Healthier Gingerbread Men

Healthier than the usual and completely scrumptious! I thought they would be hard (my husband requested hard ones for dunking in milk) but they turned out deliciously soft (my favorite). Maybe next time I'll just overcook a batch for him.... :)

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 to 1 Tbsp. ginger (depending on how strong you like it--I used a whole Tbsp and thought they were wonderful)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 c. molasses

1/2 batch sugar-free cream-cheese frosting

assorted dried fruit for decorating (opt.)

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, then the molasses.

2. Add the flours, soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Stir the dry ingredients to combine, then mix into the wet ingredients.

3. Refrigerate the dough for a few hours or overnight.

4. Heat oven to 350. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness (pretty thin). Cut out the gingerbread men. Re-roll scraps,; cut. Repeat until all the dough is used.

5. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool. Decorate with the frosting and dried fruit.

Citrus Cottage Cheese Rolls

These light and delicious rolls are a great alternative to cinnamon rolls for a warm dessert or winter breakfast. My husband was skeptical about the cottage cheese, but he really enjoyed them and when asked if I should make them again replied, "definitely." They have a light citrus flavor to them that goes wonderfully with the dried cranberries and fluffy texture. Enjoy!

Rolls
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 c. warm milk
2 tsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 egg
Zest from one lemon
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. flour (I used 1 c. whole wheat, but they were so light and fluffy that I think next time I will try using 2 c. whole wheat)

Filling
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. honey
pinch of salt
Zest from one lemon
1/2 c. dried cranberries


1. I used a bread maker, so I just added all the ingredients for the rolls and set the timer for the dough to be finished raising when we woke up in the morning. If you don't have a bread maker, just make bread dough as usual: proof yeast, mix together ingredients, knead for 10 minutes, let raise until doubled.
2. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into a round roll. (NOTE: next time I make these I want to try making 24 so that there is a higher filling:roll ratio. You might wish to try the same.)
3. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet about one inch apart. Let the rolls rise for 10 minutes
4. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the filling. Then press a dent into each roll using 3 fingers. Fill the dent with filling and let raise again for about 45 minutes.
5. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: The original recipe came from Old World Breads by Charel Scheele, a great gift to me from my sister-in-law Becka. :) Thanks Becka.

Healthy Snack for Kids: Peanut Butter-Cranberry Balls

We needed a healthy snack the other night for our family night and so I came up with this little combo that was quite good-. I'll definitely be making them again!

You'll need:
dried cranberries
breakfast cereal (I used Quaker oatmeal squares, crushed)
peanut butter (preferably a simple variety that's just peanuts and salt)

Combine everything in a bowl, squish into balls (no way to really keep your hands clean here), and enjoy. :)

I've made granola bars with a similar recipe that were quite good. Only with the granola bars, you heat the PB on the stove top and mix it with some honey, then mix in bran flakes. Press into a pan, use your fingers to press dried cranberries into the PB/flakes mix and then let it cool. Also really yummy. Obviously with the honey they are sweeter than these little balls I made, so it just depends on what your taste buds feel like.

Pumpkin Dessert Waffles with Cranberry Honey

I made this because I thought it'd be a fun Halloween treat, and they were delicious. The pumpkin and cranberry flavors went wonderfully together. I think, though, that in the future I'll save it for a December treat--it had more of a Christmas flavor to me. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 3/4 c. flour--I used a little over half as whole-wheat
1/3 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. plain yogurt
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1 c. pureed pumpkin
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg whites

Cranberry Honey:
3/4 c. honey
1/4 c. cranberry or berry juice
1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir to mix well and set aside.
2. Combine the yogurt, milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl; whisk until smooth. Add this mixture and the water into teh flour midxture; stir until moist and set aside.
3. Beat egg whites in a glass bowl with an eletric mixer on high until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.
4. Coat a waffle iron with oil (particularly important to prevent sticking with these low-fat waffles) and cook the waffles.
5. To make the cranberry honey: combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the cranberries pop. For extra flair, serve with a dallop of whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Makes a great breakfast too.

Note: I modified this recipe from Parents.com.

Country Buttermilk Bread

This is my favorite recipe for "regular bread." It's a great sandwhich bread and delicious warm with some butter and honey on it. Again, this is a bread maker recipe, so I won't include any directions, but this one is easily made by hand also.

Ingredients for 1 1/2 pound loaf:
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. non fat buttermilk (regular milk works fine)
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c. whole wheat flour (for fluffier, yummier bread grind it yourself!)
1 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 tsp baking soda (omit if using regular milk)
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast.

Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread

Soooo good! I make this with my breadmaker and it's a very sticky dough so if you tried to knead it by hand, I think the results would be rather disasterous. Consequently, I'll just list the ingredients here--put them in, press go and enjoy. :) The bread is nice and sweet just like a quick banana bread, but less sugar (by far) and less fat (by far) and nice and fluffy.

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf:
1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. bread flour
1 small banana, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

These "doughnuts" are low in fat since they are baked rather than deep-fried in oil. Still very high in sugar, but lower calorie and much less fat than the alternative. I've also made this in a bundt pan with great results. It has a really nice, complex fall flavor and cakey texture that everyone seems to enjoy, especially this time of year!

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour (or use 1/2 whole-wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. apple butter
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/3 c. apple cider
1/3 c. nonfat plain yogurt
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 4oo if using two mini bundt pans or 350 if using a standard-sized bundt pan. Coat the cavities of a mini bundt pan or the cavity of a regular bundt pan with shortening. Sprinkle with sugar and shake out the excess.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, cider, yogurt and oil. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
4. If using a standard bundt pan, pour the batter into the pan and place in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
5. If using two mini bundt pans for traditional-sized doughnuts, spoon the batter into the cavities and bake at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the top(s) with some powdered sugar before serving.

Note: I got this recipe from Diana's Desserts (www.dianasdesserts.com).

Honeydew Meringues

This is a fun way to dress up a fruit salad. Enjoy!
Serves 4

1 6-oz carton of fruit flavored yogurt
4 c. cantaloupe chunks
4 c. berries (any combo of blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or blueberries)
2 honeydew melons
4 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. sugar

1. Combine the yogurt, cantaloupe and berries. Cut honedydew melons in half, scoop out the pulp and fill with berry mixture.
2. Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, a little at a time. Beat until all sugar is dissolved and meringue is stiff and glossy.
3. Spread the meringue on top of the filling and rim of the melon.
4. Bake at 425 for 5 to 6 minutes or until meringue is golden.

Note: modified from Darigold's 75th Anniversary Celebrations cookbook.

Honey Cheesecake

I tried this recipe a month ago and have been debating whether or not to add it to the blog for ever since--not because it isn't good (it's delicious!) but because it doesn't fit many people's definition of healthy. However, for my friends who really try to cut sugar out of your diet, this recipe is for you! It is NOT low fat (very high fat actually) but no sugar whatsoever. So, if you aren't so worried about calories but just want natural and low-sugar, this recipe is the one for you. :)

Enjoy! We loved the smooth texture and subtle honey flavor. Also, the sauce if fantastic with it!

Crust:
2 c. ground almonds
1/4 c. ground oats
2 Tbsp. butter

Filling:
4 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2 c. sour cream
2/3 c. honey
6 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. ground almonds

Sauce:
honey
cinnamon


1. Crust: In a medium bowl, combine almonds, ground oats, and butter. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch cheesecake pan and freeze.
2. Filling: Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and honey on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in the vanilla. Pour batter over frozen crust. Sprinkle shopped almonds on top of the batter. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
3. Before serving, heat some honey (about 2/3 a cup) in a saucepan and add cinnamon (depending on taste--I used about 2 tsp.). Heat until well combined and runny. Drizzle over the cheesecake.

Note: This recipe is easy to half if you have a small springform pan and only are serving it to 4 people or so: just turn down the heat to 300 and start checking 20 minutes early. I got this recipe from 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes by George Geary (thanks Mary Ann--Ty is very happy I have this cookbook!).

Honey Snack Mix

Here's a good sugar-free snack recipe we recently tried and enjoyed.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6 cups Crispix cereal
5 cups mini pretzels
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey.

Mix first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt honey and butter in a sauce pan until smooth, do not let it boil. Pour over cereal mixture then spread onto two 13"x9" greased pans.
Bake for 15 min. stirring every 5 min. Watch carefully so it doesn't
burn.
Cool on wire rack, store in an airtight container.

Note: We enjoyed dried cranberries in this also. I got this recipe from my Aunt Fran and it's great! Thanks Fran--I know you gave it to me forever ago, and I just now tried it, but we really enjoyed it.

LUSCIOUS GRAPEFRUIT MERINGUE

This was a fun new dessert we tried this week that my husband and I both really enjoyed--it has been added to our list of keeper recipes! It was pretty messy to eat so I would recommend either loosening the segments with a knife after cutting them in half or sectioning the grapefruit to remove all skin/pith (cut off the top and bottom of the grapefruit, lay it flat on a cutting board, cut off the peel with a knife, then use a knife to remove the sections of fruit, leaving behind all the skin around each section).

INGREDIENTS:
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional--if you like salt on your grapefruit, I'd include it, otherwise it is fine to leave out)
• 1/4 cup confectionary sugar
• 2 large pink grapefruits, halved, sections pre-cut for easier eating.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the
egg whites with the vanilla cream of tartar and the salt until foamy. Gradually add
the confectionary sugar and continue beating until the mixture is shiny and forms stiff
peaks. Cover the surface of the each grapefruit half completely with generous gobs of
meringue and bake for 15 or 20 minutes until lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 Servings

Note: I got this recipe from the Eye Care America website (http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/upload/Grapefruit-Meringue.pdf)