Curry Chicken Salad

Chicken salad takes me right back to my childhood, finding a chicken salad sandwiches packed in my lunch was a special treat. This recipe is a variation on the chicken salad I remember from my childhood as it adds in curry powder and hard boiled eggs. I left out the celery and onions (didn't have any), but next time I'll add them in, it was missing crunch. I recommend that you let it sit overnight to allow the curry flavor to intensify and serve it the next day over salad greens or in a sandwich if you like. On a side note, I think craisins and or cashews would be a delicious addition, but beware that it will up the carb count!

Curry Chicken Salad

3 hard boiled eggs

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt to taste

Peel and chop hard boiled eggs.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, eggs, green onions, dill relish, curry and mayonnaise.

Stir together until mixed well. Refrigerate until chilled, preferably overnight.

Nutrition Data Entire Recipe

743 calories

65.12 grams protein; 49.65 grams fat; 9.09 g carbs; 3.99 g net carbs


Nutrition Data per 1 Serving

149 calories

3 g protein; 9.9 g fat; 1.8 g carbs; .8 g net carbs

Enjoy!

Coco-Hazelnut Cookies

Last week I went to Oktoberfest up in Mount Angel, Oregon. While there, I walked by a booth with a nice German lady selling all things hazelnut. I couldn't resist picking up a bag of hazelnut flour and a jar of hazelnut butter. While the jar of hazelnut butter is already long gone (it is DELICIOUS), the hazelnut flour has been waiting around in my freezer for the past week. I came across a recipe for Coconut Thumbprint Cookies on the Atkins website and decided to change it up and give it a try with hazelnut flour. The cookies came out really tender, my sister commented they were more of a scone consistency than a cookie. The way the flavors of the hazelnut and coconut meld together is delicious. The jam thumbprint is ok, but not really necessary. Next time I am going to make them in scone shape and just eat them as is or put the jam on afterward.

Hazelnut Coconut Cookies

Adapted from Atkins Website

Yield about 30

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup hazelnut flour
½ cup soy flour
2½ tablespoons granular sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon coconut extract (I used vanilla)
3 tablespoons any flavor unsweetened fruit jam

Mix coconut, hazelnut flour soy flour and sugar substitute to combine. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Add egg, yolk and extract and mix until dough just comes together. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, until somewhat firm. Roll dough into balls and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet. Dip thumb into warm water and make a depression in the center of each ball, forming a doughnut-like shape (but not pressing completely though).

Fill each depression with ¼ -teaspoon jam. Bake until golden, about 6 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


Nutrition data for one cookie (if you make 30)
Calories: 61.5
Fat: 5.71 g
Total Carb: 1.36 g
Net Carb: .85 g
Protein: 1.17 g


Nutrition data for whole recipe
Calories: 1846
Fat: 171.3 g
Total Carbs: 40.87 g
Net Carbs: 25.37 g
Protein: 35.21 g


After cooking the cookies had absorbed some of the jam so I added a bit more on top to make them look prettier.

Hope you all enjoy!

Linking up at Foodie Friday.

Light Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Another tasty light option today! Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins. The perfect way to utilize any frozen berries still lurking in the depths of your freezer. The muffins are sweet and tender with berries bursting through in every bite. The lovely thing about this recipe is that it is so very versatile. The original recipe calls for raspberries but really any kind of berry or fruit would be delicious (okay maybe not ANY kind, but most kinds!) The muffins stay healthy thanks to non-fat cream cheese and the use of egg whites. I used even less sugar than called for in the recipe, and some of the reviewers said they halved the butter and added an eighth cup of applesauce. Oh the healthy possibilities!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup (5 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl.

Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Gently fold in strawberries. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with foil cup liners in muffin cups.

Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

The Cooking Light website says that each muffin has 142 calories. If you make the adjustments I made (less sugar, non-fat cream cheese, omit nuts) they are even less than that! So eat two!

Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up to Weekend Wrap Up at Tater Tots and Jello , Motivate Me Monday and Sunday Showcase at By Stephanie Lynn

Whole Wheat Apple Scones

First of all, thank you for all your votes in my poll! I love getting your opinions and it was great to see that you guys are so interested in healthy stuff! This makes me happy for many reasons, one of which being I work at a Head Start as a Family and Health Supervisor, this means that I give many trainings throughout the year on nutrition and healthy eating to staff and parents in our program. So, in spite of the many not so healthy treats on my blog, I actually eat pretty healthy, which is why I love this scone recipe! The scones are low cholesterol and only 170 calories. I got the recipe from the archives of good old Cooking Light (aka Myrecipes.com). They cook up super moist and I used almond milk which gave them a distinctive nutty flavor that perfectly accented the cinnamon, apple, and vanilla. They are not very sweet, if you prefer something sweeter, go ahead and add some extra sugar or serve with a dollop of honey. Making them using part whole wheat flour ensures that they are hearty and filling but not too dense. I had one for breakfast and stayed full till lunch!

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Scones

Adapted from Cooking Light via Myrecipes.com

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 5 ounces)

1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chilled butter

1 1/2 cup shredded peeled apple (about 2 medium apples)

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I used unsweetened Almond Milk which has even less calories!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups and tablespoons; level with a knife. Or use a kitchen scale and weigh it out.

Combine flours, 1/4 cup sugar, and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Grate in butter (chill your butter well and use your cheese grater, so much easier than cutting into small pieces then cutting into flour).

Mix in a bit with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add apple, 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla extract, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands.

Divide dough in half; pat each portion into a 6-inch circle on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Cut each circle into 5 wedges, cutting into but not through, dough. Brush tops of wedges with 2 tablespoons milk, and sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons sugar (I added some cinnamon too).

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm.

They are good next day too, just warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Calories: 170, Fat: 5.1g (sat 3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.3g), Protein: 3.7g, Carbohydrate: 28.1g, Fiber: 2.1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Iron: 1.3mg, Sodium: 319mg, Calcium: 84mg

Linking to Tater Tots and Jello, Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors, and SUnday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming.

Artisan Bread in FIVE minutes!

\Something about this cold weather makes me crave warm home baked bread. The only problem with this is that bread making scares me. It seems so complex and time consuming, and time is something I have not had much of lately. So with all the hype surrounding this bread making in 5 minutes a day, I decided it was high time to try it. The worst that can happen is I lose five minutes of my day, right? Well, I am pleased to tell you that this trend lives up to the hype! I successfully made yeast bread in FIVE MINUTES (well hands on, I did have to let it rise in the fridge, but good things do come to those who wait!) When looking for the recipe I ended up on the King Arthur Flour recipe website... if you haven't checked it out, it is a goldmine of delicious recipes! All you have to do for this bread is throw some ingredients in a bowl, cover it up, put it in the fridge and let it work. I did this before I went to work, and when I came home, I took the dough out, set it on the counter for an hour, baked it, and VOILA amazing, warm, home baked bread! I LOVE this! The best part is, once you have the dough made, you can store it in the fridge and whenever you have a hankering for some bread, cut off a hunk and you're on your way! I made two variations, one with cornmeal, one without.

While both were good, I liked the cornmeal loaf best as it was a bit more substantial and the cornmeal gave it a crunchy texture that I found divine. So what are you waiting for? You are just five minutes away from fresh baked bread every day!

Original KAF Variation Ingredients

3 cups lukewarm water

6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread) Variation from here

Ingredients

The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water

1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1-1/2 packets)

1-1/2 tablespoons salt

1-1/2 cups stone-ground or standard cornmeal

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Cornmeal for dusting the top

Directions (same for both types)

*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.

Combine all of the ingredients (either original or cornmeal variety) in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here.

Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon till everything is combined.

Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

Plop the sticky dough onto a floured or cornmeal covered work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour or cornmeal over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.

Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.

Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size.

Crunch crunch!

Heavenly.

Vegan Acorn Squash Muffins

This weekend, I tried a vegan recipe! I have been considering going vegan lately, but I am still having trouble completely giving up meat so I haven't fully converted. BUT I think that if we all cut down on our animal intake, or at least focused on eating animals and animal products that are certified humane, the world might be a little better place for our furred and feathered friends :) Anyways, this recipe is super easy and doesn't involve any strange ingredients so don't be scared by the veganness! I found the recipe on Hell Yeah It's Vegan! The original recipe used sweet potato puree, which I am sure would be great, but I only had an acorn squash so I subbed that in, instead. I also used molasses instead of maple syrup and didn't add in any lemon juice (as the original recipe called for). The muffins are PERFECT for this time of year, cinnamon and nutmeg are great complements to the sweetness of the acorn squash. They rose up beautifully and are best served warm with a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze. Enjoy!

Acorn Squash Muffins

Adapted from Hell Yeah It's Vegan

1 c + 2 Tbsp squash puree

3/4 c soy milk

2/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c water

¼ c oil

2 Tbsp molasses

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly oil a muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together puree, soy milk, brown sugar, water, oil and molasses. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.

Combine wet and dry mixtures until just mixed.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan, filling muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Let muffins rest a moment in the pan, then cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

Before the glazing

Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Mix together, adding milk until desired consistency is achieved.

Yay for vegan muffins!