Tag: recipes

Cinnamon Walnut Zucchini Bread

I always find myself googling zucchini recipes this time of year when I have lots of it growing in my garden, but I always come back to the same-old, tried and true recipes, which include Zucchini Bread. I like Zucchini Bread because it’s a good way to get my kids to ingest zucchini which they would otherwise turn their noses up at (unless it was in quiche or frittata form! — but that’s another article . . . . ). I also like it because I love cake, and in my book, this sweetened bread falls into the cake category – similar to my Banana Bread.

And, in my forever quest to lighten up my traditional recipes, I decided to make some healthy substitutions including replacing white sugar with maple syrup, cutting the oil (which is generally 1 cup!) and substituting whole wheat flour. I also added mashed bananas for additional sweetness and included applesauce to not only moisten the cake, but to compensate for the reduced amount of oil.

I had my reservations, however. My main concern was that the batter would be way too dense. I feared the two loaves this recipe yields would be massive dry bricks, but to my surprise they ended up moist and delicious. Hooray!

Given my success, I can share my recipe with you, and you can share the recipe with your friends and delight in knowing that it’s a healthy bread. Not only does it contain zucchini, but it cuts out a lot of unnecessary processed ingredients. It also happens to be sweet enough to eat for breakfast or dessert — but not so sweet that you couldn’t serve it alongside lunch or dinner — so it’s versatile.

I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Walnut Zucchini Bread

Yield: Two loaves

2 cups zucchini (shredded and drained)
3 eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed, but you can use safflower or any other light oil)
2 over-ripe bananas, mashed (approximately 1 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease two loaf pans and set aside.

Grate zucchini and drain the excess water out of it with a paper towel or a clean dish towel. Set the zucchini aside.

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, oil, bananas and vanilla extract). Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt) and, once incorporated, add the zucchini and walnuts (which are optional). Stir until all of the ingredients come together nicely. Remember, the batter is quite thick, so don’t panic.

Divide the batter evenly amongst the two loaf pans. Bake, on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean (no residual batter). Let cool and serve.

Helpful Hint: If you don’t like walnuts, add another nut of choice, or skip the nuts altogether and add semi-sweet chocolate chips!

August 25, 2016
Kate’s No-Bake Granola Chewies

If you attended our Yoga & Wellness Retreat in Englewood, NJ earlier this month you would have experienced my first live cooking demonstration — and these delicious No-Bake Granola Chewies!

I’m always looking for quick, easy and healthy snacks for my kids, so a no-bake granola bar was a no-brainer. I just had to figure out how to achieve a granola bar consistency without baking.

Dates. Pitted dates are the answer. I have to tell you, and I shared this with the retreat participants, that I think dry pitted dates look just awful — they are in no way appetizing. HOWEVER, when you break them down in a food processor, they turn into a lovely, delicious paste that you can use to sweeten your baked goods. They are the glue — or one of the glues — holding these tasty granola bars together. They not only add sweetness and gooeyness, but they add lots of fiber and are chocked full of lots of good vitamins and minerals including calcium, folate, iron, vitamin A and vitamin K!

Peanut butter also helped to bind the bars and maple syrup added some additional sweetness. I personally like mini chocolate chips in mine, but you could certainly substitute the chips for dried fruit or coconut.

Wrap them up for school lunch or work lunch – or pop them into your gym back for a pre- or post-workout snack.

Enjoy!

Kate’s No-Bake Granola Chewies
Yields one 8×8 pan

1 cup of pitted dates, pulsed in a food processor
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of rolled oats (*I prefer toasted)
1/2 cup brown rice crisp cereal
1/3 cup almonds, whole or blanched, any kind you like — or another nut if you prefer
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (feel free to replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit or unsweetened coconut or anything else you’d like!)

Directions:

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and set aside. You can always spray the bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil if you find the paper or wrap is not adhering nicely to the pan.

Add the dates to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for about a minute, until the dates form a paste. I added a drop of water to help the process — but literally only a drop!

In a separate bowl, add the maple syrup and peanut butter. Mix to combine. If you find that your peanut butter is not loose enough, you can pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds.

Add the dates, oats, rice cereal, almonds and mini chocolate chips and mix until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and evenly distribute. I used a drinking glass to help flatten the mixture.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let them firm up in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes – or until very firm. Remove them from the refrigerator and invert the pan onto a cutting board and slice into any size that you like. I ended up cutting 24 small bars from mine.

*Helpful Hint: Try toasting your oatmeal for a nuttier flavor! Let them toast in the oven, on a baking sheet, for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, just until very lightly browned!

July 24, 2016
Grilled Pizza with Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil
Who doesn’t love pizza? It happens to be a mainstay at our house, especially on those busy nights, but store bought pizza has nothing on a delicious homemade grilled pizza. All you need is a grill and a few fresh ingredients.

We started grilling pizza a few years ago. We couldn’t believe how amazing it turns out — and we’ve been making this delicious treat ever since. I can guarantee you will never find a better tasting pie. It’s great for a family meal or for entertaining. You can dress it up any way that you’d like. You can make it with pre-made pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. But, today, I’m offering you one of my family’s favorite preparations which happens to include only seven fresh ingredients – tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, mozzarella cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pizza dough. It’s perfect for those lazy summers when turning on the stove is the last thing on your mind — and it happens to be an excellent recipe for the multitude of summer tomatoes in your garden. This pizza is like a grilled bruschetta — topped with melted cheese — but so much better than you would ever imagine. Mmmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

In order to make the recipe more manageable, I purchase the pizza dough. You can buy it from your local pizzeria or supermarket. I like to get mine at Trader Joe’s (which also happens to offer a whole wheat dough and an herbed dough option). However, for this pizza, I recommend an original dough — nothing fancy. Just enjoy the simplicity of the fresh ingredients.

The process is not complicated, it just involves a few steps. I’ve included some pictures below to help explain the process. Before you get started make sure you have the following tools on hand:
- BBQ grill
- Pastry brush for the olive oil
- Pizza peel or flat cutting boards for transferring dough to grill
- Tongs
- 2 large baking sheets
And, here is a visual breakdown of the steps — which I detail in the directions:

Grilled Pizza with Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil
Yields 2 pizzas

For the sauce:
20 ounces of tomatoes, chopped (grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, any kind you like)
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped

2 packages of store bought pizza dough (I used 16 ounce dough from Trader Joes)
12 ounces of mozzarella cheese (I use low moisture mozzarella cheese since the sauce is so loose, you don’t want extra water)
1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for the grill

Directions:

Preheat grill on high; coat grill grates with olive oil.

Assemble tomato sauce, combining chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper.

Slice mozzarella cheese and grate parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Roll dough out on a floured surface. Transfer dough to pizza peel (or a flat cutting board). Coat top of dough with olive oil.

Flip dough onto hot grill. Let it cook until bubbles form on top of dough — timing really all depends on width of dough — but 5 minutes is a good estimate. I usually close the grill for this part — but, if this is your first time making grilled pizza, keep an eye on the dough and the grill flame. You don’t want to burn the dough.

Once bubbles form, and the underside of dough is browned (with grill marks), flip the dough with tongs.

Top dough with tomatoes, cheeses — and salt and pepper if you’d like. Close grill lid and cook until the cheese melts and the bottom of the pizza is nice and brown and branded with grill marks — you are looking at another 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the dough.

Serve immediately.

Helpful hint: Make the pizza with a friend — or your partner. It helps to have an extra set of hands – especially if you plan on making more than one pizza.
July 11, 2015
Make Ahead Mother’s Day Brunch

Mother’s Day and brunch seem to go hand-in-hand.

So, if you are entertaining your mom this weekend, consider our Make Ahead Mother’s Day Brunch menu. It’s simple, healthy and delicious — and most of the heavy lifting can happen a day in advance.

We have put together some of our favorite breakfast recipes, including our Easy Baked Frittata, Banana-Oat Muffins, Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote and our Oatmeal Cake.

All or a few of these recipes would make a lovely brunch. Remember, it’s the thought that counts, and we guarantee any special mom in your life would be delighted with a brunch in her honor!

See below for pictures and access to the recipes.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Easy Baked Frittata

Banana-Oat Muffins

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Oatmeal Cake

May 8, 2015
Best Recipes of 2014

Over the past year, we shared many of our “go-to” recipes with you — simple-to-prepare, seasonal recipes that we regularly make for our own families.

We also created new dishes by experimenting with old family recipes that tasted great but were in need of a healthy makeover. We replaced white sugar with maple syrup. We swapped white flour for brown rice flour. We relied on cooking methods that yield the most taste — for example, roasting our veggies for optimal flavor.

We tried to present traditional recipes in a new way. We made pesto out of broccoli rabe (vs. basil). We offered a baked oatmeal for a spin on your go-to bowl of oats. We created a delectable dairy and gluten-free banana walnut frozen dessert. We even brought you a light and healthy take on a classic French dessert with our Apple Raisin Clafoutis.

As we say goodbye to 2014, we want to take a moment to recognize those dishes that really stood out, for us, and, we think for you too. We hope all of our recipes make it into your kitchen in 2015, but if you only choose a few, here are the ones that we consider our “best in class.”

Best Drink:

Best Breakfast:

Best Appetizer:

Best Salad:

Best Soup:

Best Side Dish:

Best Main Course:

Best Dessert:

December 31, 2014