Sunday, September 30, 2012

Simply Biscuits!

     I'm sitting here watching the Sunday game (go Panthers) with Michael and am FINALLY getting to write this post about a recipe I made the other day for some plain ole' biscuits. They were pretty good! As I was lying in bed at 4:30AM a few days ago, I could NOT get back to sleep. I'm not really sure why, but I remembered that Michael had hinted that he wouldn't mind having breakfast cooked for him before work. Since I couldn't sleep, I figured what better time to make breakfast than now? One problem- NO milk.
     I was thinking I could find a dairy-free recipe, but all the ones I found, seemed really complicated. I don't care who you are, complicated at 4:30AM is ridiculous! Nonetheless, I actually found one that used nonfat milk powder...which I had! These weren't as fluffy as I would have liked, but they definitely worked in a pinch. Hopefully those of you who try these, won't resort to bisquick again!


Simple Biscuits
Yields: 10 biscuits

2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
4 tbsp. butter, softened
¼ cup nonfat powdered milk
¾ cup water
(If you do not have powdered milk, just use ¾ cup of milk.)
1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Spray with cooking spray. Mix the powdered milk and water together in a small bowl, set aside. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a fork or a pastry cutter. Once you've achieved a slightly crumbly texture that barely holds together when squeezed, add the powdered milk mixture and mix well. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for approximately 30 seconds. Roll out until approximately 1/2" thick. Cut out biscuits using biscuit cutter, mason jar, pretty much anything round that you'd like. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Once removed from the oven, brush on a little bit of melted butter if desired.


Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 10
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 139.3
  • Total Fat: 4.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 12.4 mg
  • Sodium: 267.2 mg
  • Total Carbs: 21.0 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.7 g
  • Protein: 2.8 g


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Turkey Sliders!

     On this journey to eat healthier and please Michael with my dinner selections, I've decided to do turkey burgers. They were delicious! Being a lean meat, sometimes turky breast can end up very dry. Making the recipe was simple, using a few tips I learned from one of my idols, Rachael Ray. For example, grating the onion directly into the bowl that contains the meat, you do not lose any of the juices and it adds such a great flavor! Also, the cinnamon adds a cozy warmth that you wouldn't expect in a burger. It's different, but so good. As my mother said, "I've never thought of cinnamon as a savory spice", but it works SO well. Most turkey burger recipes that I have seen contain a lot of fresh herbs. I like the flavor of the turkey meat, so I cut the herbs out.

Turkey Sliders
Yield: 12-16 sliders

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 small onion, grated
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Place ground turkey breast in large bowl. Grate the onion directly over the meat Add the soy sauce, black pepper, and cinnamon. Mix to combine with your hands (I find this easiest) but if you want to use a spoonula, you can. Place on a flat surface and divide into fourths. You should be able to get about 4 sliders our of each section, depending on how big you make them.

1) Make the sliders a little larger than your buns, as they will shrink as they cook.
2) Once the slider is formed, indent the center. This will allow even cooking.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill sliders for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Once finished, place on slider buns or small dinner rolls. Top with whatever you like!

I chose mustard, ketchup, and a slice of plum tomato. Michael chose grilled mushrooms, mayonnaise, and ketchup. These were divine! With no cheese, they are even more healthy!

Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 14
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 38.5
  • Total Fat: 0.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 13.6 mg
  • Sodium: 446.3 mg
  • Total Carbs: 2.6 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 5.7 g


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pum-Cakes!

     It's official. I've made my first pumpkin recipe for the 2012 season and I couldn't be any more pleased than I am right now! I saw an idea on Pinterest and wanted to recreate it. These pumpkin spice cupcakes are so delicious. They have a hint of sweetness and are very moist. I asked Michael what he thought of my creation and he said "good, scrumdiddly-umptious and all that junk". I think that's a good thing. (:
     I'm a fan of making things healthier, especially around this time of year. Not only is it just hard to avoid all the decadent foods, but it's ESPECIALLY hard when Michael's mom makes all her southern holiday cooking. It's SO hard to resist it all. I think this year I will have to chant "EVERYTHING IN MODERATION" over a hundred times in my head...maybe more. I'll be having dreams of her green bean casserole, but I think I should try to make a healthier version! I suppose it will be on my list of recipes to try.
     Anyway, back to the cupcakes. Around this time of year, pumpkin is used quite often and that's GREAT because pumpkin flesh is very low in calories and is fat-free. Canned pumpkin is AWESOME! ½ cup of canned pumpkin is 50 calories and 0 grams fat! It's the recipe that makes pumpkin bad for you (pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, you get the idea).

To make these cupcakes you will need two ingredients. Easy, right?

Pum-Cakes
Yields: 24 cupcakes

1 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
1 box of spice cake mix (or any mix for that matter)

Combine the two ingredients together in a large bowl. It may seem as if the batter will not come together, but keep stirring, it will! To make these cupcakes even cuter, I made them miniature minis. Confused? I grabbed the idea from Pinterest and used ketchup cups that I got at McDonald's for liners. Line your muffin tin (or in my case, put mini muffin cups on baking sheet) spray liners generously, and evenly distributing the batter (about half full). To make the muffins come out prettier I sprayed my index finger with cooking spray and smoothed the top of the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These are EXCELLENT as they are, but I wanted to add a little more spice, so I made a spiced buttercream to go along with it. A little goes a very long way! Here's the recipe!

Spiced Buttercream
Yields: ½ cup

1 cup confectioner's sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter (softened)
1 tbsp. milk (you may need less)
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla and combine. One teaspoon at a time, add the milk until your desired consistency has been reached. (I used 3 teaspoons.)

Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 24
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 134.7
  • Total Fat: 3.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.2 mg
  • Sodium: 141.2 mg
  • Total Carbs: 24.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 1.3 g

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Soup called what?

YES! I have found the secret recipe for the amazing soup that is given at the beginning of the meal at a Japanese steakhouse! It is known by many names- hibachi soup, steakhouse soup, and I have even heard it called chicken broth- weird. Although it does have chicken bouillon in it, it is not the broth of a chicken! Like myself, I'm sure some of you are tired of asking to purchase a quart and getting a funny look. Now, I won't have to stand the looks anymore!

Contrary to what most believe, the soup that is served is NOT miso soup. Miso soup is essentially a Japanese soup in which dashi (stock made with seaweed and sardines) is combined with miso (fermented soybean paste). This Japanese onion soup is more basic, much easier to replicate, and in my opinion, SO much tastier!

It's fairly simple to make because there isn't much prep work and once it's boiling, you just let it simmer. How long it simmers is up to you, but no less than 45 minutes. The vegetables do not need to be diced or chopped precisely, as they are the flavoring and will be strained out. Also, taste occasionally as you may need to add more water. I added an additional 1½ cups of water because when I tasted mine, it was a little salty. In total, I used 9½ cups of water.

Japanese Onion Soup

1 small onion, quartered
2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, halved
2-3 cloves garlic, halved or quartered
½ inch of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. beef bouillon
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon
3 mushrooms, quartered
8 cups water

Optional toppings include scallions, french fried onions, thinly sliced mushrooms, etc.

Place all ingredients into a large saucepan or stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to medium. Gently simmer for at least 45 minutes. (You may simmer anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours or more!) I recommend simmering for about an hour and a half. Remove from heat and strain the vegetables from the liquid. The vegetables should be discarded because they should have already given up their flavor into the stock. My favorite topping is french fried onions and scallions while my boyfriend prefers the mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 34.9
  • Total Fat: 0.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 506.6 mg
  • Total Carbs: 6.8 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
  • Protein: 1.2 g



Friday, September 21, 2012

Last taste of summer.

     Ah- the leaves are beginning to change, the air is getting a little more crisp, and the temperatures are cooling down. These are all signs that fall is coming and I, for one, couldn't be more excited. Fall is my favorite time of year and I get as excited as a kid in a candy store when this time of year rolls around.
     I think it has to do with all the holidays bunched so close together along with spending time with family, which everyone seems to do more around the holidays. Is it just me or do people also seem a lot more kind in the fall? (Let's pretend those crazy Christmas shoppers don't exist for a moment, shall we?)
     Although I REALLY enjoy the flavors of the fall, I wanted to hang on to the summer just a bit longer. I think summer foods should be a little more light and salads are the epitome of "light". I decided on a cucumber, tomato, and fresh mozzarella salad which was to die for. I just drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mine, but if you have the time, I would recommend making a balsamic glaze! (Simply reduce balasmic vinegar over medium heat until thickened) DELICIOUS!




Final Summer Salad

Yield: 2 servings

1 cucumber, ¼" slices  (peeled or not, your choice)
3-4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
½ stalk green onion, finely chopped
1½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella. You may either whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl, or pour each directly over your vegetables. Whichever way you prefer, gently toss to coat.

Enjoy!





Thursday, September 20, 2012

Apple Oat Muffins!

     This past weekend I went to an apple festival in a nearby town. I was extremely excited because I had missed the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville the week before. I had EVERY intention of purchasing some apples this year and was determined to make tons of apple recipes from them. Although it was extremely hot, my boyfriend and I did have a good time. Along the way, we also found prize-winning orangeade and some pretty cool knick-knacks!

     The apple oatmeal muffins I made are so delicious. They are mildly sweet with a hint of fall flavor (I suspect it's from the cinnamon). I thought they needed a little more "oomph" so I added a glaze. (Don't worry, I'll include the recipe for that as well) All in all, these muffins are a delightful (HEALTHY) treat, that even my boyfriend who grew up on fried food enjoys!

Apple Oat Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups apples (see below)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon (more or less to taste, this is a generous amount)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F.
Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or use liners.

To begin, peel and core and dice (or grate) apples. I used two large golden delicious apples and diced fairly small and was able to reach 2 cups. You may choose to grate the apples if you want the apple to be a little more unnoticed. I happen to like the chunks of apples, so I opted to take the extra time to dice finely. Lay on paper towel and remove excess liquid (this may require a little squeezing)- the point is just to get them fairly dry before adding to batter.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk yogurt, milk, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into your dry ingredients and fold gently just until combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in grated or diced apples.

Spoon the muffin batter into the cups evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place muffin tin on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the muffins. Allow to cool completely before storing, or serve warm.



Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. skim milk

Combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Add milk slowly, until  desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle over muffins or spread a thin layer over top of each.


Nutritional Info(Amounts reflect no glaze)
  • Servings Per Recipe: 12
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 149.4
  • Total Fat: 3.0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
  • Sodium: 180.6 mg
  • Total Carbs: 26.8 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
  • Protein: 3.9 g