Gingerbread Men

I totally didn’t mean to leave for the holiday without even saying “Merry Christmas”!  It’s been an odd year, and I even skipped the Christmas cookie swap.  Then my family realized that this meant there were no cookies to serve for our family gatherings.  My sister thought it would be fun to make some gingerbread men with my nephews, and a new holiday tradition was born.

 

 

She made the dough using this recipe and brought over some cookie cutters.  We had to let the dough warm up for quite a bit before we could roll it out, but after that, it was all hands on deck.  We rolled, we cut, and we scooped the cookies onto the baking sheets.  Then we pulled up the scraps and rolled some more.  We decorated the cookies with raisins and chocolate chips before baking, and this may have been my older nephew’s favorite part!

 

 

After the cookies were out of the oven, we let them cool, and then decorated them with icing.  The recipe above includes icing directions, but we used store-bought icing tubes which were a good time saver.  Santa still had a lot of things to do!  Even my younger nephew got to play with some cookies and icing.

 

 

This was a fun project, and the cookies tasted really good!  The thin cookies got nice and crispy, and the thicker cookies were a bit softer.  Unless you roll the dough more consistently than we did, you’ll have a variety.  It may be too late for you to make gingerbread men this holiday season, but we’ll come back to this project again next year.

Eggless Vegetable Quiche, Take One

My family’s Christmas morning breakfast tradition includes 3 things: Spinach Quiche, Whiskey Cake, and lots of coffee.  We’ve been working to modify some family recipes to accommodate the egg allergy which presented this year.  Sometimes we use ground flax (pancakes), sometimes we use chia seeds (meatballs), sometimes we leave the eggs out entirely (lasagna) and sometimes we use Ener-G egg replacer.

This past weekend, I experimented with an eggless quiche.  The original recipe is from the Ener-G site, although I made a few changes.  I didn’t want to bother with a crust, and I changed the vegetables since I don’t really like peppers.  Although this recipe still has a lot of saturated fat, I tried to cut back in a few places by using light cream and reduced fat cheese.

The consensus was that the dish was edible, but it wasn’t quiche.  The texture was off, and it lacked flavor.  However, I was impressed with the volume created by mixing the egg replacer with cream and milk.  The recipe needs some major changes, but the product works.  Now the big question, is there time for another breakfast experiment before Santa arrives?  Stay tuned for Take Two!

 

 

Eggless Vegetable Quiche

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (4 0z.) can mushrooms, drained
8 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese
3T + 1t Ener-G egg replacer
8 oz. light cream
2/3 c. milk

Place onion, tomatoes, and mushrooms in the bottom of a 10″ pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Reserve 1/2 c. cheese, and spread the remaining cheese over the vegetables.  In a large bowl, beat egg replacer, cream, and milk with a hand mixer until foamy.  Scrape sides of bowl as needed.  Pour mixture into pie plate.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes.  Allow to set for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

-Adapted from Ener-G

Vegetarian Tacos

I pinned this recipe for Meatless Tacos a few weeks back, and I was not surprised to see that it was repinned several times.  Almost everyone likes tacos, but this version features plant-based protein and lots of veggies.  And it’s a crockpot recipe that cooks while you shop wrap stroll around the city looking at pretty Christmas lights.

I made a few tweaks by using a can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes rather than salsa, and cutting back the spices accordingly.  Tacos can be a little messy to eat so I thought it would be fun to scoop up the filling with chips.  But who needs a whole bag of Tostitos in the house?  I decided to make my own pita chips.  I cut the pita into triangles, brushed them with oil, and baked them at 400F for 7 minutes.

I garnished the taco filling and pita chips with shredded cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.  It made a really delicious meal, and was fun to eat!  This is the perfect dinner to make for a really busy day (and you can feel free to buy those chips….)  Any busy days ahead on your calendar?

 

 

Vegetarian Tacos

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 t minced garlic
1 t canola oil
1 c. lentils
2 c. vegetarian broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can Mexican style stewed tomatoes, chopped (with juices)
1 T chili powder
1 (14 oz.) can corn, drained
Pita Chips
Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

Place onion, garlic, oil, lentils, broth, tomatoes, and chili powder in crockpot.  Cook on Low for 5-6 hours.  Add corn, and cook on Low for 1 hour more.  Serve with chips, lettuce, cheese, and yogurt or sour cream.

-Adapted from Kitchenbelle

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

I really wanted to make these Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Pudding Cookies, but I couldn’t find the Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips.  Has anyone seen them in the Greater Boston area?  Maybe I am not looking in the right places.

Anyway, I was heading to a gathering this weekend and wanted to make something.  I had all of the other ingredients on hand, so I substituted a bag of Nestle Peanut Butter and Chocolate morsels for the peppermint chips.  I knew they wouldn’t be nearly as festive, but cookies are usually welcomed in any case.

Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by having so many awesome bakers among my family and friends, but I was disappointed by these cookies.  Of course, it isn’t really fair to substitute a central ingredient in a recipe and then complain!  The cookies are fine, but nothing special.  The pudding mix gives them an interesting texture, so the cookies don’t fall squarely in either the “crispy” or “chewy” camps.  I almost feel silly trying a new cookie recipe when I have so many amazing ones already on the blog, so next time I’ll go back to one of my favorites!

 

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables

I feel like I’ve been eating a lot of soup lately, and getting a little bored.  I am not really craving salads either.  But I have to bring more vegetables into my diet somehow to balance holiday indulgences.

I decided to roast a big batch of vegetables this week, and luckily found some good sales on produce.  I bought an onion, zucchini, carrots, baby bella mushrooms, trimmed green beans, and grape tomatoes.  Most of these aren’t seasonal or local, but some days you just do the best you can.

 

 

Sometimes I use a soup mix packet to season the vegetables prior to roasting.  But that seemed silly since I have a well-stocked spice cabinet.  I did some Internet research, found a few good recipes, compared the ingredients to the spices I had on hand, and ended up with the recipe below.  I was able to use at least one local ingredient; the honey is from a beekeeper that I know personally!

After being roasted for almost an hour, the vegetables had a very rich flavor, and the juice from the mushrooms and tomatoes created a sauce.  Although the recipe contains a touch of cinnamon and honey, the sweet taste is very faint, and just offsets the spiciness of the chili powder and cayenne.

You can serve the vegetables (with a slotted spoon!) alongside any meal, or you could mix them into a dish of whole wheat pasta.  I am sure they would also be good on top of whole wheat pizza dough, or perhaps a baked potato.  The possibilities are endless, and it feels good to have a dish of vegetables that I’ll be happy to dig into all week long.

 

 

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables

1 Vidalia onion, peeled and sliced
2 zucchini, cut into 1″ cubes
1 (8 oz.) package baby bella mushrooms, cleaned
2 pints grape tomatoes
8 oz. baby carrots
2 T olive oil
1 T honey
1 t chili powder
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cayenne pepper

Place vegetables in a large bowl.  Add oil and honey, and stir to coat.  In a small bowl, mix spices.  Toss spices with vegetables, and stir to coat.

Place in a large baking dish coated with cooking spray, and bake at 400F for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.   (The best way to roast vegetables is in a single layer; inevitably I always have too many vegetables for that though!)

Nutrition Blog Network

I am very happy to announce that Recipes that Fit is now part of the Nutrition Blog Network!  The network only includes blogs written by Registered Dietitians, so you can be sure you’re getting information from a reliable source.  Dietitians are THE experts in food and nutrition.

The network includes blogs which cover a variety of topics including managing diabetes, healthy eating for pregnancy, and sustainable practices.  I suggest you hop over to the directory, and I am sure you’ll find at least a few new blogs to read.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

Eggplant Tikka Masala

One of my favorite non-vegetarian Indian dishes is chicken tikka masala.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and was drooling.  But why should chicken have all the fun?  I wanted to modify the recipe and make a vegetarian version that was even better.

There are some recipes that substitute Greek yogurt for the heavy cream in a traditional masala.  The reason that heavy cream works best is because it has a high fat content, and doesn’t break down as easily when heated.  So I kept the heavy cream and used a smaller amount to reduce the amount of saturated fat in the final dish.

In the end, the eggplant was fantastic, and I didn’t miss the chicken one bit.  The marinade really does infuse the eggplant with a lot of flavor.  The masala sauce had a beautiful color and a rich taste, but it was a little too thick.  Next time, I would add some vegetarian broth to the tomato sauce for a thinner consistency.    But overall, I am calling this recipe a success!

 

 

 

Eggplant Tikka Masala

2 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
6 oz. plain nonfat yogurt
2 T lemon juice
3 t cumin, divided
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
2 T oil, divided
2 t minced garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
2 t coriander
1 t paprika
1 t garam masala
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 c. heavy cream

Place eggplant pieces in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix yogurt, lemon juice, 2 t cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger.  Pour marinade on eggplant and stir to coat all pieces.  Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Remove eggplant from refrigerator.   Heat 1 T oil in a large pan.  Add eggplant, and cook on medium heat until soft, about 20-25 minutes.  (In the summer, you might try to grill the eggplant in a basket.)

Heat remaining 1 T oil in a separate frying pan.  Add garlic and jalapeno, and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining 1 t cumin, coriander, paprika, and garam masala to pan, and stir. Add tomato sauce, stir well, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add heavy cream and stir.  Remove from heat, and mix sauce with cooked eggplant. Serve over rice, or with naan.

-Recipe inspired by Mattawa Mum

Turkey Fried Rice

This was a spur of the moment recipe inspired by the last bit of leftover turkey in my refrigerator.  I also had a containter of leftover brown rice from the Thai food we ordered the night before Thanksgiving.  Rest assured, I made this several days ago, and am just getting around to posting it now!

This isn’t exactly a fool proof recipe, because a lot of the rice stuck to the bottom of the pan.  I was trying not to use too much oil, but that also meant I should have been watching the rice a bit more carefully.  The end result was still pretty good, considering I pulled this together within a half hour using just what was in the house.  The sesame oil added at the end contributes a lot of flavor, so try not to skip this ingredient.  Good things happen when you force yourself to use those leftovers in the refrigerator!

 

 

Turkey Fried Rice

1 T canola oil
1 t minced garlic
1 c. chopped turkey
1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice
1 c. frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, and peas)
1 egg, beaten
1 T low sodium soy sauce
1/2 t sesame oil

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add garlic, and saute for 1 minute.  Add turkey, and cook for 3-5 minuntes.  Add brown rice and mixed vegetables, and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The goal is for the rice to brown, without burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Make a well in the center of the pan.  Coat well with cooking spray.  Add egg, and stir to scramble.  Incorporate cooked egg into mixture.  Add soy sauce and sesame oil, and stir well.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, until heated through.

Spinach, Tomatoes, and Stars

I featured plenty of sweet treats on the blog last week, so I thought we’d start off the new week with a simple, healthy recipe.  A dish with a lot of vegetables, but still warm and comforting.  Sometimes you just need a BIG pot of soup.

I was initially inspired by this Spinach, Tomato, and Orzo soup recipe.  But when I was strolling down the pasta aisle looking for orzo, I spotted these adorable little stars.  They aren’t whole grain, but I couldn’t resist.  I do think they make the soup a little more fun!

The soup is very thick, more like a stew, but the consistency makes it quite filling.  You can easily add another few cups of water or broth to thin it out if you like.  I added Parmesan cheese, and then swirled it in the soup with a spoon until it melted.  It was exactly the kind of recipe I needed, and I will be digging into this pot all week long.

 

 

Spinach, Tomato, and Stars

1 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 (16 oz.) package frozen spinach
4 c. vegetable broth
2 c. water
1 c. stelline, or other small pasta

Heat oil in a large pot.  Add garlic, and saute for 1 minute.  Add onions, and saute for 10-15 minutes, until soft and lightly brown.  Add tomatoes, spinach, broth, and water, and bring to a boil.  Add pasta, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until tender.

Baked Turkey Croquettes

There’s always too much food leftover from our Thanksgiving dinner.  This year, we didn’t have a lot of leftover turkey but we were drowning in mashed potatoes.  I saw these Baked Turkey Croquettes on Skinnytaste, and th0ught that would be a great way to use the turkey we had while making a dent in the mashed potato supply.

The original recipe calls for making mashed potatoes, but of course I didn’t need to do that!  I also substituted (leftover) white wine for chicken broth, and used the last of this summer’s parsley crop.  They actually came together fairly quickly since the potatoes were already prepared.

The croquettes were really good, especially when served with my sister’s (leftover) cranberry sauce.  Even though they’re baked, they still get nice and crispy in the oven, and I like the flavor of the wine and parsley.  This recipe transforms boring leftover mashed potatoes into something entirely new and tasty!

 

 

Baked Turkey Croquettes

2 t olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 T dried parsley
1/2 c. white wine
1 1/2 c. finely chopped turkey
3 c. prepared mashed potatoes (ours were fixed with butter, milk, salt, and pepper)
Salt and Pepper
Milk
Seasoned panko breadcrumbs

Heat oil in a large pan.  Saute garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant.  Add onion, and saute for 15-20 minutes, until soft and golden brown.  Add parsley and white wine, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add turkey and stir to combine.  Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Place mashed potatoes in a large bowl.  Add turkey mixture and mix well.  With clean hands, form meatball-sized croquettes.  When all croquettes are formed, dip each croquette in milk and roll in breadcrumbs, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Coat croquettes with cooking spray, and bake at 450F for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.

-Adapted from Skinnytaste