Lowfat Linzer Torte Inspired Coffee Cake

Something about the snow and the rain and being trapped indoors always puts me in a baking mood. Seeing as we have had so much lousy weather so far and we are lightyears away from seeing sunshine and feeling her warm rays on our backs and our cheeks, this is not necessarily a good thing. I'm trapped indoors with three children and a burning desire to run on the treadmill as I cannot get to the gym. But a certain little blond 5 year old seems to have absconded with the treadmill key. I took a small sample just to taste... oh my was it ever divine and if I find that treadmill key today I'll cut myself a small piece. Scratch that... I'll cut myself a nice piece. Meanwhile, I am on the phone with Proform waiting to order my replacement key!

I knew by the sound of things outside my window that school would either be cancelled (again) or delayed (again) and thought I would treat the kids to something warm and freshly baked for breakfast. I poked around the cabinets and fridge and was inspired by some almonds slivers, and raspberry jam. I would make a coffee cake that would have the essence of a Linzer torte. As I created and played I really had no idea what the outcome would be... Boy were we all in for a treat! And the beauty of it is save for a small bit of canola oil there is very little fat in this breakfast (or teatime) treat!


Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 cup of yogurt (I happened to have on hand Dannon light and fit vanilla)
3/4 cup of sugar (though with plain yogurt increase to 1 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp (perhaps a smidge more!) almond extract
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
3/4 cup of seedless raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar for dusting
Non stick spray

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of your mixer, blend together sugar, eggs and oil. Add the yogurt, baking powder, and almond extract. Slowly add in flour and then fold in the slivered almonds. Set aside.

In a small pot over medium heat add your jam. Stir until it has all melted to form the consistency of a thick sauce. Set aside.

In a cake pan coated with non-stick spray pour in half the batter. Spread batter to the edges. Then add the jam. If you can leave about an inch on the sides. (It will spread and this may not be possible.) The jam wll continue to spread while cooking. Add the remaining batter and spread to the edges.

Place pan in oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Using a knife gently make sure that the cake is not sticking to the pan, and if it is use the knife to help it unstick.

Place it onto a pretty plate and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

(Healthy) Breakfast, Lunch, Snack or Dinner...

My new favorite sweet treat is Greek yogurt with a little bit of honey drizzled over the top and some home made granola. I could eat this all day long. It's perfect for any meal or a snack. I like Fage or Choban 0 fat and I add the honey and granola myself. I can't wait to have another one for breakfast! Be careful with the granola, however. I have been eating it as though it is going out of style!

Granola

1 container of Quaker Oats (or your preference) - Not quick cook
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of cranberries
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 - 1 cup of sliced almonds
1/2 cup of wheat germ
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 brown sugar

In a large bowl mix all your ingredients together until well blended.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Spread mixture so that it is evenly distributed. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Let cool and harden.

Cranberry Sweetheart Scones with Almond Essence

This was adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe in Holiday Baking. I think this is my new go-to scone recipe.

Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1 tbs baking powder
6 tbs chilled butter cut into 12 pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup lowfat milk

Directions:
Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 F
In a large bowl combine sugar, baking powder and flour
Add butter and using fingers or pastry blender crumble until the mixture resembles coarse meal
Add milk and cherries and mix well
Transfer onto flour covered flat surface to cut out into shapes with cookie or biscuit cutter
Cut out as many scones as possible
Sprinkle on remaining 2 tbs sugar
Bake in oven for about 15 minutes
Let cool before serving...

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Nothing less than Aaaaahmazing! Light and yet decadent... this recipe is Giada's (de Laurentis). I opted not to dip the cookies in melted chocolate as I thought they really didn't need anything else!

These would be perfect in any cookie jar... would make a lovely hostess gift or a wonderful accoutrement to any holiday dessert buffet table.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped ( I made one batch nut-free and used almonds in the other in lieu of the pistachios)
  
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped (I used a good quality white chocolate chip)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Quick, Easy & Fantastically Delicious Oatmeal Bars with White Chocolate, Almonds and Cranberries

You're in a rush and you need to come up with something sweet and filling for an afternoon snack as you know your kids are going to roll their eyes at you if you offer what's in your pantry-- rice cakes, pretzels, Goldfish crackers or what's in your fridge -- cheese sticks, yogurt and apples... "So sick of those!"

I keep packaged cookie and cake mixes on hand for various occasions. I am a huge fan of the Betty Crocker cookie mix. You can totally pull these off as homemade (and I think I am going to one day!) especially when you add your own fixins...

To the packaged oatmeal cookie I added butter and egg as the recipe indicated. Instead of water I added a couple of tablespoons of apple cider! Then I tossed in:

1/2 almond meal
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup of white chocolate chips and
1 cup of dried cranberries

I tossed all ingredients (in no particular order) into the KitchenAid bowl and mixed away until all was well blended.

I took a brownie pan, greased it up really well with non-stick spray and applied the cookie mix to the pan, making sure that it was all evenly spread out.

In my preheated (375 degrees) oven I baked the bars for about 30 minutes.

When they were ready I took them out to cool, and cut them into squares when they were slightly warmer than room temperature.

And then, when you are running late for school and don't have time to make the kids breakfast hand them a cranberry bar and make up some nonsense about them being good for you because they contain oats, nuts and cranberries!

(I have a recipe for an amazing crispy, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie... I thought it was on the blog. But it's not. I'll take care of that over the next couple of days. That recipe can be used for these bars as well.)

a little bit NUTTY!

My grandmother was the ultimate entertainer. From the day I was born I remember her hosting lavish parties in her European homes. She entertained royalty, members of the Hollywood elite and a list of other very impressive people. As a young child I dreamt of being just like her when I grew up. (I have come nowhere close! LOL)


Her menus were elegant, elaborate, sophisticate and mouth watering. She had a theory. She never offered hors d'oeuvres or appetizers. She always told me that if you feed people too much before the mealtime they are not hungry enough to truly appreciate the splendor of the meal itself.


Of course she did have little things to nibble on while her guests drank. She always had her salted almonds. Super delicious and super easy. There are 2 ways in which you can dress up regular store bought almonds.

For my 1st version, Oven Roasted Almonds you will need just 3 ingredients: almonds, egg whites and sea salt!

In a mixing bowl mix your bag of almonds (about 12 to 16 oz.) with 1 egg white. Mix so that all nuts are well coated. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and then place on a cookie sheet so that none overlap. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool and break nuts apart before placing them in a serving dish.

Or you could make some Spiced Nuts. These are my personal favorite. I like a little heat.

For these you will need:

1 to 2 Tbs. of olive oil
sea salt
paprika
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
almonds, 1 12 to 16 oz bag

In a medium to large saute pan add olive oil and turn heat to high. When oil heats up turn oven down to medium and add nuts. Cover really well with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, garlic powder and cayenne powder so that each nut is well covered. Add sea salt. After 5 - 10 minutes remove pan from heat and either place pan in oven (if it is oven-safe) or place nuts on cookie sheet, and turn oven to Broil, High for about 5 minutes. (Watch closely to make sure nuts don't burn.) Be sure to scrape pan and all the spices on to the nuts.

When nuts are ready remove from oven, let one cool... taste for seasonings. Add more of the seasonings you desire to adjust heat and salt levels. Let cool thoroughly and place in a a pretty bowl.

Cruchy Asian Chicken and Noodle Salad

My friend Laurie makes this incredible Asian Coleslaw... It's crunchy, loaded with flavors and textures and is a wonderful accompaniment to any Asian inspired meal. My original plan was to make it and serve it with the Asian Chicken we love so much. But it was getting late in the day (7:00pm!) and I hadn't done a darned thing about dinner and there was certainly no time to be marinating chicken if we wanted to eat dinner before Midnight! So I decided to add the chicken right into the salad... and a I tweaked the recipe and dressing a bit to try to cut out some of the oil and sugar and yet keep it as true to the original flavor as possible. The result: Another outrageous success!

I will post Laurie's original recipe and my changes will be highlighted in red.
Asian coleslaw:

1 large napa cabbage - shredded in food processor
5 diced scallions -- I used 6 and would even add a couple more next time
1/2 cup butter -- I used 2 tbs canola oil and a drizzle of sesame oil
2 pkgs ramen noodles - crushed
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 small pkg sliced almonds -- I measured out 1 cup since I had a large bag, was perfect

mix cabbage and onions in bowl- set aside.

In a sauce pan melt butter (or oils) noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds - brown for about 15 minutes on low - med heat. Cool and drain on paper towels.

Dressing :

1 cup vegetable oil -- I used 3/4 cup of canola oil
3 tsp soy sauce -- I used 2 Tbs. soy sauce, low salt
1/2 Cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar -- I used 3 Tbs, brown sugar
Juice from 1 lime -- I loved the zing the lime flavor added!

Mix all and microwave a couple of minutes to dissolve sugar. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Since brown sugar mixes well I did not need to heat the dressing to mix. In a small mixing bowl whisk the ingredients until well emulsified. You will not need to use all the dressing.

While the noodles are cooling and draining, dice up (into small, bite-sized pieces) 2 - 3 chicken breasts and place them in a pan coated with about 2 tbs of canola oil. Season to taste with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until browned on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Let cool. (For faster results place in fridge or freezer for a few minutes.)

Add noodle mixture, cabbage, onions and chickens to a large salad bowl and add desired amount of dressing.

Simply Peach & Almond Cake

In advance, appologies for this photograph as it does not do this wonderful cake the justice it deserves. If it's summertime (or you live in Georgia) and the peaches are fresh and you need a hostess gift this is the gift to give! Plate it on a new, pretty platter and voila! I assure you this will not disappoint!

What I love most, since I am really one of the laziest people on the earth, is that this is made in one bowl... even better, just toss the ingredients in any order... no sifting, setting aside... nothing like that. This recipe really is as easy as 1, 2, 3! (Best part is that it tastes as though you've slaved all day!)

Preheat oven to 350... Then grab the following ingredients:

3 cups of unsifted flour (I used unbleached)
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of salad oil. (I always use Canola as it is healthiest)
1/4 cup of milk (I used 1% as that is what I had on hand)
3/4 cup of almond meal (you can make your own by pulsing whole almonds til smooth in food processor)
4 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cup diced peaches, skin on

1. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl of large mixer (KitchenAid), Mix well

2. Pour mixture into a well greased tube pan or silicone bundt pan (2-3 loaf pans would work as well)

3. Bake for 75 - 90 minutes. Check for doneness using a wooden skewer if you have one. (If baking in a loaf pan, check for doneness after 60 minutes)

Let cool completely, at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove from pan (10 minutes if using a loaf pan)

Rustic Scone with Almonds, Raisins, Dried Cranberries and Chocolate Chips

My husband has been pushing for scones for a while. I finally gave in! Instead of scones he got one massive, rustic scone! We had such fun cutting away at it... got a bit carried away I'm afraid!

A good scone is moist and flaky, firm not mushy like soft bread as we find all too often here in the States. This was to be a dried fruit and nut scone, but when a 4 year old helps out in the kitchen chocolate chips are inevitably added to the equation... the end result was not exactly fit for a healthy breakfast, but a treat to be savored later on. It was delicious! Thank you, Alexander, for the wonderful addition!


Ingredients:

4 cups plus all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 sticks of cold butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold milk
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds, slivered
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg white for egg wash



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour and cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the dough resembles large crumbs. Add the eggs and milk, vanilla and baking powder and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried fruit, nuts and chocolate and mix on low speed until blended.

Put the dough onto a greased cookie sheet, parchment paper or liner. Spread the dough into roughly a 10 inch circle. (It will be very sticky.) Brush the egg wash over the scone and lastly sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake the scone about 25 - 30 minutes until it is nicely golden and firm to the touch. Let the scone cool 10 -15 minutes and then bring to the table and either let everyone break off a piece or cut a piece. This is a fun thing to have when you have friends over for coffee in the late morning or early afternoon!