'Cause I'm Always Cooking Up Something! : )
Recipes
Delicious (Really!) Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies
January 14, 2011
Here’s a great recipe I just developed last week to satisfy my hubby’s sweet tooth; they’re great! Shared some with a neighbor & they loved them, too.
They are made with no added “sugar”–I substituted Splenda & Diabetisweet–and they get a lot of sweetness from Golden Raisins. A winner, even if you don’t usually like “sugar-free” treats:
Paul’s Favorite Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt (optional)
1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Diabetisweet Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
1 cup Golden Raisins (use Golden Raisins for best flavor; regular will do if not available in your area)
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together Butter, Diabetisweet Brown Sugar, and Splenda with an electric mixer just until well combined.
4. Add Egg and Vanilla and beat just until thoroughly mixed.
5. Add Flour mixture, beating until thoroughly combined.
6. Add Oats and Golden Raisins, beating until thoroughly mixed.
7. Arrange by heaping teaspoons on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool 3 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet.
Makes about 1-1/2 dozen cookies.
EVERYBODY needs a cookie, now and then. I haven’t had time to experiment with the recipe yet, but I’d imagine these would be even better with some ground flax seed to add some healthy fats & even more fiber. Enjoy!
Stressing Out Over Thanksgiving? Don’t!
0Sometimes the holidays can mean Stress City. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Count your blessings. And whip up some QUICK and EASY Side Dishes to make your meal a little brighter and your load a little lighter.
Here are a couple of really easy oldies-but-goodies from my cookbook, The American Gourmet Collection:
Fluffy Five-Cup Salad
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can Pineapple Chunks
1 cup Miniature Marshmallows
1 can Mandarin Orange Sections
1 cup flaked Coconut
1. Drain fruits (give the juice to your favorite kid–YOU know who they are).
2. Combine all ingredients. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate
overnight. Serves 8.
Here’s another quickie from the cookbook to lighten your Thanksgiving workload:
Cherry Chill Salad
1 8-oz. package softened Cream Cheese
1 8-oz. jar Maraschino Cherries (chopped, reserving juice)
4 drops Red Food Coloring
1 8-oz. can drained Pineapple Tidbits
3 cups Miniature Marshmallows
1 cup chopped Pecans
1 cup Whipping Cream, stiffly whipped
1. In a large mixing bowl, pour cherry juice over cream cheese; cream
together. Blend in food coloring. Stir in cherries, pineapple, pecans, and
marshmallows, mixing thoroughly.
2. Gently fold in whipped cream, turn into a mold, and chill. Serves 10-12.
Used canned & drained sweet potatoes for this one & you’ll be done in a flash! (Also from The American Gourmet Collection Cookbook at AmericanGourmetCollection.com:
Pralined Sweet Potatoes
3 cups cooked, mashed Sweet Potatoes
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/3 cup Orange Juice
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly, and spread into a 2 quart
casserole dish. Sprinkle with praline topping (recipe follows) and bake at
350° for 45 minutes. Praline Topping: Combine 1 cup Brown Sugar, 1
teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/4 cup Butter and 1/2 cup chopped Pecans.
Serves 6.
Now, What Can I EAT??? Avocado Omelette for 2
0October 28, 2010
Well, we’re learning.
After 3 consecutive breakfasts of a healthy, low sodium oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins (with added 0 sodium Unsalted Butter and plain ‘ol sugar with a dash of Lactaid reduced-fat milk), my previously burrito-addicted husband is already screaming “MERCY!”
He suggested eggs and sausage. NO. Too much sodium. A few other vetoed ideas. Then, a new dish emerged from my newly-acquired knowledgebase. I have learned that the lowest sodium cheeses are Swiss and *Fresh* Mozzarella. Avocados and pimientos have 0 sodium. Onions’ sodium content is negligible. Unsalted Butter: 0 mg sodium. Oh, and “Mrs. Dash” will become your new BFF (0 sodium seasoning blends, found in the spice section of your favorite grocery store or online at AMAZON).
And here we have an Avocado Omelette for 2:
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, divided
1/4 cup diced White Onion
1-2 tablespoons Pimiento (if you’re trendy, this is also known as “Roasted Red Peppers”)
1 slice Swiss Cheese, cut in strips (Albertson’s brand, 35 mg sodium).
5 Cage Free Eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb seasoning
1/2 nicely ripe California Avocado, peeled and cut into strips
1. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until translucent.
2. Sprinkle in about 1/3 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb seasoning.
3. Add pimientos, stir 1 minute over heat, then remove from heat & set aside.
4. Heat a clean omelette pan (I love my Chantal Enamel-on-Steel 8-Inch Omelet Pan, Cobalt Blue
5. When butter is evenly melted & spread over the bottom of the pan, gently pour in the egg mixture. Cooking time varies. I hope you know how to make an omelette, but if you don’t, leave a COMMENT & I’ll post more detailed instructions. BTW, there’s no shame in not knowing; the shame comes from never asking “how do I do that?”
6. After omelette has set and top is drying nicely, arrange the Swiss Cheese strips evenly over omelette & cover with a see-through lid. Continue to cook about a minute, then remove from heat. I like to let my omelettes rest, covered, for 3-4 minutes).
7. When cheese is melted and top of omelette is completely cooked, spread onion/pimiento mixture evenly over omelette, sprinkle with a little more Mrs. Dash Onion/Herb, then top 1/2 of the omelette with the sliced avocado.
8. Flip one half over the other, cut in two to serve, and remove each half to its respective plate.
Approximate sodium content per serving: 180 mg sodium (mostly from the eggs!)
We enjoyed this with one piece of toasted Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread (100 mg sodium) topped with unsalted butter. Best to forego the toast if you are severely restricting your sodium.
If you opt for toast, approximate sodium intake per person: 280 mg sodium.
Yum! I can do this. And, by the way, after just 2 days of reducing dietary sodium intake, my husband is feeling much, much better and more energetic. He has lost 5 pounds since Monday morning (it’s early Thursday afternoon).
Cookbook Site: New Address
0It’s been a busy week; in the process of meeting yet another deadline, so I don’t have time for extensive posting today.
However, I did have a chance to migrate our American Gourmet Collection Cookbook site to a new server and new domain address over the weekend; check it out here.
Every chapter description includes a sample recipe from that chapter. There’s also a link to the book on Amazon, so you can get yours with a quick mouseclick.
Have fun and I’ll blog more here later in the week!
American Gourmet: Exquisite Stuffed Pork Chops
0Here’s another simple, yet delicious recipe from our cookbook, The American Gourmet Collection (available at Amazon.com).
This is an impressively flavorful, simple, step-by-step dish that will quickly become a favorite—pork chops stuffed with a savory bleu cheese and mushroom dressing–
Happy Cooking!
Exquisite Stuffed Pork Chops
4 Pork Chops, 1-1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon minced Onion
1/4 cup finely sliced fresh Mushrooms
1/2 cup crumbled Bleu Cheese
3/4 cup fine Dry Bread Crumbs
Dash Salt
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Carefully slit a pocket in the side of pork chops with a very sharp knife.
3. Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet. Saute onion and mushrooms for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in bleu cheese, bread crumbs, and salt.
6. Stuff each pork chop with dressing, and secure with toothpicks.
7. Place stuffed pork chops in a baking pan on their edges, so that the cut sides are vertical.
8. Bake at 325° for 60-70 minutes, or until pork chops are done.
Serves 4.
American Gourmet: Poppy Seed Bread
1June 20, 2010
by Kerri
in Quick Breads
Here’s just one of the 320 recipes from my cookbook, The American Gourmet Collection Cookbook (available at Amazon, of course!).
Poppy Seed Bread
The flavoring amounts look like a misprint, but they are absolutely correct (yes, TABLESPOONS). This bread has an intense flavor, yet it’s not overpowering. A true old-fashioned classic, its flavors intensify and only continue to improve with time (i.e. delicious right after baking and cooling, but even BETTER when paired with a great cup of coffee for breakfast the next morning). Enjoy!
3 cups Flour
2-1/4 cups Sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
3 beaten Eggs
1-1/2 cups Milk
1-1/4 cups Vegetable Oil
1-1/2 tablespoons Poppy Seed
1-1/2 tablespoons Vanilla
1-1/2 tablespoons Almond Extract
1-1/2 tablespoons Butter Flavoring
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together eggs, milk, and oil.
4. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients, just until moistened. Add poppy seed, vanilla, almond extract, and butter flavoring, stirring until well combined.
5. Pour into 2 greased 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake at 350ø for 50-60 minutes, until bread tests done. Pour glaze over hot bread while still in pans, and allow to stand for 1 hour. Yield: 2 loaves.
Glaze for Poppy Seed Bread:
3/4 cups Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/4 cup Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1. Mix sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan.
2. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.
3. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, stir in flavorings, and pour over bread loaves.
Wonderful Christmas Cookie Recipe
0Here’s a great cookie recipe for the Christmas season: Butter Crumbles.
These are a rich, delicious cookie, rolled in a wonderfully fragrant confectioner’s sugar after baking. Happy Holidays!
It’s from our cookbook, The American Gourmet Collection
Butter Crumbles
1/4 Vanilla Bean
1 cup sifted Confectioners Sugar
1 cup Walnut Meats
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
3/4 cup Sugar
1. The night before baking cookies: Chop vanilla bean by pulverizing in a blender or food processor with about one tablespoon confectioners sugar. Mix vanilla paste with remaining confectioners’ sugar. Cover and let stand, preferably overnight. Reserve while cookies are baked.
2. The next day: Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Cut walnuts as finely as possible with a very sharp knife (or use a food processor for best results).
4. Combine flour and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix walnuts, butter, granulated sugar and flour/cornstarch mixture with clean fingers until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Shape about a teaspoonful of the cookie dough into a small ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, gently press flat with the palm of your hand to make a small circle. Repeat until sheet is full. Allow about one inch between cookies.
6. Bake at 350° until lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for one minute, then dip cookies in the prepared vanilla sugar and cool completely. Yield: 3 dozen.