Tasty Broccoli

I’ve been South Beach dieting and just about every day I think, “I should post something,” but either the food is too terrible (some of it really is), or I’m afraid I’ll meander over to cookie pie, which will just tempt me to bake up some sweet, floury goodness, which, regrettably, is prohibited. Instead, I’ve been making foods like South Beach “Surprise Mashed Potatoes,” which aren’t mashed potatoes at all. Surprise! They’re steamed and mashed cauliflower flowerets. When I offered my two year old a taste she started crying and promptly threw up.

I steamed broccoli and seasoned it with a dot of Smart Balance butter and some soy sauce, and it actually was quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick, tasty vegetable to serve along with dinner one night I recommend it (and not mashed cauliflower). There was no throw up at the dinner table the night I served it.

Tasty Broccoli
recipe from Jardine Winnefred’s “Managing Your Meals”
printable version of this recipe

2 bunches broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender but still firm. Add butter, soy sauce and pepper to taste; stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Muffins

We really enjoyed ourselves over the weekend in Boise. We visited friends and family and I got to participate in my first Race for the Cure. My mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago, along with her daughter, granddaughter, and I, walked in Saturday’s event. It was a sight to behold. Not our walking, but the masses of people who congregated to support the fight against breast cancer. We were over fifteen thousand strong. It was really neat. As you can imagine, I spent most of today unpacking, folding clothes, and cleaning out the car (and the house). It’s late, so I’ll keep the post brief. 

I really needed to use up some strawberries before a chemical reaction transformed them into something else in my refrigerator. I had plain yogurt and wheat flour (thanks to my handy grain mill) on hand, so I made these quick, low fat muffins.

Strawberry Muffins
recipe from Stonyfield yogurt
printable version of this recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup Stonyfield low fat plain yogurt
¼ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries
Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, stir eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Toss strawberries into flour mixture. Using a spoon, make a well in the center of the mixing bowl (the one containing the flour and strawberries). Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove muffins from oven and dust with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Banana Pancakes

I’m heading north with my family to participate in Boise’s 2010 Race for the Cure with my mother-in-law, a breast cancer survivor. She has been in remission (for the second time) almost eight years now—a blessing from heaven. We all feel so fortunate that she stayed around, especially to welcome grandchildren to her family.

I made these pancakes for the kids this morning. I should say I made them for myself and shared them with the kids. They reminded me of hot banana bread (in a pancake sort of way) slathered with butter and doused in warm maple syrup. They were delicious! It was a good way to use up over-ripe bananas and whole wheat flour, too.

Banana Pancakes
recipe from For the Love of Cooking
recipe slightly adapted by Homemade Deliciousness
printable version of this recipe

½ cup wheat flour
½ cup white flour (I used all wheat flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
¾ cup vanilla fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large banana, mashed

Whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and banana. Add flour mixture to yogurt mixture and stir until smooth.

Pour ¼ cup pancake batter per pancake on a hot non-stick griddle or skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with butter, warm maple syrup, and sliced bananas.

Magic in the Middle Cookies (Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Filling)

I saw this cookie recipe last night and convinced my husband to lighten up about the extra pounds we promised we’d to loose and let me make (and share) them. It’s true; I've gained 15 pounds since I stopped breast feeding last June. It’s sad, really. My daily calorie requirements decreased substantially, but I continued to eat as much as I did before. I know; it’s the perfect formula for weight gain. So I made and shared the cookies with neighbors, eating two myself.

Magic in the Middle Cookies
recipe from MelsKitchenCafe.com

Chocolate Dough:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup white granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

Peanut Butter Filling:
¾ cup peanut butter
¾ cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

To make the chocolate dough, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine sugars, butter, and peanut butter in a separate mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk to sugar mixture and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and mix well.

For the peanut butter filling, stir the peanut butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Roll peanut butter filling into 26 one-inch balls using a teaspoon scoop or floured hands.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate cookie dough (a lump the size of an unshelled walnut) onto a baking sheet. Press your finger into the center of the dough to make an indentation. Put one peanut butter ball into the indentation. Bring cookie dough up over the filling, pressing edges together to cover filling. Roll the cookie dough in the palm of your hand to smooth it. Roll in granulated sugar, place on baking sheet, and flatten to ½ inch thickness with the bottom of a drinking glass. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, leaving 2 inches between cookies on the baking sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes, or until they’re set. Remove from oven and cool them on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Apricot Glazed Cornish Game Hens

Ever since I roasted my first chicken a few weeks ago, I’ve wanted to roast everything I eat. My husband loves Cornish game hens, so I agreed to purchase two and prepare them for dinner. I decided to use a South Beach Diet recipe and the hens turned out really, really good. There were only three ingredients to make the sweet fruity glaze, along with salt and pepper to season the hens before glazing. The recipe couldn’t be simpler and the meat sweeter. For a truly heart healthy meal, serve the hens with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Apricot Glazed Cornish Game Hens
recipe from The South Beach Diet
printable version of this recipe

1 cup Smuckers low sugar apricot preserves
¼ cup I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter Spray
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Cornish game hens, thawed
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with foil to catch drippings.

Combine the preserves, butter and orange juice to make the glaze. Rinse hens and pat dry; rub the cavities with salt and pepper. Place the hens breast sides up on a rack in the roasting pan—make sure they do not touch. Pour glaze over hens and roast for 1-2 hours, basting every 15-20 minutes.

Test thickest part of hen with a meat thermometer, making sure it doesn’t touch any bones. When the thermometer reads 170 degrees and the outside of the hens are dark brown they’re done. Remove them from the oven and let them stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Turkey Ranch & Swiss Sandwiches on Ciabatta Bread

My husband and I owned and operated a sandwich shop a few years ago and one of my favorite sandwiches was the Turkey Ranch and Swiss. I made one at home the other day for lunch and really liked the homemade version. Keep three things in mind when making deli-style sandwiches at home:

1. Use fresh deli style rolls. I love ciabatta bread and found a bag of pre-sliced rolls in the bakery at my local supermarket.
2. Buy good quality meats and cheeses that are sliced fresh from the deli counter at the supermarket. It makes a big difference in how the sandwich tastes.
3. Use fresh produce. I like to use bags of shredded iceberg lettuce, spinach, sliced roma (because they’re less juicy) tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and banana peppers.

Sandwiches like these are really easy to put together and pack up for a picnic, but if you’re planning on eating them at home, they taste even better toasted under the broiler, just add vegetables after toasting.

Turkey Ranch &Swiss Sandwiches on Ciabatta Bread

printable version of this recipe

1 ciabatta roll

1 tablespoon ranch dressing

Deli sliced turkey

Deli sliced Swiss cheese

Vegetables*

Spread ranch dressing evenly over both surfaces of the ciabatta roll. Fold slices of turkey and place them neatly on the top and bottom of each roll half. Put one slice of cheese on the top of the ciabatta roll. If desired, toast sandwich directly under broiler until cheese is melted, meat is heated, and edges of roll are dark brown. Add any or all of the vegetables listed below. Enjoy!

*shredded lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, onion, cucumbers, olives, mushrooms, banana peppers.