Pumpkin Pancakes

Great starter for a cool fall morning or a special Halloween breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 cup oat flour (if you are on a gluten free diet use a brand such as Bob’s Red Mill or you can make your own to by grinding gluten free oats in food processor)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-2 Tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup egg whites
2/3 cup nonfat milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
¼ cup cooked pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the baking powder, flour, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice together. To a larger bowl add the egg whites, pumpkin and milk and whisk together. Then slowly whisk in the flour mixture until a smooth, thin batter is formed. Let stand for a few minutes. Add ¼ cup (for 1 pancake) to a non stick skillet, or one coated with cooking spray and heat on high heat for 1-2 minutes each side. Repeat with ¼ cup mixture 5 more times for a total of six small pancakes.

Makes 6 pancakes

Serving size: 1 pancake Calories 80 Protein 3 g Carb 14 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 5 g Fat 1.5 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 135 mg

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Just a few simple ingredients easily combine to create this amazing treat. Great for dessert, a snack- maybe even breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 cup oats (old fashioned, not quick), if you are on a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free oats
½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
½ cup light maple syrup
¼ cup sugar free or reduced sugar jelly (I’ve used Welch’s Reduced Sugar Strawberry or Trader Joes Reduced Sugar Blueberry)

Directions:

Add the peanut butter and maple syrup to a small-medium pan and warm on low heat stirring frequently until blended together and softened (a very thick liquid consistency)- about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the oats and continue to stir until mixed well, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool and press mixture into an 8 by 8 inch pan. (Lining the pan with parchment paper and folding it over to press down works nicely.) Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to allow it to harden a bit. Take the mixture out of the fridge and use a sharp knife to make a cut down the center, dividing t into two large rectangle shaped halves. Spread the ¼ cup jelly across one of the halves and place the other halve on top , like a large sandwich. (Using a spatula is helpful to scoop it up without breaking it.) Wrap the sandwich mixture in parchment paper or foil and refridgerate another 1-2 hours . Take it out and cut it into 8 squares, then cut each smaller square in half diagonally to make a triangle ( for a total of 16) and serve. Store in the fridge.

Makes 16 triangles, 16 servings

Serving size: 1/16th of recipe Calories 86 Protein 3 g Carb 9 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 5 g Fat 4 g Saturated fat <1 g Sodium 56 mg

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Mediterranean Inspired Sauce

A hearty and versatile sauce that is great over pasta, cous cous, brown rice or even works well as a stew base to add beans or meat to.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped white onion
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, (or 2 teaspoons crushed/jarred)
one 8 ounce package sliced white or crimini mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
one 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
one 15 ounce can tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped green olives
¼ c capers
1-2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons red wine (optional)
chopped basil and parmesan cheese (optional for garnish)

Directions:

Add one teaspoon olive oil to a large pan or skillet, add eggplant, garlic, onion and peppers and sauté on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Throw in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms olives, capers, oregano and wine and simmer for 12-17 minutes until all the veggies are very soft and tender. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil.

Variation: if you are watching sodium, use low sodium, tomatoes and tomato sauce

Makes 8 cups, 8 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 81 Protein 2.5 g Carb 9 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 4 g Fat 2 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 603 mg

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Mexican Pizzas

A new and fun twist on pizza!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 corn tortillas (*get corn tortillas with no gluten of you are on a gluten-free diet)
½ cup diced bell peppers (red, green, yellow or a mix)
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed
½ cup finely chopped mushroom
¼ cup finely diced white onion
¼ cup enchilada sauce (I used Frontera, which is gluten-free)
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
4 teaspoons chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons chopped avocado

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the olive oil in a small dish and lightly brush both sides of each tortilla and place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread one tablespoon of enchilada sauce over each tortilla, top with the onion, peppers, mushrooms and black beans. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the tortilla are crispy. Remove from oven, sprinkle one tablespoon of cheese over each tortilla, return to oven and bake for another two minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish each with one teaspoon cilantro and one tablespoon avocado and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size 1 pizza (w/o avocado) Calories 130 Protein 5 g Carb 19 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 2 g Fat 6 g Saturated fat 2 g Sodium 290 mg

Serving size 1 pizza (w/ avocado) Calories 150 Protein 5 g Carb 20 g Fiber 5 g Sugars 2 g Fat 7 g Saturated fat 2 g Sodium 290 mg

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Shout-Out Post Number Three, plus some great chicken cooking tips!

Ready for another Shout-Out post? Here goes... This time I am highlighting Lisa, someone who's blog I have been following for quite a while now. She is a fellow food blogger, mom, fitness and health professional and is just a few steps away from becoming an RD, yay Lisa! I invite you to check out her blog http://smartfoodandfit.com/ and check out this guest post she gave me on cooking chicken- yum! Thanks Lisa :)

How to bake perfect chicken tenderloins to perfection (chicken breasts too)

Chicken is an all around versatile dish that I like to cook for my family. I like to make a little extra chicken for leftovers for lunch or dinner for the next day or two. Making a little extra chicken makes it a bit easier for me to put a meal together in minutes.

During the warmer months I like to grill my chicken and during the cooler months I like to bake them in the oven or cook them on the stove top in a non stick pan. Today, I’ll be showing you a step by step process on how I like to bake chicken tenderloins to perfection you can use this same method to cook boneless skinless chicken breast too.




Step One - Prepare the chicken.

Rinse chicken breast in running cold water, dry off with a paper towel. Trim visible fat, tendons, etc. Discard or save the scrapes in a freezer safe zip-lock bag when you are ready to make homemade broth.

Step Two - Tenderize.

There a variety of ways to tenderize chicken (or any other muscle meats, lamb, steak, fish, etc.). You can tenderize chicken by marinating it in something acidic like lemon juice or mechanically tenderizing it by pounding it, click HERE for more ideas on tenderizing. Since I am using chicken tenderloin which are smaller and thinner than chicken breasts, I’m going to skip this step and keep my chicken simple.
If you are baking thicker cuts of chicken breasts, make diagonal slits into the breast about ¼ inch deep. This will help the marinade penetrate into the chicken to make it nice and juicy.




Step Three – Marinating the chicken.

a. Marinate the Chicken for a particular flavor. As mentioned above in step two, I like to use an acidic ingredient with oil, spices and herbs. I'll put the chicken in a large ceramic bowl, add the marinade, cover with plastic wrap or in my case cover with glass lid. Let it marinade for at least 3o minutes to 6 hours and then it's good to bake.

Some of my favorite marinades:
• Rosemary Balsamic Dijon Marinade
• Tomato Basil Dressing
• Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette

b. Olive Oil Marinade for Neutral flavor. I like to bake my chicken with a little olive oil, lemon juice, fresh minced garlic (garlic powder works too), black pepper, and salt. This neutral marinade works for me since I like to bake chicken to last me for the next few days to the end of the week to add to my salads or sandwiches.




Step Four - Bake. Bake in a 375° oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping over half way through or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F. Cooking time depends on a number of factors, such as the thickness of chicken breast, the cut of the chicken breast (the smaller the cut, the faster it cooks. Investing in a good meat thermometer is a must to avoid food-borne illnesses.
Creating a tent with tin foil is a good idea to prevent the chicken from drying out. You can place a sheet of foil over the top of baking dish, bake halfway through and then remove the foil and bake for the last 10 minutes or so to get that golden brown color.

TIP: I like to bake my chicken in a glass pyrex baking dish. Feel free to bake chicken on a baking dish lined with tin foil for easy clean up (spray the foil with vegetable spray). In this photo, I baked the chicken half way through and decided to add one packet of TRUE lemon to give it an extra lemony flavor. Then I put them back into the oven to bake for another 8 minutes.

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In the News- Eating Apples and Pears May Reduce Stroke Risk

There is no better time than now to stock up on fall/winter fruits like apples and pears that are piling up in the produce department- eating them may lower your risk of stroke! Dutch researchers have just released a study that consuming white flesh fruits and veggies, namely apples and pears, even in small amounts could reduce stroke risk as much as nine percent! Check HERE for a quick summary of the research, and you can click HERE to see an abstract of the actual study published in the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Feast of apples in my Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, Nutty Fruit and Cheese Bites or Baked Apple recipes and try your pears in my Grilled Pear and Toasted Walnut Salad tossed in Honey Dijon Herbs de Provence Vinaigrette!

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Almond Cranberry Rice

Nutty and neutral, this rice dish is very versatile- add a dash of salt for savory, a drizzle of honey for sweet. Just like my Coconut Cashew Rice recipe, it is a great accompaniment to a spicy dish.
Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown rice ( I used Trader Joe Frozen microwavable, ready in 3 minutes!)

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used Unsweetened Almond Breeze)
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon whipped butter or light margarine

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions. Add 1 teaspoon light margarine or whipped butter to a medium sized pot, throw in the nuts and cranberries and toast on low heat for 5-8 minutes. Add the rice and stir in the almond milk to evenly coat. Heat for another few minutes and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: ½ cup Calories 180 Protein 4 g Carb 31 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 6 g Fat 5 g Saturated fat <1g Sodium 25 mg

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