Tag Archives: low fat

Blueberry Crisp

Blueberry Crisp
Blueberry Crisp

There is something about a blueberry crisp that makes me feel like spring has arrived. Blueberries, in general, remind me of spring and summer. But, eating this, hot out of the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a cool spring night can be blissful. Now, I’m not out to spoil your bliss by telling you that this recipe is a lot lighter and healthier than most crisps or crumbles…but…it is. Hey, I still use some buttah and sugah…so trust me on this…it’s yummy…and blissful!

Blueberry Crisp

 

Blueberry Crisp

Topping
1 C. oats
1/3 C. dark brown sugar
1 T. flour
3 T. ground flaxseed meal
1/4 C. chopped walnuts or pecans
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
dash of fine salt
3 T. butter, softened just a bit

4 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 T. flour
2 – 3 T. dark brown sugar (depending on the sweetness of your blueberries)
zest from 1/2 of a small orange (optional)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking dish (use one that is about 8 to 10 inches wide, mine is 10×7 1/2…it won’t make a big difference with this recipe).

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or a large fork, cut the dry ingredients into the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss until combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish. Top with the topping and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top has become golden and crisp and the blueberries are bubbling underneath.

You can allow it to cool a bit before serving…I can never wait! If you’d like, serve with a lower fat vanilla bean ice cream! Bliss.

 

Notes:

  • If your blueberries are frozen, you don’t need to defrost them first. Just use them as is. Frozen berries will give you a bit more watery end result, but I’m OK with that. You can always add another tablespoon of flour to the mixture if you are concerned about that.

 

Blueberry Crisp

 

 

Blueberry Crisp

 

 

Spring Trees
I just wanted to share one more thing that reminds me that spring is finally here…these trees near my home…they make me happy!

 

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Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa
Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Have I mentioned that we eat a lot of fish? Ummm, yeah. Probably too many times. The reason? My daughter, Katie is a pescatarian. Other than fruits, veggies, grains and chocolate…she only eats seafood. No meat, chicken, pork or other living things with two to four legs (fins are fine). I’m putting this recipe up today to celebrate that she has so graciously committed to this for six months now! I’m so proud of her! Having the resolution at fifteen years old to persevere amidst chicken wings, hamburgers, hot dogs and meatballs…is pretty commendable. She’s my hero! :)

This salmon has a spicy kick from the chipotle powder (Katie loves spicy food) and some sweetness from the dark brown sugar to make your tongue even more happy! The salmon would be delicious if you just stopped there, but, you’d be missing the best part! The salsa! This makes more salsa than you’ll ever need for the salmon…kind of on purpose! Because, while the salmon is on the grill, you’ll need to break out a bag of tortilla chips (there are some really good baked ones), throw in a margarita, put on some Gipsy Kings and dance! :)

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Pineapple Avocado Salsa
1 pineapple, cut into a small dice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 medium to large jalapeño, finely diced (remove the seeds and ribs if you don’t like heat)
1 avocado, cut into a small dice
1 – 2 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped (use parsley if you don’t care for cilantro)
zest and juice of 2 large limes
1 packet stevia or about 2 – 3 t. honey
1/2 t. sea salt

Salmon
4 portions of salmon
3/4 – 1 t. chipotle powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
3 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, or go ahead break out the chips.

Preheat your grill on high heat.

On a baking sheet without sides, create a “tray” large enough for your salmon pieces out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the salmon on the tray.

In a small bowl, combine the chipotle powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture between the four pieces of salmon, making sure to cover them well.

Slide the “tray” onto the grill and close the lid of the grill. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how hot your grill gets.

When done, (be careful!) and slide the tray back onto your baking sheet.

Serve as is, or with the salsa on top!

 

Notes:

  • Try serving with a side salad and rice. I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend and made a simple pilaf with it.
  • Cilantro has a strong flavor, so go easy on it if you’re not sure you like it. You can always add more if you do. Parsley works just as well.
  • The salsa will keep in the fridge. I can’t tell you for how long…we polished it off in a day!

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

 

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Guiltless Lemon Cupcakes

Guiltless Lemon Cupcake
I love cupcakes. I wish I could tell you that I love them because they are the perfect size and that eating one of them satisfies my sweet tooth. I can’t say that. I don’t eat just one. So, to minimize the guilt of eating several two cupcakes, I created these. They are just a bit healthier because they are made mainly with whole wheat flour and these are lower in fat and sugar than a regular cupcake. Still, they are moist and light and very lemony! So, pucker up, have a couple of cupcakes and feel guiltlessly rewarded!

Guiltless Lemon Cupcakes

1 1/2 C. whole wheat pastry flour
1 C. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. almond milk
1/2 C. vanilla yogurt
1/4 C. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. lemon juice
zest of half of a lemon

Glaze

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. almond milk
zest of the other half of a lemon

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 15 liners.

In a small bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy then add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and gently whisk until incorporated, but do not over-mix.

Using a 1/4 C. measuring cup, fill the cupcake liners. I like to fill them about 3/4 full. You may get more than 15 cupcakes if you fill them a bit less.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Allow to cool in the tins for just a minute, then cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze and mix well. I like to just dunk my cupcakes into the glaze, but you can certainly just drizzle it on if you want. If you plan to drizzle, you actually may just need about half of the recipe. This makes a lot of glaze for good reason…I like to double dip!  I know, I know. Your Mom probably taught you that double dipping is gross. It is. This time…you have permission. After the first layer of glaze has had a few moments to dry, dip each cupcake again to make them extra glaze-y!

 

Notes:

  • When measuring flour for cakes, muffins and bread, use a whisk to fluff up your flour before measuring. It will give you a more accurate measurement and you’ll have a lighter end result.
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Baked Cider Donuts

My friend Anne is responsible for my new obsession with baked donuts. She had bought a pan a few months ago and one morning sent her children to my door bearing the most delicious just baked donuts ever! I put on a pot of coffee and enjoyed. They made my whole morning better! I immediately bought my own pan and have been experimenting ever since.

Cider donuts are our favorite. They remind me of an orchard that I used to take the kids to when they were little. We have great memories of them feeding the animals, walking through the orchard and before heading home, the day was always topped off with cider donuts from the orchard store. I had to try to recreate that donut! After a few attempts, I think these are delicious. And the best part is that you’ll feel much less guilt over eating these than the fried version!

Baked Cider Donuts

1 1/2 C. apple cider

3/4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. cake flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
14 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon (I use Saigon Cinnamon)
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves
1 egg
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. canola oil
2 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1/8 C. dark brown sugar
cinnamon sugar for dipping

Special equipment:  donut pan

In a small saucepan over high heat, boil the cider to reduce to 1/2 cup. This will take approximately 12 minutes on fairly high heat. I keep a heat resistant glass measuring cup near the stove to keep pouring into to check the progress. Once you are at a half cup, pour the cider into the measuring cup and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray or brush your donut pan with canola oil.

In a small bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the butter, canola oil, cider reduction, vanilla and sugars. Whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture and whisk a bit more, but not too much.

With a gallon size zipper bag, turn its top down a bit and stand the bag in a bowl or a 4 cup measuring cup. This just makes it easy to fill the bag, unless you’ve got 4 extra hands around. Spoon the mixture into the bag, then close it up, getting the air out.  Snip one of the bottom corners of the bag and pipe the mixture into the donut pan. I  fill them up about 2/3 full.

Place the donuts into the oven and bake for 6 minutes.

Once they are out of the oven, let them sit in the pan for about 2 minutes, then using a small fork, lift them out and roll them into the cinnamon sugar while hot.

Notes:

  • When measuring flours, I like to use my whisk and give the flour a stir to fluff it up. That gives you a more accurate measurement. Then I use the back side of a knife to level it off.  It’s important in recipes like this to measure accurately (says the girl who never follows a recipe!)
  • I keep a plastic container (those small soup size ones from takeout) of cinnamon sugar on hand for all sorts of things. It’s great to have around for dipping the tops of your muffins or cookies, sprinkling on cinnamon toast or for these donuts! The proportions are about 1/2 C. of granulated sugar to about 2 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon.
  • These babies will be dry if you over-bake them. I’ve played around with different baking times and six minutes seems to be magically perfect!
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Virtuously Sinful Fudge Cookies

Virtuously Sinful Fudge Cookies

These are the naughtiest tasting cookies you’ll ever not feel guilty about eating!  They are made with no butter or eggs.  They puff up into chocolate domes in the oven, then flatten out while cooling to turn into the most satisfying cookie; chewy interior with a thin veil of crispiness on the outside.  They couldn’t be more simple to make either.  Mix it all up in one bowl, without need of a mixer!


Virtuously Sinful Fudge Cookies

1 C. all purpose flour
1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
4 T. canola oil
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 C. low fat vanilla yogurt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the canola oil, both sugars and yogurt. Using a sturdy spoon, stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients, but do not overwork it.

Drop level tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges just begin to set.

Cool on the pans for about a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies (or 23 if I’m making them!)

Notes:

  • These cookies are so versatile…you can add some of your favorite ingredients to these…I’ve used:  coconut, almonds, chocolate chips…and they’ve all been delicious.
  • I’ve experimented a lot with this recipe. One of the things I have found to make a big difference is the quality of the cocoa. I’ve used that one in the dark brown can that we all have in our pantry. It’s good. But if you can get a higher quality cocoa, you’ll taste a remarkable difference.  Ghirardelli’s cocoa is one that is very good and readily available in the US.
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