Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chicken Tetrazzini
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups sliced mushrooms (16 ounce package)
1/4 cup dry sherry (or red wine)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 cup light cream cheese
4 cups hot cooked whole wheat spaghetti
Tiny pinch of nutmeg
3-4 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup whole wheat panko
2 tablespoons parsley
Preheat oven to 350°. Heat olive oil in large stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, and mushrooms. Sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute. Remove vegetable mixture, including any liquids, from pan.
Melt the butter in the pan. Gradually add the flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually add 1 cup of the broth, continuing to whisk until all the lumps are gone. Stir in the remaining broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add the pasta, chicken, and nutmeg and stir until blended. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.Pour the mixture into a large baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine the panko, parsley and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
This recipe comes from the mommy porch. I just love her title: ‘Seduce your man with Chicken Tetrazzini’. Well, even if this isn’t the most seductive or attractive dish, it certainly is yummy. The kids enjoyed the noodles and I liked the ‘adult’ flavour of the sherry (I actually used wine and it worked wonderfully). I love one-dish meals and I think this is a great one to add to my repertoire. Thanks Lynn from the mommy porch!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sugar Cookies
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Powdered Sugar Icing (optional)
Decorative sprinkles and/or small candies (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill about 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4-1/2- to 6-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.
If desired, prepare Powdered Sugar Icing. Spread and/or pipe the icing (if using) onto cookies. If desired, top iced cookies with sprinkles and/or candies. Makes 14 to 16 cookies.
Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl, combine 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in 2 tablespoons milk. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches spreading consistency. If desired, tint with paste food coloring.
December is almost here, so Cole and I are getting ready for Christmas!
He's been so excited about Christmas, pretty much since Halloween ended. He asks me all the time if we can make Christmas cookies. We made gingerbread cookies not that long after Halloween, and decorated them with Halloween candy. I froze half of them to decorate closer to Christmas. I don't have any pictures of them because we ate them too fast. When I defrost the second half I'll make sure to take photos and write a post on them. For now I'll post about our sugar cookies. On the day of our first snowfall of the season, Cole and I made these sugar cookies together. Cole had so much fun stirring up he dough, licking the beaters, rolling out the dough, cutting the shapes, decorating the cookies, and best of all...eating the cookies! Cut-out cookies are great for making with kids because they're not too difficult and encourage kids to get creative with decorating. I thought this recipe produced a very nice cookie. The dough was fairly easy to work with as long as you make sure to chill it well, and the cookies had a nice taste and texture. I cooked them for 7 mintues because I like mind a bit chewy. The icing also worked great. We just spread it on with baby spoons, or drizzled it on the cookies. I'd imagine these cookies would freeze just fine if you wanted to do that. They got eaten up too fast at my house so I didn't get a chance to test that theory.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Pumpkin Cake
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
In a medium bowl, combine oil, vanilla, honey, sugar, eggs and pumpkin. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients, mix well, then combine with wet ingredients. Mix until blended. Bake at 350F in a greased round cake pan for 25-30 minutes. Top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, below.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese
6 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Combine ingredients and beat until smooth.
This cake was a big hit with all three of my guys, and me too! Cole has been asking me a lot if I can make this again, so I think another one of these pumpkin cakes will be making an appearance in our house in the near future. It was delicious and moist, and I liked that it had some healthy ingredients hidden in there as well.
-Recipe adapted from Feed Me, I'm Yours: Baby Food Made Easy! Over 200 Recipes- Delicious, Nutritious, & Fun Things You Can Cook Up for Your Kids
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Apple Chips
4 Gala apples
Slice apples very thinly. You can peel and core them if you like but I didn't. I placed my apples whole through a food processor with the slicer attachment. Line 2 baking sheet parchment paper and arrange apples on paper. Or line with aluminum foil and place cooling racks on top, then arrange apple slices on the racks. Bake in oven at 225F for about 2 hours, flipping apples half-way through baking time.
These chips were so good! I took the lazy approach by not peeling or slicing, and they actually turned out great that way. The core made a pretty star shape in the centre of a lot of them. For the ones that didn't have that shape, I cut out different shapes in the centre before baking them, like triangles, circles and squares. You could sprinkle the apples with cinnamon and sugar, but I thought the Gala apples were tasty and sweet just how they were. These literally only lasted about 10 minutes in my house. We all ate them up, but I think Cole liked them the most! It was hard to get a photo without his hand in the way stealing the chips.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Whole Chicken in a Crockpot
Cut all the meat from the bones (don't throw out the bones, onion, or liquid in the crockpot- we'll get to that soon). Put some of the chicken aside for soup the next day, and have the rest for dinner. We enjoyed our chicken with veggies and Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes (so delicious!).
Now, put the bones and onion back in the crockpot with the chicken juices. Break up some of the bones if you can. Add enough water to cover the bones, then 1 tsp of vinegar and cook on low heat overnight.
In the morning, pour the broth through a strainer to remove the bones. Place broth in the fridge. By the end of the day the fat should have hardened on top so you have remove it easliy with a slotted spoon. Now you have a tasty chicken broth for your soup.
Chicken Soup
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
5-6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup of your favourite pasta
1 cup (more or less) of cooked chopped chicken
Heat oil on medium heat in a dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add oregano, basil, poultry seasoning, pepper and salt. Stir and cook for another minute. Pour in your homemade chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, until pasta is soft. Add chicken and reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if desired.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Fruit-Filled Mini Cereal Bars, Revisted
Filling:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1/4 cup water or juice
Dough:
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
In a saucepan on medium-high heat, simmer the filling ingredients until the fruit is soft. Blend until smooth and thick with an immersion blender.
While the filling cools, make your dough. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, flax, wheat germ and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter utnil mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and form a ball with the dough. Add more flour as necessary if it's too sticky. On a floured surface, take half the dough at a time and roll it out into a rectangular shape with about 1/8" thickness. Cut the dough into long strips with about a 3" width. Spread a thin layer of filling down the centre of the strips. Fold the strips over and seal the edges shut. Cut the strips into 3" bars. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet at bake at 350F for 16-18 minutes.
Makes about 18-20 bars.
Here is the original recipe for comparison: Fruit Filled Mini Cereal Bars. I liked the idea of this cereal bar and I was happy with the original filling, but the dough needed some work. Many people found it too hard to work with and too chewy. I decided to attempt them again with a major overhaul to the dough part of the recipe. Although I like applesauce, honey, and oats, they were making the dough too sticky so I had to omit them this time. For this new recipe I used brown sugar for sweetness instead of honey and applesauce, and flax and wheatgerm for added nutrition instead of quick oats. I also replaced the oil with butter that is cut into the flour, like a biscuit or pastry dough. I think this improved the texture a lot. So what did the kids think? Well, Cole wasn't impressed. I think it's because I used all whole wheat flour so the crust was a little tougher than if I had used all-purpose flour. Next time I'll try a combination of flours to see if it's more to Cole's liking. Bennett took one bite and handed it back to me. I think he just wasn't hungry, because when I gave it to him again a little while later he enjoyed it. As with any new recipe it is a work in progress but I think this version is at least an improvement. There is probably some more tweaking to do but it's getting there. Please try it and let me know what you think, I really appreciate the feedback!
Oh, and I made some of them with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. So cute! I might do more of them like that next time.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Low-Fat Cheesecake Squares
1 1/2 cups crushed low-fat graham crackers
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg white
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup light cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray an 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix togetter graham crumbs and sugar. Add egg white and stir until well blended. Press crumb mixture firmly over bottom and part way up sides of pan. Bake for about 8 minutes, until edges feel firm and dry. Do not overbake. Set aside to cool and reduce oven to 300F.
In blender, process cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, flour, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla and process again until smooth.
Pour cheese mixture into pie crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until edges are dry to touch and center jiggles only slightly when pan is shaken. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving. Slice into 16 small squares.
It looks a bit yellowish in my photos because I use omega-3 eggs which have extremely orange yolks. If you use regular eggs it should be more white than mine. I know it says not to overbake the crust, but guess what? I overbaked the crust. Despite my blunder, this was still a very tasty dessert. Or I thought so anyways. Tony took some with him to work and I think he enjoyed it too. The kids didn't really like it as much as the adults. I tried topping it with strawberry sauce to entice them, but they both left most of it uneaten. Oh well, more for me!
-Recipe adapted from Looneyspoons (Say 'Cheesecake')
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Moroccan Lentil Pie
4 cups of Lentil and Vegetable Tagine
4 sheets phyllo pastry
1 tsp butter, melted
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp parsley flakes
Spray a 2-quart round glass baking dish with cookiing spray. Overlap sheets of phyllo across the dish to cover entire bottom and sides of dish. Combine feta, parmesan and eggs. Pour into the bottom of the dish. Pour tagine over cheese mixture. Combine butter and olive oil in a small bowl. Bring each layer of phyllo over the filling, brushing butter/oil mixture as you go. Brush remaining butter/oil on top. Sprinkle with parsley, then cover with foil and bake at 375F for 50 minutes.
For those of you who have tried my Lentil and Vegetable Tagine, you know it makes a lot of food. My family didn't like it much at all, so I was stuck with tons of leftovers. I had to try to turn it into something new and hopefully tastier so my family would eat it. That's why I came up with this recipe. TOny and Bennett seemed to really enjoy it, but Cole wasn't fooled. He said 'hey, there are lentils in this, yuck!' I didn't even realize he knew what lentils were. Well apparently he does, and he also knows he doesn't like them. I was on a lentil kick there a while and I may have overdone it. So I'm taking a little break from lentils in hopes that when I do cook them again he'll give them another chance. I can always hope, right?
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Doro Wat
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps butter
3 large onions, diced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups chicken broth
8 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and sliced, to add later)
Empty the can of tomatoes into a 6-quart slow cooker. Put in the chicken thighs, lemon juice, butter, onion, and spices. Pour in the water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (high for 4 to 5) until onions are soft and translucent and the chicken is cooked through and begun to fall apart. Ladle into a wide-mouth bowl and place egg slices into each dish.
I probably should have titled my version of this recipe as 'Doro Wat for Wimps'. Apparently for this stew to be more authentic you should use at least a tablespoon of cayenne pepper. A TABLESPOON?? We must be serious sissies at my house because even the meager half-teaspoon proved to be too much for us. Cole declared this meal too spicy to eat, and Bennett kept sticking his tongue out and saying 'bleh', which I think we can assume translates into 'too spicy' or possibly 'yucky.' Either way, it was bad according to Bennett. My initial thought had been to leave the eggs out, but I'm glad I didn't since it turned out to be their favourite part of this meal! Everyone loved the eggs so much that I'm wondering if I should be serving hardboiled eggs more often. Tony and I enjoyed the stew itself too, but I have to admit I did find it hot. It wasn't unbearably hot, but not far from my limit. The flavours were incredible though and thought it was a wonderful taste experience. This stew was a great introduction to Ethiopian cuisine for me, and I'd be interested in trying some more Ethiopian recipes in the future.
-Recipe adapted from A Year of Slowcooking
Friday, November 12, 2010
Whole Orange Muffins
1 whole orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 400F; spray a muffin tin (12) with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the orange into quarters, leaving the peel on. Remove seeds if there are any. Put orange quarters in food processor along with orange juice and process until pureed. Add egg, oil and applesauce into food processor and combine; pour into large bowl. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture. Stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.
I really enjoy the combination of orange and chocolate. That's why I always love getting chocolate oranges for Christmas. So I thought these muffins were delicious. I was a little skeptical about keeping the orange peel on, but it really does work nicely. It gave the muffins such a vibrant taste of orange. The boys really liked these muffins too. In fact, I have a video clip to prove that Cole liked them very much!
-Recipe adapted from Food.com
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Stoplight Corn Chowder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups corn
1 cup navy beans
2 vegetable bouillion squares
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Optional garnish: crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, and/or sliced green onions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pepper and onions and saute in heated oil until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in corn and beans. Crumble boullion and sprinkle flour over top of veggies and beans. Add milk and water, whisking over medium heat until chowder begins to thicken. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Garnish, if desired, before serving.
I saw this chowder on the Family Kitchen blog and they had a neat idea to play Red Light, Green Light at the dinner table while eating it. When you say 'green light' everyone can eat, and when you say 'red light' everyone must stop and say something about their day or something nice about another family member. I thought that was such a nice way to make a healthy meal more fun while creating meaningful family time. Bennett is still too young to understand this game, but I figured Cole might have fun with it. He liked the idea, but every time I said green light he would immediately say red light so he wouldn't have to eat anything. Needless to say he did not like this soup. The rest of us loved it though. It's so easy and quick to make too! I altered the recipe a little by adding beans to give it more substance and protein, and also increased the amount of vegetables and cheese. It's a good, thick, and hearty soup that's perfect for a cold evening when you want something warm and comforting to stick with you.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Caramel-Apple Pudding Cake
2 medium tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (2 cups)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish; arrange apple slices in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top evenly with raisins; set aside. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add milk, the 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla; mix well. Spread batter evenly over apple mixture. Combine caramel topping, water, and the 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan; bring to boiling. Pour caramel mixture over the batter in the baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until set in center. Spoon warm individual servings into dessert dishes, inverting each portion. Spoon caramel-apple mixture from the pan over each portion.
I felt like having apple pie one day, but I didn't have the right ingredients, and also I'm a horrible pie-maker. Every time I try to make a pie, something goes wrong. The real kicker is that my little brother is the best pie-maker ever. He clearly inherited some pie-gene that I did not. So I flipped through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and found this recipe. It`s basically an apple version of the brownie pudding recipe that I like to make. I served it warm and topped with vanilla ice cream. It was so amazingly good! Everyone ate it up and wanted more. I followed the original recipe pretty closely, other than cutting down on the sugar. It was still plenty sweet so you could cut it down even more if you wanted. I also didn't put nuts in my version, but you could certainly add them if you wanted to. It`s a nice and easy alternative to apple pie if you happen to be bad at making pies like I am. Even if you`re a great maker of pies (like my brother), you should still give this dessert a try.
Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Monday, November 8, 2010
Curried Chicken and Broccoli Crepes
Crepes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
1 tsp butter
In a bowl, cobine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add eggs. While whisking, gradually add milk and water, whisking until mixture is smooth.
Heat small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and brush over bottom of pan. Once the skillet is hot, lift it up and quickly pour 1/8 cup of batter onto the pan, swirling the batter immediately to form a circular crepe. Return to heat and cook until edges begin to curl, then flip and cook the other side for a few seconds, until golden. Set aside. Repeat with remaining batter.
Curried Chicken and Broccoli Crepes
2 tsp butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups chopped and cooked broccoli
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
12 crepes
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add flour, curry powder and salt. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring to boiling while whisking. Reduce heat and stir in chicken, broccoli, and sour cream.
Place mixture across center of each crepe. Roll up and place seam-side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
I'll be honest; this was a lot of work. I would probably just buy pre-made crepes next time, but it was nice to be able to say I made crepes from scratch. It's a bit tricky and I couldn't get them exactly circular but at least they tasted okay. Tony would say much better than okay! He really loved this meal and told me it was a really good idea. He must have had about 3 helpings that night, and then ate the remaining crepes the next day. This recipe makes a lot of food so that's no small feat for him. Bennett also really liked the crepes, as did I. Cole didn't want to try any of it I think we eventually got him to eat a few pieces of broccoli but that was it. Tony was probably happy about that though, because it meant more for him!
-Recipe adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Recipe at Weelicious: http://weelicious.com/2010/10/05/cottage-cheese-pancakes/
I love cottage cheese in pancakes, as you'll see from my Mish-Mash pancake recipe, so when I saw this recipe on Weelicious I knew they would be really tasty. They did not disappoint. Cole was skeptical at first and was really unhappy that I was deviating from our usual blueberry pancakes shaped like letters that spell his name. Then I didn't flip one quite right and it folded over on itself. Well Cole thought that was the most hilarious thing because it looked like a mini-omelet. He really wanted to eat that one so I gave it to him, and low and behold he liked it and asked for more!
Just a tip, do not make them any bigger than the 1 tbsp of batter suggested. They're really hard to flip if they're too big. Plus, the kids really enjoy the mini pancakes.
Here's a video clip of the boys eating their pancakes. Even though Cole is grumpy about not getting the pancakes he wanted, he is clearly enjoying these ones, just slightly begrudgingly. I'll translate 'Bennettish' for you: Dole = Cole. Toast = Pancakes.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Quinoa Coconut Granola Bites
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1 cup rolled large flake oats
½ cup coconut (shredded, unsweetened)
½ cup natural almond butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 170 F. Combine the cooled, cooked quinoa (make sure it has completely cooled) with the oats, coconut, and cinnamon. Combine the almond butter, honey, vanilla, and flax. Add dry mixture to the wet ingredients and combine well. Fold in chocolate chips.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray them with cooking spray). Scoop tablespoons of mixture onto the baking sheet and press down firmly with your fingers so it is compact. You can also scoop them into a small cookie cutter to form fun shapes. Bake for 1 hour.
When I saw this recipe on All Ways Nutritious I was excited to try it. As I was making them, I thought they seemed familiar. Then I realized I had first seen this on Simple Spoonfuls' blog post on New Moon Quinoa Coconut Cookies, and had liked the idea of combining quinoa and coconut to form a cookie. That's when I came up with my own recipe for Quinoa Coconut Cookies. So no wonder I liked this recipe when I saw it again on All Ways Nutritious. What really caught my eye was the heart shapes. What a great idea to mold them using a cookie cutter, it's brilliant! I made these when we had some friends over for a playdate and the kids went nuts over them. They tasted amazing and they loved the bite-sized heart shapes. We couldn't stop eating them. They're full of healthy ingredients too, so it's something parents can feel good about serving to their kids.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Pumpkin Cran-Apple Loaf
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 2 8x4 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flours, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl beat together eggs, maple syrup, pumpkin, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fold in apples and cranberries. Divide batter evenly between loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool.
I made this for an afternoon snack one Saturday and it disappeared pretty quickly. Cole loves any kind of loaf. His favourite is still banana loaf, but he seemed to like this one too. Bennett liked the cranberries the best; he picked them out first. Tony and I liked it too, it was a great snack made with some of my favourite fall foods.
My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” 
