Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I love baking cookies. There are endless varieties, you can whip them quickly, most of the ingredients are always on hand, and you can easily bring them to a party, work, or send them across the country to surprise a friend. The problem is, like many desserts, cookies usually have loads of sugar and fat. So here it is, a great cookie that is little healthier than your standard cookie but with no compromise to flavor and great taste. The oats in this recipe is add fiber, walnuts with omega-3's, and egg whites cut down on fat. 

The Recipe:

Canola oil spray
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1/3 cup chocolate chips or raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 large egg white
3 Tbsp. coconut oil (you can use butter but it will take away from a little of the sweet flavor)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter (natural and unsalted)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking pans or cookie sheets with oil spray.

2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Mix in oats, chocolate chips and nuts.  

3. In a blender on medium speed, mix egg white, butter and sugar until smooth. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture into bowl with dry ingredients, mixing with spatula until well combined. Batter will be fairly stiff.

4. Drop batter by walnut-size spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2 inches apart. Flatten them slightly with the back of a wet spoon, wetting spoon frequently between cookies, to make 2-inch cookies.

5. Bake 10 minutes.

Pad Thai

When I think about Thai food my mind goes straight to take-out! Call in your order, say your spice level and within ten minutes your on your way home with dinner. But why not make it yourself?  The best part about it is that you can customize it with anything you wish. The options on what you can put in pad thai are limitless. You can add a variety of vegetables, and use any type of protein you like: chicken, shrimp, beef, or make it vegetarian by adding tofu. Many of the ingredients were not in my cupboard and my initial grocery list was not too small but most of the ingredients can be found at any grocery store. Another plus is that you only use a bit of each ingredient so you will be stocked up on many common Thai spices to continue making a variety of your favorite Thai dishes without having to go to the store again. Overall it may seem a little more expensive than take-out but I feed 3 people and had leftovers not too mention all the ingredients in my cupboard still waiting to be used many times again!

Recipe: 

8 oz. uncooked flat rice noodles

2 TBS. dark brown sugar

2 TBS. soy sauce

1 1/2 TBS. fish sauce

1 1/2 TBS. fresh lime juice

1 TBS. sriracha or chili garlic sauce

3 TBS. canola oil

1 cup (2 inches) green onion pieces

8 oz extra firm tofu, or your preferred choice of protein

5 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/4 c. chopped peanuts

3 TBS. fresh sliced basil

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light magazine 

I added mushrooms and broccoli to add a few more vegetables to the entree. I sauteed them along with the onion, tofu, and garlic. The vegetables not only add extra great nurtrition into your meal but they also help to fill you up on fewer calories thus making this dish much healthier than ordering it from a restaurant. 

 1. Cook noodles and drain. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients in small bowl. 

2. Heat skillet over med-high heat (or wok) add oil. Add onion, tofu and garlic and stir fry 2 minutes.

 

3. Add cooked noodles and toss to combine. Stir in sauce and cook 1 minute. 

4. Arrange 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates and top each with 1/4 c. bean sprouts, 1 TBS. peanuts and 2 tsp. basil. 

Butternut Squash-White Bean Soup

March is National Nutrition Month and the theme is COLOR! Adding a variety of foods in your diet specifically foods of various colors helps you to get all of the nutrients and important vitamins in your diet. Every color of food has different properties, each having disease fighting and health promoting properties. Studies show a plant based diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, and many types of cancer. 

The weather is still not warming up and soups are not only a great way to warm you up in the winter but also a great way to increase your daily intake of vegetables. This soup contains high amounts of fiber, protein and vitamin A. The combination of sweet butternut squash and hot spices adds a great flavor and warms you up from the inside out. 

Butternut Squash-White Bean Soup Recipe:

1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups (3/4 inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs)
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup whipping cream 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (15oz) cans great northern beans (these are sometimes hard to find, you can also get white beans, try to get reduced sodium)  rinsed and drained. 
3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted

1. Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan, cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add squash, cook 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

-Don't worry about getting the squash soft by this point, it will continue to cook and soften as you add liquid ingredients.

 2. Add white wine; cook until almost all liquid evaporates. Stir in broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients, leaving out seeds. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pumpkinseeds.