Lobster Mac & Cheese, lightened up

In honor of National Lobster Day, I decided to make a healthier version of one of our favorite comfort foods - Lobster Mac and Cheese.  Because everything seems to be lightened up with a filler of either squash or cauliflower these days, I hopped on the train and went with it.  Because HEALTH.

Ingredients

1 cup bow tie pasta

2 cups cauliflower chopped into small florets

1 TBSP grape seed oil

1/2 sweet onion, diced

3 fresh torn basil leaves (or 2 tsp dry basil)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup milk (you choose the type)
1/2 cup cream cheese (again, you choose the type... Whole fat, reduced fat... Just not a whipped variety)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (you choose, I used a combination of fontina and gruyere but whatever floats your fancy)

1/4 cup parmesan

LOBSTER (really you can add as much or as little as you want, just make sure its cut into bite sized pieces.  I added two large lobster claws to my last one)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare by preheating the oven to 375 degrees, also heat large pot of water over high heat and coat a 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray (set aside).
2. Cook pasta as the package instructs and be sure to add the cauliflower florets to the pot when the timer reaches 3 minutes left in cook time. Drain when done.
3. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a skillet.  Add garlic and onion then sautee until the onions are translucent and the garlic makes your mouth water.  Stir in the pasta, cauliflower, milk, red pepper flakes, basil and cheeses, combine until the lumps are gone.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If it seems dry, add more milk.  At the very end, add the lobster and stir to combine.
4. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish.  Add breadcrumbs to the top.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and delicious. 
5. Eat

Gluten Free, Less Guilt M&M Cookies (made with COCONUT SUGAR!)

I received copious amounts of M&M's for Christmas (maybe my family knows it's my favorite candy?) so I needed a good recipe to give me an excuse to eat them.  Since I adore Better Batter's flour mix, I decided to make a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies… swapping my favorite candy for chocolate chips.  They are a soft and chewy cookies, very reminiscent of Soft Batch cookies but with less fat and less sugar.   Rather than use granulated sugar, I used coconut sugar.  Next time I may try the recipe with full coconut sugar because it was so successful in this recipe.  I'm a pretty big fan of them and so was the Hubs :)

COOKIE COOKIE COOKIE!

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter (room temp - can use soy butter or other dairy-free butter)
1/4 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg (room temp - or you can substitute 1 Tbsp flaxseed mixed with 3 Tbsp water for a vegan version)
2 Cups Better Batter Baking Flour (or you can sub regular/whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup M&Ms


Directions

1. Add butter and greek yogurt to a large mixing bowl and beat together for about a minute on a medium speed.  Add both sugars to the mixture and cream on medium until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg and vanilla, then set aside.
2. In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients (except the M&Ms!).
3. Gently mix in the chocolate until its evenly distributed throughout the batter
4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate the dough for an hour MINIMUM.  
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes.  While it is resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with oil
6. Roll the dough in one tablespoon increments.  Place the balls about an inch or two apart on the cookie sheets and flatten them slightly
7. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes (warning:  They really won't get brown on the edges since the dough stays true to its form.  You may just have to do the finger test to make sure they are done to your liking)
8. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
9. Since they are soft, be sure to store them in a covered container…. that is, if you have any to store :)

Painless Pork Chops

In light of recent gatherings with friends, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to those of you who are "cooking impaired".  Many times I have heard that people do not cook simply because they do not know where to begin, so let us start here.

A basic rule of protein: generally your meat has more flavor if you have the bone still attached to it (same goes for fish... the skin keeps a more genuine flavor to the dish).  Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up some bone in pork chops that are about one inch thick - about the length of the index finger between the top joint and the middle joint of the finger - and try this recipe.

You will need at MINIMUM one hour of marinade time but better yet, make this marinade the evening ahead and let the chops sit overnight to let the flavor really seep in.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 bone in pork chops, one inch thick
• 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar (I happened to have some of my Maple flavored on hand but you can use regular, or even a red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup apple juice (or just use 1/2 cup of vinegar if you do not have apple juice)
• 1 TBSP canola oil or melted ghee
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

One day prior (or at minimum, one hours prior to cooking)

1. Place pork chops into gallon ziplock bag.  
2. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and whisk together.  
3. Pour contents into the gallon bag, remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.  
4. Let rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, max of a day.

Cooking

1. Prior to cooking, take the meat out and let it rest for about 20 minutes. 
2. While the meat is hanging out, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (see below for TIPS on making this a complete meal)
3. Place about a teaspoon of grape seed oil (or canola... just DO NOT use olive oil, it is delicate and burns very easily) in a cast iron or heavy skillet and heat pan over a medium flame for about 5 minutes.  
4. Gently add the pork chops to the pan and sear each side for 2 minute per side.  
5. Place the skillet in the preheated oven.  
6. Continue to cook the pork chops another 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees.  
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place pork chops on another plate. Let the meat rest for about 7-10 minutes.  The meat will continue to cook (safe consumption is between 145 degrees and 160).
8. Serve!  I recommend a dry white to pair :)

Tips for making a complete meal: When you take the meat out of the oven to rest, thinly cut a sweet potato into 1/8 inch slices (your iphone is 1/4 inch  in height when you have it laying flat so half of that) and a zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.  Place vegetables in a bag, add a tablespoon of olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt then shake the bag until the ingredients are well dispersed.  Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven just before you START the pork on the stovetop (so when your 20 minute timer to start cooking hits 10 minutes, get your veggies in the oven).  They will be ready when the meat is done.  Easy peasy

Dessert for Breakfast? Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes with plenty of protein :)

I am a carrot cake fiend (in case you couldn't tell with my last carrot cake inspired recipe).  I had originally planned to make these for Easter but had a little glitch in our original plans.  Anyways, this recipe has greek yogurt, protein powder AND healthy oats for a breakfast that will tickle your sweet tooth and satisfy you for hours.

Ingredients (serves 2-3 people)

For the batter

• 1/2 cup gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (you can omit this, just add more flour if you do)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp light agave syrup (you can use regular sugar but you'll need about one and a half tsp)
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites

For the delicious cream cheese sauce

• 1/3 cup low fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grade A maple syrup (don't skimp on yourself with the fake stuff... it's just not the same)

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat your skillet.  
2. Add all batter ingredients to a blender.  
3. Blend well.  
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into your preheated skillet and allow to cook until you see bubbles coming from the center of the pancake.  Flip and cook to your desired doneness (about 2 minutes).  
5. While you have your pancake line going, add cream cheese and maple syrup to a smaller blender (I have a ninja and find that the three different blender options come in handy) and combine.  If you do not have a small blender, heat the cream cheese up in the microwave on low for about 30 seconds and mix the maple syrup in.
6. Find your prosecco and orange juice in the fridge, then make your mimosa side dish.  Enjoy!

Carrot Cupcakes with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting (gluten free! and raisin free)

Kansas City was hit by Snowmageddon the other day and unfortunately I had such a wicked craving for Carrot Cake... usually I just go over to Whole Foods when that predicament happens but since my driveway was covered with 11 inches of fresh snow, I opted to try to whip up a healthy version at home.

Ingredients

Cake (makes 6 cupcakes)

• 3/4 cups Better Batter flour (or regular cake flour if you opt for a gluten cake)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TBSP orange juice (pulp free!)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 2 TBSP non-fat greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup carrots

Frosting

• 3 oz neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon, then add salt and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugars and egg until well mixed and creamy
4. Add vanilla, O.J., Oil and greek yogurt (just the 2 tbsp) to the mixing bowl and set on a low setting.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix until wet
6. Fold in the carrots (that you have either sent through the food processor or manually grated)
7. Spoon the mixture into 6 sprayed cupcake tins then bake for 20-25 minutes

Frosting

1. In a mixer, combine all ingredients for the frosting.  Please note that the frosting will be more of a glaze consistency but if you would like to make it thicker, simply add another spoonful of confectioners sugar
2. Spoon on top of cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy (with or without your favorite bubbles)


Nutrition: per cupcake 240 calories/9g fat/25g sugar/5g protein

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tortilla Stew

As some of you may know, our household revolves around when the Longhorns and Patriots play on the weekends.  This past Sunday, the Pats happened to be playing the early game so I wanted to throw some items in the crock pot for an easy dinner (i.e.: something that was ready to chow down on after an afternoon of mimosas/beer and screaming at the television)

I had a ripe avocado, mass quantities of roma tomatoes, a few measly pickled jalapeños and leftover butternut squash.... I guess we were destined for a southern dish... or maybe I was just missing Texas again.  Toss it all into the crock pot and 8 hours later, out came spicy chicken tortilla soup with a little sweetness of butternut squash.

Ingredients
2 large organic chicken breasts
1 small can tomato paste
1 can low sodium black beans, drained
1 8-oz container of low sodium, free range chicken broth
5 roma tomatoes, diced (you can use any tomato or even a can of diced tomatoes if you want to be that way, I just always seem to have these nuggets of joy on hand)
1 shallot
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped butternut squash (optional but this is what gives the dish a thicker consistency and sweeter taste )
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Garnish
Avocado
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (if you're gluten sensitive, check to ensure they're gluten free!)
Low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Combine all ingredients into the crock pot, mix and turn on low for 8 hours or high for 4.  Garnish as desired and serve!

(Obviously mine was cheese-free)

Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes

In honor of Father's Day, I decided to pay homage to my favorite childhood meal that my Daddy used to cook... pancakes.  These pancakes are gluten free AND have protein!

Ingredients

• 1 c of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
• 1/4 c ground flax meal
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional - if you decide to omit, simply add more flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c almond milk (if you like thinner pancakes, add more)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup blueberries

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, flax meal, baking powder.  Set aside
2. In another small bowl, mix together the egg, almond milk, salt and brown sugar. Add to the dry ingredients, then fold the berries into the mixture.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  If it's not a non-stick pan, be sure to spray with cooking spray.
4. Drop batter as desired to the pan and heat approximately 1-2 minutes per side (until bubbles appear and golden brown).  The recipe makes approximately twelve 4 inch pancakes.

Rosemary Chicken with a Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

I took two things I really love - balsamic vinegar and blueberries - and put them together for a delicious sweet and savory sauce.  The blueberries take a bit of the zing out of the balsamic vinegar and it really pairs well with the rosemary in the chicken.  You could also use this sauce over a white fish or even salmon.

Ingredients
For the sauce

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• black pepper to taste

For the chicken

• 2 boneless organic chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil
• 2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take out a glass baking dish and place aside
2. Heat grape seed oil in a large sauté pan
3. Rub dried rosemary on both sides of the chicken breasts. Set aside while you start the blueberry sauce
4. Pour balsamic, honey, garlic and salt into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  You should start the chicken as you wait on this.  
5. When the sauté pan is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides for approximately one minute each side
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it in the baking dish.  Set in the oven and cook for 7 minutes
7. While the chicken is cooking, your sauce should be coming to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook the sauce for a few minutes.  Once the balsamic is cooked off a bit, add blueberries (and pepper, if desired). Stir intermittantly over low heat while you prep the chicken.
8. At 7 minutes, your balsamic should be cooked off enough so that it is a thicker sauce consistency. The blueberries should also collapsed at this point and added a gorgeous deep blue/purple color to the sauce.
9. Take the chicken out of the oven and pour the balsamic sauce over the chicken.  Place back in the oven and cook until chicken is done (approximately 4 minutes - until internal temperature reached 170 degrees)

I made this dish with a sage honey glaze butternut squash.  Super easy... take a small butternut squash, skin it, remove the seeds and cube it.  Place it in a plastic bag and add 1 tbsp honey with 1 tsp sage.  Place it on a baking sheet in your preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (about how long it takes to cook the recipe above!).

berry coffee Cake... or Death???

Cake?? Or death?  Ah there's something about that Eddie Izzard skit that makes me crack up every time I hear the word cake... feel free to Google it.  I'll wait.


Anyways... just because this recipe says its cake, does not mean it is going to be the death of your diet.  It's been a while since I baked and since I started a new job, I decided it was time to bring back my usual routine of testing recipes out on the masses.  Since I work at a spa (where obviously, a healthy way of life is a priority), this recipe includes antioxidants and very little fat.  It went over quite well at our 7:45a meeting this morning.  I've made another coffee cake before but I have to say that this one is a bit more delicious.

Ingredients
Cake

• 1 and 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup stevia baking sugar (or like-substitute)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or your preferred milk)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup fresh or frozen berries

Topping

• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar (I used the real stuff for the topping)
• 2 tbsp cold Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1/4 cup quick oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients from the cake listing.  
3. In a smaller bowl, blend together the egg, milk and applesauce.  
4. Pour the contents of the small bowl into the mixing bowl and stir until moist, then fold in the berries.
5. Coat an 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and spread the batter into the dish.  Ensure the mixture reaches the edges as it will be a bit thick
6. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping.  Use a fork so that the mixture is crumbly.  Pour the topping over the batter.
7. Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.

Bellini anyone? :) Enjoy!

Nutrition Information: (courtesy of Spark Recipes Nutrition Calculator)

12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories   142
Total Fat  2.7g
Cholesterol  0g
Sodium  217mg
Carbohydrate  33.5g
Fiber  5.1g
Sugar  6.8 g
Protein  3.6g

Chocolate... for breakfast

This post is has nothing to do with cooking or baking... oops.

I am addicted to the Lean1 protein powder that is made by Nutrition 53.  It comes in flavors like Chocolate (nom), Cookies & Cream, Strawberry and Vanilla.  They are jam packed with vitamins, minerals and the best part is, they are all lactose free.  Smoothie King sells it at their stores and I tend to go in there for my fix, but recently I brought the powder home to experiment with a few of my own concoctions.  I also found out that Smoothie King adds sugar to their smoothies (seriously!) so I wanted to make my own from home.

Here are a few of my favorites that I've made with the chocolate protein:

Heaven in a Cup
1 cup ice
2 scoops chocolate Lean1 powder
1/2 banana
1/2 single serve container of plain fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz water

Combine and blend (do yourself a favor and get a Ninja blender... they are the best)
310 calories, 29g protein, 24g sugar, 7g fat

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
1 cup ice
2 scoops chocolate Lean1 powder
6 large strawberries
1/2 single serve container of plain fat free Greek yogurt

Combine and blend
295 calories, 29g protein, 19g sugar, 7 g fat

You get the point... add fruit and yogurt to this chocolate wonder and you have one delicious meal on the go!

Like Buttah(nut squash... stuffed)

So not everything that I cook has alcohol in it... but rest assured, I believe in cooking with vino in hand (or nearby because safety comes first).  Here is a delicious fall recipe that is wicked easy to make.

Ingredients
1 Butternut Squash
1 tbs olive oil
2 Shallots
3 large mushrooms
2 tbs minced garlic (or two - three cloves)
1 Red Pepper, chopped
2 Turkey Sausage Links (preferrably of the Italian variety)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp Red Pepper (feel free to add more if you want it spicier)
1 egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp. 
3. Place squash cut side down into a glass baking pan and fill with 1/2 inch of water
4. Bake for 45 minutes - keep your oven on
5. While squash is baking, combine garlic, shallots and mushrooms in a food processor (I use the Ninja... it is amazing).  You will want to blend until the ingredients are of a paste consistency
6. Heat olive oil in a larger skillet over medium heat (do NOT burn your olive oil!).  Remove sausage from casing and break apart as you place it in the skillet. add peppers, half of the garlic mixture and all remaining spices, then cook thoroughly
7. Remove squash from the oven, scrape the pulp from the rinds into a bowl, and set the rinds back in the glass cookware
8. Mash the pulp with a potato masher
9. Mix in the sausage mix and add egg white and remaining garlic mixture
10. Scoop the mixture back into your reserved rinds and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
11. Serve! (with whatever is remaining from your bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)

Approximate Nutritional Info (serving size: 2)
Calories per serving: 267
Fat: 11.2g (2.2g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 31.4g
Sugars: .7g
Protein: 15.2g