Almond and Honey Butter low fat cookies

 I just wanted to share this delicious low fat cookie recipe with you all.  I make these all the time and they are SO good!  You can't even tell that they're healthy- LOL

ALMOND HONEY BUTTER COOKIES

Servings: about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Prep: 40 mins

Total: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

1 cup  whole almonds, toasted (see Tip)

1 1/4 cups  whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Note)

1 cup  all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon  baking powder

1/2 teaspoon  salt

2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup  honey, divided

1/3 cup  canola oil

4 tablespoons  unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1   large egg

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

3 tablespoons  toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) for garnish

Directions

1. Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 1 1/4 cups ground). Transfer to a large bowl and add whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt; stir until just combined. Beat 2/3 cup honey, oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir to combine. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

3. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press the tip of your index finger in the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Bake the cookies, in batches, until set and barely golden on the bottom, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 30 minutes.

4. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup honey and 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl until creamy. Use about 1/4 teaspoon to fill each cookie and top with 2 sliced almonds, if desired.

Tips:
Tip: To toast whole almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F , stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Ingredient note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 94, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 8 mg, Sodium 43 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 2 g, Potassium 9 mg. Exchanges: Other Carbohydrate 1,Fat 1.
I originally got this recipe out of an Eating Well cookbook .  Their site has lots of great healthy recipes too.
Enjoy!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Peanut Butter and Banana Roll Ups

These are delicious and nutritious and I thought of this recipe when I was trying to use up some whole wheat tortillas before they went bad.  All you do is spread peanut butter onto a tortilla, then either cut up your banana, or simply lay it in the center and then roll it up.  You can also add some Nutella or a drizzle of honey.  This is a great post workout snack too, because it provides protein and potassium, both of which help your body recover from a workout.

Just wanted to share- enjoy! =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Low Calorie Raspberry Mousse Almond Crumb Cake Recipe

I got this recipe from fitnessmagazine.com and it's so good I just had to share!  And the fact that it's low calorie makes it even better!

 

Fresh Raspberry Mousse Almond Crumb Cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup  unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 1/8  teaspoon  sea salt
• 5  tablespoons  unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
• 1/2  cup  low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/4  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract
• 1/2  teaspoon  almond extract
• 1  large  egg
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 4  ounces  light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3  cup  raspberry jam or preserves (preferably seedless)
• 3/4  cup  fresh raspberries (optional)
• 3  tablespoons  sliced almonds

• Directions

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or potato masher until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup for later use.

  Add yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts, egg, baking powder, and baking soda to mixture. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Pour into 8-inch-round nonstick baking pan.

  In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and jam; beat at low speed until blended. Spread evenly over batter. Top with reserved flour mixture, sprinkling of raspberries (optional) and almonds.

  Bake for 45 minutes, or until edges are browned and center is nearly set. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate 3 hours, or until well chilled. Cut into 8 wedges.

  Enjoy! =)

  -Michelle of CreativeCritters

Healthy Recipe for Chicken with Chunky Vegetable Sauce

I got this recipe from Fitnessmagazine.com, and with a few minor changes made it to suit my own tastes.

Chicken with Chunky Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 4  medium  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion
• 1  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  cloves  garlic, minced
• 14-1/2  ounce  can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14  ounces  can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• 1/3  cup  reduced-sodium chicken broth
•     Dash of black pepper
• 2  teaspoons  drained capers or 2 tablespoons chopped pitted ripe olives
• 1  tablespoons  snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 2  cups  hot cooked rice
•     Pitted ripe olives

Directions

Place flour in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in flour to coat. Set aside.
In a large skillet, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; push mixture to sides of pan. Add chicken. Cook 4 minutes, or until brown, turning once. Add tomatoes, artichokes, broth, and pepper; stir.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken.
Simmer tomato mixture, uncovered, about 3 minutes, or until reduced to desired consistency. Stir in capers and oregano. Serve the chicken over rice; top with sauce. If desired, garnish with olives.

Serves 4

I left out the artichokes, capers, and olives, because I really don't care for them.  And I used brown rice instead of white rice (brown rice has more health benefits).   Either way, this is a fresh, healthy, and delicious meal!  Enjoy!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

I got this yummy recipe from Fitness Magazine, and thought I'd share it with you.

Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 tablespoons  packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons  chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)

1 10-ounce can  pineapple slices

3/4 cup  whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup  all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons  baking powder

1/2 teaspoon  baking soda

1/4 teaspoon  salt

1 tablespoon  ground cinnamon

2   large eggs

1/2 cup  packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup  canola oil

2 tablespoons  pineapple juice, or orange juice

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

1 8-ounce can  crushed pineapple, (not drained)

1 cup  grated carrot, (1 large)

1/2 cup  old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup  raisins, preferably baking raisins (see Ingredient note)

1/4 cup  chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. To prepare topping: Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Sprinkle nuts, if using, over the sugar. Stack pineapple slices and cut into 6 wedges. Place 2 wedges in each muffin cup.

3. To prepare muffins: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in oil, juice and vanilla. Stir in crushed pineapple. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in carrot, oats, raisins and nuts, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full).

5. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 25 minutes. Immediately loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any stray pineapple pieces and nuts. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside-down, either warm or at room temperature.

Tip:
Ingredient Note: Baking raisins, moister than regular ones, ensure a better texture. To substitute regular raisins, plump them first: soak in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 211, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 185 mg, Carbohydrate 36 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 4 g, Potassium 152 mg.
Healthy and delicious!  Enjoy! =D
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Recipe for a delicious meatless burger

I got this recipe from Self.com, and it is just delicious.  You can change up the spices and get a whole variety of different burgers from the same recipe.  This makes going meatless easy!

 Bean and 'Bello Burger

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 medium Portobellos, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• 4 whole-wheat buns
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 4 tomato slices  

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until pepper begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add beans, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook, smashing beans with the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs. Form into 4 patties. Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and cook burgers until brown and firm, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Place on buns; top each with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, a lettuce leaf and a tomato slice.
   475 calories per burger, 18.2 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 61.4 g carbs, 11.2 g fiber, 17.9 g protein

 These are some seriously yummy burgers!  I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to go meatless a few days a week.  Enjoy!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Baking some holiday cookies

Yep, it's that time of year again- I've started my holiday baking.  Baking Christmas cookies always reminds me of Gramma.  I remember helping her from the time I could barely reach the table.  I loved helping Gramma do anything, and baking was especially fun.  Plus she always let me lick the bowl! ;)  This will be my first holiday without Gramma, and while I miss her very much, I take comfort in following our traditions.  I can almost feel her in the kitchen with me, telling me to stir the batter just a bit more, and not use quite so much flour.  Today I made several dozen Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.  Some of these will be a gift to my best friend and her family.  They'll be visiting for Thanksgiving and we'll be exchanging our Christmas gifts then, since she won't be back for Christmas.  I like these cookies for several reasons: they're chocolate, they're low fat, and they're easy to make.  Here's the recipe, for anyone who'd like to make these yummy holiday cookies.
 

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

4 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl stir granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, and chocolate until well mixed.  Stir in eggs one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet with cooking spray.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat.  Shape into balls.  On cookie sheet, place balls about 2" apart.

4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Easy, delicious, and low fat- makes an awesome gift! :-)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Lots of Zucchini? Here's a great recipe!

Baked zucchini bites

I originally posted this recipe last year, but thought I'd share it with my new readers.  This is the time of year when we gardeners seem to end up with more zucchini than we know what to do with.  While I really like zucchini bread, it does get boring after a while. After a little experimenting,  I came up with a new recipe for zucchini. Nothing is actually measured, and all the seasonings can be adjusted or substituted as desired. First I take a medium (7"-10") zucchini, wash it, and remove the seeds. I don't peel most of my vegetables because that's where the majority of the vitamins are. I then cut it into 1/2" pieces. Next I dredge it in a mixture of bread (or cracker) crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried chives, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Then I dip it in beaten eggs, and dredge again in the bread crumb mixture. Then I bake it on a foil covered baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. This is absolutely delicious, and completely customizable. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven and taste just as good the next day. I also used this recipe for eggplant, with the same yummy results. I just wanted to share this quick, easy, and delicious recipe with everyone. Please feel free to comment with recipes of your own! I love to cook, and I'm often as creative in the kitchen as I am in the craft room. Thanks for reading!  Hope you enjoyed this as much the second time around ;-)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Before- a giant zucchini, after- delicious zucchini bread

So I was checking for ripe veggies in my garden the other day, like I do almost every day, and found this huge 19" long zucchini that had somehow escaped my attention for the last several weeks. I normally pick them when they're much smaller. I swear there are magical fairies in the garden who make giant vegetables appear overnight. I'm not complaining though- this was a nice zucchini. So nice (and big) I had to take it's picture.

When they get this big I usually make zucchini bread. I started with a basic recipe and "kicked it up a notch" after some experimentation. You guys get the "kicked up version".

ZUCCHINI BANANA RAISIN BREAD

3 cups shredded zucchini (seeds removed)
2 ripe bananas, sliced
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup raisins

1) Move oven rack to lowest position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of two 8"X4" loaf pans or one 9"X5" loaf pan with cooking spray.
2) In large bowl, stir zucchini, bananas, sugar, oil, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs until well mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide batter evenly between 8" pans or pour into 9" pan.
3) Bake 8" loaves 50-60 minutes, 9" loaf 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.
4) Loosen sides of loaf from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Of course I couldn't find my loaf pans, so I ended up using an odd sized pan, but it worked out just fine. Normally this recipe calls for 2 or 3 medium zucchinis, but my one giant zucchini made more than enough. I also lined my pan with nonstick aluminum foil, which made removing the bread much easier. This is what the end result looks like- YUMMY!




Hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Recipe for Eggplant Parm Ravioli

Here's another great "garden fresh" recipe I've discovered. I'll give you the original recipe, then let you know how I tweaked it.

Eggplant Parm Ravioli

3 eggplants (1 1/2 lbs.), peeled and coarsely chopped

6 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

Salt and pepper
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
12 egg roll wrappers

1. Using food processor, finely chop the eggplant. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the mozzarella and 1/3 cup parmesan.
2. In the same skillet, heat 3 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to low and stir in the basil.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the remaining 2 T. of olive oil. Working with 1 at a time, fill each wrapper with 2 rounded T. of the eggplant mixture: moisten the edges with water and fold in half, pressing the edges to seal. Working in 2 batches, cook the ravioli until tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 3 ravioli each to 4 shallow bowls. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water into the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper; spoon over the ravioli and sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top.

I changed it up a bit by adding some mild Italian sausage, which goes quite nicely with the eggplant and cheeses. I browned the sausage, then added it to the eggplant mixture. I didn't have quite enough eggplant in my garden, (and I had an abundance of zucchini), so I added a peeled, seeded, and chopped zucchini to the eggplant. I also used fresh garden tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes and just cut them into chunks. The garlic and basil were also fresh from the garden. The end result was just delicious. So, if you got veggies in the garden, this is a great way to use them up and make a yummy and satisfying meal. I'll probably try different variations of this in the future, as well. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Baked zucchini bites

Well, I don't know about you, but I've harvested tons of zucchini from my garden. While I really like zucchini bread, it does get boring after a while. So I came up with a new recipe for zucchini. I didn't really measure anything, and all the seasonings can be adjusted or substituted as desired. First I take a medium (7"-10") zucchini, wash it, and remove the seeds. I don't peel most of my vegetables because that's where the majority of the vitamins are. I then cut it into 1/2" pieces. Next I dredge it in a mixture of bread (or cracker) crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried chives, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Then I dip it in beaten eggs, and dredge again in the bread crumb mixture. Then I bake it on a foil covered baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. This is absolutely delicious, and completely customizable. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven and taste just as good the next day. I also used this recipe for eggplant, with the same yummy results. I just wanted to share this quick, easy, and delicious recipe with everyone. Please feel free to comment with recipes of your own! I love to cook, and I'm often as creative in the kitchen as I am in the craft room. Thanks for reading!


-Michelle of CreativeCritters