Blueberry Lemon Streusal Bars - OMG!!

These bars are OFF THE HOOK.  Seriously.

This is one of the best recipes I've made and it's perfect for BBQs or any summer occasion.  Plus, right now, blueberries are everywhere (and on sale!).

It's far from healthy but that's OK on occasion. 

Since these are super sweet, I cut them in to small bites as opposed to squares as the recipe suggests.

Blueberry Streusel Bars with Lemon-Cream Filling


Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg, separated
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2-1/2 cups room-temperature blueberries, washed and drained on paper towels

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the ends. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the foil.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using your fingers, blend the butter completely into the flour mixture. Transfer 2 cups of crumb mixture to another bowl and reserve for the topping. Blend the egg white into the remaining crumbs and then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a level crust. You can tamp it with the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out. Bake the crust until it starts to form a dry top, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolk. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes; it will begin to thicken.

Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute a little more evenly, but take care not to crush the berries; it’s fine if the lemon mixture isn’t perfectly even. Bake until the lemon mixture just begins to form a shiny skin, 7 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the reserved topping over the lemon-blueberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. Carefully lift them out of the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the foil and cut into 24 bars when cool. The bars may be stored at room temperature for a few hours but otherwise should be kept in the refrigerator.

If you make these, please leave me a comment with your thoughts.  I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Unhealthy treat

Here's a sweet recipe for a gray Monday.  Not at all healthy, but tasty and easy.  A good recipe to make and then bring with you to a party or get together.

Saltine Chocolate Toffee Bars (not sure of their real name)

4oz saltines
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.
Grease a jelly roll pan (aka a baking sheet) and then arrange the saltines in one layer. (I used cooking spray.)
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  The mixture will be bubbly and aerated.
Pour sugar/butter mixture over the crackers and spread to cover all crackers.  Put pan in to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes, until toffee mixture is bubbling.
Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee.  Let sit about 5 minutes to allow the chips to melt.  Using a knife, spread the chocolate over the toffee.
Let cool, then put in freezer or fridge to complete cooling and hardening.
Cut in to squares.

Do you have an easy sweet treat that you break out around the holidays?  If so, please share!

Spur of the moment baking

I will always remember that years ago, a friend of mine came over to my apartment.  She was hungry so she was opening the fridge and the cabinets, after which she said "interesting that you have no food to eat, yet have all the ingredients to whip up baked goods from scratch".  That pretty much sums up my kitchen.   Lots of raw form baked good ingredients yet no actual snackable food.

Last night I decided to whip something up.  After craving something sweet, and of course not having anything, I figured I'd just bake something.  Only caveat, no butter.  Normally I have butter, but not last night.  My original plan was my raspberry squares, but do to the lack of butter, it was a no go.

Enter google. Here's what resulted, yum!

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp allspice (I used cinnamon and probably could have used more than the 1/4 tsp)
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick-cook oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cups milk (I used Almond Milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375. Coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners.


In large bowl, whisk together flour, both sugars, baking powder, allspice and salt. Stir in oatmeal, raisins and nuts. In medium-size bowl, lightly beat egg. Stir in oil, milk and vanilla to combine; stir gently into flour mixture; do not over mix.

Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Having never made this recipe before, I chose to keep the oil in.  I usually play around with swapping ingredients once I've had the recipe.  The exception here was that I didn't have allspice or milk, so I had to use the cinnamon and almond milk.

They tasted delicious last night, warm.  Am going to try another right now and I'm sure it will be just as tasty.

I love it when recipes come out well!

The perfect fall dessert

On Friday I made apple-crisp as dessert for Friday night dinner.  This is the second time I've made this version and since it turned out so yummy I figured I'd share the recipe.

As usual I've attempted to tweak an existing recipe to make it (a bit) more nutritious.

Apple Crisp

6 Macintosh apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a 9 by 12 baking dish, combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar.
In a small bowl, mix flour and oats, brown sugar and butter together using the tines of a fork and your fingers, working until even, small crumbles form.
Sprinkle topping evenly over apples and bake 15 to 20 minutes until apples are just tender and topping is golden brown.

You can of course serve this with vanilla ice cream, but personally I don't think it's necessary.

Enjoy!!

Just another manic monday...wish it were sunday...

Good Monday Morning loves!

Hope you all had fabu weekend.  Mine was nice.  Game Night was a success (as was the food) and then the rest of the weekend was spent with my parents/sis in NY.

Slept like crap last night so I'm thinking a nap is in my future.  Anyone watching Next Iron Chef on the Food Network?

Speaking of food, here's the butternut squash soup recipe I used.

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

1 onion, diced
about 2 tbs olive oil
1 butternut squash (about 2.5lbs)
6 cups broth (I used 6 cups of water and 5 chicken bullion cubes)
2 tbs brown sugar
salt/pepper to taste

In a large pot on medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil.  I always choose to brown my onions a bit, but that's up to you.  Once onions are cooked, add broth and squash.  Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the squash is tender.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture.  You can also use a regular blender, blending the soup in batches.  Once blended, add sugar, stir well, then add salt/pepper to taste.  Voila!

I love making this soup and tend to play with the flavor profiles.  Sometimes I'll put some red pepper flakes or cayenne in, other times maybe nutmeg.  I've even heard of people using curry (not something I'd use, but still an option).

Game night left me with TONS of leftovers, so I'm doing my own veggie rich/raw diet for today and tomorrow.  I have dinner plans tonight so that obviously won't consist of the veggies, but besides that I figured I'd give it a go.  I probably have enough to do Wednesday too, but I can't chance stomach issues on a day where I teach twice.  Will let you know how operation raw leftover annihilation goes. :)

OK, off to create some flyers for 8 Minute Dating.  Enjoy your Monday!!

Banana Bread Revisited

I posted this recipe a while back, but when I made it last night I made it a bit healthier, so I figured I'd post this version as well.

I wasn't sure how it would come out, but it is quite tasty, and maybe even a little sweet.

Banana Bread (old version of ingredients in parenthesis for reference)


1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (Old:1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup unbleached white flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1/4 cup each of white sugar and brown sugar for a total of 1/2 cup (Old: 1 cup sugar (I used a bit under 1/2 cup splenda and a bit under 1/2 cup sugar))
3 mashed bananas (Old: 1 cup mashed banana)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (Old: 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In a mixing bowl beat together egg whites, sugar and banana. Add oil and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and mix. Fold in raisins.
Coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer batter to pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes (Old: 55-60 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Sugar free muffins

Back in the day I was referred to a book called the Yeast Connection for a host of health problems I was having.  The essence of this book (in super Cliff Notes version) is that your body can have too much yeast which causes many problems.  In order to fix this, you have to starve your body of anything that promotes the growth of yeast (sugar being the biggest culprit).

When I was following this regimen, my eating was SEVERELY limited (as I'm sure you can imagine).  But I had to make do.  The book does give you some recipes, but they're rather bland and unexciting.

One recipe I did use a bunch of times was their Applesauce Muffins recipe.  Today, on a whim, I decided to revisit that recipe and give it a go.  They're in the oven now and I'll complete this post when I decide whether or not people will think they're worth the effort.

More to come...

Let's just say they smell delicious, so I'm really hoping they turn out tasty. So here's the verdict....
They're okay.  They definitely have a "healthy" taste, but as your palate adjusts, they improve.  I think they might be good with some preserves, or maybe with some more raisins. 
If you do make them, don't expect something sweet.  Expect to taste the whole wheat flour.  But they do satisfy the need for a baked good (in my opinion).

So here's the recipe...

Applesauce Muffins

1 large egg
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

I added the following:
cinnamon (i didn't measure but am guessing maybe 1/1.5 tsp
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 375.
Beat together the egg, oil, and applesauce.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon.  Beat well.
Add the raisins and mix them in.
Spoon in to greased muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins and they come out to about 116 calories/muffin

Pot Luck Friday

I'm going to a ladies only potluck dinner tonight, so I had to get the culinary juices flowing.  I normally tend towards desserts for these sort of things, but the hostess said "no desserts", so out of my comfort zone I went.

I figured this was a great chance to try out a recipe as well as go with a standby to play it safe.

Of course I made the spinach balls (here's the recipe).  For such a simple recipe, it's amazing that they're such a crowd pleaser.  I know of at least four people who now make them as their go to for entertaining.

So for my other recipe, I decided to make Beet Orzo with Goat Cheese.  I gave this recipe to my parents several years ago.  My father likes beets, my mother does not.  I had heard that this recipe was a great way to "sneak" beets in to food.  They made it, but since my dad doesn't really like cheese, they omitted the goat cheese.  That said, I'd been wanting to try it with the cheese for sometime.  So today was the day.

First of all, the beets make it gorgeous.  I took a few pictures, but they don't really do it justice.

The top picture is as I was adding the goat cheese.  The bottom picture is once everything is mixed together.  I of course tasted it and was very happy with the outcome.  The recipe calls for it to be served hot, but I may serve it warm/cool.

If you're interested in giving it a try, here's the recipe.

Beet Orzo with Goat Cheese
1 large or 2 medium beets, peeled and trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 cup orzo pasta
2 cups chicken broth
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons red wine or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 oz goat cheese

Grate beets on the large holes of a box grater.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat.  Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 3 minutes.  Add the orzo and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown.
Add the broth, beets, two generous pinches of salt and a few grounds of pepper to the pan.  Stir and bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed at the beets and orzo are cooked, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar and butter.  Spoon in to serving bowls and crumble a little goat cheese over each portion.

Jessica's modifications...
Oops, made a few mistakes when making the recipe, but since it came out OK I'm going to say it was for the best.
I used one whole medium onion (instead of 1/2 small).
I also used 2 tablespoons of vinegar (instead of teaspoons).
I also chose to mix the goat cheese in to the entire mixture (instead of crumbling it over individual servings).  I tasted it with and without and thought with was better.
As I mentioned, I may serve it warm or cool, since it's for a pot luck and I'm not sure how easy it will be to reheat it.

Enjoy!

Spinach Balls!!

Definitely not a healthy recipe, but totally a hit with people EVERYWHERE.  If you can limit yourself to just a few, they're really not so bad.  But boy are they yummy!!

Spinach Balls
2 10oz boxes of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick of butter, melted
2 cups herb flavored stuffing mix
garlic salt

Thaw and drain the spinach.  I usually just nuke it in the micro and then (carefully) try to squeeze the moisture out.  Throw it in a bowl and add the eggs (already beaten), melted butter, stuffing and a pinch of garlic salt.  Mix it all up.

Roll in to balls, about an inch or so in diameter.  You can either freeze them or cook them immediately.  If you cook them right away, 15 minutes at 350, if you freeze them, bump that time up to 20 minutes.

Side notes - I do plan on testing out a way to reduce the butter content.  The original recipe called for 3/4 cup, so i've already cut it down to 1/2.  I'm thinking maybe a mix of olive oil and butter, so we atleast get some healthy fat in there.  Will keep you posted.
The original recipe calls for parmesan cheese, but I leave it out because a) it saves calories and b) I think it's flavorful enough without it.

Enjoy!!!

Yummy Pasta Salad Recipe

Happy gray Monday.  Since the weekend was absolutley gorgeous I guess I can't really complain.  Had a nice weekend, celebrated my sister's bday Saturday evening in NYC then spent Sunday with my parents.  We had a nice BBQ for dinner last night and I made the pasta salad below.  My parents had made it once before and I thought it would great for the warmer weather, so this time I made it.

I'm going to write up the recipe in it's original form, although I made some modifications (some intentional, one unintentional).  It was so delicious that we ate the ENTIRE thing.  I can't wait to make it again.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 lb orzo pasta or rice-shaped pasta
For the dressing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
To assemble
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (pine nuts)
3/4 lb good feta, 1/2 inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne


Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.
Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.
Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.
Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables.
Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil.
Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.


My modifications....
I forgot the garlic (which is ok with me bc I can't really eat garlic).  We subbed two red peppers instead of one red and one yellow.  I also added a small zucchini.
I did not use the scallions, feta, or basil.  I did add toasted pine nuts which was a nice addition.
To bring the temperature down a bit I stuck the bowl in the fridge for a bit before serving.
I definitely recommend making this recipe, delish!!!  Enjoy your Monday.

Chili Dinner

I can't really say if this is a good recipe or not because a) i haven't eaten it yet and b) i didn't follow the recipe exactly.  But, it is healthy, so here goes.  This is from the book The Food You Crave by Ellie Kreiger.

Confetti Chili
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 pound lean or extra-lean (90% lean or higher) ground beef
One 28oz can no-salt added crushed tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups water
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 2 tsp of the sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
One 15.5oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 15.5oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper and carrot, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 mins.  Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meet with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink.  Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, and oregano and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook; partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes.
Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer, until the chili is nicely thickened.  Stir in the corn and cook until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

A serving is 1.25 cups and has 225 calories and 5g of fat as prepared.

My version...I couldn't find the chipotle in adobo in my supermarket so I used canned diced chilies instead.  I also used "fake meat" (veggie protein).  I didn't use coriander.

Turkey Burgers....Yum!

Last night I actually cooked dinner which is a rarity because a) I never have time and b) I live by myself.  But, I had a friend over so I made turkey burgers with roasted sweet potato pieces.  Yum!

The turkey burger recipe is so delicious (and easy) I just had to share!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
1 pound ground turkey (I can rarely find 1 pound so this time it was 1.19lbs)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
dash of garlic powder

In a small bowl mix together the honey, soy sauce and garlic powder.

In a seperate bowl mix together the celery and the turkey.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of the soy/honey mixture in to the turkey. (reserving the rest to brush over the burgers as they cook, ideally on the grill)  Mix together.

Make patties and cook.  I used my Foreman grill as it's winter and cold and I don't have a BBQ.  I have also baked them but be careful as it's easy to overcook turkey and it gets dry fast.  When using my Foreman grill I don't brush them with the soy/honey mix because most of it runs off and makes a mess and smokes.  This time I served the extra as a dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

The whole batch has about 1196 calories.  I made 7 burger so that came out to about 170 calories/burger.  Not too shabby!

Light Banana Bread Recipe

One thing I love to do is bake.  I don't do it very frequently though because having baked goods in the house is DANGEROUS for me.  I have little to no will power in the face of fresh baked goodies.

An overripe banana had taken up residence on my counter and besides making banana bread, I didn't know what else to do with it.   This recipe was given to me by a friend.  I modified it slightly but either way it's a "lighter" version of a great treat.

Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup unbleached white flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar (I used a bit under 1/2 cup splenda and a bit under 1/2 cup sugar)
1 cup mashed banana (I used my one very ripe banana and another semi-ripe banana that i picked up today)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In a mixing bowl beat together egg whites, sugar and banana.  Add oil and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and mix.  Fold in raisins.
Coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Transfer batter to pan.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Enjoy!