A Few of My Favorite Recipes

It’s been super hot outside the past two days, so I really haven’t done anything significant other than staying inside the air-conditioned house and being the official dog wrangler (this involves putting them outside and bringing them in, feeding them, playing with them, breaking up their squabbles, and pretty much being their servant).

So I figured I would share some of my favorite recipes from my recipe binder. I will also add these to the Recipes page (under the Food menu above). Keep in mind not all of these are super healthy, so take a peek at the ingredients first if you are unsure about their nutritional value.

I hope you enjoy them!

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RECIPE: 007 Cookies (from Rachel Wilkerson)

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

3/4 cup trans fat free soft tub margarine spread or butter

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

One 15-ounce can low-sodium chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat together the sugar and margarine until smooth. Beat in the egg whites or egg and vanilla, and then add the whole chickpeas and chocolate chips. Next add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and mix on low until a thick dough forms. Spoon batter onto the baking sheet, about a tablespoon for each cookie. Flatten with the back of a fork. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

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RECIPE: Overnight Buttermilk Biscuits (from AllRecipes)

4 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups buttermilk

Sift together the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture has a fine crumb or cornmeal texture. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork until a soft dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, pulling off any pieces sticking inside the bowl. Gather dough into a ball and knead about 20 times, until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Working on a floured surface, roll or pat the dough out to 1 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, or the floured rim of a glass, by pressing straight down and up. Twisting the cutter will prevent the biscuits from rising as high. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and allow to rest a few minutes.
Bake in preheated oven until lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

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RECIPE: Santa Fe Foldover (adapted from Eat Better America)

1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix

2 tablespoons cornmeal

¼ cup very hot water

½ cup shredded lettuce

1 cup canned no-salt-added black beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 cup salsa

¼ cup shredded reduced-fat cheese

1/3 cup chopped tomato

3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (I use Greek yogurt instead)

Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.

In small bowl, stir Bisquick mix, cornmeal and very hot water until soft dough forms. Place on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix, gently rolling to coat. Shape into ball; knead about 5 times or until smooth. Roll dough into 10-inch circle; fold into fourths. Unfold on pizza pan. In small bowl, stir together beans and salsa; spread over dough to within 2 inches of edge. Fold edge over. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with remaining ingredients. (Makes 3 servings)

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RECIPE: Baked Doughnuts (from Food.com)

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs
3 cups flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter with 1 cup of sugar.

Add the eggs and mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Add to the butter and sugar mixture.

Blend in the milk and mix together thoroughly.

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until doughnuts are golden.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon.

Melt remaining 6 tablespoons of butter.

While doughnuts are still warm, roll them in melted butter; then in cinnamon sugar.

 

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RECIPE: Mini Quiche Biscuits  (adapted from Slim Shoppin’)

1 roll of refrigerator biscuits (I use the Pillsbury Simply brand)

1/2 onion, grated, or any other add-ins you like (optional)

1/2 cup Swiss or Cheddar

cheese, grated

4 eggs

1 cup skim milk

salt and pepper to taste

Grease a muffin tin or silicone muffin pan and put each biscuit at the bottom.  Combine the eggs and milk (and any other add-ins) in a separate bowl, and whisk for a few minutes.  Pour evenly over the biscuits.  Top with the cheese. You will have two spaces left over.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can make these ahead and freeze or refrigerate them to heat up in the microwave later.

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RECIPE: Pumpkin Bread (from AllRecipes)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter flavored shortening (I just use butter)

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and cloves.

In a separate bowl, cream together shortening and brown sugar. Mix in eggs, pumpkin, and milk. Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until just combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes.

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More to come soon!

Also: Fashion page and Food page have been updated!

Food

About a year and a half ago I finished college and finally had some free time on my hands. I decided to start collecting healthy recipes to try, and eventually found my way to some amazing food blogs. One I realized how many delicious recipes these people had listed on their blogs, I went to town adding them to my growing recipe binder.

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I soon discovered some great alternatives to the not-so-healthy food I had been eating for so many years. Over time I learned more about what kinds of food I like and don’t like so much.

As much as I can get away with it, I eat like a kid most days. Simple things like PB & J, turkey sandwiches, egg and cheese bagels, bean and cheese burritos, cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt are mainstays in my meals. Oh, and don’t even get me started on breakfast- I could eat breakfast foods for every meal and be perfectly happy.

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With my discovery of new recipes, however, I began trying new things that I never would have thought to eat before (spinach in smoothies! chickpeas in cookies! chia seeds in oatmeal!). And I learned ways to hide some of the healthy stuff in food I love so that I don’t even notice it.

When I follow a recipe I’ve found that looks good, I will often leave out certain ingredients that I don’t like, such as onions or peppers (I know, many of you are shocked right now). But I know that the only way I will enjoy what I make is if I make it my way. And isn’t that part of the fun of cooking- to enjoy eating the end result?

Unfortunately, I’m not a vegetable fan. I wish I were. When I was younger I spent several years as a vegetarian, but my family would joke and say that really I was really a “breadetarian” because I didn’t really eat many vegetables, but I could down half a loaf of bread like it was my job. As you can imagine, that wasn’t exactly a healthy diet.

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Now I try to eat as much fruit as I can, and as many veggies as I can stomach, which isn’t as much as it should be. So that is definitely a work in progress. I know people say that you can get used to eating vegetables if you cook them certain ways, so that is something I’m trying to do more. I do love fruit, and I actually like salads, broccoli, carrots, beans, potatoes, and spinach. But I definitely need to work on expanding my horizons when it comes to trying new or more elaborately prepared foods.

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Suggestions are welcome!

Whenever I can (afford it), I try to buy organic food. I always knew that it was better for us and for the environment and our resources, but after reading Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, I realized just how messed up some parts of the food industry are. So even though I don’t always buy organic and local food, I hope that one day I will have the ability to pay a little more to have a better understanding of where my food came from, as well as the reassurance that I am contributing to a better future for the environment.

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I also believe that while it is important to eat healthy, having a balance between eating what is good for you and what you enjoy is important as well. Often those two categories are one and the same, but depriving myself of occasional treats (cupcakes, fro yo, and chocolate are my weaknesses ) doesn’t work for me. I figure that as long as the majority of what I put in my mouth is going to help me stay healthy and strong, then I’m doing okay.

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Okay, I will now step off of my soapbox. 

Side Note:  What I post on my blog in no way represents everything I cook/bake/eat. If I post a picture of something I ate or a recipe, it is simply because it was especially delicious and I thought the pictures did it justice- or that I wanted to test your willpower for resisting the urge to make it yourself and devour it all in one sitting. Let me know how that goes.