Mini Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Easy to make and filled with the flavors of fall- what could be better?! Oh, and they are also under 100 calories each with only 1 gram of fat!!

My love for ice cream sandwiches in the past has been fairly limited and somewhat specific. I was really much more an ice cream cone kid, and relished in an ice cream sundae here and there too. That was until I discovered the IT’s-IT. Created in San Francisco and understandably remaining a food legend there, this creamy vanilla ice cream in between two chewy oatmeal cookies blanketed in chocolate became a favorite. I ate them on and off as a child and then reunited with them in college when I noticed that my local corner store near my apartment carried them. They made quite the great study break indulgence! As my daily diet seems to get healthier and healthier with each year that passes, I have not really embraced ice cream sandwiches anmore and turn more to fro-yo for a sweet cold treat.

Recently I picked up a box of almond thin cookies at Trader Joes, I was really impressed with their flavor, somewhat wholesome ingredients- plus for under 20 calories a piece I was sold. Cracking them open and crunching on one here and there was nice but they seemed to beckon for some sort of spread or topping to be slathered on their thin little cracker like bodies. One night after dinner I was munching on one in the kitchen when my husband walked past me with his post dinner standard- low fat vanilla ice cream. It was then that a yummy idea hit me- a mini ice cream sandwich! Luckily the cookies worked perfectly for this recipe and refreeze very well. They are a little bit delicate so handle with care when assembling the sandwiches. With all the flavors of low fat ice cream and frozen yogurts available in the grocery isle, the possibilities are endless. I decided to doctor up the vanilla ice cream with some pumpkin and spice in the spirit of approaching Halloween.

Ingredients:

8 almond thin cookies from Trader Joes or Jules Destrooper brand (if you cannot find them use 2 graham cracker sheets-each broken into 4 small squares)
1 cup light vanilla ice cream (Edy’s or Dreyer’s slow churned work well)
1 teaspoon canned pumpkin
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
aluminum foil, cut into four 4 by 4 inch squares

Directions:

Mix the ice cream, pumpkin and pie spice in a small bowl and put back in the freezer to harden a bit for 10 minutes or so. Place one cookie/graham cracker in the middle of each of the four squares of foil. Add ¼ cup of the ice cream in the center of each and place a second cookie/graham cracker on top to make 4 sandwiches. Wrap up with foil and freeze for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Makes four mini sandwiches, 4 servings

Serving size: 1 mini sandwich Calories 85 Protein 2 g Carb 14 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 10 g Fat 1g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 65 mg

Read more...

Pumpkin Oat Loaf, 3 ways

A great basic pumpkin bread recipe with 3 fun and easy variation.

Ingredients:

1 + 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or regular whole wheat flour will do too)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons canola oil
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, and….
For Pumpkin Apple Oat loaf add 1 cup chopped apples
For Pumpkin Cranberry Oat loaf add 1/2 cup dried cranberries
For Pumpkin Walnut Oat loaf add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Or if you want to go crazy with it, add all three!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the above dry ingredients (flour, oats, spices, baking powder and baking soda) in a small bowl and mix well. In a larger bowl mix the brown sugar, oil, pumpkin and egg well by hand or with an electric mixer. Add the flour mixture gradually in half cup amounts and beat until mixed well. Fold in the (apples, walnuts, and or cranberries) and pour into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 servings
For Plain Pumpkin Oat loaf
Serving size: 1/12th of recipe Calories 130 Protein 2 g Carb 25 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 12 g Fat 3 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 75 mg

For Pumpkin Apple Oat loaf
Serving size: 1/12th of recipe Calories 140 Protein 2 g Carb 26 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 13 g Fat 3 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 75 mg

For Pumpkin Cranberry Oat loaf
Serving size: 1/12th of recipe Calories 150 Protein 2 g Carb 30 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 17 g Fat 3 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 75 mg

For Pumpkin Walnut Oat loaf
Serving size: 1/12th of recipe Calories 170 Protein 4 g Carb 26 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 13 g Fat 6 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 75 mg

For Loaded Pumpkin Apple Cranberry Walnut Oat loaf
Serving size: 1/12th of recipe Calories 190 Protein 4 g Carb 26 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 17 g Fat 6 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 75 mg

Read more...

Mediterranean Inspired Cauliflower

A zesty approach to livening up cauliflower!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small florets (about 4 cups)
½ of a red bell pepper, diced (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
¼-1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

Cook the cauliflower until almost done- this can be done by either boiling it in a pot of water, steaming in a pyrex dish in an half inch of water, or even quicker, put it in a Glad® Simply Cooking™ Microwave Steaming Bag and heat on high for about 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, add a half teaspoon olive oil and the chopped pepper to medium sized pan and put on medium—high heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly tender. Then add the cooked cauliflower the other ½ teaspoon olive oil, the olives, oregano and garlic powder and sauté until lightly browned and warmed though, about 3-6 minutes.

Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1/4 of recipe Calories 45 Protein 2 g Carb 7g Fiber 3 g Sugars 3 g Fat 2 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 70 mg

Labels: sides, veggies, vegetarian, lower carb, lower fat, lower sodium

Read more...

Chicken Curry with Dumplings

This nicely spiced dish is served over whole wheat dumplings, a hearty alternative to rice.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into ¼ inch strips
¾ cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1.5 tablespoons curry powder
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable broth
1.5 cups light coconut milk
2 teaspoons of olive oil

Directions:

Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a large pan/skille. Turn on medium heat, add the chicken breast and brown for a bit, about 3-5 minutes on each side, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add a second teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and throw in the onions, garlic and 1 tablespoon of broth and sauté on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Return the chicken to the pan, add the coconut milk, curry powder and broth and cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat until chicken is tender.

Make 4 cups, 4 servings,

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 226 Protein 29 g Carb 5 Fiber 1 g Sugars 15 g Fat 10 g saturated fat 5 g Sodium 218 mg

Whole Wheat Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup egg substitute or liquid egg whites
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the above ingredients in a small bowl, mix with a whisk or spoon until a thick dough is formed. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil and drop the dough in teaspoonfuls into the boiling water (using a knife to cut away the teaspoonfuls is helpful). Once all the dough has been cut/put into the water, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 4-7 minutes, until dumplings are firm yet tender when pieced with a fork.

Makes 2 cups , 4 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup Calories 130 Protein 6 g Carb 24 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 1 g Fat 0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 350 mg

Read more...

Soy Basil Grilled Asparagus

Just a few simple ingredients can spice up this veggie.

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
½ cup low sodium soy sauce (*use a gluten-free brand such as San-J if you are on a gluten-free diet)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

Wash and trim the asparagus stems about ¼-1/2 inch from the bottom. Add them and all of the remaining ingredients to a large ziplock bag, snap closed and shake well. Marinate in the fridge, preferably 12-24 hours. Once ready to cook preheat barbeque grill, or a large nonstick pan on medium heat. Discard the marinade and put the asparagus on and heat 5 minutes each side until lightly browned and slightly crispy on the edges.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size 1/4th of the recipe Calories 45 Protein 5 g Carb 7 g Fiber7 g Sugars2 g Fat 0g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 200 mg

Read more...