I am constantly amazed at the versatility of cauliflower- a true shape shifter. In its most native form, you can create some yummy apps like my Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Bites and Buffalo Cauliflower Bites , or a flattened version which doubles for a healthy pizza …
If you’re like me and you like to whip up a good ole pumpkin bread now and then, do you ever wonder what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin? Sure, you can freeze it, but I find that freezing it changes it’s …
Hello friends,
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted…you know how that life and work thing gets in the way! Hopefully some of you have found me on Instagram.
I’m just getting back into cooking after a somewhat lazy few months. As we get into these fall days I am craving some healthy granola. This is a slight spin on my Oil-Free Granola recipe I’ve posted previously. I wanted to make a granola without a lot of calories. So I replaced the natural sugars with applesauce and cut the oats way back to a half cup and added 1 cup of puffed rice. One cup of puffed rice has only 60 calories; one cup of oats has 420! The puffed rice will give you the added bulk without the calories and many less carbs.
Using applesauce is also a calorie cutter: 50 calories for a half cup vs over 200 in a 1/3 cup of maple syrup. And the applesauce helps to bind the granola so it clumps more easily. I don’t heat it but rather just mix it in so it sticks to the oats and rice.
If you want to add a bit of oil I would suggest using an oil spritzer and lightly spritz the granola before baking. Enjoy!
Recipe – Makes 1 3/4 Cups
2 Tablespoons PB2 powdered peanut butter
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of puffed rice
Stevia drops (optional)
1/2 cup of nuts (chopped almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
In a medium bowl mix peanut butter powder with water until smooth. Add in the applesauce. You can also add a few drops of Stevia for additional sweetness
Add dry ingredients to a medium bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients and stir until combined
Spread granola on a parchment covered baking sheet or silicone mat. Bake for 20 minutes, stir. Continue to bake for 20 minutes more until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in air tight container. Makes 7 – 1/4 cup servings @ 107 calories, 6 grams of fat and 9 net carbs
Optional Mixins: dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips
The very first time I had spaghetti squash it was a no-go for me. I didn’t like it because I was comparing it to spaghetti – my first mistake. Fast forward a few years and this time I’m enjoying its texture and flavor. It’s a …
Low carb, gluten free and keto friendly True confession: I don’t have a big sweet tooth. I think I’d rather choose cheese and bread over dessert any day. But the bread is sugar, right? So maybe I do have a sweet tooth after all. Don’t …
Just when you think “winter’s not so bad” a blast of arctic air takes a reasonable 40 degrees and sends it packing (I may be packing if it stays this way)! With temperatures bottoming out in the single digits later this week, I need cozy! That calls for Shepherd (or Cottage Pie).
Actually…I’m not really sure what to call it. Shepherd is when you use lamb; Cottage is when you use beef. I’m using neither but getting the same yummy goodness. The trick? Using Gardein’s Beefless Ground. When making something like this or a chili, it’s the perfect ingredient. I also like to combine it with some cooked lentils to give it even more substance. What I don’t like about it? A little bit of soy smell. No worries…it goes away once you heat it and add your seasonings and sauces.
And to make it even lower in good carbs I chose to use my standby of mashed cauliflower for the topping. This is really a low calorie, healthy take on a recipe that typically has a lot of animal fat and butter. Enjoy!
Recipe – Serves 3
1/2 package of Gardein Beefless Ground
1/2 cup of cooked lentils (optional)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of diced vegetables (I used carrots and zucchini)
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of chopped spinach
1/2 can of 6 oz. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon of light cream cheese (optional)
1 – 2 tablespoons of almond milk
Salt/Pepper
In a medium nonstick pan, add Gardein crumbles along with the diced carrots and zucchini and 1/4 cup of water and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. Add tomato paste, lentils, 1 1/4 cups of water, frozen peas, garlic powder, oregano and salt and mix well. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until vegetables are soft. Uncover and stir in chopped spinach. Set aside.
Heat a 2-quart pan with water until boiling. Add cauliflower florets and boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain. Add to food processor with milk, cream cheese, salt and pepper and pulse until smooth.
Remove vegetable mixture from pan. Spoon into a casserole dish or ramekins coated with nonstick spray. Spread cauliflower mash over the top. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes until fully heated. Top with parsley.
Since starting a new job, Sundays have now become cooking days not only for the blog but also for a week of meals. I am now reminded how most people are short on time when they get home from work to try to get a …
Happy New Year to all of you foodies out there! Now, this girl loves a good holiday, especially when it involves family, food and good friends. But I must admit, after a long period of indulging I’m ready to start a new year of healthier …
All of this holiday running around can make a girl hungry! After many hours of walking the mall, I stumbled upon a restaurant smack dab inside a department store (hey, not far to travel and then I can get back to my shopping, right?). I ordered their Asian chicken salad which was really good. On my way home I was thinking, I have all the ingredients to make this, and make it healthier with a couple of modifications.
These salads tend to be addicting because of all the fresh ingredients. I was excited to see mandarin sections and thought now I have something to make with all of those clementines I picked up at the grocery store! The biggest change was the fried wonton strips. I had Joseph’s pita bread on hand so I cut them into strips and baked them at high eat for a healthy crunchy topping.
I cheated on making a dressing and used a sweetened stir fry sauce that I diluted with water to thin it out. You can certainly mix soy sauce, ginger, chili sauce and some brown sugar or Stevia for a quick dressing.
Recipe – Serves 1
2 cups of chopped spinach or other greens
1/4 red pepper, sliced thin
3 mini carrots, diced
1/2 cup of diced or shredded chicken (optional)
1 clementine, sectioned
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
1 Joseph pita bread
1 tablespoon of oriental dressing or stir fry sauce
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds, toasted
Cut pita into thin strips and separate the front and back of the pita strips so you have double the amount. Add them to a non-stick baking sheet and mist with oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Combine all of the salad ingredients and top with the strips. Toss with dressing or sauce and sesame seeds.
Hello Friends! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving filled with great friends, great family and plenty of great tasting food. Although veggies adorned my plate, I always feel compelled to step up the intake after the long holiday weekend. We’re back on track …
What do you do when you have a head of cauliflower staring at you when you open your refrigerator? Sure you can go for the typical mashed cauliflower or cauliflower soup. But how about a sweet and sticky bit of goodness with a little kick!
These bites would be the perfect addition to the big game this Sunday. Some egg whites and bread crumbs make a great base for whatever sauce you use (Buffalo sauce with some blue cheese crumbles come to mind).
If you want to go the vegan route, you can replace the egg whites with almond milk or aquafaba. What is aquafaba you ask? Aquafaba is the thick, syrup that surrounds a can of chick peas or white beans that has recently been used in cooking as a substitute for egg whites. I like it better than almond milk since it has a gelatin texture similar to egg whites.
For the sauce you can also use honey rather than maple syrup. I didn’t have honey on hand but it may give you a thicker glaze. I also added a bit of heat from chili garlic sauce. If you don’t have that you can use sriracha or leave it out all together.
These bites are hard to put down! Great over a bed of rice or tucked inside a lettuce wrap, you can create a number of ways to use these nuggets. Enjoy!
Recipe – Serves 2 to 3
1 small head of cauliflower cut into medium size florets
2 egg whites, whipped
1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs (See NOTE)
1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup of lite soy sauce
2 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper. Set up a breading station with egg whites on one plate and the bread crumbs on another. NOTE: By adding the bread crumbs a little at a time rather than putting them all on the plate at once you can avoid them getting too wet and not adhering properly. Dip cauliflower in the egg whites, then in the breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the cauliflower begins to brown and cooked through.
In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients. Remove cauliflower from the oven and toss with sauce. Place cauliflower back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes longer as they continue to brown and caramelize.
