Baked Apples

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The average American should try and aim for 5 serving of fruits and vegetables per day. I say the more the better! This recipe tastes more like an indulgent dessert, but it’s actually a guilt free treat, plus a full serving of fruit.

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A guilt free sweet treat that can satisfy your sweet tooth and help you stay on track with healthy eating.

 
 

Baked Apples

Makes 3 servings

 

Ingredients:

3 apples
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp walnuts, chopped

 
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Start preparing the apples by slicing the top off. Use a melon baller to scoop out the core.

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2. In a small size bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts. Fill the cavities of the apples with the mixture.

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3. Bake for 20 minutes, until fork tender.

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(nutrition facts based on calorie count)

 

 

Enjoy!

 


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Cashew Chicken over Rice Noodles

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I love chinese food, but it’s not always the healthiest choice when it comes to some dishes. I love the cashew chicken with broccoli I get from my local chinese take out, but its always covered with so much sauce and skimps out on the broccoli. I wanted to recreate my own version to get the same great flavor without the extra sodium, fat, and MSG and really pump it up with more veggies!


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A healthier alternative to your favorite chinese food take out. Try this simple recipe the next time you’re craving chinese food.

Cashew Chicken over Rice Noodles

Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breast, cubed
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 (16 oz) box rice noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
Marinade:
3 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, sliced + more for garnish
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir Fry:
2 bell peppers, diced (any color)
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup green beans, frozen
1 cup broccoli, frozen
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce:
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp corn starch

 
Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Toss in the chicken and let it marinade for at least 20 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

4. In a large wok or frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the chicken until fully cooked and evenly browned. Remove from pan.

5. Add the stir fry ingredients to the pan and cook until vegetables are tender. While vegetables are cooking put the rice noodles in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender.

6. Drain the rice noodles and toss with 1/2 of the sauce until coated.

7. Add the cashews and cooked chicken back in the pan with the vegetables and toss with remaining sauce.

8. Serve cashew chicken over rice noodles and garnish with scallions.


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(nutrition facts based on calorie count)

 

 

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Waffles

Breakfast & Brunch
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What to do on a snowy day? .. Make waffles of course! Had to experiment with my new waffle maker! I am so happy how these came out. These waffles can easily be frozen and toasted up again for an everyday breakfast. The nutrition breakdown of these waffles is great that they can become part of your daily breakfast options.


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These heart healthy whole wheat waffles are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Providing 6 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein, these waffles will power you through the whole morning.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Makes 5 waffles

 

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp nutmeg
2 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup liquid egg whites (or 4 egg whites)
2 cups unsweetened almond milk

 
Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. In a sperate bowl, combine the banana, egg whites, and almond milk. Slowly pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until combined.

4. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the waffle iron and cook according to your waffle iron directions, until waffles are golden brown.

 


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(nutrition facts based on calorie count – 1 full waffle, no toppings)

 

 

Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Soups & Stews
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Nothing is better than coming inside from a cold winter day and warming up with a hearty bowl of soup. Making soup from scratch is by far better than the canned stuff. Canned soups are packed with a ton of sodium. The recommended intake of sodium is < 2,400 mg per day. In some soups thats 75% of your sodium intake right there!
 
Making homemade soup is simple. Plus, if you make a big batch you can freeze half and bring it back out later in the winter season. Stick to the broth based soups with tons of vegetables for fewer calories and for a nutrient dense meal.

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Hearty Vegetable Soup

Makes 12 servings

 

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into a small dice
4 celery stalks, chopped into a small dice
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
2 quarts low sodium vegetable stock
2 quarts water
 3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 lb whole-wheat ditalini pasta
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas


Directions:

1. In a large stock pot over add the bacon and cook until crispy. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and onions to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, 7-8 minutes more.

2. Add the mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock and water to the pot, and bring up to a boil.

4. Add the kale, pasta, and chickpeas to the soup pot, and cook until the pasta is al dente. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.


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 (nutrition facts based on calorie count)

 

 

Enjoy!

Secrets to making perfect granola

Breakfast & Brunch, Snacks
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I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of granola are those big chunks. I prefer making my own granola versus buying it. A lot of the store bought granolas are packed with a ton of sugar. A lot of recipes I tried to make at home left me with just little pieces of oats and nuts with anything barely sticking together. With a little research I discovered a way to make the perfect granola.

Tips to making chunky granola:

1. Add egg whites. – By adding beaten egg whites, it works as a binding agent to help the granola clump together.
2. Don’t stir. – A lot of recipe say to stir the granola mixture a couple times when it is baking in the oven. By not stirring, it will let the ingredients stay together in larger clumps.
3. Let the granola cool completely. – By letting it cool completely will ensure clumps stay put. You can then break them into whatever size pieces you prefer.

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Granola
Makes 18 servings
(1/3 cup = 1 serving)

 

Ingredients:
3 cups oats
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Toss to combine.

3. Add in the maple syrup and syrup. Toss to combine until all the dry ingredients are coated.

4. Spread out on a large baking sheet and pat down. Bake for about 40 minutes. Check to see if granola is evenly browned. (May need a few more minutes)

5. Take out of the oven and let granola completely cool in the pan. This will help the large chunks stay together. Then break up granola to whatever size chunks you like. Toss in the dried cranberries and dried blueberries.

* This recipe is very versatile and ingredients can be substituted with different nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

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(Nutrition Facts based on Calorie Count)

 

Enjoy!

Simply Roasted

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Roasting is my favorite way to prepare vegetables. The perfect roasted vegetable will be slightly crispy and brown on the outside and tender in the inside.

In simple terms roasting is a dry-heat cooking method that uses hot, dry, air to cook food. Like other dry-heat cooking methods, roasting browns the surface of the food which develops complex flavors and aromas.
 

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(source)
A few tricks to perfectly roasted vegetables:  

  • Uniform pieces – Chop your vegetables into same size pieces and shaped. This will ensure even cooking.
    – Keep in mind that denser vegetables like potatoes, cook slower than lighter ones, like mushrooms. Cut the denser vegetables into smaller pieces so they cook faster or add the less dense vegetables in the oven later, once the denser vegetables had a chance to cook a bit. 
  • Caramelization happens at the vegetables surface – for more caramelization, cut the vegetables with a larger surface area or flip mid way through cooking.

 

  • Don’t overcrowd the pan – This is a common mistake. If you have a lot of vegetables spread them out onto two pans. Let the vegetables breathe and give them a little bit of space. When the vegetables are too close or stacked, it will cause the vegetables to steamy rather then roast, leaving you mushy vegetables.

 

  • Remove excess moisture – The key to perfect browning is low moisture content. For example, eggplant is very porous and retains moisture. Remove the moisture by lightly seasoning the eggplant with salt and line in a colander. Place a paper towel on top and put a heavy pot on top to drain the excess moisture from the eggplant.

 

  • Season simple – Lightly coat the vegetables with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. The roasting techniques really brings outs a delicious flavor. If you want to switch it up a bit add some thyme, rosemary, orange zest, cayenne pepper, cumin, fennel seeds, etc.

 

  • Set the oven at the correct temperature – You want the oven to be hot enough to caramelize the natural sugars in the vegetables, but not too hot to let it burn! Set the oven to 400 degrees F for perfectly roasted vegetables.
 


What are your favorite vegetables to roast?

Hoisin & Lime Salmon

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This recipe has minimal and simple ingredients that really work well together to a create simplistic, delicious salmon dinner.


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Hoisin & Lime Salmon
Makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime (1/2 for juice, 1/2 for garnish slices)
4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and/or cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic and lime juice. Let the salmon marinade in the sauce mixture for about 20 minutes.
3. Place salmon on the baking sheet. Reserve the rest of the sauce mixture. Bake for about 6 minutes.
4. Drizzle on the rest of the sauce mixture and broil salmon for about 2-3 to create a glaze on top.
5. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.

* Pair your salmon with garlic green beans with pecans.

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(Nutrition Facts based on Calorie Count)

 

Enjoy!

Molten Lava Cake

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I want to wish my boyfriend, Adrian, a very Happy 24th Birthday!! We celebrated this weekend. I made us Molten Lava Cake!! I know typically all my recipes are on the healthier side, but there are times to indulge and celebrate with decadent desserts, guilt free. My friend/roommate from college gave me this recipe. She is a trained pastry chef, so I knew this recipe was going to be amazing.


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Molten Lava Cake
Makes 4 servings
Recipe by Theresa Louis, pastry chef

 

Ingredients:
4 oz butter
6 oz bittersweet dark chocolate
2 yolks
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. In a double boiler melt chocolate and butter together – whisk till smooth.
2. Whip eggs and yolks – slowly streaming in sugar and salt. Whip till thick and pale.
3. Quickly fold chocolate butter mixture (warm, not hot) into whipped egg mixture then fold in flour.
4. Spoon into 4 greased tins, bake at 450 for about 10 min – sides of cake should be firm but center should be soft.
5. Let sit for 1 min out of the oven. Invert onto plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional), and eat asap!

 

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Enjoy!

Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis

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So I went to Trader Joe’s today and picked up a few things. My friend Kim told me about these mini raviolis they had there. I just had to get them. They are just so little and cute! I also picked up 2 small eggplants that I wanted to use for dinner tonight. The rest of the ingredients were inspired from just rummaging through my kitchen and used what I had on hand.

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Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis
Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of mini raviolis (can be substituted with any type of pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small (or 1 large) eggplant, peeled and diced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (make sure it’s in it’s own juices – no salt added)
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:

1. Cook mini raviolis (or other pasta) according to package directions
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the eggplant to the skillet with 1 tsp of the salt. Eggplant is very porous and adding a little salt will help release the moisture and allow it to absorb the flavors in the dish.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, spinach, and oregano. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, to taste.
5. If you want the mixture to have a little more liquid, add a ladle of water from your pasta pot.
6. Drain the pasta, and top with the tomato, eggplant, spinach mixture. Top with parmesan cheese (optional).


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(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I know it’s not Fall yet .. but I am anticipating the PUMPKIN extravaganza that’s coming soon! I am obsessed with anything pumpkin. If you are too, definitely try these muffins!!
 

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

 

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree*
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top (optional)
* Make sure to get pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin puree is purely pumpkin, whereas pumpkin puree has lots of sugar added.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, and sugar until blended and smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture in batches, until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Spoon in the batter in the muffin tin, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins.


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(per muffin)

 

Enjoy!