Peanut Butter Pie

Tonight was another family dinner with my parents. I made chicken enchiladas using the same recipe from a few nights ago by substituting chicken for the black beans and mixing in a little bit of pureed butternut squash I needed to use up. I also had a hankering for something sweet, so I came up with this peanut butter pie recipe.

Peanut Butter Pie
Serves 12 at 196 calories a slice

5 servings of gingersnaps (comes out to around 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 egg whites
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce dark chocolate

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a pie plate.
2. Crush the gingersnaps, then pulse in a food processor until ground. Add the peanut oil and 1 egg white.
3. Spread the crust along the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
4. Turn your oven up to 400 degrees.
5. Whip the second egg white until still peaks and set aside.
6. Beat together the sugar, peanut butter, and cream cheese. Scrape down the bowl and add the milk and vanilla. Beat until combined.
7. Fold the egg white into the peanut butter mixture, being careful not to deflate the eggs. Turn out into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the warm pie. 
9. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I really love my sweets, but they don't love me, so I'm constantly trying to come up with healthier versions of my favorite sweet treats. Today I experimented with a healthier version of a yummy loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. The texture came out just the way I wanted it and a slice still warm from the oven was the perfect buddy for my afternoon coffee.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Yields 16 servings and each slice is 154 calories

Crumb topping:
1 teaspoon ground Saigon cinnamon
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cup raisins, soaked for an hour in hot water and drained

Bread:
2 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup stevia in the raw
1 can of fat-free evaporated milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 5x7 loaf pan.
2. Combine the cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt. Stir in the oil, followed by the raisins. Set aside.
3. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar one spoonful at a time while the mixer is running. Whip to stiff peaks and set aside.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and stevia in a large bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon juice, peanut oil, egg, and extracts. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined.
6. Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture, careful not to deflate the eggs.
7. Pour half the batter into the pan and top with half of the oatmeal mixture. Add the rest of the batter and sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture over the top.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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My Big, Fat, Italian Dinner

Sunday dinners are a big thing in my family. It usually involves heaping bowls of pasta, bread, and gooey desserts and this has been a real test of my willpower. Tonight I attempted a healthier version involving lots of veggies, whole wheat pasta, and a lovely fruit-filled cake.

For the longest time I was completely resistant to whole wheat pasta. I tried many different brands, but every single one tasted like cardboard and had all the texture of a rubber band. Finally, I came across a brand that actually tastes like real pasta! Alma's pasta is imported from Italy, so I like to pretend that that means it's good. Another tool in my Italian food arsenal is Gourmet Gardens fresh herb puree in a tube. Normally I get the Italian blend, but last time I was at the store I got this here tube of parsley by mistake. I make sure I always keep a bottle in my fridge because it's so much easier than trying to keep multiple bundles of fresh herbs in my fridge, only to find they've rotted away while I wasn't looking.

My version of pasta primavera is so easy to make. I plan on one tablespoon of olive oil, one sliced small yellow onion, a minced clove of garlic, 1/2 a cup of chopped tomatoes, and around 2 cups of fresh veggies for every 2 people. Saute the yellow onion in the olive oil until tender, then add the garlic, tomatoes, and veggies. Tonight's assortment consists of yellow squash, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, green beans, and baby bello mushrooms and averaged out around 315 calories a serving. Add the herb puree, salt, and pepper to taste and serve over pasta and top with a little bit of shredded Romano cheese. This was a big huge hit over at my parent's house tonight, and I should mention that my parents are highly resistant to any food that might be healthy.

I was inspired to create my almond polenta cake with apples, pears, and raisins after another recipe I'd seen for a basic polenta cake. For you non-Italians out there, polenta is Italian yellow corn grits. I've had it many times cooked in different sorts of savory dishes, but never in dessert form, so it got me excited. To cut back on some calories I replaced half the sugar with stevia in the raw. This was my first time baking with stevia, and it's really not that bad. It definitely has a distinctive taste, but it's not overpowering. Once it was baked I couldn't even taste it and I loved the way the fruit melted into the top of the cake. This would be so good with a big giant cup of coffee.

Here is the recipe:

Almond Polenta Cake with Apples, Pears, and Raisins
Serves 12 and 181 calories a slice

1/2 cup raisins
1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1 cup water
2 tablespoons stevia in the raw
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup stevia in the raw
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk
2/3 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a pan. I used a random rectangle pan I found in the back of my kitchen, but I'd recommend an 8" pan.
2. Combine the fruit, water, stevia, sugar, and spices in a pot. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then reduce to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, then remove the fruit, but reserving the juice.
3. Bring the juice to a boil on medium high heat and reduce until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Pour over the reserved fruit.
4. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, polenta, sugar, stevia, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk powder. Set aside.
5. Whisk together the water, eggs, oil, and extracts. Add to the flour mixture and stir until combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth out until level, and spoon the fruit mixture over the top of the cake. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and cool completely before cutting.

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