Carrot Oat Bran Muffins

I've been on a healthy muffin kick lately. Here is my latest recipe. These come out to 2 WW points each and are supper yummy like carrot cake, but healthier and chock full of fiber. (And would be delicious with some low fat cream cheese icing-- just saying....) FYI-- This recipe makes twelve muffins.

**Note-- this is the first time I made these and they were good, but: next time I would increase the baking powder to a tablespoon, as they did not rise as much as I would have liked.

You could also throw in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans, but note that this will affect the point/calorie count.

Carrot Oat Bran Muffins

3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup Fiber One (original)
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1 Tbsp. olive oil (ordinary)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup soy flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 Tbsp. raw sugar (for sprinkling)

• Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare a muffin tin by lining with paper liners sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray (or you can do what I did which is grease/flour/pray).
  
• Pour the boiling water over the oats and Fiber One. Let this hang out for 8-10 minutes.
• Combine everything including and up to the baking soda with the oats/Fiber One mixture.
• Gently fold in raisins, carrot, and zucchini.
• Scoop batter evenly in muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
• Enjoy!

*Sorry there is no photo! It was accidentally deleted! I will update when I make these again!*

Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

These muffins are wheat, dairy and almost fat free, and oh so yummy! According to my calculations these are three points each! (Please know that I am in no way an employee or representative of Weight Watchers. I do point calculations for my own use on most recipes, and so I share that info. Please recalculate yourself to be sure.)

Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

3/4 cup soy flour
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup raspberries (frozen will work fine here if not in season)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

7 almonds, slivered (or 1 Tbsp. packaged slivered almonds)

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a muffin tin by lining with 6 paper cupcake liners, and spraying lightly with a nonstick cooking spray.
  
• Combine all except the last three ingredients quickly in a bowl with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix. The batter will be very stiff.
  
• Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips.
• Spoon evenly into 6 muffin cups.
• Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the slivered almonds.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
• Let cool thoroughly, then remove from muffin tin. These have a shelf life of 3-4 days when stored at room temperature (up to two months frozen).
• Enjoy!

(FYI- This photo does not do these muffins justice. It is incredibly hard to take a good photo of a chocolate muffin with normal household lighting.)

Chicken with Quick Sweet and Salty Pan Sauce

This is a really super quick and easy meal with lots of flavor and minimum fuss. I served it with steamed string beans, to get some veg in and a bit of green on the plate. Serves two. (FYI- 9 WW points for 1 cup of pasta with half the chicken and sauce.)

Chicken with Quick Sweet and Salty Pan Sauce

1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast
2 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, peeled and slightly smashed, but left whole
1 Tbsp sultanas (golden raisins)
6 oil cured olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp raw sugar
1 cup stock (beef, veg, or chicken-- your choice)
6 ounces capellini
1 tsp

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the capellini. Cook according to time on box (usually three minutes).
  
• Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over a medium high flame. Add garlic, and saute chicken a few minutes on each side, until slightly browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• Add anchovy fillets to pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until anchovies are dissolved.
• Reduce heat to low and add broth, sultanas, olives, and sugar. Let it cook and mingle for a few moments, and then...
• Plop the pasta straight from the pot into the sauce. Add chicken back to the pan, and let it all cook together for a minute or two.
• Plate and serve. Enjoy!

Fennel and Orange Salad

So simple. So delicious. Serves four as a side, two if you are using as a main part of your meal (under a nice piece of grilled fish, for instance).

Fennel and Orange Salad

1 bulb fennel
1 orange, sectioned and roughly chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

• Cut off tops of fennel bulb, reserving about 2 Tbsp of the fronds (little leaves). Depending on the freshness of your fennel bulb, you may want to use a vegetable peeler to trim off just the very outermost upper layer. Cut the bulb in half, then slice the fennel very, VERY thinly.
• Combine sliced fennel, fronds, and orange. (Also, when you section the orange, be sure to squeeze the juice from the membrane over the bowl.)
• Season generously with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Two Second BBQ Sauce and Carrot Slaw

This is a quick and easy way to use leftover roast pork shoulder. I made this as a lunch for one, but it's very easily multiplied to make more sandwiches. (If you are counting WW points, I calculated this as 7, including a 2 point bun.)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Two Second BBQ Sauce and Carrot Slaw

3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp hot sauce (I like Tiger Sauce.)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash soy sauce
about 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 oz shredded roast pork shoulder

1/3 cup pre-shredded carrots (Steam them in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften a bit.)
1/2 tsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

1 whole grain hamburger bun

• Combine first 7 ingredients. Add pork, and heat slowly in a saucepan over low heat. (Or microwave, checking ever 30 seconds.)
• While that heats, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over carrots, tossing to coat.
• Toast the bun lightly, then pile on the pork, then the carrot slaw.
  
• Enjoy!

The Apprentice Brown Rice Breakfast

This is a recipe from Bethenny Frankel (original can be found here) of Martha Stewart Apprentice and Real Housewives of New York City. It's a really great filling breakfast or snack that gives you a lot of bang for your calorie buck. It's the perfect combination of whole grains, fruit, and protein to give you lots of energy and keep you full all morning. And it seriously takes about a second and a half to make. And it's also wildly delicious. Try it, and you will be converted to the Brown Rice Breakfast, I promise. (FYI-- If you are a Weight Watcher, I calculated this as 5 points.)

Brown Rice Breakfast (serves one)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (Yay! A way to use leftovers!)
1/4 cup soy milk (Original or Vanilla)
7 almonds, slivered (1 Tbsp if you have them already slivered.)
1 Tbsp golden raisins
1 Tbsp maple syrup (Use the real stuff.)
dash of almond or vanilla extract (I use almond.)

• Combine all ingredients (except almonds) in a saucepan on medium heat until heated through. (Alternately, you can mix this up ahead, and just pop it in the microwave for a minute or two in the morning.)
• Top with almonds.
  
• Enjoy!
  

The Foodie BlogRoll

Don't forget to check out all the other great food blogs out there. Finding good ones can be a daunting task, but look no further: all of the best food blogs on the web can be found at the Foodie BlogRoll.

If you have a food blog or site, be sure to join, it will be a great resource for you, and an asset to your blog!

Happy cooking and blogging!

Agrumino Green Tea Cocktail and Steamed Artichokes

Mmmmm, cocktail hour. As far as I am concerned there is nothing better than a really good cocktail with a simple snack. Hence my light and citrusy Agrumino Cocktail with Steamed Artichokes.

A note about Agrumino: Agrumino is a citrus liqueur very similar to Limoncello, just using other citrus fruits. I make mine homemade (quadrupling the formula below) once or twice a year using a combination of tangerines and oranges. It takes about a month to be fully ready to drink, but it is definitely worth the wait.


Agrumino

10-15 citrus fruits (oranges, clementines, tangerines, or any combination you like)
1 750 ml bottle vodka or grain alcohol
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups reserved citrus juice
2- 2 1/2 cups sugar

• Wash the fruit very well to remove any wax or pesticides. (Use organic if you can.)
• Using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, peel the fruit, being careful to leave the white pith behind, as it will make your liqueur bitter. Place peels in a large wide-mouth jar (one that has an airtight seal).
  
• Juice as many of the remaining fruit as it takes to come up with about 2 cups of juice. Freeze the juice in an airtight container. Use the remaining fruit for another recipe.
• Pour vodka over the peels and cover jar. Let this steep at room temperature (preferably in a dark spot) for between 4 and 10 days, shaking jar daily.
• After the peels have steeped, prepare the sugar syrup by bringing sugar, water, and the juice you froze to a boil. Allow this to cool completely, then add to the vodka and peels.
• Allow this to steep for between 1 and 5 days.
• After steeping, strain away the peels and discard. Bottle the liqueur and store in the fridge or freezer, as it should be served very cold. It will take at least a month for the liqueur to mellow and reach its full flavor.

Agrumino Green Tea Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces Agrumino (if not available substitute Limoncello or Cointreau)
4 ounces unsweetened iced green tea
juice of half a clementine
ice
clementine slice to garnish

• Shake Agrumino, tea, and clementine juice in a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a slice of clementine and serve.
• Enjoy!

Steamed Artichokes

artichokes (as many as you want!)
olive oil (about a tablespoon per person)
sea salt & black pepper

• Line the bottom of a large pot with a steamer basket. Fill pot with 2-3 inches of water.
• Place washed artichokes stem side down in steamer basket. (I don't bother to trim them.
  As far as I am concerned that's for sissies. But if you wish, then go ahead and trim away.)
• Steam artichokes for between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on size.
• Cool and serve each with a dipping bowl of olive oil, seasoned generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Enjoy!

Red Snapper with Orange Gremolata and German Potato Salad

This is a quick little meal I threw together which turned out quite tasty. I made it for two, but I have increased all the proportions in the recipes you see to serve four. I served this with some simply sauteed zucchini.

Red Snapper with Orange Gremolata

1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
2 oranges, zested then sectioned and roughly chopped
a couple of handfuls parsley, chopped, separated
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, separated
salt and pepper

• Prepare Gremolata: Combine orange sections, half the orange zest, half the parsley, 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• For the Snapper: Preheat broiler, and prepare a baking sheet with a greased rack. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper, and place fillets, skin side down, on rack.
• Combine remaining orange zest, remaining parsley, garlic and remaining olive oil. Rub over the top of the fillets.
• Broil for about ten minutes, or until fish is firm, opaque and flaky. Spoon Gremolata over the Snapper.
  
• Enjoy!

Quick German Potato Salad

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and boiled
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 small handfuls grape tomatoes, quartered
4 Tbsp. chopped cooked bacon (about 4 slices)
4 Tbsp. bottled Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette*

• Chop the potatoes while they are still warm and combine with the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
• Enjoy!

*Note about the vinaigrette: Any sweet tangy vinaigrette will work in this recipe. This is a very quick, tossed together salad, hence the bottled dressing.

Grilled Chicken with Peanut Ginger Sauce and Faux Mein

I have been really hesitant to try Tofu Shirataki Noodles for two reasons. One, I love yam noodles so much, why would I try anything else? And two, I've heard some really bad reviews of them, so I was scared. Well I decided to finally venture out and try them, and guess what! I love them! They are really similar to yam noodles, just a little bit less chewy. So I made a Faux Lo Mein with them (or Faux Mein, as I like to call it), based on Keith's original Lo Mein Recipe.



And to fill in the protein portion of the meal, I just grilled some thin sliced chicken breasts on the Foreman Grill (it's too cold to do it outside!), served with a super yummy Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce. The sauce could also easily work with shrimp, pork or beef.

Here are the recipes: (FYI, the Faux Mein serves two, so double if you wish.)

Faux Mein

1 package Tofu Shirataki Noodles (spaghetti shaped)
1 cup savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp ginger, grated
1/2 tsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
dash of white pepper

• Rinse the noodles thoroughly. Drain and dry very well in a very clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
• Spray a skillet with a bit of olive oil. Saute garlic, ginger and cabbage until the cabbage is softened. (If the leaves are very tough, add a tablespoon or two of water, and cover so it can steam.)
• Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper and noodles to the pan. Stir and heat through, being careful not to overcook.
• Enjoy!

Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce

3 Tbsp peanut butter (I used creamy, but chunky would work too.)
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced and mashed to a paste
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/4 tsp rice wine vinegar

• Mix peanut butter, sugar, garlic and ginger until well blended.
• Whisk in water, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth. If you would like a thinner sauce, whisk in more water, one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
• Serve as a dipping sauce with whatever your heart desires!

Here's the finished meal: