Recipe Review #4: Gluten-Free Whole Grain Waffles

I was in the mood for waffles. Real, hearty, whole grain waffles, like the whole wheat ones my mother used to make.

I found this recipe on The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Site. I love this recipe! So delicious and simple! I tried it with a few alterations to the wet ingredients:

• I used 6 T. apple sauce (homemade or organic, sugar-free)instead of oil to make lower in calories and fat
  
• 4 tablespoons dark agave, low glycemic, similar taste to maple syrup
• 3-3.5 c. of water, I used this simply because I ran out of milk, use more water to make it less thick, (it's up to you)
  

Also, I used 2 t. cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Healthy and Delicious Low Calorie Breakfast :)

One morning I had about 5-10 minutes before I needed to leave for work when I realized I didn't have anything prepared for breakfast. Oops! So I threw together this quick, easily changeable recipe.

Per person:

• 2-4 egg whites or 1-2 eggs (higher calorie)
• 1 chopped up tomato
• 1/2 c. left-over or fresh cooked vegetables (I used zucchini)
  

Combine. Add salt, pepper, and any spices you wish! Cook on a oiled or sprayed skillet until done. Eat and "Scramble" :) out the door if needed :).

Simple Chicken Parm Twist

Wow! Mmmm.. Yum. That was all I could think of when I created this recipe. And even better, it tastes very little time to make.

The inspiration? Mom was making some chicken cordon bleu. And you know what? Provolone and ham are both "off" my list of what I can eat but I was definitely in the mood for stuffed chicken of some sort.

......So what did I do? I improvised! I decided to make my own stuffed chicken. Looking around the fridge I saw, "Rice Shreds Mozzarella" and fresh from the garden tomatoes! Perfect! I took a large chicken breast after it was defrosted and pounded out and covered it in corn meal first on one side. Then I took the uncovered side and stuffed it with juicy tomato slices and a handfuls of "cheese". I held it together with toothpicks and sprinkled a little more "cheese" on top. I put into the oven for 30 minutes at 400. Delicious!

For those of you who can tolerate dairy, go ahead and use the real thing! :) And for those of you who can't, leave a comment and let me know your favorite dairy free "cheese".

Oh, and the name? When I was thinking about what I should call this, I thought it was sorta similar to the classic chicken parm I used to love. :)

I posted this recipe for Slightly Indulgent Mondays here.

Homemade EASY, LOW-FAT Coconut Milk

I love coconut milk but... I have a hard time handling large amounts of fat at once. Plus, no matte how delicious coconut milk is, it's pretty much cream and not easily drinkable. So (before Turtle Mountain came out with their version-or at least before I knew about it), I set about to make my own version.
First off, I had to make a lower-fat coconut milk. So, I figured out that 2T of full fat coconut milk (from the can) mixed with about a cup of water in my blender would equal 60 calories per serving and 5 g of fat. And guess what? Follow that basic ratio and you have low-fat drinkable coconut milk! Just double or triple it, etc to make a larger quantity.
This coconut milk is a good source of healthy fat and tastes the closest to milk of any recipe for "dairy-free" milk I've tried. And to answer the question, it does still taste a little creamy, at least to me. Maybe not like the original, but I think too if you want it creamier you could just lower the amount of water to coconut milk ratio. Also, this is an easy recipe and way cheaper than buying it in the store (aka. Turtle Mt brand). You can also make "lite coconut milk" for recipes using this same ratio and save money on coconut milk. (The only difference between the canned original and lite coconut milk in the store is water. So why not buy the full fat stuff and make more milk with it thereby saving lots more money? :))

Note: This is my post for Slightly Indulgent Mondays here.

Low-fat Creamy Fruit-Sweetened Banana Coconut Ice-Cream

I was really inspired by Elana’s recipe. Thanks Elana! It looked delicious but I had one slight problem! I have a hard time handling large amounts of fat at once so I set about to make my own version.

First off, I had to make a lower-fat coconut milk. So, I figured out that 2T of full fat coconut milk mixed with about a cup of water in my blender would equal 60 calories per serving and 5 g of fat. And guess what? That is the basic recipe for low-fat coconut milk! Just double or triple it, etc to make a larger quantity.

My recipe:

4-5 medium bananas, sliced thin (see photo)
2 dates, sliced thin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3-4 c. l0w-fat coconut milk, homemade

Preheat your oven for 375. In a 9×13 pan, place sliced bananas. Sprinkle dates over the bananas. Pour the vanilla over the whole dish. Throw it in the oven for 20-45 mins (depending on how long it takes for your bananas and dates to caramelize). Watch carefully as you don’t want them to burn!

When they are done, take them out and let them cool a little. Add coconut milk and banana mix to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into your ice-cream maker. Best served then and there but left-overs can be stored in the freezer and then defrosted carefully on the counter.

Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce

After paying a ridiulous high amount for organic pasta sauce, I thouhgt, wellI could try one of my own. So here it is. And it’s based of my mothers recipe! (The photo shows this sauce in the recycled organic jar).

• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• A few shakes of basil, oregano, and garlic
• 1 leek chopped or one small onion (brown first)
• 2 T. olive oil (opt)

Combine and cook for about 10-15 mins.

Store in the fridge or use for your meal.

Easy and simply delicious!

Homemade Low Calorie, Low Fat Peach Sherbet

Mmmm…..peaches. I love summer fruit. I decided to make this recipe after looking at Katrina’s recipe.

1 c. almond milk or your favorite non-dairy milk of choice

1/4 c. fruit-sweetened jam (peach especially)

1 egg white, if desired (helps texture)

4 cups of peaches (peeled and cut up)

1 peach set aside, peeled and cut up

Blend jam, egg white (opt), peaches, and milk in a blender. Add set aside peach slices and don’t turn the blender back on. Just stir. Pour into your ice cream maker. Enjoy!

Let me know what variations you tried…and how it came out!