HealthiFood Basic Brown Rice

Soaking brown rice is one of my biggest cooking secrets! I couldn't get my husband to touch the stuff before I came up with this. Feel free to add as much vegetable puree as your family will allow and to season your rice however you want. I even use this basic rice (purees and all) to make fried rice. Why go brown? Think whole grain and 3.5 g fiber per cup!

Combine in a rice cooker or pot:
 1 c brown rice
2 c water

Soak together, covered, all day, over night, or at least a few hours. When ready, cook rice according to package directions (on the stove or in a cooker) until excess water is boiled off.

Add and thoroughly combine:
2 T cauliflower puree
1 T butternut squash puree


Serve with your entree and enjoy!

HealthiFood Cooking Tip: Vegetable Purees

Just how do you make those vegetable purees my tomato sauce calls for? It's easy!

The goal with vegetable purees is to retain as much of the vitamin content as possible, which is why you'll notice I don't suggest boiling vegetables. Roasting preserves the most vitamin content, seconded by steaming. Whether roasting or steaming, the vegetables should be soft when poked with a fork in order to be done cooking. With steaming, I save the water left over to use later in soups or sauces that need water added. You'll notice the coloring of your leftover water as evidence of the vitamins steamed off your vegetables, so don't let that healthy water go to waste!

After roasting or steaming, run your cooked vegetables through a hardy blender or food processor, only adding enough water to allow them to blend up smoothly (you want maximum vegetable per bite--not watery). I use my leftover water from steaming for this too to put some of those vitamin back in my puree.

I keep my purees in the freezer by freezing them first in ice-cube trays and then popping them out into a ziplock back later. Each cube is about 1/8 c or 2 T, which allows for easy measuring and defrost when I need them for a recipe.

You can use baby food or canned vegetables to make purees as well. Baby food is already pureed for you. Canned vegetables you'll just need to blend up. However, baby food is really expensive and canned adds a lot of unneeded salt to your purees, but if you're in a hurry they are an option.

Here are some basic instructions for cooking your vegetables before blending them up into purees:

Broccoli
Cut into florets/chunks (I use most of the stalk as well). Steam for 6-7 minutes (it should still be bright green and a little firm).

Butternut Squash
Cut off stem and cut in half lengthwise. Roast on a foil-lined cookie sheet flesh-side down at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. Scoop out flesh and puree.

Carrots
Peel, trim ends, and cut into chunks. Steam for about 15 minutes.

Cauliflower
Steam florets for 8-10 minutes.

Baby Spinach
Steam for 30 seconds.

Image from Microsoft Clip Art.

Sweet Potato or Yams
Roast at 400 degrees for about 1 hour (Poke with a fork first so they don't explode). Peel before blending.

Yellow Summer Squash or Zucchini
Trim ends and cut into chunks. Steam 6-8 minutes.

White Bean Puree
No cooking required if using canned beans! Simply rinse and puree. If using dry beans, you will need to soak and fully cook before draining and pureeing.

HealthiFood Cooking Tip: Margarine or Butter?

We've all hashed through the argument, thousands of times. The fact is, less of both is better for you, which is part of the HealthiFood program. However, you will notice that some of my recipes use margarine or butter and that I don't care which. Here's why.

I was raised on butter. I feel better about because it is much more natural. However, margarine is a lot cheaper and has (a few) less calories so I use it sometimes. I don't use shortening much (as you can probably tell), and in most things I like to replace margarine and butter (after reducing the amount) with canola or olive oil.

So margarine or butter? In all honesty, if my recipe calls for it I most often use margarine to save money, unless I really want a wonderful taste (and am willing to pay for it) with butter. There are just a few recipes that I always make with 100% butter only: my mom's recipes for cornbread, sugar cookies, and snicker-doodles.

HealthiFood Basic Red Pasta Sauce

I've been developing this pasta sauce for many years. The added vegetable purees, based on the Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious programs, add richness, texture, and a lot of vitamins to your ordinary tomato sauce. The three tomato products (soup, sauce, and paste) are easily to substitute one for another if you happen to be out of one, but all three together create a fabulous creamy blend that is just right in flavor and consistency. The vegetables could be substituted one for another as well if you don't have them available, but the full blend gives you a good, healthy variety. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste as well. I like to add cooked and drained ground sausage for a quick spaghetti sauce. I compared my nutrition facts to Prego spaghetti sauce with these results: HealthiFood sauce has half the calories, 11% of the fat, 3 grams less sugar, and .3 grams more protein per half-cup serving compared to Prego. That's a success to me!



HealthiFood Basic Red Pasta Sauce
Makes a little more than 4 cups.

1/4 c butternut squash puree
1/4 c yam puree
1/4 c carrot puree
1/4 c zucchini puree (or cubes, if desired)
2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce (no salt added, if possible)
1 - 10.75 oz can tomato soup (lowfat, if possible)
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, if possible)

Blend ingredients together. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Freezes well. Warm on stove and add water to desired final thickness before serving. Serve on pasta, pizza, lasagna, with bread sticks, etc.

Chocohotopots

Warning: This is an addictive substance! And it's all Frieda's fault for sharing! This however is probably one of my best healthified chocolate recipes. It works so well and you won't believe that you can add that much flax and not tell a difference, but you can! It's amazing! The original recipe is from Nigella Lawson on Food Network (fancy, huh?), but I got it from Frieda Loves Bread. My alterations cut out 250 calories, 20 g fat, and 20 g sugar, and add 3 g fiber and 2 g protein per serving--not too shabby!

Chocohotopots

3 T butter or margarine
2/3 c semisweet chocolate chips
5 T ground flax seed meal
1/3 c white sugar
2 eggs
3 T whole wheat flour

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave until just melted (cook for 30 seconds at a time, stirring a lot between each 30 seconds). In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flax, and eggs. Add melted chocolate mixture. Add flour. Pour into four greased 3-4" ramekins or custard dishes. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees until pots are shiny and crispy on top (they will still be gooey in the middle, that's part of the beauty of it all).

Chewy Brownie Cookies

Oh, Joy, oh, Joy. These cookies were just what I was looking for: a chewy cookie that tastes like a chewy brownie. And, golden heaven, they worked so well healthified! Confession: sometimes my husband and I keep a bowl of dough in the fridge for several weeks so we can cook a dozen cookies any time we want. Original recipe "Chocolate Brownie Cookies" by King Arthur Flour but shared by Joy the Baker. My alterations chop the calories in more than half, fat content by two-thirds, sugar by half, and add .8 g fiber per serving/cookie.

Chewy Brownie Cookies

yields about 26 cookies

4/3 c semi sweet chocolate chips

2 T butter or margarine
1 T ground flax seed meal

2/3 c white sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c white flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

Melt chocolate and butter together in microwave until just melted (only put in for 30 seconds at a time and stir a lot between each 30 seconds).

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs. Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to make it easier to handle (or put the bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes, if you're impatient like me; sometimes I even scoop the cookies and then pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes to let the balls of dough firm up; this dough also keeps well in the fridge for several weeks).

Back tablespoon-sized drops of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 11-12 minutes. You want the bottoms to be just barely browned (don't over bake!) and a little shinyness and cracking on top. Best served warm.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Image from Microsoft Clip Art.

I'm in love with pumpkin! And it's so good for you: low calorie, high fiber, high in vitamins. I have been searching for an awesome pumpkin bread recipe, and I think I might have finally found it! Really moist, warm and spicy, with A LOT of pumpkin, and even better tasting the next day. Feel free to substitute out more white flour and oil, as you wish. Original recipe from Food for My Family. Makes two 8" loaves (each cut into 12 slices, or 24 servings per recipe). My alterations save you 23 calories, 4 g fat, 43 mg sodium, and 3.5 g sugar and add 1.4 g fiber and .6 g protein per serving/slice.


Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Sift together dry ingredients:
6 T ground flax seed meal
1 c brown sugar
2 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamom (or replace with a 1:1 blend of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
2 T canola oil
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c nonfat buttermilk (or 1/2 nonfat milk soured with 1/2 T lemon juice)

Combine wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Pour into two greased 8" loaf pans. Back at 350° F for 70-75 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before inserting onto cooling rack. Serve warm or cool completely and wrap tightly in the fridge to serve the next day.

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake

My husband just called this "the best breakfast ever!" This cake is super moist (even with taking out most of the fat) and the cornmeal adds a fun whole-grain texture. The original recipe is from Joy the Baker, but my alterations save you 86 calories, 5 g of fat and 11 g of sugar, and add 1.5 g of fiber and .5 g of protein per serving.



Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake
makes one 9-inch cake (cut into 12 slices)


Whisk together:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 c ground flax seed meal
1 T baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt



Combine in a separate bowl:
1 c nonfat buttermilk (or 1 cup nonfat milk soured with 1 T lemon juice)
2 large eggs
1/4 c yellow or butternut squash puree
2 T canola oil
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoons lemon zest (or 1 T lemon juice)


Add wet to dry until just combined. Pour into a greased and floured 9" cake pan (I usually use a glass pie pan, which works as well). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then puncture top of cake sporadically with a fork. Pour lemon glaze over top of cake, spread evenly, and cool for 30 more minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Image from Microsoft clip art.

Lemon Glaze
Whisk together:
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 T lemon juice

Sweet Bread Loaves

Image from Microsoft clip art.

Original Recipe: "Swedish Bread" by Marie Calder Ricks. My changes reduce calories by 11%, fat by 40%, increases protein by 21%, and adds almost two more grams of fiber per serving--hopefully my husband's Swedish grandmother would be proud! Each recipe makes two large loaves (cut each loaf into a dozen slices to match the nutrition facts serving size)--and they go quick! You can make the dough by hand or knead in a KitchenAid or bread maker.

Sweet Bread Loaves

Dissolve together:
1 3/4 c warm water
1.5 T yeast
3/4 c sugar

Add: 
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c powdered milk
6 T canola oil
6 T ground flax seed meal
3/4 t crushed cardamom seeds (equals about 15 seeds)

Gradually add and knead-in:
3 c white flour
3 c whole wheat flour

Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Raise to double twice in a bowl. Form into loaves (add decorative slices, if desired) and let rise on greased cookie sheet until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Delicious warm or cold. Freezes well.