Strawberry-Banana Muffins - sugar free

Strawberries and banana in a muffin that is sugar free. YUMMMM.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 bananas, mashed
2 Tbsps. vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tsps. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup strawberries, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large mixing bowl, blend together applesauce, butter, egg, bananas, Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients, and mix in strawberries.
Scoop batter into lined muffin tins.
Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then lower to 350°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

Heart Healthy Chia Seed Pudding

Pudding doesn’t have to come out of a package (we’re talking to you, Jell-O) or contain loads of sugar and empty calories. Just ask Tiana Hill, a wellness coach and yoga instructor at Floo-id Yoga whose been whipping up chia seed pudding since before the tiny superfood was cool. “About four years back, a family member developed a serious heart condition and so I was on the hunt to find foods that were heart healthy and tasted good – and that’s how I stumbled on chia seed pudding,” says Tiana. The recipe fit the bill and more. Chia seeds aren’t only heart healthy, they’re packed with bone-building calcium, iron and fiber. Over the years, Tiana has tweaked and simplified the recipe, and turned it into a family favorite – and you can too!

Recipe: Tiana’s Chia Seed Pudding
Chia seed pudding not only tastes amazing, but it is good for us, so my family tends to have it on a weekly basis for breakfast or for a sweet treat!

Chia Seed Pudding (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 cups unsweeted almond milk
2 tablespoons agave
1/2 cups chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint strawberries, sliced (about 2 cups)
1-2 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Drizzle of agave (optional)
Dollop of coconut whipped cream or Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, gently whisk almond milk, 2 tablespoons agave and vanilla until combined. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they’ve settled, cover and refrigerate overnight, or until the pudding has set (at least 4 hours).
2. Before serving, stir the pudding to make sure there are no clumps. Spoon the pudding into 4 bowls or glasses. Top with strawberries, bananas, coconut, almonds, a drizzle of agave and whipped cream. ENJOY!
Thanks to http://tianahill.com/2014/05/18/512/

Sharron McKinney's Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

We often boast of great chefs in the Historical League. Sharron McKinney is proving us correct. She brought this delicious salad to the October meeting. Everyone loved it!

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has some wonderful salads. Try them all.

BEET AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Prep 10 min.  Roast 40 min.  Cool 15 min.  Oven 400ºF  Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 small yellow beets, tops and ends removed, halved
¼ C. olive oil
½ C. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
¼ C. plain Greek-style yogurt
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
6 C. arugula or mixed salad greens
½ C. soft fresh goat cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place beets in a shallow baking pan. Cover with foil.  Roast 40 min. or until tender. Uncover. Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove skins and chop beets into cubes.
 For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine olive oil, lime juice and zest, yogurt, shallots, and thyme leaves. Shake to combine.
Place greens in bowl and arrange beets on top. Sprinkle goat cheese over salad. Drizzle dressing over salad.
Can add pine nuts or chopped pecans if desired.

Sassy Melon Salad

Sassy Melon Salad
Melons, pear and cucumber, together in one delicious yogurt salad. Like a Yogurt Parfait in a salad. We also love the recipe on page 52 of Tastes & Treasures for Yogurt Parfait from historic Hassayampa Inn in Prescott.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt

2 tsp. lime juice

2 cups diced (seedless or seeded) watermelon

1 1/2 cups diced cantaloupe

1 1/2 cups diced cucumber

1 cup diced pear



Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, lime juice, and 1/4 cup watermelon. Blend until smooth.

 In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, cucumber, pear, and remaining 1 3/4 cups watermelon. Add yogurt mixture and toss.


MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1/4th of recipe (about 1 1/3 cups): 91 calories, 0.25g fat, 30mg sodium, 22g carbs, 2g fiber, 17g sugars, 2.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*



Thanks to Hungry Girl for recipe.

Cherry Corn Muffins

Cherry Corn Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen unsweetened pitted dark sweet cherries
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
One 14.75-oz. can cream-style corn
3/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
2/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place cherries in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 - 2 minutes, until completely thawed. Do not drain.

Transfer cherries and any excess liquid to a blender or large food processor. Add 1 tbsp. sugar. Pulse briefly, just until cherries reach a roughly chopped consistency. (Do not puree.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Mix well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cream-style corn, egg substitute, and yogurt. Mix thoroughly.

Add contents of the medium bowl to the large one, and stir well. Add cherry mixture and gently stir. Set aside.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute batter among the 12 cups -- cups will be FULL to the brims.

Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 - 30 minutes. (FYI: These muffins rise significantly when baked!)

Remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool (on a cooling rack, if you've got one). Enjoy!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/12th of recipe, 1 muffin): 158 calories, 0.5g fat, 267mg sodium, 33g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 15g sugars, 5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4
Thanks to Hungrygirl.com for recipe and stats

First Course Breakfast in Wine country

Breakfast for Kay and Rex Holcombe in Temecula, California wine country starts with this fabulous teaser.

Chocolate and almond biscotti crumbles. Blueberries with Greek yogurt and Tustin melon with a few grapes (since we're in wine country). Topped off with a molasses pomegranate reduction!

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Margarita Pie from historic Rancho de la Osa on page 196 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is a big hit with us. This recipe from Hungry Girl is very similar but with lower calorie and some different flavors. Try them both.

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Ingredients: 


1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 

1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar 

1 tbsp. lime juice (key lime, if available) 

2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 4 squares



Directions:

To make the filling, combine yogurt, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the freezer for 25 - 30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency (very thick but soft enough to stir.)


Place two graham cracker squares on a plate with the cinnamon-covered sides down. Give filling a stir and evenly distribute between the two graham cracker squares, about 1/4 cup each. Gently place another graham cracker square over each filling-topped square, cinnamon-covered sides up.



Place in the freezer until filling is firm, at least 1 hour.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, 1 sandwich): 128 calories, 1g fat, 105mg sodium, 24g carbs, 0.5g
fiber, 16g sugars, 7g protein

Fresh Peaches and Blueberries Inspire Me

With a peach tree growing in my daughter's backyard, we feel the need to create a peach dish. This is a good one from www.hungrygirl.com. Of course, fresh fruit in the summer is always inspirational. Try the delicious Apple Streusel Pie from Tastes & Treasures, page 163.

Blueberry Peach Custard Pie

1 cup sugar
¾ cup skim milk
¾ cup (6 oz) non-fat plain Greek style yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 store-bought, refrigerated pie crust
1 cup blueberries
1 cup peeled, sliced peaches

Position a rack in lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, flour, cornstarch, almond extract and salt. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll a sheet of piecrust into a 12-inch circle. Place the crust in the pie pan and trim so it overhangs evenly by about 1 inch. Fold the edges under he crimp or flute the edge with your fingers or a fork. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.

Arrange peaches in the bottom of the crust and top with the blueberries in an even layer. Pour the filling on top (the fruit will float but this won’t affect the final results). Bake for 25 minutes.

After the pie has baked for 25 minutes and the filling is beginning to set, remove from oven and cover the edges of the crust with foil to help prevent over browning. Reduce heat to 350 and return the pie to the oven.

Bake until a knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out clean, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (The pie may puff up quite a bit but will settle during cooling.) Let cool for 1 ½ hours. Serve warm or refrigerate.

Serves 10.

Nutritional facts per serving: 200 calories, 6 g fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein 1 g fiber, 163 mg sodium

Chicken Kebobs

Chicken Kebabs

The chicken gets really tender and delicious with this yogurt marinade. And just a touch of curry adds a great flavor. We multiplied the recipe to feed a large group for a pre-wedding party.
Thanks to HungryGirl.com for this reduced calorie and fat recipe.

Ingredients:
12 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into cubes (1 1/2 inches)
2 red bell peppers
1 large (or 2 small) yellow summer squash
1 onion
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash paprika

Directions:
In a medium sealable container, combine yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and paprika, and stir well. Add chicken and coat completely. Cover container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak four in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning. Cut peppers, squash, and onion into chunks equal in size to the chicken cubes.

Skewer the chicken and veggies alternately onto four skewers, packing the pieces together tightly.

Spray grill lightly with nonstick spray, and bring to medium-high heat.

Grill kebabs for 5 minutes with the grill cover down. Then carefully flip kebabs with long barbecue tongs.

With the grill cover down, grill for another 5 - 7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from grill and allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, pull chicken and veggies off the sticks and enjoy.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (two kebabs): 285 calories, 3g fat, 432mg sodium, 21.5g carbs, 5g fiber, 12g sugars, 44g protein -- PointsPlus® value 7*

Artichoke Hummus

Artichoke Hummus
Can't wait to dig into this delicious recipe from www.hungrygirl.com. Find other great dips in Tastes & Treasures Cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fat-free vegetable broth
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
One 15-oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
Optional garnish: additional parsley flakes and paprika
Directions:
Place all ingredients except chickpeas and optional garnishes in a blender. Set aside.
have a super-strong blender, feel free to skip this step.) Transfer to the blender. Puree until smooth, stopping and stirring if blending slows.
For best flavor, refrigerate hummus for several hours. Before serving, garnish with a sprinkle each of additional parsley flakes and paprika.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, about 1/4 cup): 56 calories, 0.5g fat, 400mg sodium, 9g carbs, 3g fiber, 1g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 1*