Healthier Blueberry Muffins

Ellie Kreiger has been a kitchen staple for us these past couple years.  She has brought 3 cookbooks to our kitchen that have all become indispensable.  Each recipe is based on making healthier and most of the time- fresher more flavorful- versions of our favorites.  Cooking from her books makes us feel good about what we make and what we are eating.  In her latest cook book, Comfort Food Fix,  she shares a healthy spin on classic blueberry muffins and true to form, they are just as tender and delectable, our all time favorites still will always be the Fig Muffins, however!  Using half whole wheat flour, low fat buttermilk, applesauce and zest of lemon are all ways in which these muffins add a nutritional punch and flavor to a muffin!

Adapted from

Ellie Krieger Comfort Food Fix

makes 12 muffins

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce

Zest of 1 whole lemon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil until the mixture is pale and slightly frothy. Whisk in the applesauce, lemon zest, and vanilla. With the whisk, stir in about half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and then the remaining buttermilk, stirring until well incorporated.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them to the top. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and then unmold. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.




www.jasonrobertscott.com

Potato and Leek Bisque

This is a gem of a recipe from our very new Eating Well Cookbook!  It's a great velvety smooth, thick, rich creamy potato soup ( think delicious mashed potatoes!)- next time we'll keep some potatoes chunky and add some peas and lean ham to give it more stew texture and mix this up a bit.

Potato-Leek Bisque
8 servings, about 1 cup each

adapted from Eating Well

Bisque
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups nonfat milk
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
2 ounces grated Parmesan
Thinly sliced fresh chives for garnish

Croutons
1/4 cup minced pitted Kalamata olives
3 anchovies, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 slices baguette, toasted


Preparation

1.To prepare bisque: Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Adjust heat as necessary and add a bit of water if needed to prevent sticking. Set aside 1/3 cup of the leeks in a small bowl.

2.Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stir for a minute then add potatoes, milk and broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer (do not boil) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, 15 minutes.

3.To prepare croutons: Meanwhile, add olives, anchovies and black pepper to the reserved leeks; mix well. Divide evenly among the toasted baguette slices.

4.When the potatoes are tender, remove from the heat. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice and white pepper. Divide among 8 soup bowls and float a crouton on top of each. Garnish with chives and Parmesan, if desired.

Sage and Butternut Squash Soup

It's incredible how time flies when you're having fun and when you aren't.  It's been over 2 weeks and we have not posted a single recipe.  We were eating a lot of boxed macaroni, tuna sandwiches and boxes of Thai, Chinese and pizza while going in and out of vet appointments since we got back from our wonderful camping trip.  One week ago today we lost our little Lila to Lymphoma, she was a sweet cuddly 5 year old cat, and we will never forget her.  A great friend of mine said to me, "cooking is therapy", and it really is.  To get involved with the methods and timing and repetition of preparing a homemade meal, takes focus and meditation.  You can get lost in the tastes and smells and the anticipation of the final product.  So, this weekend we finally pulled out our books, made a list and went grocery shopping.  We cooked up lots of fall favorites, Warm Apple Slaw with Sage Pork Chops... Apple Pecan Muffins.... Pasta... and this gem of a recipe from Jamie Oliver.  We love to use fresh butternut squash and it is so simple to make it in to a hearty soup that will warm you up and make you feel happy when you might be feeling down.  Shorter days can do that to you, so have a toast ( or crouton) to Lila and remember that cooking is good for your soul, enjoy it with those you love....

superb squash soup with the best parmesan croutons ( gotta love his recipe titles!)

adapted from Jamie Oliver
serves 5-6

ingredients

olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
½–1 fresh red chilli, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2.5 lbs  butternut squash, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks ( no need to peel)
38 ounces good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
extra virgin olive oil


for the croutons

extra virgin olive oil
16 slices of ciabatta bread
a block of Parmesan cheese, for grating


Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a glug ( 2-3 Tablespoons) of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with kitchen paper – you’ll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you’ll be left with a beautifully flavoured oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chilli and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around half an hour.


While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, pat it in and press some grated Parmesan on to each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.

When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with a hand blender or pour it into a liquidizer and pulse until you have a smooth purée (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it’s perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Turkey BLT's

A BLT is quite perfect the way it is, but when you forget to pick up the lettuce and want to watch your saturated fat intake you can make amazingly delicious Turkey Bacon, Spinach + Basil and Tomato Sandwiches!  We used Today's Temptations ( a Chicago bakery) Whole Wheat Italian bread, Turkey Bacon, sliced tomatoes from mom's garden and fresh basil from ours along with some crunchy baby spinach... and a shmear of light mayo.  To make these, start by cooking your bacon, then toast the bread, spread on mayo on each side, then layer the tomato, spinach, basil topped with a couple slices of bacon.  Slice it in half and serve with a cold brew of you choics... mmmmm summer juicy tomatoes never tasted better!

Left overs salad and homemade ranch dressing with croutons

To be quite honest, it's been very hot and our electric bill is insane.  So, we've been eating salads- much to Jason's chagrin.  So to make it filling and hearty we tossed in what we had in the fridge with some springy boston lettuce chopped.  Our list of stuff included roasted chicken, avocado, green onion, cherry tomatoes, homemade croutons (recipe here), and a light version of homemade ranch dressing- recipe follows!

Ranch Dressing

adapted from Ellie Krieger

Serves 6

Ingredients
1/3 cup nonfat Greek style yogurt
1/3 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the strained or Greek-style yogurt and the rest of the ingredients. Add salt, to taste.  Whisk until smooth and delicious

Cool Red Pepper Soup with homemade Garlicy Croutons

Red Pepper Soup

Tis the season for fantastic Red Peppers!  I know it is summer and technically speaking 'soup' is not preferred to keep you cool... but this soup tastes fantastic served COLD.  The simple flavor of red pepper- fresh and in season- is highlighted completely in this very simple fresh recipe.  Crushed red pepper flakes give it a subtle kick, the cool marscopone cheese add a creamy buttery layer and crunchy homemade garlicy croutons give this soup a crunch as well as fill you up.  We used our homemade chicken stock that we keep in the freezer, after making a whole roasted chicken, you can find the recipe here. 

Red Pepper Soup
Adapted from the New York Times 9/21/05
found here 

Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and white or black pepper
Marscapone for garnish
Thyme sprigs for garnish.

Put oil in large pot. Add onion when oil is hot. Cook onions until they begin to soften and take on color. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add wine and cook down quickly and on high heat, until only one tablespoon is left. Add peppers, stock, thyme and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes. In food processor or with an immersion blender, puree mixture in until smooth (if a food processor, in batches). Adjust seasonings to taste.
Soup can be served warm or chilled. Serve in demitasse cups or soup bowls, topped with a dab of marscapone and a tiny sprig of thyme and your homemade croutons.

Do ahead:  cover and chill overnight or for as long as 2 days or freeze (whisk well before serving if thawed).

Homemade Garlic Croutons

8 ounces day old french baguette, cute in to 1 inch cubes
1 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

In a pan over medium heat, add about 2T of the oil.  When hot add in the bread cubse and toss well to coat with oil, add more if necessary- you want eat to have a bit of oil on them without being completely saturated.  Toss in pan for a few minutes then add the garlic, salt and pepper to your liking- toss some more. The bread will start to dry out and get crispy, continue tossing them till they reach your desired toastiness- about 5-8 minutes total.  Serve with the soup

Grilled Pizza with Leeks and Blue Cheese

photo courtesy of: Laura Ruszkowski

Leeks?  Definitely an underused yet fantastic vegetable.  Oniony but savory sweet when cooked and oh so good for you.  We've used this Leek Saute recipe on crostini breads based on the original recipe and we loved it SO much, we thought- "next time we do pizzas we MUST try the leeks on it" So we started up the grill, made this simple dough recipe and as they say "boom" an incredible pizza was born.  We've found that homemade pizzas are the best kind of pizzas, but the oven doesn't get as hot as the grill- so ultimately grilling gives them this perfect crispy light chewy to-die-for-good texture, so don't be afraid!  We used our charcoal Weber 22" grill and a 12" pizza stone on top to cook these babies.  Light your charcoal as usual and spread the coals evenly across the bottom, place the grill grate on top and then the stone.  If you don't have a pizza peel just use a large wooden cutting board with no ridges or grooves, it works just as well. 

Pizza Dough:

adapted from Bobby Flay

2/3 cup lukewarm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 T butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2 teaspoons coarse salt


1 T olive oil for oiling bag
1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal for the peel


In a large bowl stir together 1/3 cup water, yeast, and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup water, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 3/4 cups flour and salt and blend until the mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour, as necessary, to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth about 5 to 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball.

Lightly oil the sides and bottom of a large ziplock bag with oil, add the dough, turn to coat in the oil, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch circle that is 1/8-inch thick. Brush off excess flour and transfer the dough to a baking sheet, cover each circle of dough with plastic wrap and continue stacking rolled out pieces on top of each other. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Leek Saute for Pizzas with Blue Cheese

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds leeks (about 3 big leeks), lengthwise and white and pale green parts sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 generous cups of slices)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (a soft or crumbly goat cheese would also work)

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Add leeks and use your hands to pump them up and down in the water a bit, separating the rings and letting the dirt and grit fall to the bottom. Transfer to a dish or plate for a minute; no need to dry them.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium. Once hot, add butter and olive oil and once they’re fully melted, add the leek slices, still wet. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook leeks for 25 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Sprinkle corn meal on a pizza peel or flat cutting board ( to transfer on to hot grill) place a dough round on top and give it a little shake to make sure it's mobile.  Divide 1/2 of leeks mixture on pizza dough, sprinkle with cheese.  Transfer on to a pizza stone in your hot grill and cook till crisp and golden, about 7-10 minutes.  Enjoy hot

Fresh Cherry Pancakes

Who doesn't love a delicious pancake on a slow weekend morning?  Well we love our breakfasts, if you couldn't tell!  Making pancakes a little healthier for you is easy if you mix 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular flour to your regular recipe, this adds fiber and protein to fill you up for a busy day.  Cherries are so good right now, and even though they take a while to pit and cut up, it is worth it!  Here is how we made these:

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup non-fat milk

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them.  Fold in the cherries. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

 

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, serve with real maple syrup and more fresh in season berries like strawberries!

LOVE eggs and toast

Happy 7 years to US at Urban Kitchen.  We started the day with some themed breakfast, and how sweet does that look?  With a simple heart shaped cookie cutter you can make anything "lovable".  Simple eggs, toast and Farmer's Market tomatoes with salty cheese= perfect way to start the special day.

Serving for TWO

Brush olive oil on both side of two pieces of bread ( we used a dark rye), using a heart shaped cookie cutter, remove and reserve the center.  Heat a non stick pan over medium heat and place the bread and heart centers in the pan, crack and egg in to the cut outs and cook for 2 minutes before flipping, cook an additional minute until desired egg doneness, we like over easy.  Then serve the toasts with sliced tomato and a salty hard cheese such as Pecorino, Parmesan etc.  Enjoy and feel the love!

Blueberry and Almond French Toast Bake

This breakfast was delicious, and So Easy from her cookbook Ellie Krieger says it perfectly, "The hardest thing about this dish is waiting for it to come out of the oven because as it is baking it fills your kitchen with the most enticing, heartwarming, vanilla-cinnamon aroma. Its looks and taste hold up their end of the bargain too. Inside it is egg-y, perfectly sweetened, and studded with bursting warm blueberries. Outside it is crisp and crowned with sugared toasted almonds."  Put this together the day before and cover in the fridge over night.  Waking up and putting it in the oven is really a treat- no need to make batter and more dishes in the morning, just enjoy your coffee and wait for the timer to go off! We halved the recipe to serve just 4 and below is our version, enjoy:

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 ounces French baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cups fat free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/8 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Spray a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan, spreading it around so the liquid saturates the bread. Scatter the blueberries evenly on top and sprinkle with the almonds and brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the baking pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Panzanella with Turkey Sausage

This is a great recipe to use up a loaf of day old baguette... we had some stored in the freezer and decided to give this recipe a try.  Panzanella is a bread and tomato salad, which is super easy to throw together on a weeknight.  ( It is also similar to our previously posted Roasted Carrot and Arugula Salad ( so GOOD))  We paired the salad with some Italian style turkey sausage, to finish off the meal.  Make sure you have some ripe and red tomatoes, which luckily the store had this week.  Spring produce is in abundance- hooray!

Ingredients
6 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 medium cucumber, cut into half moons
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
2 cups arugula
2 cups baby spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small whole-grain baguette or other crusty bread (preferably day-old;
about 8 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch chunks and toasted in warm oven
1 16-ounce package Italian-style Turkey Sausage

In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the bread chunks, arugula and spinach and toss well so all the bread is well moistened.

Preheat a pan over medium-high heat, add a little olive oil.

Add the sausage and cook, turning once or twice, until cooked through (160 degrees) 16 minutes. Serve the sausage, whole, alongside the panzanella salad.

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad with Orange and Lemon Dressing

This salad is incredible, we found this in our new cookbook " Jamie at Home". It does take some time to cook the carrots, but it is Oh So worth it. Each ingredient adds something special to this dish, the carrots are amazingly flavorful, the roast citrus dressing is perfection, the peppery crisp salad leaves and crunchy ciabatta bread "croutons" with a creamy dollop of plain yogurt... you have to try it to believe it's awesomeness. We made this a dinner meal so it was 2 very large, and satisfying, servings; but you can make it into however many you want. It will not keep as leftovers, so make sure to plan accordingly ( i.e. divide in half for less):

Ingredients:

1 pound medium mixed colored carrots, with their leafy tops


Sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon thyme

Extra-virgin olive oil

Red or white wine vinegar

1 orange, halved

1 lemon, halved

2 large ripe avocados

4 (1/2-inch thick) slices ciabatta bread

2 handfuls mixed salad leaves and arugula, washed and spun dry

1 bunches watercress

2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

4 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Parboil the carrots in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes, until they are very nearly cooked, then drain and put them into a roasting pan, covered with foil and spray with pam. While the carrots are cooking smash up the cumin, chilles, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme until you have a kind of paste. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to generously cover the paste, and a good swig of vinegar. This will be like a marinade, a rub and a dressing all in one! Stir together, then rub on the carrots in the pan while they are hot, coating them well. Add the orange and lemon halves, cut side down. These will roast along with the carrots, and their juice can be used as the basis of the dressing. Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.

While the carrots are roasting, halve and peel the avocados, discarding the pits, then cut them into wedges lengthwise and place in a big bowl. Remove the carrots from the oven and add them to the avocados; then toast or broil your ciabatta slices.  While they toast up, carefully, using some tongs, squeeze the roasted orange and lemon juice into a bowl through a mesh strainer ( to catch the seeds) and add the same amount of extra-virgin olive oil and a little swig of red wine vinegar. Season, and pour this dressing over the carrots and avocados. Mix together, have a taste and correct the seasoning.
Tear the toasted bread into little pieces ( like croutons) and add to the dressed carrot and avocado. Mix together, toss in the salad leaves and cress and transfer to a big platter or divide between individual plates. Spoon over a nice dollop of yogurt, sprinkle over your toasted seeds.

Sunday Morning Breakfast Sandwich

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and to be honest, it is our favorite meal of the day! This was certainly a hearty, easy and healthy way to start our day. Using left over chopped basil, green onion and red pepper from homemade pizza night we made an egg scramble, topped with leftover mozzarella and bacon on fresh Ciabatta bread from Trader Joe's. Serves 2 very hungry people....Here's how we made this

Beat together:

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon fat free milk

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Bring a 10" omelet pan ( sprayed with Pam), over medium high heat. Pour in the eggs, cook pulling the edges in towards the middle of the pan to distribute the un-cooked eggs across the pan ( like you were making an omelet) when it is half way set, toss in chopped veggies... we did about:

2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup each of:

Green Onion

Basil

Red Pepper

Tuck veggies into eggs and flip the omelet over. Take off the flame and top with 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella cheese ( sliced thin), cover with a plate to allow cheese to melt ( about 2 minutes).

Cut Ciabbata bread into 2 and then slice horizontally for your sandwiches. Drizzle each open face with olive oil and place face down into a heated pan on the stove top. Press them down to get a nice golden brown toast.

TO build:

Place half of the cooked eggs on toasted Ciabatta bread bottom, layer on some cooked bacon and then top with the Ciabatta bread top; repeat for other sandwich and enjoy!

Fig Bran Muffins

Finding a great recipe for healthy muffins isn't easy.  So when we found these, in an Ellie Krieger cookbook, we gave it a try.  Figs are such a wonderful tasting fruit ( see our fresh figs and goat cheese recipe!) and putting them in a muffin gives it a lot of great flavor, not to mention added health benefits: Figs are a fantastic source of vitamin B6 which is responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin, lowering cholesterol and preventing water retention, they are also high in dietary fiber, calcium, magnese and potassium!  Plus these muffins are very moist, thanks to homemade applesauce.  Make these muffins on the weekend, then wrap them individually and freeze them in a sealable plastic bag. Then in the morning pop one in the microwave for a minute and you'll have a warm, healthy muffin to eat on the go. Enjoy with your morning coffee or lowfat milk for a great start to a busy day.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped dried figs, plus 3 whole dried figs

1 1/2 cups bran cereal (recommended: All-Bran)

1 cup lowfat milk

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup natural applesauce

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray. Thinly slice the whole figs.

In a large bowl, combine the cereal and milk. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the applesauce, honey, oil, molasses, and egg to the cereal mixture and stir until combined. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in the chopped figs. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and top each muffin with a fig slice. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. If necessary, run a knife around the muffins to loosen. Unmold and cool completely on a rack.

Nutritional analysis per serving (Serving size: 1 muffin)
Calories 230; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 1 g, Mono Fat 4 g, Poly Fat 2 g) ; Protein 5 g; Carb 42 g; Fiber 6 g; Cholesterol 20 mg; Sodium 135 mg

Excellent source of: Fiber, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folate, Manganese, Phosphorus
Good source of: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc



Banana Pancakes

Breakfast has always been our favorite meal, whether it's making it at home or going out to a quaint and yummy restaurant.  There's no doubt that when you wake up to start a new day, with the sun rising, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and being in warm pj's... that breakfast is a special meal, especially on the weekends with ample time to make delicious creations!   Pancakes are a favorite for many, and they are fun to customize based on your cravings or ingredients on hand.  To make a heart healthy AND very delicious, light, fluffy pancakes- follow this recipe and enjoy a happy morning :)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size 2, 5-inch pancakes)



Directions

DRY ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sift together dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. 

** Sifting breaks up clumps, adds air to the flour which helps produce lighter cakes, and makes measurement more uniform**
WET Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup mashed banana ( about 1 medium)
1/2 cup non-fat milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs then add buttermilk, banana, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

** Substitute the mashed banana for an equal amount of either Pumpkin puree, Applesauce or just buttermilk. 
*** If you don't have buttermilk on hand simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice to regular milk, stir and let rest for about 3-5 minutes, and bada bing you'll have Buttermilk!


Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, you can serve with warm pure maple syrup or fresh made fruit preserves and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar!

Chicken Tonight

CHICKEN

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon EVOO, to coat

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Marinate the breasts with the above items, set aside

Heat a non stick pan over high heat (large enough for both breasts) for 2 minutes, spray with a little Pam, then place both breasts in the pan to sear, turn the flame to medium, cook about 7 minutes per side. Check for doneness, tent with foil to rest- 5 minutes before serving

ZUCCHINI:

1 large zucchini cut in to 3/4" chunks

1 teaspoon EVOO, to coat

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat over to 400 degrees

Toss the zuccs with the above items in a bowl and spread on to a baking sheet in a single layer.

Place on the middle rack in your oven for 7-10 minutes until they are slightly browned.

Mashed Potatoes:

4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped in to 1/2" cubes

2 tablespoons butter, cubed

1/2 teaspoon chives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste

1/4 cup warm milk

Cover the potatoes with water in a pot, bring to a boil, and continue to cook for another 20-25 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain them, and place back in the cooking pot. Turn the flame on your burner and heat the drained potatoes to get rid of excess water, this makes the potatoes fluffy. Add the butter, chives, garlic, salt/ pepper and mash with a fork or masher until smooth. Slowly add in the milk to desired whippy-ness, taste and adjust your seasonings. Serve with a small pat of butter on top for added indulgence!

Garlic Bread:

1" thick slices of Italian bread

spread with butter, thin layer

sprinkle with garlic powder

top with freshly grated parmesan cheese

toast in the oven about 5 minutes at 400 degrees

Serve warm!

Pizza Night

Our first posting starts off with our favorite food- Pizzas! These aren't just any pizzas either- they are delicious home made pizzas using Chris Forberg's awesome dough recipe. Making the dough is very simple and is the best way to go for the best pizza. We like to make super thin crust that has a nice crispness to it. So to begin, we make a simple starter dough with warm water, yeast and flour (bread flour makes a crispier crust), then we add more flour and some melted butter water mixture to the bowl and beat it with the dough hook really really well. Kitchen Aid mixers are the greatest thing ever! We let it rise with a wet towel over it and punched it down every half hour or so for 6 hours. All of our fresh ingredients came from our Pilsen farmers market as well as Pete's fresh market. We had baby bella mushrooms, fresh from our garden basil, tomato, Kalamata olives, green and red onions, Italian sausage, green peppers, banana peppers, cilantro and a mix of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses ( the more the merrier here). Each pizza was hand made by yours truly and we documented them all for you to take a peek, don't be too jealous though... they were yummy! Ok, go ahead and be jealous. Enjoy!