***My apologies for not posting on Monday.  My computer was de-fragmenting and going through a thorough scan for most of the day, and I wasn’t able to have access to it.  Thank you for your patience, as always.***

Before you scream, “eeeewwwww, that is so gross,” please know that Healthy Chow is not losing her mind.  Do you really think I would put seafood in a baked good?!  C’mon! Have a little faith in me, people!  The thought of biting into a sweet treat like a muffin and then tasting crustacean, would be awful.  But brussels sprouts?  Now we’re talkin’!

Hey, if it’s OK to put tofu in bars, pumpkin in lasagna and sweet potato in brownies, why not brussels sprouts in muffins?  I never thought blending spinach with a frozen banana would yield such an addicting smoothie (or such a lovable monster), but we all know by now how popular that turned out.  So, I figured sneaking in another green into another one of my beloved foods would be a great idea.  After all, a baked good is still a baked good, regardless if it’s filled with sugar or a nutritious little sprout from Brussels.

C.R.A.B. Muffins (Carrot. Raisin. Almond. Brussels sprout)
Makes 10 regular sized muffins

• 1/2 cup of dry oats, ground into oat flour (dry oats ground until they reach a flour-like consistency)
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals)
• 1/2 TBSP of cinnamon
• 1/4 of TSP of nutmeg
• 1/4 TSP of ground ginger
• 1 TSP of baking powder
• 1/4 TSP of baking soda
• 1/4 TSP of salt
• 1/2 cup of raw carrots, grated
• 1/4 cup raw brussels sprouts, minced
• 1.5 oz. of raisins
• 16 raw almonds, chopped (not sure why I selected ‘16′?)
• 1 TBSP of ground flax mixed with 3 TBSP of warm water
• 1/4 cup of lite silken tofu (I used Nasoya brand)
• 1/2 cup of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup of applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/2 TBSP of vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) If you haven’t already done so, make the oat flour (I used my food chopper, but feel free to blend the oats in a food processor or blender until you reach a flour-like consistency).  Also, now would also be a good time to mix the ground flax with warm water.  Allow the flax mixture to sit for 5 minutes.

3) In a food processor or blender, add the ground flax mixture, tofu, pumpkin, applesauce, and vanilla.  Blend until everything is smooth.  Set aside.

4) In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, whole wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Then, add in the carrots, brussels sprouts, almonds and raisins.  Finally, add in the flax/tofu/pumpkin mixture.  Mix until everything is just moistened.

5) In greased regular-sized muffin trays or paper-lined muffin trays, spoon in the batter filling the cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops start browning a bit and are still slightly ’springy’ to the touch.  Allow muffins to cool in the trays for 5 – 7 minutes before removing.

Hmmm, a baked good never tasted so healthy!  Similar to how zucchini seems to ‘disappear’ into muffins and/or breads, you couldn’t taste the brussels sprouts in this recipe.  In fact, all the brussels sprouts did was add a lovely fleck of green to the muffin, as well as a subtle crunch.  Because there were raisins, carrots, evaporated cane juice and pumpkin in this baked good, it was sweet and certainly not ‘veggie-esque’ in tasting.  In fact, the ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon gave this muffin a nice spicy kick.  Paired with a hot cup of coffee and a light schmear of buttery spread, this muffin made for a top notch breakfast.  You’ve got your vegetables, protein and omega 3’s all rolled into one little tasty treat.  Not to mention, this muffin doesn’t have any oil, eggs, dairy (it’s vegan friendly) or added fat.

So are you still thinking that adding brussels sprouts to muffins is a zany idea?  Well, yes, it just might be, but the taste will not only surprise you, but it will make you wonder what other vegetables you can sneak into your otherwise boring foods.   Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a chocolate chip muffin or fudge brownie, but when you make your baked goods multi-task for you in terms of tasting good, filling your tummy and pumping you with vitamins and nutrients, there’s nothing crazy about that.

What kind of food are you dying to try?  Or, what kind of food have you recently tried and loved/not-so-loved?

Namasté,
Nicole

We’re nearing that point in winter where all I can picture is warm weather, riding in the car (once I get mine back) with the windows down, wearing open-toed shoes and sporting less than four layers whenever I’m outside.  But that also means we’re nearing that time where the few pounds and inches that weren’t there on my body in the summer, are now making a guest appearance.  What can I say? When it’s cold and snowy outside, Healthy Chow likes her comfort food.  And comfort to me means lotsa melted cheese, fried goodness, things dipped in ooey-gooey chocolate and sugar-laden baked goods.  While those foods might be comforting to me in my time of winter depression and boredom, they really don’t make my tighter waistbands feel any more comfortable.

Image Credit – ehow.com

That said, when I was craving something sweet the other day and went to reach for a handful of my favorite chocolate covered peanuts with the hard candy shell, I suddenly stopped myself.  Realizing that when I overindulge in overly indulgent treats, it triggers my binge eating and I’m left feeling even worse.  But how can I deny my sweet tooth?  I don’t like depriving myself because I know I will end up doing even more damage down the road, our bodies don’t respond well to deprivation and it’s just not fun.  With that in mind, I started brainstorming recipes for baked goods that I could somehow ‘healthify’, pack with ingredients that would give me a boost in energy versus a sugar crash and quell the often deafening cries from my sweet tooth.

I finally came up with this…

Plenty o’ Protein Chocolate Orange Cranberry Bars
Makes 9 servings

• 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup of lite silken tofu (I used Nasoya brand)
• 2 TBSP of Smart Balance Light
• 1/2 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals)
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped
• 1.3 oz of dark chocolate cocoa roast almonds, finely chopped (I used Emerald brand)
• 1/3 cup of oat flour (dry oats ground until they reach a flour-like consistency)
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP of cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s brand)
• 3 TBSP of orange juice
• zest from 1 medium-sized orange
• 2 TSP of vanilla extract
• 1/4 TSP of salt

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Lightly coat an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

3) In a blender or food processor, blend the tofu until it is completely smooth.  It’s important that there are no lumps (or else you will get chunks of baked tofu in your bars).

4) Add the rest of your ingredients to the blender or food processor and blend until everything is close to being smooth (don’t worry, it will be a thick batter).  If you want a more textured bar or one with visible pieces of nuts, orange zest and cranberry, blend the tofu and cannellini beans until smooth and pour into a mixing bowl.  Add the rest of your ingredients to the bowl and mix until everything is well-blended.

5) Pour the batter into your baking pan and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly dry and the top looks dry.

6) Let the bars cool for about 10 minutes in the pan.  Once cool, cut into pieces and then let them cool completely in the fridge before removing.

I’m not gonna lie, these bars were insanely delicious!  They were moist and pleasantly sweetened by the cocoa almonds and dried cranberries.  The flavor duo of the orange and cranberry was the perfect match for the subtle chocolate.  These bars were thick and fudgey, much like a brownie, but not as springy and cakey.  They are also pretty dense and filling being that they’re filled with cannellini beans and tofu.  You couldn’t taste either one of the ingredients at all.  I definitely believe that blending both of these very well helps to achieve a ‘bean and tofu-free’ tasting bar.  But then again, the fruit essence in this baked good more than takes over any other flavor that could emerge.  I drastically cut the amount of fat and oil in this recipe by only using a small amount of a butter substitute, along with a blend of silken tofu and bean purée.  There is more than enough moisture from these ingredients to keep this treat far from being dry and from lacking in richness.  If you haven’t tried using bean purée and/or silken tofu in your baked goods….really, what are you waiting for? Plus, because I didn’t have to use any eggs or dairy, this recipe is also vegan (note: Smart Balance Light is vegan)!

These bars were certainly a hit.  Not only did I totally dig them, but I didn’t have to twist Patrick’s arm to eat more than a few pieces.  In fact, his exact words were, “I’m not sure what you did to these, but they taste really good.  I can’t believe there’s actually bean and tofu in here.  It’s so weird, but in a good way.” HA!  I cracked up when he told me that, but totally knew it was a compliment.  Another benefit of these bars is that they will leave you feeling energized, and not lethargic as one tends to feel post-sugar high.  But while eating these bars won’t help me shed any of my winter weight, they are definitely a good alternative to some of the other ‘not-so-good’ treats I tend to find comforting.  And even though the warmer weather won’t come any sooner by eating any kind of food, perhaps my sweet tooth may finally go into hibernation…at least for a little bit.

A girlie magazine, a glass of cold milk and a sweet, but healthy, treat…my idea of comfort!

If you could compete in any Olympic event, winter or summer, which would it be?  Why?

***Speaking of sweet, check out the giveaway that Kerstin is holding on her blog right now!  If you’re a fan of crème brulee (and who isn’t?), this is for you!***

Namasté,
Nicole

If you read my last post, you’ll know that I was in cookie heaven this past weekend.  I attended my first cookie swap and was excited to see what all the party guests were going to bring.  But, if I was excited to find out what they were going to be making and bringing to the party, I figured they were all anticipating the same about me.  Thus, I wanted to find a recipe that was different, somewhat ‘healthy’, delicious (obvi) and something that I could easily execute.  With all the various criteria I wanted in my cookie recipe, it took me more than a few minutes of searching both on and offline to find the right one.  Just when I was about to give up and go with the standard chocolate chip cookie, I found the perfect recipe!

Lemon Almond Cranberry Crescents
Inspired by Whole Living
Makes 3 dozen

• 1/4 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals)
• 1/8 cup of agave nectar (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, finely ground (I used close to 2 individual serving bags of Trader Joe’s raw almonds)
• 6 TBSP of Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend Stick (thank for the idea, Shannon!)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 TBSP of fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 TSP of lemon zest
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped (again, more Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
• Vanilla sugar, for rolling

1) Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined, about 2 minutes (I used my hands).

I used my food chopper to chop up my almonds until they were finely ground…

The ground almonds with the Smart Balance and unsweetened applesauce…

Now with the all-purpose flour, dried cranberries, lemon juice and lemon zest…

Once giant ball of dough…

2) Let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

3) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a crescent shape.  Place on a baking sheet.  Repeat.  Bake until light golden brown, 20 – 25 minutes.  Cool on trays for 10 minutes.

Roll a tablespoon worth of dough into a long tube shape …

Bend into a crescent shape until it looks like an um,…a crescent!

Ready to bake!

4) Roll in vanilla sugar*

It’s more of a ‘vanilla sprinkling’ versus a ‘vanilla rolling’…

*From giftsfromyourkitchen.com – To make vanilla sugar, combine 2 cups of evaporated cane juice (or sugar) and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.  Mix until well-blended.  Spread vanilla sugar onto a wax paper-lined tray.  Let dry for about 4 hours.  Place vanilla sugar in a sealable plastic bag.  Seal and crush vanilla sugar with a rolling pin until smooth.  Or, place vanilla sugar in a large bowl and crush with the back of a spoon until smooth.  Store vanilla sugar in an airtight container.  You can also make vanilla sugar by splitting two vanilla beans and placing them in an airtight container with 2 cups of evaporated cane juice (or sugar).  Let stand overnight and up to 3 months.

These cookies (or crescents) were great!  While they technically were ‘cookies’, I felt that they had more of a tea biscuit/biscotti taste.  The original recipe seemed a bit bland when I first read through it, but served as a good base.  I felt that it needed some sprucing up and could use a little zing.  But, I didn’t want to add any more sweetener or too many more calories.  Thus, I threw in some dried cranberries, lemon juice and lemon zest to give this recipe some much needed tartness and zip.  The result was fantastic!  While I was skeptical about the vanilla sugar and the impact that it would make on the cookies, the vanilla sugar actually gave the cookie a nice subtle sweetness that paired well with the lemon flavoring.  The size of these crescents were also perfect – both for the cookie swap and for my consumption.  Like potato chips (and french fries), I can’t just have one cookie.  But because these cookies were small and were only about 60 calories each, I didn’t feel so bad eating a few at a time

I felt my crescents were a nice addition to the smörgåsbord of cookies at Shannon’s party.  Just like every person has their place on this earth, my cookie had its place at the swap.  I liked what Elina said on her blog post best, “Nicole’s lemon almond cranberry crescents – such light, sophisticated little bites.”  Thanks Elina! That said, I’ll hold my pinky up, sip my tea and enjoy another one of my cookies (in addition to the rest of glorious treats I brought home).

Does anyone know any good hand stretching techniques?  My left thumb is getting achy from constantly using the left mouse-click on my laptop.  Maybe I need to do some hand yoga?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Guess what?  Vee is doing a series of interviews with bloggers about their take on both mental and physical health.  I had the honor of being her first interviewee!  You can check it out here.  Thank you again, Vee!  It was a blast!***

If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve been sampling POMx Iced Coffees and you’ll probably think that I’m getting obsessed with finding new ways to consume these little bevvies.  Hehe, I don’t have OCD or anything!  Well, I really don’t, but sometimes I wonder… Anyway, in my last post, I cooked with the iced coffees and put a new twist on some breakfast favorites.  While I was experimenting with my breakfast, I realized that I was missing something.  I had made oatmeal, pancakes, french toast and a frozen treat but I didn’t make the one thing that all you lovely bloggies seem to keep pumping out and tempting me with on your wonderful blogs.  Any guesses as to what it is?  And no, I didn’t make iced coffee covered tofu (although that does some quite interesting)!  I finally made my first batch of pumpkin muffins of the season!  But I decided that they weren’t going to be any ol’ pumpkin muffins.  Nope.  That’s not how Healthy Chow rolls…I gave my muffins a kick, or maybe I should say, a buzz!

Buzzy Spiced Banana Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Cooks.com
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins

For the muffins:

• 1 medium sized banana, ripened
• 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (I used Libby’s brand)
• 1/2 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals, feel free to use dry sweetener of your choice)
• 1/4 cup of POMx Chocolate flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 TSP of Greens Plus Omega³ Chia seeds, mixed with 2 oz. of water
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 TSP of baking powder
• 1 TSP of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 TSP of salt

For the topping:

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of dry oats
• 1 oz. of pecans, chopped (I used Green Valley Pecans)
• 1/2 TSP of pumpkin pie spice

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2) Mash your banana by hand or mix in a blender until you get a 1/2 cup.

3) In a bowl, combine your mashed banana, pumpkin, evaporated cane juice, iced coffee, applesauce and chia seeds.  Mix until everything is well-blended.

4) In a separate bowl, combine your all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until everything is well-blended.

5) Combine your wet ingredients with your dry ingredients. Again, mix until everything is well-blended.

6) Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins or liners (I used aluminum foil liners).  Make sure the batter is evenly distributed.

7) Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the spiced topping.

8 ) Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

9) Let muffins cool in tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

10) Remove muffins from tins and eat!

These muffins were surprisingly good! Sometimes, when I make ‘healthier’ substitutions in my cooking and baking, I tend to get worried that the flavor will be lost.  Not true in this recipe!  The muffins were moist from the banana, pumpkin purée and applesauce.  You couldn’t tell that there wasn’t a hint of butter or oil in these little guys.  Also, the chia seed replacement for the egg worked amazingly.  It’s great to know that you can have the taste and efficiency of an egg without the added cholesterol.  In addition, you can add some omega³’s and some soluble fiber to your breakfast.  The brown sugar in the topping mixed with the chopped pecans and pumpkin pie spice was what really made these muffins sing!  I loved how the brown sugar got caramelized in the oven and made this recipe perfectly sweet.  While the POMx Chocolate Iced Coffee flavoring wasn’t very apparent, it did add a subtly unique flavor.  Plus, who doesn’t like getting an added punch with their breakfast?

As you can see, there are a number of ways you can incorporate the POMx Iced Coffee into your cooking and baking.  And, did you know you can make cocktails with these iced coffees?  Just check out what the ever-so-creative Kerstin cleverly made! Insane!  At first I had no idea what I was going to do with all my free samples and now, I’m wishing I had more (Blue – hint, hint)!  The possibilities are endless! Just as the POM Wonderful company was able to turn regular iced coffee and pomegranate juice into something extraordinary, with a little creativity and thought, one can turn a simple baked good into something un-POM-mon.  Buh-duh-bump!

Did you get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping and take advantage of Black Friday?  Or, are you going to wait around like me and procrastinate?

***Today’s the last day to participate in my jewelry giveaway.  You have until 6pm ET tonight to enter!  The winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th.  Good luck!***

Namasté,
Nicole

No, not that kind of getting baked, silly!  I’m talking about apples! Remember how I said that I was slacking in the apple recipe making/baking department in comparison to some of my fellow food bloggers?  Well, slow and steady wins the race and I’m making a go at the apple recipe cooking finish line (if there is such a thing?).  Because I used only one apple in my previous recipe and still have a million (not a lie) left in my crisper, I wanted to find a dish that would call for the usage of multiple apples.  Hence, I scoured the internet and did hours of research (total lie) until I found this gem…

Getting Baked Apples
Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com
Serves 4

• 4 large good baking apples (I bucked the trend and used McIntosh apples, which is not recommended for baking)
• 1/4 cup of rolled oats
• 1 TBSP of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals, feel free to use dry sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• 14 raw almonds, chopped (you could use pecans, walnuts or no nuts)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped (dried apricots, raisins, dried figs would be good here, too)
• 1 TBSP of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds)
• 3/4 cup boiling water

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and dry your apples.  Using an apple corer or paring knife, remove the cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples.  Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom (I confess, I did this once)!  Then, use a paring knife to widen the cavity and a spoon to scoop out the seeds.  It’s a tad tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.  Make the cavity about 3/4 inch to an inch wide.

2) In a small bowl, combine the oats, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds and dried cranberries.

3) Place the apples in an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Fill each apple with the mixture and then dot the top of each apple with 1/4 of the TBSP of peanut butter.

4) Pour the boiling water into the baking dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples can be easily pierced with a knife, but not mushy.  While the apples are baking, be sure to baste the apples with the dish juices (I repeated this three different times).

5) Serve hot!

These baked apples were like whoa! I couldn’t believe how good they tasted for something that was so simple to make.  I really liked the fact that even though the apples were stuffed with goodies like cinnamon, nutmeg and dried cranberries, the natural sweetness of my personally picked produce still shined through.  And, the McIntosh apples stood up quite well in the oven.  They came out tender and did not fall apart.  So take that, you online apple experts (whoever the heck you are)!  This is one of the best DPAABs (dessert-parading-around-as-breakfast) I’ve had in a long time.  While it’s quite similar in taste to the healthified fruit crisp I made a few weeks ago, the sheer fact that I was eating a whole piece of baked fruit made this dish stand out from anything else I have ever made.  Plus, having to eat this dessert/breakfast with a fork and knife made me feel as if I was having an entire meal, versus just a snack.

And because this is a healthy food blog and I like to give recipes my own little twist, I decided to substitute the brown sugar for evaporated cane juice and reduce the amount.  And to make the dish even heartier, I decided to add one of my favorite foods, oatmeal! Instead of dabbing the tops of the apples with butter, I used a natural peanut butter.  It’s less greasy and adds more flavor to the recipe.  The original recipe called for serving this dish with vanilla ice cream, which is a tremendous call.  However, I didn’t have any on hand (just cookies and cream ) and figured a dollop of thick greek yogurt would be the next best thing.  You could also drizzle some honey or agave nectar over the entire apple for some additional sweetness, but my apples didn’t require it.  Plus, I had some of the oatmeal mixture leftover, so I sprinkled some over the greek yogurt.  I’m not gonna lie, it was a stroke of genius on my behalf…just sayin’.

Who says eating food can’t get you high?

Random question: Is there a recipe or dish that you are intimidated to make?  Or, what is the one recipe you’ve been dying to make but just haven’t had the chance to do so?

Namasté,
Nicole

I have fond memories of my dad eating and loving his apple pie.  Whether it be frozen, fresh from the bakery or homemade, my dad was like a pig in ‘you-know-what’ if he had his hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  While he liked the entire pastry, he definitely favored the buttery pie crust over the apple filling.  Often times, when he was done eating, he would leave the apple filling and Healthy Chow would swarm in and gobble up the leftovers.  Yeah, I’m a food scavenger, what of it?

Because fall is finally here, I’m in the mood for foods that are the epitome of this season.  Thus, items like pumpkin, hot chocolate, cinnamon, apples, soups, stews, nutmeg and anything with melted cheese (OK wait, that’s not really ‘fall-esque’.  But melted cheese is grand anytime of the year!) spring to mind and have been springing onto to my plate.

That said, I’ve decided to merge my mood for fall foods with my dad’s love for apple pie.  But, I decided to put a ‘healthier’ spin on this American classic.  I wanted something yummy, sweet, hearty, cinnamon-y and definitely dessert-like, but I didn’t want it to be loaded with butter, sugar and other unnecessary additives.  Plus, my mother-in-law (thanks El!) just gave us a big bag of apples and what better way to enjoy apples than in a crisp?   So I did some researching on my favorite blogs and remembered Lauren’s recent post (Thanks Lauren!), as well as Kath’s post on her friend, Ashley’s, healthy fruit crisp recipe.  Armed with those two recipes, I made some of my own modifications and come up with my version of the beloved fruit crisp.

Healthified Fruit and Peanut Butter Crisp, Oh My!

Serves 8

For the crisp:

• 6 small – medium sized apples, peeled (I used paula apples – you can use any kind of fruit)
• 4 southern peaches, unpeeled (again, you can use any kind of fruit)
• juice of one lemon
• 1 TBSP of cornstarch
• 1 TBSP of evaporated cane juice, I used Florida Crystals (or dry sweetener of your choice)
• dashes of cinnamon
• dashes of nutmeg
• 1 oz. chopped walnuts, 14 halves (pecans or almonds would be good, too)

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup of oatmeal (I used quick cooking oats – I don’t think instant oats would be good here)
• 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of nonfat greek yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s Nonfat Greek Style Plain Yogurt)
• 2 TBSP of Better n’ Peanut Butter, melted (you could use any nut or soy butter here)
• 1 TBSP of ground flaxseed  (I used Trader Joe’s whole golden roasted flaxseeds that I ground)
• 2 TBSP of agave nectar (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• dashes of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Start prepping your fruit.  Since I used apples, I peeled the skin with a vegetable peeler and then chopped the apples into bite-sized pieces.  With the peaches, I left the skin on and chopped them into pieces similar in size to the apples (bite-sized).

2) Get yourself a large bowl.  Add your fruit and squeeze the lemon juice all over making sure to coat everything.

3) Add the remaining ingredients for the crisp, except for the nuts, to the bowl and gently turn to coat.  Make sure all the fruit is coated with the dry ingredients.  Again, do this with ease as you don’t want to mash your fruit.

4) Then, add your nuts and gently blend the fruit and nuts together. Set your fruit and nut mixture aside.

5) In another bowl, add your peanut butter.  Microwave your peanut butter for 20-25 seconds to melt.

No comments, please

6) Add your oatmeal to your peanut butter.  Mix the peanut butter with the oatmeal with a spoon.  Once the peanut butter and oatmeal are blended, add the rest of your filling ingredients, except for the cooking spray.  Then, take your hands and knead the mixture together until you get a dough-like ball.  Once your dough ball has formed, set aside.

7) Coat a pie dish or baking pan (I used an 11 x 7 x 1.5 glass baking tray) with cooking spray.  Add your fruit filling.

8 ) Take your dough ball and with your hands, begin breaking the dough ball into pieces.  Spread the pieces all over the fruit filling.  Make sure to cover the fruit filling evenly.

9) Place your fruit crisp into the oven.  Let it bake for 40-45 minutes or until you see the fruit starting to bubble.  Once it’s bubbling and looking ‘crisp’ on top, it’s done! Wait about 5 minutes for it to cool (if you can wait that long) and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.  M-m-m-good!

I wish you could have been in my kitchen as this was baking.  The smell of the apples, peaches and cinnamon cooking and blending together was enough for me to check my watch a few hundred times.  It was the longest 40 minutes, ever!  But once my fruit crisp was finally done, it was well worth the wait (can you tell Healthy Chow is a bit impatient?).  The crisp was just crunchy enough but still had a hearty, chewy texture.  You could really taste the flaxseeds and the peanut butter which gave the crisp a unique, unexpected flavor.  The softened fruit simply melted in my mouth.  Isn’t it funny how anything sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg can taste so good?

This fruit crisp was not incredibly sweet, which is what I prefer.  If you want a sweeter crisp, I would suggest adding another tablespoon of agave nectar or some more evaporated cane juice to the crisp mixture.  Also, in most fruit crisp recipes, butter or oil is called for in the recipe.  I used peanut butter and nonfat Greek yogurt to substitute for the usual butter and/or oil and I didn’t miss it at all.  It’s a healthy recipe and you’ll feel good (and full) eating it.

As I mentioned earlier, this recipe can be made with any combination of fruit.  Adding berries such as raspberries and or blueberries would add a nice tartness to the crisp.  Kiwi and mango would also be a different spin on the traditional fruit tart and would give it a tropical flair.  In other words, the combinations are endless, so have fun mixing and matching (and eating). This recipe is also quite versatile.  It doesn’t have to be eaten as a dessert, snack and/or breakfast, it can also be used as a warm topping for your hot oatmeal, pancakes or waffles.  No matter if you eat this fruit crisp on it’s own or as an accompaniment, you can be sure there won’t be a bite left for any scavengers to find.

So, how do you like them apples?

Image Credits – blogs.msdn.com

What’s your favorite brand of Greek yogurt?  Can you tell the difference between the brands?  I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s, but I know people can’t seem to get enough of Chobani.

Namasté,
Nicole

In my not-so-lengthy tenure of being a healthy lifestyle/food blogger, I’ve made many observations and I’ve learned quite a few things.  But the one major thing I’ve noticed is that everyone seems to have the best looking darn breakfasts EVER!  See here, here and here for examples.  That said, I’ve decided to step up my efforts in making my breakfasts a bit more interesting to my stomach and to my eyes.  A girl (sorry, woman) can’t live on a plain bowl of oatmeal forever, can she?

I’ve been seeing various recipes for oatmeal, grits, pancakes and waffles and while I want to try all of them, the one thing I had a hankering for the other day was french toast (or ‘fr-INCH’ toast, as my husband from Western Massachusetts would call it).  Perhaps it has something to do with the sudden change in temperature around here?  Maybe it’s because I recently had all that French food?  Or, maybe it has something to do with this post I happened to stumble upon the other day.  Whichever the case may be, I decided to forego my ‘yoush’ of having a bowl of hot, plain oats and made Banana Stuffed Peanut Butter French Toast.

The Usual Suspects...

To make this little breakfast diddy, you will need the following:

• 2 slices of Trader Joe’s Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry bread
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Better n’ Peanut Butter – low sodium (of course you can substitute with any other kind of nut or soy butter)
• half of a small banana, sliced into 1/4 inch segments
• 1/3 cup of egg whites
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• few dashes of cinnamon
• few dashes of nutmeg (BTW, did you know that consuming large quantities of nutmeg can possibly make you ‘loopy‘? )
• pinch of brown sugar (or evaporated cane juice or any other dry sweetener of your choice)
• drizzle of agave nectar, Trader Joe’s brand (honey or maple syrup would also be good here)

1) Spread your peanut butter on both sides of your bread.  I went a bit on the lite side with the peanut butter but feel free to glob it on, if that’s how you like to roll…

2) Take your banana slices and layer them onto your bread.  Unfortunately, I only had frozen bananas in my house.  I just can’t seem to use the fresh ones fast enough before they start turning into a brown mess and my house becomes a fruit fly farm.  I would suggest using fresh banana slices.  My frozen ones started to get mushy once they defrosted.

For all those green monster smoothies...

Like baby food...

3) Sandwich the two slices of peanut buttered, banana laden bread together.  Set aside.

4) Add your egg whites, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar together in a shallow bowl.  Whisk lightly with a fork.

Can't you just smell the cinnamon-y goodness?

5) Drop your sandwich into the milk mixture carefully.  You don’t want any bananas to fall out (hehe, Healthy Chow has a twisted mind).  Let the sandwich absorb some of the milk mixture.

Like taking a bath in milk

6) While your sandwich is soaking it all in, coat a small skillet with cooking spray and set your stove to medium.

7) Once your skillet has heated up, gingerly pick up your sandwich and place it onto your skillet.  Let it sit for about 3 or so minutes untouched.  You want the eggs to cook up a bit and give your sandwich a light crust.  You may also want to turn up the heat a bit here to medium-high.  Resist the urge to peek or flip

Check out the oozing banana, it's trying to say 'hi' to you

8 ) Then, with a spatula, flip your sandwich over.  Let the second side cook for another 2-3 minutes.  If your sandwich appears to be browning too much, turn down your heat back to medium.

Flip that french toast!

9) It’s done when both sides of the bread are lightly crunchy/toasted and have that beautiful french toast color.  Place it on your plate and then drizzle it with agave nectar.  Dig in!

Breakfast bliss...

I don't know how I waited that long before taking a bite...

YUM-MAY!

This french toast was absolutely scrumptious! It’s so basic, yet so out-of-this-world.  Why did I not make this sooner?  It literally took me ten minutes to prepare this from start to finish.  I always think that making a delicious breakfast is going to involve a lot of time and a lot of clean-up.  This proved me wrong.  There are no excuses now for not making a breakfast that is healthy, hearty and heavenly.  It’s stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This could not be more true.  If one can start the day with a nutritious and tasty meal, it sets the tone for the rest of the day.  You start off feeling full of energy, feeling as if you did something to take care of your body and feeling like you can take on the world because you gave your body (and mind) the nourishment it needs and deserves.

Not only did I enjoy eating my finished product, but I also had quite a bit of fun concocting this combination.  And just think of all the other possibilities…you could use nutella as the spread, stuff the french toast with thinly sliced and softened apples, peaches, pineapple or pears and even add chopped nuts, unsweetened dried coconut, dried fruit, dark chocolate shavings, ground flax seeds or fruit preserves as a topping.  Or, you could use different kinds breads such as a cinnamon raisin, oatmeal or even brioche (maybe not as healthy, but definitely divine).  The combinations are endless!

So the next time you’re rushing around in the morning looking for something to eat for breakfast, and you consider reaching for a pop tart, I hope you’ll remember this recipe.  You can decide whether you want to stuff your face with something overly processed and filled with sugar or just simply stuff your french toast.

What’s your favorite way to start your day (a breakfast food, a hot beverage, exercise, a stretch, meditation, prayer, etc.)?

Namasté,
Nicole