresh homemade bread. 

Ingredients:

1 small loaf of crusty bread ( cut into sticks)

1 cup skim milk

1 tsp pure orange extract ( I used penzeys)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

2 th pure maple syrup

1/3 cup egg whites

1 whole zest of a blood orange 

Pinch of nutmeg 

1 tb unsalted butter

This recipes yields 17 French Toast Sticks

Directions:

1. Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and add butter. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt. 

2 In the meantime place milk, orange zest, orange & vanilla extract, nutmeg, egg whites, maple syrup in a medium bowl.  Whisk the ingredients together well. 

3. Soak slices of bread in milk mixture on both sides. Place the the saturated bread on the hot skillet. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all the liquid and bread vanish. 

4. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup. 

Enjoy!

Mystery Cheese Potatoes

 
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I placed these fries in the Actifry. The reason they are called Mystery  fries is because we went to one of our favorite shops in the strip district & they have a cheese called “mystery cheese. ” Of course we had to purchase some. The owner was too cute and told us what the cheese was even though it was considered quote on quote “mystery cheese.” 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup a blend of grated Parmesan, Asiago, Romano Cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 medium to medium large local potatoes 

Directions:

1. Clean, don’t peel, & cut potatoes into sticks. Place in actifry. Pour olive oil over the potatoes.

2. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and set actifry for 45 minutes. Add additional salt to taste. 

3. Enjoy! 

Pizza Flavored Oyster Crackers in the Actifry

 
Pizza is a favorite in our household. These tasty crackers are a satisfying alternative when you are craving a bite. They are also perfect for a football party. This recipe was inspired by the TOH magazine Feb/March 2016 issue. However I cut the fat down significantly with the power of the actifry by only using a quarter of the fat. 

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz) bag of oyster crackers

3 TB pizza seasoning 

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tb hot pepper flavored olive oil

1 tb of olive oil 

1/3 cup freshly grated peccorino romano cheese

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the actifry and set the timer for 15 minutes! Let the crackers cool slightly before snacking!

 

Dark Chocolate Chip Bars

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I love to take recipes and make them healthier. These bars called for butter and regular ap flour. I went ahead and made the switch to whole wheat pastry flour and substituted the butter for some canola oil and pureed pumpkin. I know not everyone likes pumpkin so if not use a really ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce. This will help with the moisture. My husband loves….loves pumpkin and he couldn’t even tell I added it to this baked good.   Also I swapped out the semi sweet chips with dark chocolate chips.

This recipe yields 15 bars

Predirection:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray with cooking spray a 9 by 13 inch glass pan.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

3/4 cup brown sugar or raw sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:

  1. In a medium to large bowl mix flour, salt, soda, and baking powder with large spoon.
  2. Add in canola oil, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Mix all ingredients well and fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter into a prepared glass 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Spread the batter evenly with spatula. The trick to making sure the batter does not stick to the spatula is spraying it with cooking spray. Make sure the batter is evenly spread &  place the pan in the preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean (without any wet residue).
  4. Enjoy!

 

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Quick Cornbread 

I was cleaning out the freezer and came across chili. Yes! This will be perfect for dinner tonight. Which also allowed me to mix up this cornbread for two in a flash. You will find that this cornbread is slightly sweet and very moist.

The secret to good cornbread is buttermilk! Plus a good cast-iron skillet.

My husband and I picked up this beauty of a cast iron at a local flea market.

This recipe uses an 8 inch cast-iron skillet.

This recipe yields 8-10 small slices of cornbread.

Ingredients :

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1/2  cup of low-fat Buttermilk

1 cup of self rising cornmeal mix

1 tsp baking powder

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1/4 cup honey

Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place cornmeal mix and baking powder and salt in a small to medium bowl. Mix with spoon.

3. In the center of the dry ingredients form a well. Place buttermilk, honey, canola oil in center and mix thoroughly with spatula.

4. Spray your cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and pour in the wet batter. Bake on 450 for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cranberry Honey Scones

  
Cranberries are tart and have an unique flavor. They are loaded with antioxidants and are considered a superfood. They are rich in vitamin c and fiber. These magic berries are not just for the holidays, they are very versatile because you can add them to your salads, cereal (hot or cold), baked goods like muffins and quick breads. They also pair nicely with turkey, chicken, and pork. One of my husbands favorite chicken salad recipes contains cranberries and almomds. So they are definitely not just for your Thanksgiving dinner. 

These scones are egg free! And if you wish to make them vegan use almond milk instead of buttermilk and maple syrup instead of honey.

This recipe yields 14 mini scones

Pre-directions: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cooking spray your scone pan and set aside.

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1/2  teaspoon of ground Vietnamese cinnamon

4 tablespoons of honey

2/3 cup of low-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1/2 cup of coconut oil

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

A generous 1/2 cup of dried cranberries

The zest of one Clementine (about 3/4 tsp)

Raw sugar optional for sprinkling 

Directions:

1. In a measuring cup add buttermilk, honey, vanilla, and orange zest. Allow ingredients to marry well working on the pastry dough.

 In a medium bowl mix flour, soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. 

2. Add in the coconut oil and cut into pastry flour with pastry cutter or your own hands. I prefer the ladder method. The end result will be the sam, you want the mixture to resemble wet sand.

3. Add in wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix together scones. The batter will be wet.

4. Use a size scoop 24 to place batter into prepared scone pan. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

5. Remove from the pan after cooling for 5 minutes in the pan. Allow the scones to cool for the remainder of time on a wire rack.

These scones have a beautiful golden brown hue to them due to the honey and whole wheat pastry flour.