Reduced-Fat Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Reduced-Fat Cranberry Almond Biscotti

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 T light olive oil
• 2 T nonfat evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup Splenda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed (soaked in 1/3 cup hot water)
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil, milk, Splenda and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the flax. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into flax mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Bran Muffins

Bran Muffins

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups wheat bran
• 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cups nonfat organic yogurt
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup honey, preferably a light honey such as clover
• 2 tablespoons melted Smart Balance Light
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees, racks in the middle.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, wheat bran, salt, baking soda and sugar.
3. Beat together the yogurt, egg white, honey, and Smart Balance Light in a second larger bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients and fold in until everything comes together. Fold in any optional add-ins, raisins, nuts, and the like. Resist overmixing.
5. Either grease a mini-muffin tin with butter or line the tin with small muffin papers. Fill each 3/4 full.
6. Bake 10 -15 minutes, until muffins are golden on top and cooked through. You can also make larger muffins in a standard size muffin pan with this batter, you just need to bake them about 5 minutes longer.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

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INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Adapted from The Food Librarian

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INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/3 cup fat-free plain organic yogurt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened soymilk
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup Smart Balance Light

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
2. Add the egg substitute, yogurt, soymilk, applesauce, berries, and zest. Mix gently until just combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Cut in the Smart Balance Light until clumpy.
5. Pour batter into 12 muffin tins and top with crumble mixture.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Banana Cranberry Bread

Banana Cranberry Bread
Adapted from Joy the Baker

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 splash rum extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. With a spoon, mix applesauce into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and rum extract. Add the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
4. Add the flour and mix. Add 1 cup of cranberries and stir until just incorporated.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining cranberries over top.
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Cranberry Apple Sauce

Cranberry Apple Sauce

Recipe from Cuisine At Home, Dec. 2008

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Gala apple, peeled and grated
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz.)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil cider, sugar, apple, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Add cranberries and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until berries burst and sauce thickens.
3. Stir in vinegar, season with salt, and chill at least 2 hours before serving. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead.)

Turkey Sausage and Chestnut Dressing

Turkey Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing

Adapted from Everyday Italian

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium green apple, cored and diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium red apple, cored and diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance Light
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 oz. dried cranberries
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage, meat removed from casing
• 10 oz. steamed whole chestnuts, roughly chopped
• 3/4 lb. day old cornbread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1-1/2 cup organic, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a medium saute pan add the apples, onion, 1 tablespoon oil and Smart Balance. Cook over a medium low heat for 10 minutes to soften.
3. Add the wine, cranberries, and salt and pepper, simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
4. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add turkey sausage meat and break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl toss together the fruit and onion mixture, the sausage, the chestnuts, the cornbread and red pepper flakes. Combine all the ingredients.
6. Add the chicken stock and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan.
7. Gently place into a casserole dish and top with the remaining Parmesan.
8. Place in middle rack and bake until top is golden brown, 45 minutes.

Macadamia Butter Bars with Cranberries and Toasted Coconut

Well, it's back to school time again! Ugh. Not fun for me. But, along with the dreaded daily imprisonment I am subjected to, comes delicious snacks!

I am a picky eater. It's a fact. If you look at my recipes, I think you already know that. Well, I don't eat cafeteria food and I don't take my own lunch. The latter would seem probable, right? Well, I have an affinity toward hot food and I despise waste. All of those little plastic baggies and brown sacks that are thrown away every day make me cringe. So, a year ago, I decided to get a Laptop Lunchbox. I love it to no end, but unfortunately it's a bit of a hassle to lug to school... plus I look like a definite dork whipping out my multicolored plastic containers and cloth napkin. On top of that (Oh yes, I am a complicated girl), I am often not hungry enough during school to wolf down a whole meal. So the solution? Snacks.

I don't think it's necessary to further expound on my fastidious eating habits*, so I will sum it up by saying that most storebought snacks are either too fatty, too sugary, or too insignificant to attract my eye (The exception, of course, being the saliva-inducing Larabar). Thus, I make my own! Full of nut butter, oats, dried fruit, flax, soy protein, etc., etc. And the best thing about bars? Sooo adaptable! This time I made a slightly tropical version which is insanely delicious. Reusable packing tip for small quantities of snacks: take an empty Altoids container, round or rectangular, wash it out, and fill it with goodies. It holds the food in while protecting it with a compact, rigid shape.

*So my economics teacher today thought that it would be a fun little experiment to start off the school year with one of those little true/false questionnaires which are obviously rigged. Anyway, all of the answers were supposedly false (skeptic as I am) but I don't know about one. It stated that it is importantly to research/study a product before you buy it. Well, of course I said true. After all, I am a bit of a perfectionist. To explain her reasoning, the teacher said, "Well, think about if you were in a grocery store. Are you going to thoroughly inspect every single thing you buy? No." Um, beg to differ! She obviously hasn't gone shopping with me. Honestly, I don't know why anyone in my family does. I can pore over nutrition facts and ingredients for hours, trying to find the best one. Even the lady at the health food store agreed with me! When I spent ten minutes trying to discern the differences between different brands of Vitamin D, my mother laughingly told a passing sales lady what I was up to. As the lady so logically explained in my defense, "It is good that she cares about what goes into her body." Right? I mean, I didn't want some fish oil from farmed, saturated-fat nastiness "nourishing" my body. (I settled for plant-based). So anyway, yeah. That's my little rant about fixed true/false questions. Things like that are entirely subjective and I place no stock in them. Although we did draw a pig that identified our personality type, which was pretty cool. (Yeah, I know that I sound like I am in kindergarten, but whatever.)

Macadamia Butter Bars with Cranberries and Toasted Coconut

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons macadamia butter (much of excess oil drained before stirring)
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 8 dried, pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 6 tablespoons rolled oats, divided
• 1 tablespoon texturized soy protein
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
• 6 tablespoons puffed brown rice cereal
• 1 heaping handful dried cranberries
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablepoon toasted coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Blend nut butter, agave nectar, and dates in a food processor until well combined. Add flax meal, 4 tablespoons rolled oats, TSP, and coconut. Whiz until blended but chunky.
3. Remove mixture to a separate bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons rolled oats, brown rice cereal, and cranberries. Taste at this point to determine whether it is sweet enough.
4. Mix in one egg white and press mixture into a greased 8x8 pan.
5. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top and gently press in.
6. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until the edges are crispy brown and the center is no longer moist.
7. Cool, cut into pieces, and reserve for snacks.