Buttery Squash Noodles

This is one of those rare recipes that I have not altered one bit. It's originally "'Buttered' Noodles" from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. When I first looked at the recipe I thought she was crazy. I didn't think I could ever get my family to eat it, but they did. This is one of our favorite quick meals--it's done in about the time it takes to cook the pasta! We like using short noodles like penne or shells best.

Buttery Squash Noodles

Cook and drain:
8 oz dry pasta (preferably whole grain)

Add and stir to melt:
2 T margarine

Add and mix:
1/2 c yellow squash puree
2 T grated Parmesan (fresh will make it like 20x as good, trust me)
1/4 c nonfat milk
1/4 tsp salt

Enjoy!

HealthiFood Applesauce Spice Cake

This cake is a winner. I dare you to use broccoli, and I promise that no one will ever know. Feel free to be generous with your spices and to use all whole wheat flour and replace all the oil with flax, if you want/can. This recipe has been adapted from Western Family using principles from Jessica Seinfeld, but my recipe has 68% less fat, 50% less sugar, and 2 more grams of fiber per serving.

HealthiFood Applesauce Spice Cake

Combine:
1 1/2 c white flour
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c brown sugar
1/4 c ground flax seed meal
1 T baking soda
1 T cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1/4 c canola oil
2 eggs
3 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 c broccoli puree

Mix wet and dry thoroughly. Pour into a greased and floured bunt pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about 90 minutes. Turn out of pan and cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

HealthiFood Hot Cocoa Bar

There's still snow on the ground where I live--April or not!

The HealthiFood hot cocoa tip is to add 2 T yam puree to 1 cup of hot cocoa (use your favorite mix or method). One trick I like to do is to buy two kinds of a really nice brand of hot chocolate: regular and fat-free. Then I mix the two for a reduced-fat hot chocolate--the best of both worlds! Using the Hot Cocoa Bar additions means you can buy your basic mix in bulk and still offer your family a variety of flavors.

You don't believe me about the yam puree, but trust me. Once you try it there's no going back! I was inspired to add the puree by Jessica Seinfeld, and 2 T per 1 cup is just how I like it. You won't believe how you can't taste the yam; it just makes your hot chocolate richer. 2 T also adds almost a gram of fiber.

At our house we like to have hot chocolate just the way we feel like it, which is where we came up with the Hot Cocoa Bar. Here are our favorite additions and variations. Keep in mind that all start with added yam puree!

Mexican Hot Chocolate: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon

White Chocolate: Add 1 T white chocolate chips

Rich Chocolate: Add 1 T milk chocolate chips

Creamy Chocolate: Add 1 T non-dairy coffee creamer

Mint Chocolate: Add part of a candy cane or round mint hard candy. You could use any kind of hard candy for another flavor like cinnamon or butterscotch.

Vanilla Chocolate: Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Other ideas? Please add your favorite variation in a comment!

HealthiFood Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are everyone's favorite, right? Mine combine the basic recipe of Todd Wilbur's Mrs. Fields copycat recipe with the principles of the Sneaky Chef and Jessica Seinfeld to create a healthified perfection! Plus, my recipe saves you 82 calories and 5.6 grams of fat per cookie and adds almost a gram of fiber. And who eats just one? 

You'll notice that my recipe has a lot of ingredients, so here are a couple of notes about why. Usually I use margarine and butter interchangeably, but with these cookies I discovered that a blend yields the best texture and flavor. Why two sugars? Brown sugar adds a rich taste that helps off-set the whole wheat flour, but white sugar allows for that crispy cookie edge we all love. Where in the world do you get oat flour? Just blend up some old-fashioned oats in your blender or food processor until it's like flour. And don't skip that ingredient; that's the secret to making these whole grain cookies super delicious!

HealthiFood Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:
1/4 c softened butter
1/4 c softened margarine
1/4 c white bean puree
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar

Add:
1/4 c ground flax seed meal
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift together, then add to wet ingredients:
2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c oat flour

Stir in:
1 c chocolate chips

Drop by tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes or until the edges are just barely brown. Makes about 4 dozen cookies