Tag: healthy snacks
Almond Coconut Truffles
I have been trying to come up with a snack that does not have any added sugar, agave or any other sweetener. It is very tough to have a truly healthy snack other than a piece of fruit or some nuts. So, I came up with these fabulous truffles. The sweetness comes from dried dates and coconut. I added some almond meal and almond butter to bind everything together. Of course the unsweetened cocoa provides tremendous flavor! read more …
Cider Duffins
- ¾ cup raw sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup extra light olive oil
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup fine raw sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, cider and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Divide batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling about ½ full.
Bake for 15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar and cinnamon into another small bowl and mix well.
Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the cinnamon sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.
Spiced Chickpeas
Did I mention I am trying to be healthier in the New Year? I am cooking with less oil and trying to come up with different, healthy dishes I can serve myself and my family.
The one thing I get stressed about are snacks. There are not a lot of healthy, non-sweet snacks you can pick up besides low-fat cheese, nuts and cottage cheese or even non-fat Greek yogurt. After a while, I get sick of eating the same stuff and crave something spicy and savory. If I am trying to eat healthy, I crave big flavor. The good news is, big flavor does not mean big calories. Cayenne pepper, for example does not have any calories- in fact it revs up your metabolism.
So, I looked in my pantry and found a can of chickpeas. I drained and cleaned them and roasted them in the oven until they dried up. I then took them out and mixed them up with roasted cumin seeds, smoked paprika and salt.
I treated the chickpeas as I would nuts. Nuts are great for you but do have quite a lot of calories. The roasted chickpeas had a nice crunch and the spices gave it a delicious savory taste.
I served the chickpeas with drinks but you can enjoy them in the middle of the day, between meals or anytime you get hungry. It is amazing how it fills you up…
read more …
Blueberry and Orange Duffins
Here is my latest version of our favorite sweet snack. My daughter loves duffins and can’t get enough of them. She is always reminding me to make more.
Honestly- I keep forgetting or get too busy- and then remind myself how quick they are to make. I am usually done mixing them before my oven gets to the right temperature.
So, I finally decided to make them as I got back from Trader Joes. I bought dried wild blueberries and planned on adding them to the duffins. I paired the blueberries with some orange zest. I added half the amount of the milk in the original and substituted orange juice for the other half. The combination of the zest and the juice imparted wonderful flavor to the duffins.
I tasted one as they came out of the oven and really liked it but was a bit afraid my daughter may not enjoy the flavor. I gave one to her later in the afternoon and she claimed they were the best duffins I have ever made.
So, there you go- try the blueberry and orange ones- they are really good.
read more …
Nectarine Duffins
As I sit here and write about this favorite snack in our house- I am hiding my laptop from my daughter who is sitting right next to me reading her book. You wonder why? Well, she has been asking me to bake some duffins for her for a while now and I just haven’t done it. If she notices the huge picture- I will be in big trouble…
She asked for them again yesterday and I told her we can make them today. So, once I am done with my writing for the day and after I finish cooking dinner- we will be baking some duffins- at least that is what I plan.
These ones are a bit different- I took advantage of all the delicious fruit in the farmers market and stuffed the duffins with chopped nectarines. I placed the delicious fruit in a small bowl and topped it with some vanilla sugar. I let it sit for a while and get juicy.
I then proceeded to use the same recipe for duffins and added the delicious nectarines in the middle. I was a bit hesitant to serve them to my daughter and her friends. Well, actually, my daughter is used to having all kinds of fruit. A lot of her friends are not so keen. To my surprise, everyone loved them…
So, here is another version of duffins- try the nectarine ones- they are delicious…
read more …