Heart-Healthy Cupcakes

For most, February is all about Valentine's day. It's a day to express your love not just to your significant other, but all your loved ones. Chocolate, roses, teddy bears, cards, fancy dinners, jewelry and hearts, hearts, hearts!

But February is also American Heart Month. This month (not surprisingly!) is dedicated to raising funds as well as awareness for heart disease and stroke. I never really paid much attention to Heart Month in previous years. Unfortunately, this year, it has hit much closer to home. A dear family friend, Sue Smith, passed away February 2nd, due to a combination of an enlarge heart and diabetes. Sue was a lovely woman who worked at our church, Alpine, for years. She was always at the front door of the church to greet new-comers with her warming smile, and always eager to make anyone and everyone feel at home. Sue's death came as a complete shock to all of her loved ones and friends, she was only in her 50's, and seemed in good health. Sue always read my blog and supported and encouraged me with my cooking and baking over the past years.

To pay homage to Valentine's Day and American Heart Month, I made healthier cupcakes. I used low-fat ricotta cheese instead of fatty butter for the cupcakes, which are only 95 calories each and contain less than 1 gram of fat. The glaze is made with fat free cream cheese, to avoid unnecessary fat and calories. The cake is sort of like red velvet. Actually, it started as vanilla bean cupcakes, one of my very first posts, then I added red food coloring and a hint of cocoa. This recipe for heart- healthy cupcakes is in memory of Sue, I think she would've loved these!

Heart-Healthy Cupcakes

Makes about 16

1/2 cup minus 1 1/2 teaspoon low-fat milk (2%, 1%, skim)
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon red color

Glaze
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
3 drops red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake tins with cupcake liners or use silcone cupcake molds. Lightly spray with cooking spray.

Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and bean into the milk, set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together ricotta cheese and sugar. Add egg and egg whites, beating after each. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cocoa and pinch of salt. Slowly add to the ricotta mixture until completely combined. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk, squeeze out any moisture and discard. Add vanilla extract and food coloring to milk. Add milk to batter and mix until combined. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops have a rounded top, and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from tins and cool.

To prepare the glaze: Use a whisk to cream cream cheese with the food coloring and vanilla extract. Mix in enough powdered sugar to make a glaze. Simply dip the tops of the cupcakes into the glaze, or drizzle over for a more dramatic look. Enjoy!

Cupcake

The Healthiest, Fudgy, Chocolatey and Chewy Brownies You'll Ever Eat!

I'm kind of a dork...

I've never been a fan of going out on weekends. For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed spending my Saturdays watching cooking shows on PBS. I curl up on the couch with a hot cup of tea and watch my favorite chefs prepare delicious food. By the time the evening programming starts, I have been inspired to create a new recipe, head to the kitchen and get to cookin'. That's how this recipe came about.

This past weekend, I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen. They conducted a taste test between homemade and box-mix brownies. Over 50% of the taste testers chose the brownies made from the mix, usually because they preferred the chewy texture. The show then tested recipe after recipe to find the perfect combinations and technique to make better-than-boxed brownies from scratch.

Unfortunately, the recipe for these particular brownies are nearly 250 calories a piece. For some, calories don't matter. But for me, 250 calories is an entire meal. There is no reason to sacrifice delicious food for a skinny waist, and that's why I set out to revamp the ATK recipes to be flavorful and chewy, but bold in flavor. They don't taste healthy, but they're 100 calories less per brownie than the original recipe. Like I've said before, anything can be made more nutritious with a few substitutions and a little know-how.

By replacing butter with low-fat Ricotta cheese and the majority of oil with applesauce, we maintain the moistness of the original recipe, but remove tons of unneeded fat and calories. I also made a few changes just to make these brownies that much more delicious, like using coffee instead of water. They don't taste like coffee, but the chocolate flavor is so much more pronounced. But, don't take my word for it. You'll have to try them yourself! Enjoy!

The Healthiest Fudgy, Chocolatey and Chewy Brownies You'll Ever Eat

Makes 24 2-inch Brownies
Adapted from Chewy Brownies

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling coffee
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
5 tablespoons low fat ricotta
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 egg whites
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350, line a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick foil. Move oven rack to lowest position.

In a large bowl, whisk cocoa and boiling coffee until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in Ricotta cheese, applesauce and canola oil.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites and vanilla until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add egg mixture to chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in granulated and brown sugar until fully incorporated. Stir in flour and salt with a rubber spatula until combined.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted half way between the center and edge comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 28-33 minutes. Cool in pan, and cut into 2 inch pieces. Top with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Click below to enlarge nutrition facts

50 Calorie Cranberry-Orange Cookies

Recipes are like breast implants. You can't honestly accept compliments if they're not yours.

I literally cannot make a recipe without changing, tweaking or modifying it. Anyone can follow a recipe, but where's the fun in that? So, I adapted these cookies to my liking. Actually, that's not true. I had an idea for a cookie, found a recipe that had the right proportions of ingredients for the type of cookie I wanted to produce, and switched up the ingredients to my liking. And they turned out great! Not to mention, they're only 50 calories a piece! These cookies are chewy, perfectly sweet and filled with flavor. I made them more nutritious by replacing butter with ricotta cheese and swapping half of the white flour with whole wheat. This is the original recipe . As you can tell, I switched the recipe up quite a bit. And here it is:


50 Calories Cranberry Orange Cookies
Makes 30 cookies

1/3 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
3/4 cup minus 2 tablespoons white flour
1/3 cup craisins (dried cranberries) finely chopped plus 30
1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra
1/4 cup orange juice + extra
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon orange zest + extra
1/16 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300. Cover 2 cookie sheets with non-stick foil.

In a large bowl, use a whisk to cream ricotta cheese and sugar. Spoon flour into measuring cups and level. In a medium bowl combine flour, cranberries, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to ricotta and sugar. Beat until just combined. Mix in orange juice, orange zest and ginger until moistened. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Once chilled, roll dough into 30 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and lightly press with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool.


If desired, create a thick icing with orange juice and powdered sugar. Top each cookie with a dollop of icing, a pinch of orange zest and one craisin. Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy!

Click below to enlarge nutrition facts

Healthy Cornbread

There's a joke around here that if you want a big butt, you just have to eat cornbread. It came about because it's a staple comfort food here in the Midwest, and we all know mid-westerners are not known for our beach bodies. But it's popular for good reason. Nothing goes better with a bowl of chili than a steaming slice of fresh cornbread, honey shimmering as it slides it's way down the sides, and butter melting and soaking into every golden crumb. I can taste it now!

Luckily, with this recipe, we health freaks can have our cornbread, and eat it too! The recipe that my family has used for years is from the 'Colorado Cache Cookbook,' and although it's delicious, it definitely won't help shrink your waistline. I replaced the butter with real corn, used whole wheat flour instead of white, cut the sugar by 1/4 cup and used egg whites in place of one egg yolk. And the best part? 1 piece is only 130 calories! But, you're going to have to try for yourself!


Healthy Cornbread
16 servings

1 cup pureed corn kernels + 1/4 cup whole kernels
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon skim milk
1 3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon light sour cream
2 tablespoons honey


Pour vinegar into measuring cup, add milk and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in egg, egg white, pureed corn, apple sauce, sour cream and honey. Add baking soda to milk, stir and add the mixture to the bowl. Mix well. Stir in 1/4 cup corn kernels. Pour into greased 8x9 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees, about 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Click below to enlarge nutrition facts



Corn Bread

Low-Fat Pumpkin Chai Latte

I'm sure everyone will soon be sick of all my pumpkin posts and recipes, but Fall only rolls around once a year. I must take advantage of all the seasonal produce! This morning I was in the mood for a Starbucks Chai Latte and a Pumpkin Latte, but I had hip surgery two weeks ago, so I can't drive. Stranded at home, with a whole lot of time on my hands, I set out to make the ultimate combination of my two favorite drinks. Who doesn't love pumpkin? It instantly produces a comforting, warm and fuzzy feeling, not unlike that feeling when you're seated for Thanksgiving dinner with your family. Hot Chocolate has taken a back seat and Chai tea has surfaced as the newest warm-me-up-on-a-cold-day-drink. Combining the two was a no-brainer, and it turned out wonderfully. Not only is it tasty, but this latte is also packed with health benefits. Black tea and cinnamon contain powerful antioxidants and pumpkin is packed with vitamins and fiber. You can use decaf or regular tea, and of course, adjust spices to taste. So get steeping, and go curl up with a nice book!

Low-Fat Pumpkin Chai Latte
Serves 2

2 cups water
2 black tea bags
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 slice fresh ginger (about 1 /8 inch)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean
Freshly ground nutmeg
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
1 teaspoon honey

In a medium sauce pan, heat the water to a simmer. Split the vanilla bean in half and place on a piece of cheesecloth along with the sliced ginger, cinnamon stick, a pinch of ground cloves, about 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. Tie the cheesecloth and place in the simmering water with two tea bags. Turn off the heat and steep for 3-5 minute, then remove the tea bags. In a bowl whisk together the milk and pumpkin. Take a ladle of the tea and whisk it into the pumpkin and milk mixture. Slowly whisk about one third of the tea into the milk and pumpkin. Now, slowly pour the milk and pumpkin into the sauce pan and stir. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth and discard. Stir in the honey and serve.














Calories: 64 Fat: .3g Carbohydrates: 11.3g Fiber: .9g Protein: 4.5g

Peach and Berry Frozen Yogurt

I was so happy with the Mocha Frozen Yogurt, that I decided to create a new recipe. I was inspired by all the summer produce which fills my kitchen. I used fresh, juicy peaches, plump blueberries and homegrown raspberries. Although it can be quite expensive, fresh fruit truly makes a difference, so definitely use it rather than frozen fruit if you can. You can get creative with this recipe. Try using blackberries or mulberries in place of the raspberries, nectarines or plums instead of peaches, or at the last few minutes of freezing, mix in pieces of fresh strawberries. Take advantage of the wonderful produce for which summer is famous!

Peach and Berry Frozen Yogurt

Makes 25 scoops

1 cup peeled, chopped peaches (about 7.5 oz)

1/3 cup raspberries (about 2.4 oz)

1/4 cup blueberries

1 1/2 cups vanilla fat-free yogurt

1 1/2 cups fat-free plain yogurt

1/4 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mash the peaches and raspberries until smooth. (Leave a few chunks here and there for texture.) Add yogurts, Splenda, milk, and vanilla. Stir in blueberries. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a container, cover and freeze. It melts fast, so eat it quick!

Nutrition Per Scoop

Calories: 20

Fat: 0g

Sodium: 18.2 mg

Carbs: 4.9g

Fiber: .3g

Protein: 1.3g

Seriously Healthy Mocha Frozen Yogurt

Relish Magazine recently published a page full of low-fat, frozen yogurt recipes. While a food may be low fat, that does not make it healthy. Some recipes had over 200 calories per serving, which means this recipe can only be eaten as a treat once in a while, and you might as well eat real ice cream, cream and all. I don't want to 'make room' in my diet for anything, I want to be able to eat dessert without sizing up my belly in the mirror afterward.

I was inspired by their Mocha Frozen Yogurt recipe. Although each serving (8 total) contained only 120 calories, the recipe called for an entire pint of chocolate milk. There is nothing healthy about a pint of chocolate milk! So I set out to revamp their Mocha Frozen Yogurt, cut out the chocolate milk, the granulated sugar, and even more fat. The result? A creamy, tangy, chocolaty, coffee-y, frozen yogurt, with only 39 calories per serving- and zero guilt.

Seriously Healthy Mocha Frozen Yogurt
Makes about 11 servings (1.5 ice cream scoops or 2 large cookie dough scoops)

2 cups plain, fat free yogurt
1 cup vanilla, fat free yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat free milk
2 1/2 tsp espresso powder
1 tbsp + 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener
Pinch cinnamon

In a small sauce pan, heat the milk over very low heat. Whisk in the espresso powder, cocoa powder and Splenda until dissolved. Do not boil. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt and vanilla. Stir in the cooled milk mixture and cinnamon. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's instructions. Immediately scoop into small bowls or ramekins, cover and freeze. Enjoy!

Calories: 39
Fat: .1g
Sodium: 43.9mg
Total Carbs: 7.6g
Fiber: .1g
Sugars: 4.6g
Protein 3.0 g

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Oatmeal Muffins

I really love muffins. They're warm, soft, and filling. Some of my favorite memories consist of waking up to the sweet swell of muffins on a cold winter morning. How comforting! However, most muffins are packed with fat, sugar and white flour- a health fanatics nightmare! My mission, though, is to 'healthify' otherwise unhealthy recipes! I first found a recipe for Oatmeal muffins on SparkPeople Recipes, but I wasn't crazy about them. They were a bit bland and I wanted to put a tasty spin on them. My inspiration for these was the Buckwheat pancakes I posted a while back. If you've never tried buckwheat flour, it may take some getting used to. It has it's own distinct taste, but I find it very tasty. These muffins are very soft, chewy, perfectly 'apple-y', with just enough cinnamon. And super healthy! They're great for breakfast or a snack with a spritz of spray butter or jam. By the way- they're super easy, so make some for now, later....and more for now! Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 112 Fat: .9 Cholesterol: .4 Sodium: 223 mg Carbohydrates: 23 Dietary Fiber: 2.5 Protein: 4

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Oatmeal Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup quick oats (Or old-fashioned if that's all you got)

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 medium apple

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons milled flax seed

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar (spooned, not packed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Raisins - optional

nuts - optional

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine the oats and milk, and set aside. (If using old-fashioned oats, soak for 1 hour)

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Fill a muffin tin with 12 baking cups, and lightly spray with non-stick spray

4. Sift together the flax, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. (Add the optional ingredients now)

5. Grate the apple, and using a tea towel or cheese cloth, ring out the moisture.

6. Combine the oat mixture, apple sauce, grated apple, and egg whites.

7. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing until just combine.

8. Evenly divide the batter between the baking cups

9. Combine the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle over the top of each muffin.

10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly brown on top.

11. Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

Store in a zip top bag. These also freeze well.