Apple Turnovers

November 29th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Thanksgiving - (0 Comments)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 (17.3 oz) pkg frozen puffed pastry, thawed according to pkg directions
  • 4 medium apples – peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used 2 Granny Smith and 2 gala)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 dashes of pumpkin pie spice (use nutmeg if you don’t have PPS)
  • 1 Tbsp Vegan butter, divided
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp powdered sugar for decoration

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a saucepan, cook the apple slices with the lemon juice until they start to soften.
  2. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Cook for 8 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and mix in 1 Tbsp butter until melted. Allow mixture to cool.
  4. Once mixture is cooled preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
  5. Open puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 squares.
  6. Place a spoonful of the cooled apple mixture on half of each square.
  7. Fold over each half of the square sealing edges, creating a rectangle.
  8. Place pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Crimp edges with fork. Cut 3 slits on the top of each pastry. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before the sprinkling with powdered sugar.
**Original Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Vegan Zucchini Double Chocolate Brownies

October 11th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups shredded zucchini (on the smallest side of the box grater), do not drain

2 cups flour (I used half white Whole wheat and half unbleached all purpose)

1/2 cup sugar ( I use organic evaporated cane sugar or coconut sugar) (if you like brownies a little sweeter you may add an additional 1/2 cup but it will alter the nutritional content)

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup avocado oil (or any neutral oil)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used special dark cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups vegan chocolate chips (save some for topping)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan line with parchment paper greased with cooking spray.

In a large bowl shred your zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a spatula until well combined.

Pour into pan evenly and top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 25-35 min until tester comes out clean and not wet. Some crumbs is fine on the tester as long as it’s not wet with batter.

Let stand for 20 min. Serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy.

*original recipe adapted from I am baker.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Eggplant Fries

October 10th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Appetizers | Recipes - (2 Comments)

These were such a big hit!!! We consumed these in literally 5 minutes! That’s how yummy they turned out. Now I’ll be making these once a week. They’re the perfect healthy alternative for the original spud favorite and a huge upgrade to the zucchini fries….that is…if you love eggplant more than zucchini. If you make these, please leave some feedback letting me know your thoughts on this recipe. Thank you for stopping by. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick and then sliced into 1/4″ sticks

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

2/3 cup whole wheat plain bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan

3/4 tsp dried ground garlic

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Cooking spray

Parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 450F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper greased with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mixture eggplant sticks with salt and oil. In a small bowls have your egg whites ready for dredging and in another bowl mix the bread crumbs with Parmesan, turmeric and pepper.

Using one stick at a time, dredge into egg whites first and then roll into the crumb mixture and onto the baking sheet leaving bout an inch of space in between each stick. Spray some more cooking spray on top and bake for 10 min and then flip and bake additional 5 min. Serve hot. Enjoy.

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe

**original recipe adapted from Gina at www.Skinnytaste.com.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Skinny Whole Wheat Bagels

March 25th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Breads | Breakfast/Brunch | Recipes - (0 Comments)

For all you bagel lovers out there who also struggle living a healthy lifestyle, here is the solution! The Skinny Whole Wheat Bagel consisting of only 138 Calories!!! That’s less than half the calories than a regular bagel from your local bagel shop which is usually around 500-600 calories depending on size. Now you can continue living a healthy life without feeling guilty every time you succumb to the craving of a bagel! How amazing is that!? For me, it gave a whole new meaning to living a healthy life because now it includes Bagels! That’s winning in my book! Anyways, I hope you guys give this recipe a go and tell me all about your thoughts after you have tasted this. Looking forward to your pins and posts! Happy Baking!

*Tips: Make sure to spill out any residual water that usually sits on top of the yogurt when opening the cap or foil lid. Any residual moisture will make for a gummy dough and not result in a bagel but more of a focaccia-like texture.

Make sure your baking powder is not expired otherwise your Bagels will not rise properly.

These Bagels may be stored individually wrapped in plastic on the countertop for 3 days max without molding or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just reheat before eating.

Prep Time: 10 min

Baking Time: 25 min

Yields: 4 Bagels (recipe can be doubled or tripled)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white Whole Wheat flour (I use Trader Joe’s)

1 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt (make sure your yogurt doesn’t have any water at the top when you open the container. If it does, spill it out.)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (I used sea salt)

1 egg beaten for egg wash

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it with cooking spray (I used coconut oil cooking spray).

In a stand mixer, add flour, yogurt, baking powder and salt. Using a hook attachment mix the dough until sticky. If dough sticks to your hand then add some more flour (about a Tbsp at a time). Knead the dough a little more about 10-15 folds. It should be tacky but not leave dough on your hands. Shape into a huge ball and divide into 4. Shape into ropes and form into Bagels. Glaze with egg wash and sprinkle with favorite toppings. I used sesame and poppy seeds. Trader Joe’s sells an everything bagel topping if you’re interested.

Bake Bagels for 25 min. Let them stand for at least 15 min before cutting into them or eating. Enjoy!!!!

Nutrition Analysis:

Serving size: 1 Bagel

WW freestyle points: 3

*recipe adapted from Skinny Taste.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

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Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

March 5th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Breakfast/Brunch | Recipes - (0 Comments)

These are by far one of the fluffiest, most delicious pancakes I have made so far in my culinary experience. I highly recommend you give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup low fat buttermilk

2 Large egg yolks and whites

2 Tbsp Evaporated Cane Sugar (or any sugar you have on hand)

2 Tbsp Lemon Zest

1/2 of a lemon, squeezed

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, buttermilk, zest, sugar, and yolks by hand.

In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form.

Add dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture just until combined; gently fold in egg whites until just incorporated.

Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray over medium low heat. Using 1/2 cup measuring cup or scoop, spread out pancake batter and cook about 2-3 min or until lightly browned, flip and cook additional 1-2 min. Keep pancakes warm wrapped with foil in a 200F oven until ready to serve.

Serving Size: 2 Pancakes

WW Points: 6

**original recipe adapted from Kitch Me.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Cheesecake Bars w/ Raspberry Swirl

February 22nd, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

http://www.milanasays.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/img_9108.mov

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

2 sleeves of Graham Crackers

2 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

Cheesecake:

16 oz. Cream Cheese Blocks, softened

2 eggs, room temperature

1-1/4 cups sugar (I used evaporated cane sugar)

4 Tbsp Sour Cream

4 Tbsp Unbleached All Purpose Flour

Zest of one lemon (I used a Meyer lemon)

2 tsp vanilla extract

8 tsp Organic Raspberry Jelly or Preserve (I used Trader Joe’s organic Raspberry Fruit Preserve)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13′ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor make the crust combining the graham crackers and sugar and process while slowly pouring in the butter. Press into the prepared pan with the back of a measuring cup. Bake for about 7-10 min until set. Set aside to cool.

In the meantime make the cheesecake filling. In a stand mixer, beat the cheesecake until creamy. Add sugar and zest, beat in well. Add sour cream, vanilla and baking powder. Beat until incorporated. Finally, add the eggs and beat until smooth. Pour onto the crust and drop teaspoons of the raspberry preserve over the top and swirl with a knife as shown in the video above. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and serve. Yields 16- 18 squares depending on how big or small you cut them. Enjoy!

** original recipe adapted from Crunchy Creamy Sweet.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Greek Yogurt Cake w/ Blueberry Glaze

February 22nd, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

http://www.milanasays.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/img_9117.mov

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Greek Yogurt (I used nonfat)

3 Large eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup avocado oil or any neutral tasting oil

3/4 cup sugar (I used organic evaporated cane sugar)

1 cup Unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

GLAZE:

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp Half and Half

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9″ baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a stand mixer on medium speed beat eggs until pale and frothy. Add yogurt, sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Beat for an additional minute. Add flour and baking powder on medium low speed until well combined. About another minute. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 min and then invert onto cooking rack to cool completely before glazing.

In a small blender, food processor, chopper or Nutri bullet. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over cake and garnish with fresh mint. Enjoy!

**original recipe adapted from An Italian In My Kitchen.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Tofu Veggie Lo Mein

February 8th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Asian Cuisine | Lunch/Dinner - (0 Comments)

INGREDIENTS:

Tofu Marinade:

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sugar ( I used turbinado)

Lo Mein Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup hot water

1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

2 tsp sugar (I use turbinado)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp organic cornstarch (I got mine at key food in forest hills)

Lo Mein Ingredients:

14 oz. extra firm organic tofu, pressed for 30 minutes , and cut into 1/2″ rectangles1 box whole grain spaghetti, cooked al dente

3 Tbsp Avocado Oil, divides

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 tsp fresh ginger paste (about 2″ ginger, peeled and grated)

6 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

2 cups baby bok Choy, roughly chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1 small zuchinni, julienned

2 cups snow peas, roughly chopped

10 oz. box of mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

For the marinade, combine the soy sauce, sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl and gently mix in the tofu and marinade or one hour in the refrigerator.

To make the sauce, combine the hot water with sugar in a large mixing bowl or Pyrex measuring cup and stir until dissolved. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, whisk to combine. In a small bowl add 2 Tbsp of sauce and cornstarch and whisk to combine then add it back to the bulk of the sauce and set aside.

Add 2 Tbsp of oil to a very large wok or frying pan with high edges. On medium high heat, stir fry green onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and mushrooms for about 2 minutes continuing to stir. Then add the bok choy, broccoli, snow peas and stir fry for an additional 2 min. Finally add zucchini and stir fry for an additional min. Add half of the spaghetti and half of the sauce mixture. And stir until everything is coated and sauce thickens about 2-3 min.

In a separate pan. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil and swirl to coat. Stir fry tofu without the marinade until golden brown. Add the rest of the spaghetti and sauce and stir to combine. Stir until sauce thickens. Add the tofu to the veggie mixture and stir to combine. Serve garnished with green onions. Enjoy!

Serves: 12

Serving Size: 1 Cup

WW Freestyle Points: 5

** original recipe adapted from Fearless Home Maker.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Garlic & Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with White Truffle Oil

January 19th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Lunch/Dinner | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Serves: 6

Serving size: 2/3 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs Fingerling Potatoes, washed and cut in half

1 tsp Thyme, Sage, Rosemary and Basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea salt

Pepper

1 Tbsp Avocado Oil

1-1/2 tsp White Truffle Oil

Directions: Heat Oven to 450F. In the meantime parboil your potatoes for 10 minutes in salted water. Drain. Put into baking dish mix with 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil, 1/2 tsp of the Herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Roast uncovered for 20-25 min. Mix together Truffle Oil, garlic and the rest of the herbs. Pour over potatoes and mix well. Roast for another 10 min.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

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Meyer Lemon Zucchini Cake w/ Meyer Lemon Glaze

January 5th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Yields: One Loaf (about 10 slices)
Serving Size: 1 slice

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cup sugar

6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Large Eggs at room temp.

1/3 cup unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Almond Extract

2 Cups Cake Flour***

1-1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1-1/2 Cups shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained

2 Tbsp Lemon zest

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp Meyer Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F.

Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray or baking spray. You may also line it with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In your stand mixer or hand mixer. Whisk together sugar and oil until combined well. Add eggs, almond milk. Whisk well. Now add extracts and lemon juice until incorporated. Add in flour mixture and whisk on low until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and zest. Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 min or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then completely on a cooling rack.

To make glaze, whisk together ingredients and pour over cooled cake. Enjoy!

**recipe adapted from Mom On Time Out.

*** if you do not have cake flour you may use All Purpose Flour using this equation:

1 cup AP Flour- 2 Tbsp AP Flour+ 2 Tbsp corn starch or arrowroot powder = 1 cup cake flour

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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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