Ricotta-Fig and Chocolate Muffins (Low flour, Low sugar)

These may look and smell like muffins, but they aren't--these treats are disguised as the much loved carb-tastic delight that we all know and crave except these come without all the guilt. Feel free to substitute the figs with any fruit of your choice, but try to stick with more sticky and less juicy fruits such as cherries or dates as it could change the consistency of these muffins.  Also, if you are really trying to keep this low sugar, leave out the chocolate chips. Keep in the fridge when finished.

Ingredients:
32 oz. Part-skim Ricotta cheese
4 eggs
4 T flour, regular white or whole wheat
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp Pumpkin spice (optional)
1 1/2-2 cups chopped figs or other choice of fruit
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix ricotta, eggs, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and spices together until smooth. Stir in the figs and chocolate chips. Pour into greased muffin liners or shape into tablespoon-sized balls and lightly flatten on a greased pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until firm. Great for school and work snacks!

Paleo Peanut Butter Cookies

It seems the latest trend is to curtail white carbohydrates and sugar and replace them with more plant-based foods--or to make our food more "paleo." These peanut butter cookies are flour-less and instead of using white sugar, I used coconut sugar. While there is still a form of sugar in these, I'm not going to pretend these cookies are completely diet safe but the fact they have no flour should be one victory worth celebrating!

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
3/4 cup Coconut sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Egg
3/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the peanut butter and coconut sugar thoroughly together. Add the vanilla, egg, baking soda and salt and mix until completely blended. Taking tablespoon size bits of the dough, roll into a ball and place onto the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Lemon Parmesan Green Beans with Gouda and Chopped Almonds

Ingredients:

16 oz Fresh green beans, snapped and rinsed
2 Tbsp Parmesan-infused olive oil (or regular)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 cup Finely cubed gouda
1/4 cup Chopped almonds
Salt and black pepper to taste


Directions:

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly except the chopped almonds and set in a pan on medium-low heat. Sautee the green bean mixture for about 5-7 minutes (you want to maintain the crispness of the green beans). Toss in the chopped almonds and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies with Coconut Sugar and Coconut Oil

I had originally made these goodies with all things coconut: coconut flour, coconut sugar and coconut oil but the cookie gods told me I had a coconut problem and so those cookies did not bid well. The coconut flour, it turns out, is super dry and even if you add more liquid, the cookie falls apart. So, as a compromise I thought I'd try these with whole wheat flour. I've also heard almond flour works better than coconut flour but being that I've never baked with almond flour, I will let you brave bakers try it. Have a try at these and happy baking!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Coconut sugar
1/4 cup Sugar in the raw
2 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup organic Coconut oil, unrefined
2 cups Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
4 oz Dark chocolate (I used 98% cacao which is super duper dark chocolate and just added honey to my liking when I melted it or you can simply use dark chocolate chips).
8-10 cherries, chopped and de-seeded.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Mix the coconut sugar, sugar in the raw, honey and coconut oil in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the wheat flour, salt, and baking powder together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until well blended. Cookies may get a little crumbly but if they are too crumbly, add a bit more coconut oil.

Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls, gently squish the balls in the palms of your hands and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden browned.

Add the dark chocolate to a glass bowl that fits over a small pan filled with water. Bring water to a low boil and melt the chocolate on low heat until it is completely melted, making sure not to burn it. Set aside.

After cookies are done baking, use a butter knife or rubber spatula and dip it into the chocolate and drizzle over the cookies. Top with the chopped cherries and enjoy!

Creamy Italian Spinach Chicken Bake with Asparagus, Gouda, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts

Whew! What a mouthful. And you'll be getting quite a mouthful with this exquisitely tantalizing and hearty dish. This is perfect for those who love the taste of Italy without all the carbs but feel free to toss it with some pasta or dip some bread in the sauce, either way, you won't regret it!

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 bunch asparagus chopped, lightly grilled with olive oil and salt
1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 14 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
22 oz light or regular alfredo sauce (I used about 1 and 1/2 jars of the 15 oz jars but feel free to use more)
2/3 cup chopped gouda cheese
8 oz pre-packaged shredded Six Italian cheese mixture (parmesan, mozzarella, provolone, asiago, romano, and fontina)
Black pepper
Rosemary
Basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large casserole dish, drizzle a bit of the alfredo sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle a few of the artichoke hearts on top of the sauce, followed by a bit of the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, spinach and Six Italian cheese. Drop a few pieces of the chopped gouda evenly throughout the mixture. Repeat this until all of the ingredients are used. Top with black pepper, rosemary and basil. Bake for 25-28 minutes.

Lemon Raspberry Button Cookies

This is my summer version of the Susan cookie with a sweet and tart twist. Per request of my lemon-loving boyfriend, these are sure to please those with a sweet and sour palate!

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1-1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tsp lemon zest
2-1/2 Tbsp Honey
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Raspberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, coconut oil, lemon juice, zest, and honey together.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add the flour mixture to the lemon and sugar mixture, stir until completely combined.

Roll the dough into small round balls and place a raspberry in the middle, making sure to secure it enough so it does not fall off in the baking process. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm and cream colored but not hard and golden.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Feta Pizza with Gorgonzola and Sauteed Almonds

This vegetarian pan pie is simple, hearty and delicious. I made this as four personal pizzas using the same pizza dough recipe for my Roasted Pear and Gorgonzola pizza down below but feel free to use it as a regular pizza crust. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Dough (see recipe from my Roasted Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza)
1 Sliced red bell pepper
3 whole cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup your choice of tomato sauce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup unsalted chopped almonds
Fresh thyme
Rosemary

Directions:

Prepare the dough, set aside.

To prepare the bell peppers:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bell peppers and garlic on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of rosemary. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes, or until slightly crisp at the ends.

To prepare the almonds:
In a pan on medium heat, heat the almonds until browned. Make sure to watch carefully as they can easily burn. Set aside.


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out the dough into desired shape. Distribute tomato sauce evenly over the dough and sprinkle the bell peppers on top. Sprinkle the feta and gorgonzola cheese evenly, topping it with the fresh thyme.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until crust is crisp. Top with the sauteed almonds.

Honey glazed Bacon with Water Chestnuts and Gorgonzola

Every family has a special dish hiding in the family heirlooms and mine just happens to involve bacon. I've never been much of a bacon fan as just the thought of eating it made me think years had been taken off of my life but with all that aside, these little treats make wonderful appetizers at social gatherings.

Ingredients:
4-5 pieces of bacon
3 oz. can whole water chestnuts, drained
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 tsp honey

Directions:
Preheat the oven for 400 degrees. Line a flat baking pan with tinfoil and lightly butter the surface so as to prevent sticking.
Taking one piece of bacon, cut in half and wrap around a water chestnut. Pierce with a toothpick and lay on the baking pan. Repeat until all of the bacon has been used. Using a glazing brush (or your fingers), lightly coat the bacon with honey. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until crispy.

After the bacon is done cooking, add the gorgonzola to the toothpick in a kabob-like manner. If you can't get the gorgonzola to stay on the toothpick, simple sprinkle on top of the bacon chestnuts. Enjoy!

Beet and Pear Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Orange Vinaigrette Dressing

This is "a salad that doesn't taste like a salad," as my boyfriend puts it. Now that is what I call cunning cookery. This combines the fruity flavors of a fall afternoon with the rustic classic, Greek salad. Not too shabby for a healthily delicious entree.

It's difficult to have exact measurements for salad, so go with your hunch for the proportions.

Ingredients:
For the salad:
Spinach, rinsed
Roughly chopped walnuts
Crumbled feta cheese
1 whole beet, sliced thin
1 pear, sliced thin

For the Orange Vinaigrette dressing:
Juice of one orange (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp. regular olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp. honey

Assemble the spinach, walnuts and feta in a bowl. Whisk together all the ingredients for the orange vinaigrette dressing and toss with the salad. Add the sliced beet and pear to the salad and serve.

Spicy Crunchy Peanut Noodles

Many people, if told to combine peanut butter with noodles would tweak their head in bewilderment as the two foods are not normally found together. I'm sure we've all heard about peanut sauce found in Thai dishes but I think this version gives the classic dish a much needed spice kick. It's not too spicy, but if you prefer to leave out the chili sauce, this dish is still delicious all the same.

Ingredients:
1 lb thin or regular spaghetti noodles, cooked
4 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chili sauce infused with garlic (if you can't find this specific kind then use about a teaspoon of minced garlic in the recipe)
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

Topping:
Sliced water chestnuts 
Fresh thyme

Start cooking the noodles. In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk thoroughly, making sure not to have any large clumps. After the noodles are done, drain and put into a medium bowl. Add the spicy peanut sauce to the noodles and mix well. Sprinkle on the water chestnuts and thyme and serve. 

Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza with Carmelized Onions

If I were Leonardo da Vinci this would be my Mona Lisa. I know the combination of pears and blue cheese may scare some away but you would be turning away the gates of paradise if you were to snub this pizza. There are a couple of preparatory stages but trust me, it is well worth the effort to put a little bit of hard work into this pear pie.

This recipe is intended to be made on an 18-inch pizza pan.

For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Olive oil (regular or extra-virgin)

For the carmelized onions and pear topping:
2 tbsp olive oil (regular olive oil will do)
1 tbsp salt
1 large red onion, cut into half moons
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 bosc pears, de-seeded and sliced thin (If you can't find bosc pears, other pears will do)
Light sprinkle of cinnamon

For the cheese topping:
5 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
For the dough, add the warm water in a medium bowl. Stir in one at at time the yeast, sugar, salt and finally, the flour. Knead the dough into a ball in the bowl, adding a few drops of olive oil as necessary to make it more adhesive. Cover dough with a cloth and set aside (not in the fridge) for 30-40 minutes.

Carmelized Onions and Roasted Pears:
In a pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, salt, and red onions. Saute until the onions turn into a medium-dark shade of purple. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until it turns into a dark purple color. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan (or a new one if you prefer), add a bit of regular olive oil and add the sliced pears on low-medium heat. Turn over frequently so as to get all of the pears slightly seared but do not overcook as they will be cooked further with the pizza. Set aside.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out the dough onto a buttered pizza pan, gently stretching the dough to cover the entire pan. Spread the olive oil over the dough and sprinkle the mozarella and blue cheese over the entire surface. Add the carmelized onions and then finally, the roasted pears. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Spicy Crunchy Crab Cakes

I know not everyone enjoys spicy as I do but if you are seeking to be fiery-tongued, this classic dish with a hot spin will be sure to ignite your palate. Feel free to also use regular vegetable oil when frying the crab cakes as sesame oil can be expensive and tastes just as good.

Makes about 8-10 cakes

Ingredients:
8 oz. Crab meat (real or artificial will do)
2 eggs
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce (or other comparable brand)
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
8 saltine crackers
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup sesame or vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix crab, eggs, chili sauce, garlic and salt in a food processor or blender until chunky, it doesn't have to be completely  pureed as it makes it easier to roll if it's a bit lumpy. Mix flour, saltine crackers, paprika, salt, and ground pepper in a flat dish such as a pie dish. Take a tablespoon of the crab mixture and roll it in the flour mixture, coating the crab thoroughly with the flour mixture. In a pan on medium-high heat, add the oil and spoon the crab batter into the pan, slightly pressing it down into 1/4 inch patties. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot and enjoy!

Sinless Avocado Brownies

The first time I heard about avocado brownies I thought to myself, why on earth would anyone want to mix vegetables with chocolate? Then I did some research and found that technically, avocados are fruit so it made more sense to me to mix chocolate with fruit and alas, here we are! You can try to substitute the sugar for honey or applesauce but I have not personally done this, so be careful about the consistency changes. You may have to add a bit more flour to make up for the increase of liquid. It's quite fun to make and if you accidentally make too much of the avocado mixture, get some chips and enjoy some fresh guacamole!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

8 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

½ cup cocoa powder

½ cup flour (I used white but whole-wheat or coconut flour would work)

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe avocados, mashed smooth

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer until you've reached a foamy consistency. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or using a glass bowl over a pan of semi-boiling water, making sure to stir frequently so as not to burn the chocolate. Slowly add the melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture. Stir in the cocoa, flour, salt and vanilla extract. Using either an electric mixer or food processor (heck, even a blender will work), puree the avocados until you have no chunky bits left. Pour into the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly until you no longer see any green from the avocado. Bake in an 8 x 8 pan in the oven for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!

Potato Latkeys with Boiled Salmon

I recently had dinner with a friend at an Irish restaurant and discovered these comforting potato pancakes--or as they are more commonly called, Latkeys. It's a super easy and manageable recipe that not only takes practically no time at all to prepare, but is sure to fill any grumbling belly. Enjoy with some boiled or seared salmon (raw salmon if you dare!) and of course, sour cream!

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes (or mashed potatoes)

1 small finely chopped onion

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp salt

½ cup peanut oil (or any other oil that doesn't have a particularly strong flavor)

Topping:

1/2 lb boiled salmon

Sour Cream

Directions:

If you are going to shred your potatoes, make sure you remove as much water as you can from them as any extra moisture will make these cakes less crispy. Add the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt to a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the oil. Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil, browning both sides until crispy.

For salmon: Cut salmon into long, thin strips. Place in a double boiling pan (one that holds water on the bottom with another pan that has holes so as to not get wet on top). Heat about 1 cup of water and place the salmon strips in the top compartment of the boiling pans. Let steam for about 5-8 minutes until a light pinky flesh color. Add on top of the potato latkeys with a dollop of sour cream, enjoy!