om nom nom: scones!

I tried this super easy recipe this morning and was thrilled. By my calculations, each one is about 150 calories if you follow her recipe. I am still searching for a good butter substitute, as her suggestion of Brummel/Brown is not in line with my eating habits (partiallly hydrogenated YUK)...but low sugar is great, and simple recipe that's easy to accomplish is right in line with a busy lifestyle.

Ingredients:
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup dried apple/cranberry (publix has a great organic package of this), or dried berries of your choice...try to go low sugar!
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk*
- 1/4 cup low calorie butter, melted (still seeking a good product, I went with her rec. of Brummel/Brown in the meantime :(

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Coat a baking sheet with non-fat cooking spray
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar; mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and melted butter.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined; fold in dried berries. Don't overstir or you risk a less than optimal texture.
Drop 12 equal two-inch mounds of batter on prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake until tops just start to turn golden, about 15 minutes—oven temps vary.
Entire recipe makes 12 scones.

Skip the butter, and serve these with a tablespoon of low-sugar preserves. Trader Joes has a great cranberry "butter" or there are a number of healthy choices out there. Yummmmm.

* She has a recipe for making your own low-fat or fat-free buttermilk on her site.

tastes like summer

I threw this together for dinner tonight, and it was so delicious I have to share. Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine in a baking dish
• Small zucchini, sliced
• Small yellow squash, sliced
• One can peeled, diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Stir it around to get everything coated with the oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, powdered onion, and a little bit of shredded low-fat mozzarella. Bake until everything is tender, about 30-45 minutes.

So good, so good for you.

mmmmm zucchini

This recipe is so easy I almost feel guilty posting it. An old roommate of mine, who happened to be vegan, taught it to me one Thanksgiving and I've made it a few times since then.

Ingredients

1 zucchini

1 small handful sundried tomatoes

1 small to medium onion

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice zucchini thinly; chop up sundried tomatoes so you have slivers instead of chunks; thinly slice the onion (I cut the ends off, then chop it in half, then make half-moon slivers).

Mix up in a baking dish, generously douse with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (don't go overboard, you can always add more later).

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until it's nice and tender and the edges are starting to look a little crispy.

You can also make this in a pan on the stovetop if you desire, just be sure to stir frequently.

Delish, and healthy!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

I will admit, I wanted very much to make Pumpkin Ginger cupcakes, but the recipe called for butterscotch instant pudding and J was unable to find anything but sugar free. Boo aspartame!

So, Plan B. WOW. Slight modifications to the recipe per some reviews, so I've shown it here with commentary. The original recipe is here of course.

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar: I used 1 1/2 cups regular sugar, and 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil: I used 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger: I use a more liquid version that looks like this and NOT the powdered variety. I think this makes a huge difference!
  
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves: I left this out b/c I forgot. It did not suffer. I'll do it next time :-)
  
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin and ginger.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

applesauce oatmeal muffins

I'll admit I didn't take my own photo before we'd devoured all of these (so you know the recipe is good!). Another AllRecipes gem, these applesauce oatmeal muffins are to die for.

I didn't have any quick-cook oats in the house, so I went for the packets of instant oatmeal that we take on our backpacking trips (low-sugar variety) and upped the cinnamon for my own taste. I was liberal with the topping, making sure to use every last bit.

J was nomming happily and gave this one two thumbs up. I especially like that it's low-fat (and surprisingly low-sugar).

Fresh, Raw, Homemade Almond Milk

My friend Nadia directed me to this set of instructions for How to Milk and Almond. Can't wait to try it!

what's in your smoothie?

I usually like to make smoothies in the morning when I have time, especially when I'm feeling the need for a boost. This morning's smoothie contains some pretty awesome stuff:

Strawberries: Heart protective, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, great source of Vitamin C

Mango: one of the best sources of betacarotene, quercetin and astragalin, another great source of vitamin C, and vitamin A

Pineapple: Manganese, Vitamin C and Thiamin (again with the anti-cancer)

Peaches: Tons of Vitamin A, which is good for your eyes!

Ginger: Digestive aid which also helps to clear out mucus

Wheat Germ: Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Fiber, Omega-3, Vitamin B, iron, calcium, zinc

Bee Pollen: vitamins, minerals, proteins and amino acids, enzymes and coenzymes, as well as antibiotic, antihistamine, and antioxidant properties; great source of energy

Local Honey: builds immunity against local pollen allergies, and tastes good :-)

Apple Juice: Good for your heart, good for the fight against bad cholesterol

Budgeting and Menus

One of the benefits of the All Recipes site, like many other websites these days, is the community they've built around the recipes and food in general. I rarely fail to check reviews before starting on a new recipe, as often other readers have made beneficial corrections or suggestions for improvement. Sometimes folks go overboard and basically rewrite the recipe (annoying) while others correct things like the amount of water needed for a bread machine recipe (totally necessary).

They also link to blogs, and I clicked on this particular entry because I am always looking for ways to save money without eating total crap. I also love that it's a menu plan, laid out for grabbing by busy folks (like me).

It looks tasty and well thought out, so I do believe I'll be copying some of it. Convert to vegetarian items where you see fit/necessary.

Albert Heijn's Avocado Raspberry Walnut Salad

Albert Heijn is the standard grocery store in the Netherlands, much like Publix in the South, only shinier and more visually tantalizing (for me). I love Dutch design anyway, but Dutch design combined with Food puts me in ecstasy. Or at least like a kid in a candy shop :-)

I found this recipe on their website awhile back, and have translated to the best of my minimal Nederlands knowledge. I welcome corrections, though obviously you can wing a lot of it and still come out tasty.

Avocado-Raspberry Walnut Salad

Ingredients
* 12 walnuts broken up
* 1 dash/sprinkle sugar
* 125 g raspberries (fresh, or thawed from frozen)
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 dash white wine vinegar
* 4 dashes walnut oil
* 2 chunks of lettuce (enough for your preference)
* 2 ripe avocados
* 2 dashes lime juice
* a few sprigs of mint, shredded

Caramelize the rapsberries with the sugar on low heat. Take two raspberries, crush and add the mustard, vinegar and oil... until it tastes right/good. Salt/pepper to the dressing for taste.

Tear up the lettuce in large pieces, cut up the avocado and sprinkle with the lime juice. Sprinkle dressing and ingredients.

Serves 4.

Note: Avocado and Raspberries
Avocados are amazing and tasty. Check out the World's Healthiest Foods website for details on avocados and raspberries. They pack nutritional punch that hits a gamut of health concerns.

soup for the sickies

I found this recipe in the Washington Post, and have tried to keep it fresh in my mind as well as share with others. This is the perfect "sickie" medicine, bolstering your immune system with a flavourful punch.

Daphne Miller's Mushroom Ginger Soup for Health
1 ¼ cup shiitake, white button, maitake, cremini, or oyster mushrooms cut in ¼ inch slices
1/2 inch cube of fresh ginger (you can add a bit more if you really love ginger)
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon white or red miso paste
1 tsp Mirin, sake or rice vinegar
1 tbsp finely chopped scallion

Put mushrooms, ginger and water in a pot with a lid and bring to a boil, immediately turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and take out ginger. Put ¼ up of broth in a bowl and stir in miso paste and Mirin.

Stir this mixture into the pot. Serve topped with scallions.

Serving size: 1 dose

Note: Ginger
Ginger is *great* for clearing out mucus and sinuses. It naturally warms the body, provides a quick energy boost, and is awesome for your digestive tract (soothing for both upset stomach and nausea). I've taken to adding it to my morning smoothies for extra goodness.

Note: Mushrooms
Mushrooms are fantastic for your immune system. See this page for more info. I had a farmer tell me he makes a dose of them when he feels illness coming on; he pours boiling water over dried mushrooms (however much he needs for what he's cooking) and lets it sit for 30 minutes. The juice from that goes into a shot glass and voila, you've got an immune boosting shot. We do this every time we reconstitute mushrooms now.