Low-Fat Date Cake

 

I didn’t actually know it was called a bunt until I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding – you remember the scene:

 

 

It’s a Cake!

This is my first bunt. We had some left over dates from Ramadan and Eid that I knew I had to put to use, otherwise throw out. A friend of mine sent me her recipe for date cake over the summer. I tried it out and had my parents try it out. Everyone loved it. So I decided to make her date cake with some minor modifications. I bring you a low-fat date cake recipe. Best if served with Teavana’s Peach Momotaro Artisan Tea.

Low-Fat Date Cake

Yield: 11 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Mashed Dates (soak in a little bit of water)
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 3/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Mott’s Apple Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Fat Free Milk
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • Dash of Pumpkin Spice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2.  Pit and Soak the dates in hot water.
  3. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon together
  4. Then add the eggs, apple sauce, milk and white and brown sugar.
  5. Drain the dates, and mash. Mix in the dates - they should be easier to mash by the time u have soaked in water.
  6. Bake for 40 minutes.

Notes

Nutrition Information: Cals 230. Carbs 53g. Fat 1g. Protien 5g. Sodium 226mg. Sugar 34g.

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Spinach Sausage Sauté

 

Today was probably one of the coldest days this winter. That’s not saying much, considering it was 60 degrees on Monday. Tonight we turned on our fireplace for the first time. It was a very exciting moment – until it got too hot and I opted for my throw blanket over the fireplace. I’m sure we’ll spend many more winter nights by the fireplace. In my imagination, I will be holding a steaming mug with hot chocolate and candy cane stirrer. Tonight, I decided to make a cozy, healthy dinner.

Recipe adapted from The Lovely Cupboard.

 

Spinach Sausage Sauté Recipe

Ingredients

1 bunch Fresh Spinach
1/2 Lemon, juice of
3 Turkey Sausages
2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
2 Shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup Cherry or grape tomatoes
1 can Cannellini Beans
 

Directions

Toast pine nuts on medium heat in a skillet with no oil. Shake the skillet often to keep the pine nuts from burning. When they are a light brown color, remove from the skillet and allow to cool.
Grill sausage on grill or grill pan. Slice and keep warm in the oven or covered.
Saute shallots and garlic in olive or grapeseed oil on low-med heat until fragrant and translucent but not browning. While this is cooking, drain and rinse one can of cannellini beans and slice tomatoes in half.
Add a half of your spinach and toss with tongs often. Remove first batch of spinach to serving dish. Add remaining spinach, cannellini beans, and tomatoes.
Add the zest of one lemon and the juice of 1/2 of the lemon to the pan. Add sea salt and ground pepper to taste. I usually add whatever herbs I have handy. Tonight I added some dried Rosemary.
When spinach is cooked, transfer the mixture to serving dish. Add sausage and combine. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.
 

Nutrition Information – Servings: 4. Calories per serving: 256. Carbs 29g. Fat 10g. Protein 18g. Sodium 838mg. Sugar 4g.

Bresaola and Arugula Salad Plate

 

A month or so ago, I saw this recipe for Bresaola, Melon & Basil with Tartare Dressing on D’s Kitchen. I’m not a pork eater so the minute I saw these prosciutto-like slices of air-dried, salted beef I knew I had to have it. In all honestly though, I don’t eat melons either. All I could think about was that I wanted bresola in my possession and from there, I’d figure out how to prepare it.

So where does one go about finding said bresola. Since the dried beef is Italian in nature, I decided the best place to get some was The Italian Store, a small Italian specialty store opened in Arlington, Virginia in 1980. I love this little place. They sell all the Italian novelties you crave – including cheeses, meats, sweets, pastas, pasta sauces, etc. It reminded me so much of some of the small auto stops I visited driving through Italy on the Autostrada to Switzerland.

I finally got my Bresaola. According to my dad, bresaola is best eaten as an appetizer or small salad with arugula, lemon and mozzarella cheese.

 

Bresaola and Arugula Salad Plate Recipe

Ingredients

Bresaola (thin slices)
Fresh Lemon Juice, to taste
Arugula
Mozzarella Cheese
Olive Oil
 

Directions

On a flat individual plate or serving plate, carefully place a layer of bresaola
Sprinkle arugula leaves on top
Sprinkle chunks of mozzarella cheese
Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top
Top with some olive oil

 

 

Nutrition Information – Servings: 2. Calories per serving: 149. Carbs 2g. Fat 6g. Protein 21g. Sodium 1443mg. Sugar 2g.

 

 

Chili Chicken with Mushroom Spinach

Chili chicken with Mushroom Spinach

Ingredients

1 Chicken Breast
¼ cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic salt
¼ cup Mushrooms
Baby Spinach
Spices to taste
 

Directions

For the mushroom spinach: Wilt the spinach in a skillet, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sauté Mushrooms with cooking spray. Add the spinach to the mushrooms add desired spices (I used onion powder and Lemon pepper). Serve.

 

For the chicken: Place the chicken breast in a heated skillet, add chili powder, onion powder and Garlic Salt to taste. Once browned, flip over and repeat. Add chicken broth and cover. Cook another 20 minutes. If the broth evaporates, add more.  

Oven Fries

 

I’ll be the first to raise my hand and tell everyone that I love junk food. Whether it’s chips, chocolate, fries … I love them all. Unfortunately, my scale doesn’t love me back when I eat said junk food. A few days ago, I shared with you all how you can make skinny onion rings to satisfy your onion ring cravings without packing on pounds or artery-clogging fat.

Who says you can’t do the same with fries! The best part of a burger is having those fries to dunk in ketchup (or in my case mustard). When I made these the first time, I was a bit nervous that they wouldn’t taste as good as the deep fried ones. But I was so wrong. these are even better. Other than the health factor, another benefit of these oven-baked fries is that it doesn’t stink up your house. Oh how I hate how the smell of fried foods take over our whole house! It’s awful. Well, here’s my solution and I’m loving it (unintentional McDonald’s reference).

Oven Fries Recipe

 Ingredients

1 large Russet Potato, peeled or skin on (your preference)
Cooking spray (I use olive oil spray)
 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cut the potato into long slices
Place the slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Spray liberally with cooking spray or olive oil
Bake for 30 minutes
Then broil for 10 minutes to brown.

Note: 1 potato is one serving.

Nutrition Information – Servings: 1. Calories per serving: 292. Carbs 67g. Fat 0g. Protein 8g. sodium 18g. Sugar 2g.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip

Looking for a no-fuss healthy side dish? Look no further this Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip is so easy, delicious and healthy. You can also add toasted pine nuts, toasted almonds or Parsley for added flavor. Serve with Tahini sauce or plain non-fat yogurt.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip

I remember standing in the kitchen while my mom fried cauliflower for Maqloobeh, a rice and chicken dish. I remember it smelled so good – I couldn’t wait until the dish was one. My sister and I used to steal pieces of fried cauliflower without our mother catching us. We failed miserably, but they were too delicious to resist.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip

Today, I was craving fried cauliflower. But I backed away from temptation and decided to have a healthier version of those fried little goodies.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dip

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 head of Cauliflower
  • 4-5 cloves Garlic, crushed
  • 1-2 tablespoons Olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • For the Lemon Tahini Yogurt dip
  • 1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
  • 4 tablespoons Tahini Paste
  • Juice of one lemon
  • salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F
  2. Cut Cauliflower into 1/2 – 1 inch pieces.
  3. In a large ziplock bag, toss the cauliflower with the garlic and olive oil. empty ziplock into a baking dish.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes on 425 degrees.
  5. Squeeze lemon over top if desired
  6. For the Lemon Tahini Yogurt dip
  7. Mix yogurt with tahini and lemon juice
  8. mix until smooth and combined
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