HealthiFood Whole Wheat Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Yum, oh, yum. There isn't much more to say about this healthified classics! Pumpkin adds flavor, fiber, and vitamins to these delicious cookies--just in time for autumn. My mother is the one who taught me that you don't have to buy cream of tarter just for this recipe; 2 tsp cream of tarter + 1 tsp baking soda = 1 T baking powder. Brilliant! If you wanted, you could double the pumpkin to replace the egg, in case of egg allergy. Also, these cookies are possibly even better the day after baked.

HealthiFood Whole Wheat Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Cream together:
3/4 c softened butter
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c ground flax seed meal

Add:
1 egg
1/2 c canned pumpkin purree

Sift together, then add to previous ingredients:
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a separate bowl:
2 T + 3/4 tsp white sugar
2 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Roll balls of dough in cinnamon sugar. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until just barely starting to brown on the edges. Let sit on cookie sheet at least until the cookies start to flatten but before they cool all the way.

Candy Cane Cookies

The other day I was doing a search on Tasty Kitchen for recipes to help me use up my extra candy canes from the holidays and came up with this lovely cookie recipe, originally called Candy Cane Crinkles, that is my new holiday addiction. I just might have to stock candy canes in my cupboard year-round so I can make these whenever I want. Compared to the original recipe, my alterations save you 14 calories and 1 g fat and add 1 g of fiber per cookie. And, trust me, you are not going to eat just one!

Candy Cane Cookies

Cream together:
5 T margarine (or butter)
3 T ground flax seed meal
1 c white sugar

Add:
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 T nonfat milk

In a separate bowl, sift together:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine until just mixed. Then add:
1/4 c crushed peppermint candy (about 4 regular-sized candy canes)

Roll dough into balls and lightly coat in:
powdered sugar (I use about 1/4 c for the whole recipe)

Place coated balls of dough on a well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until just barely done (Do not over bake! I bake these on the top rack of my oven to prevent over baking). Leave on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes and then move cookies to cooling rack (you want them to be movable but still quite warm so they don't stick to the pan). Makes 2 dozen.

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.

Chewy Almond Cookie Cake

I ran into this recipe and decided to try it because of my husband's Swedish heritage, and I'm so glad I did! It is so delicious! The original is "Swedish Visiting Cake" from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, From My Home to Yours, but it was shared with me by Dinner's on Me. However, my version saves you 60 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving and doubles the fiber.



Chewy Almond Cookie Cake

Blend together:
1 cup white sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 tsp lemon juice


Cream with:
1/4 c butter or margarine

Add:
1/4 c ground flax seed meal
 2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (imitation is okay)


Then add:
1/2 c white flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour


Spread batter into a greased pie pan and sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Put the pie pan inside a cake pan or on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until the outside is golden and crisp. It's wonderful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Golden Chowder

I don't know about you, but it's still snowing off and on here, so it's still soup season to me! Ever since I learned how to make my own delicious soups, I don't even like them from a can unless it's an emergency (like I'm too sick to cook or something). This is one of my favorites--colorful, creamy, and delicious. The original recipe, "Corn and Potato Chowder with Butternut Squash and Ham" from Lynda's Recipe Box, uses cubed butternut squash, but I keep puree on hand and I don't think my menfolk will eat cubed squash, so that's one of my main alterations. To be honest, other than the half and half, the original recipe is pretty healthy already. But here is how I like to make it, which also cuts each serving down by 50 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Golden Chowder

Melt in a large pot:

1 T butter or margarine

Add and roast, stirring often:

2 c frozen corn 

Add and keep stirring frequently:

1/2 c diced ham (or any other cooked meat like bacon or I've even done bologne)

2 cups diced potatoes

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)

dash of paprika

Add and bring to a boil:

3 c vegetable or chicken bouillon or broth

Simmer until potatoes are very tender.

Turn heat to low and stir in:

1 c butternut squash puree

1 c frozen mixed vegetables

Mix in a separate bowl before adding to soup:

2 T whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c milk

Let soup thicken, salt it to taste, and you're done! Makes about 7 cups.

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

HealthiFood Cooking Tip: Flax Seed

Flax seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acid, fiber, and protein. For my recipes, you will want to by ground flax seed meal, which looks like a golden, grainy, moist flour. If you're interested, the body can't digest whole flax seeds, and some studies say that it helps reduce cholesterol in women.

Why do I use ground flax seed meal so much? It is an awesome substitute for oil, butter, shortening, etc. Flax seed contains some fat, but replacing other fats with it reduces the overall fat content while adding a lot of fiber and protein. Your flax seed meal package my try to tell you a different ratio, but I have found that a 1:1 substitution of flax seed meal for other fats generally works pretty well. The measurements in my recipes are ones that I actually use and that my family actually eats!

I know purchasing a new ingredient makes me a little skeptical, but once I started using ground flax seed meal I have never gone back! I buy at 3 lb bag at Costco that lasts me about six months while the shelf life is over 18 months.

Does it change the taste of your food? Uncooked flax seed has kind of a funny taste that you'll notice in your doughs and batters a little, but it blends in pretty well when cooks and adds a mild, nutty taste and a slightly sticky texture.

I hope this answers your questions about flax seed meal and encourages you to give it a try so you can participate in the fat-reducing and fiber-adding benefits of my heathified recipes!

HealthiFood Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Praise the heavens when frozen strawberries went on sale at the grocery store for 99 cents a bag (!) and I came up with this delicious dessert. FYI, a serving of HealthiFood Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (half this recipe) has 75% less fat and 50% more protein than a 1/2 c serving of strawberry ice cream.

HealthiFood Strawberry Frozen Yogurt


6 oz frozen unsweetened strawberries
6 oz lowfat vanilla yogurt

Blend together and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Image from Microsoft clip art.

The olive oil and honey in this dough make a really nice flavor. One recipe makes 2 lbs. of dough, which is enough for two 14" pizzas. I like to use one half of the dough and freeze the other for a quick pizza later. I've written the instructions below to make it by hand, but the recipe is also bread machine ready (just follow your manufacture's directions) or you could mix and knead in a stand mixer. This recipe originates from Breadman, but my alterations save you 50 calories and 1 gram of fat and add 5.5 grams of fiber and 1.5 grams of protein per serving (or quarter of a pizza).

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Dissolve together:
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tsp honey
2 tsp yeast

Add:
2 tsp salt
1 T ground flax seed meal
1 T olive oil

Add and knead until smooth and elastic:
4 c whole wheat flour

If you're in a hurry, you can use this dough for pizza right away. However, the more you let it rise (up to two times before rolling out), the softer it will be. When ready, roll out dough and top with tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever else you like. Bake on the top rack of your oven for about 20 minutes (until cheese is slightly golden) at 400 degrees.

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.