Total Pageviews

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sat. Oct 27th

Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread

Daily Tidbit:  Another experiment:  Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread!  I had these fresh Cranberries just waiting to be made into something delicious and thought a quick bread with Oats sounded yummy and healthy, so I searched online and found a good basic recipe that just needed a few tweaks to make a healthier versionThe kids were not sure about the taste of the Cranberries, but I loved it.  (I would suggest just using a little more Sugar for harder to please palates!) Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and newly emerging studies are showing the may also prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous tumors.  Check it out:

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15814415/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/research-shows-health-benefits-cranberries/#.UI0T2obJY_w 


         

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts

Breakfast:  Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts
1/2 cup Oatmeal (uncooked) mixed with 1 cup Fat Free Milk & microwaved

3-4 good shakes of Plain Cinnamon 

2 tbsp plain chopped Walnuts 
5 oz. Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, black
 



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Cauliflower Gratin

Lunch: Warm Autumn Veggie Slam!
Bowl of Curry Butternut Squash Soup (recipe below)
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with 1 tbsp chopped Pecans(recipe below)
Cauliflower Gratin (recipe below)
These were all leftovers in the fridge - there is no simpler Lunch preparation than this!  And, it was jam-packed with Veggies and surprisingly filling, so much so that I actually had to stop eating halfway through and save the rest for later!  It made for a yummy, healthy and easy Snack a couple hours later!
  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 


Snack: 2nd half of my lunch!  Plain Red Chai Tea.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread

Snack: 

1 slice of Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread (recipe below) with 1 tsp of Brummel n Brown on top
20 Plain Almonds, Fat Free Milk


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

1 slice of Whole Wheat Ricotta & Black Olive Onion Pizza

Dinner: Whole Wheat Ricotta & Black Olive Pizza
2 large slices of Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza, topped with Organic No Salt Added Marinara Sauce, Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, Part Skim Ricotta Cheese, diced Red Onion & Black Kalamata Olives (equivalent to half the pizza!)
O'Doul's

  

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Dessert: 1/4 Local Red Delicious Apple, Water


I really wanted a whole Apple, but that was all that was left in the fridge! 


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


RECIPES: 


Curry Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:
1/2 medium White Onion
1 tbsp EVOO
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tbsp Curry
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Salt/ Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1-2 cup of Baby Carrots
1 medium Butternut Squash, skinned & chopped
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3 cup of Water (using more or less for desired consistency)

Microwave Butternut Squash (piercing it in various places first) for several minutes, turn and microwave again for a few more minutes – until is it soft enough to easily cut into pieces and remove the skin and seeds.  Meanwhile heat soup pot, add the EVOO and Onion and sauté 5 minutes or so.  Throw in the sliced Garlic and sauté a couple minutes (not letting the Garlic burn or brown at all).  Then add the Ginger, Curry and Salt/ fresh ground Pepper and cook for a couple more minutes.  Then add Carrots and Butternut squash; stirring and covering in spices for a minute or two.  Then add the broth and water if more liquid is needed and heat to boil.  Put to simmer for 30 minutes, and cover.  Cook longer if needed, until all the veggies are super soft. Then using an immersion blender, blend the whole thing into a velvety creamy puree.* Serve plain or with Scallions or Cilantro.


*The immersion blender is a magical tool which gives this soup with no butter, bread or milk or cream that ‘creamy’ texture that is so well, creamy!  If you don’t have one, you can ladle the soup into a food processor to puree it, but again there is something magical about the immersion blender which transforms the texture of the soup into fooling your mouth into thinking that you are enjoying a decadent creamy soup, even though you are basically just eating a bowl of veggies!


Tip:  This soup, like many dishes, is always better a day later, which makes it a great ‘make ahead’ meal for a speedy meal the next day!  The soup is also very filling, so it makes a great snack as well.  



Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe:
Clean, dry and poke holes all over a large Sweet Potato for 4 minutes, turn and do another 4 minutes.  When cool enough to touch, remove skins and cube and throw into a bowl and mash (I used a Masher) with a little Butter, Fat Free Milk and a dash of Maple Syrup.  Top with chopped Pecans and serve!



Cauliflower Gratin Recipe:
Take 1 large head of Cauliflower, cut and wash florets.  Steam on stove until desired done-ness (I cooked mine until soft enough to mash!)  


Meanwhile in another sauce pan heat 1 tbsp EVOO with 1 tbsp Butter.  Once melted add 1/2 White Onion, finely chopped and cook until soft.  Add salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste and 2 tbsp Flour.  Stir while cooking the flour another 2 minutes.  Lower heat and add 2 cups Fat Free Milk and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.  Once thickened add 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese.  Tip: the cheese will melt more easily if you buy a block of Cheese and grate it yourself.  Add 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese and blend in and stir until all cheese has melted.


Grease broiler safe Casserole dish with Canola Oil Spray and pour Cauliflower into the dish.  Using a fork mash the Cauliflower inside the Casserole dish.  Once it is at desired consistency, pour the Cheese sauce ontop of the whole dish.


So to brown the sauce & cheese on top I broiled mine on high, but that resulted in near burning and would recommend broiling for a longer period of time on Low, keeping a close eye on the dish.  The flavor however was wonderful and no bread crumbs or additional Butter was needed!

 


Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread Recipe:
receipted adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-cranberry-oat-bread/

I liked the above recipe, but made it Whole Grain by using Whole Wheat Flour and made a few other tweaks to make a healthier version.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease loaf pan with Canola Oil Spray.

Meanwhile in a large bowl mix:
-1 cup Quick Cooking Oats
-1. 5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
-1 cup White Flour
-1/2 cup Sugar
-1 tsp Baking Soda
-1 tsp Baking Powder
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
-Dash Nutmeg

In another large bowl mix:
-2 Eggs
-4 oz Apple Sauce
-2 tbsp Orange Juice
-1/2 cup Fat Free Milk 
-2 cups Dried Fresh Cranberries 
 
Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients mixture and mix until everything is moist.  Pour into greased Loaf Pan and Bake for 40 Minutes and serve!
  


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No comments:

Post a Comment