Tag Archives: sugar

Mocha Parfaits

October 26, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Rich, creamy and very flavorful. The family won’t even know they are eating healthy cottage cheese ! So much healthier than sugar laden puddings, ice creams, etc.

4 servings
210 calories per serving

16 oz. low fat cottage cheese
1/4 c sugar
1 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 t instant coffee powder
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup + 2 T Cool Whip Lite
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Blend cottage cheese, sugar, cocoa and coffee in a blender. Take 1half of the mixture out of the blender and distribute among the 4 parfait cups. Place 2 T Cool Whip in blender and quickly blend. Distribute half the berries in the parfait glasses. Then add the remainder of the mocha mix and the remainder of the berries. Top with Cool Whip and nuts.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Jalapeno Tomatoes

October 17, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Spicy and savory side dish that is perfect next to Mexican inspired meals. The cumin really makes this a different tasting salad.

8 servings
58 calories per serving

4 c halved cherry or grape tomatoes (plus any other sliced garden tomatoes you have)
1/3 c sliced scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and sliced thinly
1/3 c white balsamic vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1 T oil
2 t minced ginger
1 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the tomatoes, scallions, garlic and jalapeno. Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a dressing then pour over the tomatoes and chill for at least 1 hour.

Appetizers

Pickled Eggs

September 16, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a more old fashioned dish – but still a fan favorite and these eggs are great cut up in salad, served as a snack, or placed on an appetizer platter.

6 servings
88 calories per serving

Liquid from 1 15 oz can beets
1 c cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar
2 t Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
6 large eggs

Drain beets and reserve for another use. Pour liquid in a saucepan and add vinegar, sugar, salt, bay and cloves and bring to a boil Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, add onion rings and let sit 1 hour.

Place eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let boil 2 minutes. Shut off heat, cover and let sit 11 minutes. Then rinse in cold water. (By the way – this is the recipe for a PERFECT hard boiled egg!!) Peel eggs and place in a deep jar and pour over the liquid and top with the onion rings. Refrigerate for 24 hours then remove onions (you can use these on burgers). I remove the eggs from the liquid at this point – you can keep them in the liquid if you wish. These will store well for 3 days.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Orange Sorbet

September 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sweet and citrusy, cold and refreshing – a great way to top off any summer meal.

12 servings
93 calories per serving

2 1/2 c water
1 c sugar
Orange rind strips from 2 oranges
2 2/3 c fresh orange juice
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
Grated orange rind

Mix the water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil Add the orange rinds and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the mix into a bowl and get rid of the solids. Let cool to room temperature then add the juices and stir well. Refrigerate for an hour or more. Pour into ice cream maker and follow your maker’s instructions. Then freeze for one hour. Garnish with orange zest.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Vanilla Rounds

September 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

These are a delightfully plain cookie – sometimes all I want is just the flavor of a simple vanilla baked good without any pomp and circumstance. This is it ! And at only 21 calories a cookie, I can have 5 without any guilt. Dip them in coffee, serve with some yogurt of some fat free, sugar free pudding – or just indulge in their simple elegance.

24 servings
21 calories per serving (1 cookie)

2 eggs, separated
½ t baking powder
¼ t salt
¼ c sugar
2 t vanilla
¼ t grated lemon zest
½ c flour
Confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat egg whites until foamy. Mix baking powder, salt, and sugar and slowly add to egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. Mix yolks, vanilla and zest and beat with a fork the fold into egg white mix. Sift flour over egg mix and fold until smooth. Use about 2 t of batter to make each cookie and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes. Cool on sheets a few minutes and then move to racks. Cookies will crisp as they cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar once completely cool.

Dessert, Summer

Lime Basil Sorbet

August 4, 2011 admin 1 Comment

Basil is in the mint family – don’t let its addition to a dessert throw you – but if you can’t get past it, then just substitute mint instead. But whatever you do, don’t skip this recipe – it is a FANTASTIC summer dessert.

8 servings
220 calories per serving

1 ½ c sugar
2 c lime juice (about 20 small limes)
½ c light corn syrup
¾ c basil leaves, chopped
2 c water
1 T grated lime zest

Mix sugar, 1 c juice and syrup and cook for 2 minutes to melt sugar then add the basil or mint and remove from heat. Pour into a metal bowl (mixture will cool quicker) and add rest of the juice, water and the zest. Cover and chill completely. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions then move to your freezer for an hour or so. If you don’t eat it right away, then defrost 10 minutes or so before eating.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Curried Cucs and Avocado

July 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

My friend grows the tastiest cucs ! And they are just perfect in this salad. Just a bit of curry, just a bit of Tabasco, lotsa lime and great veggies. This is one you’ll make again and again.

3 servings
106 calories per serving

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 t salt
½ red bell pepper, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ t sugar
½ t curry powder
A Couple of dashes of Tabasco
1 avocado, diced

Take the cucumber pieces and sprinkle with salt and set in a colander to drain. This helps some to remove some of the bitterness that some cucumbers have. Mix pepper, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and Tabasco. Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the pepper mix. Finally add the avocado and serve immediately.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Butterscotch Bars

June 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sweet, chewy, yummy Butterscotch Bars that the whole family will love !

36 servings
148 calories per serving

1 c packed brown sugar
5 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
9 oz. flour
2 1/2 c quick oats
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Pam
3/4 c fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 c butterscotch morsels
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar and butter with a mixer until light colored and then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda then add this mix to the sugar mix stirring with a fork until combined. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and then take 3 c of the oat mix and press it into the pan making a crust. Heat morsels and condensed milk until morsels are all melted and then stir in nuts. Spread this mix over the crust and then sprinkle with the rest of the oat mix. Bake ½ hour or until golden brown. When it comes out of the oven, loosen the edges with a knife and then let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Vegetables

Corn and Broccoli

May 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The natural ‘sugariness’ of the corn and the addition of a little bit of sugar make this a very sweet dish. It was just great served next to a mild flavored broiled pork chop. If you prefer less sweet, just leave out the sugar and this will still turn out a great side dish !

6 servings
133 calories per serving

15 oz. can creamed corn
½ c Egg Beaters
2 t sugar
2 T flour
1 t salt
½ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
10 oz. package frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn, eggs, sugar, flour and salt and then fold in cheese and broccoli and place in a baking dish and bake 1 hour.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, MUFAs

Chocolate Drizzle Cookies

May 25, 2011 admin 2 Comments

At 118 calories per cookie, these are a bit high cal, but they are so rich and so delicious that 2 definitely satisfy your sweets craving. A large portion of the calories is due to the walnuts in the recipe, but these are GREAT calories full of MUFA. So don’t feel too bad 😉 Serve with a nice Low Fat Latte for a great dessert.

30 servings
118 calories per serving

5 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
1 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/3 c flour
1/3 c walnuts, finely chopped
30 walnut halves
Chocolate Glaze (see below)

Beat butter on high 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and then stir in melted chocolate. Finally stir in flour and chopped nuts then cover and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and shape dough into 30 balls about 1 inch big and place on cookie sheets. Press a walnut half into each and bake 10-12 minutes and then cool completely. When cool, drizzle chocolate glaze on cookies and let sit until glaze is set.

Glaze:
Melt 1 oz. sweet baking chocolate and 1 T butter then add ¼ t vanilla, 1 c powdered sugar and 2 T skim milk.