Cinnamon White Chocolate Chip Cookies (low-fat and cholesterol free)

What You'll Need:
2 1/4c. all-purpose white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2c. light brown sugar
1/2c. white sugar
3/4c avocado meat, mashed (about 1 1/2 haas avocados)
1/2c applesauce
1 (3oz) box instant vanilla instant pudding
1/2c egg substitute
1/4c white chocolate chips
1 Tbs cinnamon

What to Do:
Preheat oven at 350.
In a small sized bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon together and set aside.  In a separate bowl, blend the brown sugar, white sugar, mashed avocado, applesauce and pudding mix together until smooth. Add in egg substitute and blend well.  Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, until set. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, until well blended.  Last, mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonful onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes until lightly golden brown.  The cookies may look a bit lighter in color than regular cookies.


Tips:
* You can use wheat flour in place of white, the cookies may be a bit more dry
* If you prefer, you can add in up to 1/2c white chocolate chips, I like to keep the amount a bit lower, to reduce the overall fat/sugar content.

Green Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving

What You'll Need:
1 c baby spinach leaves
1/4 c fresh sweet pineapple
1/2 c. orange juice
1 small clementine
1 1/2" banana, frozen

What To Do:
Place all ingredients in blender; blend until smooth.

Nutrition Information is an estimate
 based off of an online tool

Spinach and Chicken Phyllo Bake

Yield: 8 servings

What You'll Need:
1/2 package Phyllo dough, thawed (about 16-20 full sheets)
1/3 c egg substitute
1/3 c non-fat milk
1 tsp olive oil

For the Meat Mixture:
1lb ground chicken breast or turkey meat, thawed or fresh
1/2 c white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1/2 tsp Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 c water
1 tsp olive oil

For the Spinach Mixture:
16 c baby spinach
1/2 c low-fat feta cheese
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c egg substitute
1 tsp dry parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

What To Do:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

For Spinach Mixture:
Place spinach in a medium-large pot, add olive oil, parsley flakes, salt and garlic powder. Cook over medium-high heat until tender (approx. 3-4 mins). Add feta cheese and cook until mixed well. Add egg substitute and cook for additional 1-2 minutes, or until cooked, over medium heat. Set aside.

For Meat Mixture:
Heat olive oil in large non-stick frying pan or shallow pot. Saute bell pepper, onion and celery for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat. Add ground chicken (or turkey) meat and all spices and lemon juice; mix well. Reduce heat slightly (between medium and medium-high) and add water. Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Add meat mixture to spinach mixture; mix until well blended.

  

  

In a bowl, whip 1/3c egg substitute, 1/3 c non-fat milk and olive oil together, until well blended.  Lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with olive oil. Layer 10 sheets of phyllo dough, one by one, lightly brush each sheet with egg/milk mixture. Evenly spread spinach/meat mixture over phyllo dough sheets. Continue to layer the remaining sheets of phyllo dough (brushing each sheet with milk/egg mix). Once all sheets have been used, lightly spray the last sheet (one on top) with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into 8 servings.

  

Nutrition Information is an estimate 
based off of an online tool.

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

What You'll Need:
2 1/4 tsp all spice
2 tsp salt
2 Tbs garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

What To Do:
Mix all ingredients together. Store in airtight container. Tastes great on grilled or pan seared Chicken and fish.

Aloo "Keema" (vegetarian curried meatless-ground "beef" with potatoes)

What You'll Need:
1/4 c. finely chopped white onions
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder (can adjust amount for more/ess heat)
3/4 c non-fat yogurt, whipped
3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 pack Morning Star Meal Starter Crumbles (or any soy ground "beef"), thawed
1/2 tsp salt, divided
3-4 whole cloves
1 tsp paprika
3-4 green cardamom
1 black cardamom
1tbs coriander powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala (you can find this at any Indian store)
2 tbs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 c water
1 golden potato, cubed (approx. 1")

What To Do:
In a large pot saute the garlic powder in the olive oil over medium-high heat, until golden brown. Add fresh chopped onion, 1/4 tsp salt, chili powder, green and black cardamoms with 1-2tbs water. Continue to saute for 2-3 minutes over medium heat; if mixture begins to dry add additional water so it doesn't burn. Once onions begin to turn soft turn heat to high and add yogurt, stirring constantly (make sure the pot has heated up before adding yogurt).  Reduce heat to medium-high and add chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and 2 cups of water. Adjust heat so mixture remains at a steady simmer. Cover and cook until tomatoes are tender (approximately 5-10 mins). While the mixture cooks, begin preparing the "beef".

In a separate bowl, combine the soy ground "beef", 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1-1.5 tbs non-fat yogurt, coriander powder, and Garam Masala and fresh coriander leaves. Mix well.

Add "beef" mixture and potatoes to the simmering sauce. Continue to cook (covered) on med-fast simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. After about 20 minutes remove the lid and adjust the heat a bit, if needed, to evaporate any liquid left. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until most of the excess liquid has evaporated. Taste; add salt if needed.

Garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with rice or naan.

Meatless "Beef" Pastries (Low-Fat, No-Cholesterol)

Yield: 24 pastries

What You'll Need:
1 pack Yves Meatless Ground (Soy-based meatless ground "beef")
1 Tbs (heaping) ground coriander powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 c. yellow onion, chopped
1/4 c. water
salt to taste

8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1 can olive oil spray
mini muffin tray


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium sized sauce pan or non-stick frying pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic powder and saute until golden brown.  Add meatless ground product and saute for about about a minute over medium-high heat.  Add in remaining spices, water and chopped onions. continue to cook over medium heat until water is evaporated (about 7-10 minutes).  Taste and add salt if desired (I added about 1/4 tsp).



Once the "meat" is cooked begin working with the phyllo dough. First, lightly spray the mini muffin tray with olive oil or low calorie butter spray.  Layer 4 sheets of phyllo dough on top of each other, lightly spraying each layer with olive oil.  Cut the sheets into 12 squares (cut in to 4 sections horizontally and 3 vertically).  Place each square (should have 4 layers) into the muffin tray.  Repeat this with the remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough.

 

Place about 1 tsp of the "meat" mixture inside each of the phyllo dough squares, fold the corners over to seal the "meat" inside as you go.  Spray lightly with olive oil or with one spray of low calorie butter spray; with your finger make sure the top of the pastry is slightly moist with either the butter spray or oil.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Tips:
* Try using ground chicken breast instead of soy "meat" for a change in taste
* Store in the refrigerator. To reheat cold pastries, place on metal tray in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes

Nutrition Information is an estimate based 
on an online tool.Serving size is per pastry

Strawberry-Avocado Muffins

Yield: 14 muffins

What You'll Need:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (about 300 grams)
1 c. chopped strawberries
3/4 c. fat-free milk
1/2 c. avocado, mashed (about 1 haas avocado)
3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. egg whites
12 foil-lined cupcake liners (muffins will stick to paper liners)

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium sized bowl combine flour, sugars, baking powder and cinnamon.  Add chopped strawberries and toss well.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, avocado, egg whites and vanilla until well blended. There may be some chunks of the avocado left, try to break them up as much as you can. Mix milk/avocado mixture and flour mixture together until well blended.  Bake 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and tops spring back when touched.

Nutrition information is an estimation of
 1 serving; based off of an on-line tool

Spicy Tempeh Salad

Yield: 3 servings 

What You'll Need:

1 package Home style Tempeh - spicy veggie (I got mine from Whole Foods)

1 (8 oz) canned corn

1 c. green leaf lettuce, chopped

1/4 c. red cabbage, chopped

1/4 c. crushed olives (about half of a 4 oz can)

2 Tbs diced red onion

2 Tbs diced green onion

2 Tbs diced red bell pepper

2 Tbs minced cilantro

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce 

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp rice vinegar (optional)

Sweet and spicy spring roll dipping sauce (made with red chillies, garlic, vinegar, etc; can be found in Asian section of grocery store)

Shredded soy cheese (to sprinkle on top)

What To Do:

Cut tempeh into 1/2" cubes; saute over med-high heat with olive oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce in a frying pan for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Once tempeh is cooked, remove from heat.  Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, combine corn, lettuce, cabbage, olives, red onion, green onion, bell pepper and cilantro; mix well.  Add in cooked tempeh and toss.  Before eating, drizzle sweet and spicy dipping sauce over salad as a dressing and sprinkle with a little bit of soy cheese. 

Tips:

*If you prefer, you can also grate or crumble the tempeh instead of cutting in to cubes

*To give the tempeh a slightly smoked flavor, try adding 1/4 tsp liquid smoke

*Try adding 1/2c cooked quinoa (boiled in 1c. veggie broth for about 15-20 mins) for added flavor and protein 

*You can mix the dressing into the salad before serving-- you will need about 3 1/2 Tbs, or to taste of dressing for the entire salad.

*This is a spicy salad! If you don't like food with too much heat, try regular flavored tempeh instead of spicy

Nutrition facts are an estimation of
1 serving; based off of an on-line tool