Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Whoopie Pies

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I'm having my parents over for a brunch celebration. My Dad is a very simple man, he doesn't like things and he doesn't want you to buy him anything... EVER! There is one thing my dad loves and that's Whoopie Pies. Last Thanksgiving I made pumpkin whoopie pies with a maple cream cheese filling and they were a huge hit! My Dad has been talking about them ever since. Yes, they were reduced fat and high fiber, I'm a dietitian, it's what I do! Anyways, so today I created a new recipe for my Dad. My oven is FINALLY working and this was the first thing I threw in there. Could you make these rich and decadent? Sure! But why do that when you could make them healthier and still taste great? That's what this blog is all about anyways, right?

Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll be posting about the actual brunch I make sometime this week but for now here's the whoopie pie recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Whoopie Pie
-1/2 cup rolled oats
-3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp ginger
-1/8 tsp nutmeg
-1/3 tsp baking powder
-1/3 tsp baking soda
-1/3 cup light brown sugar
-2 tbsp white sugar
-2 tbs fat free greek yogurt
-1/3 cup vegetable oil
-1/3 tsp vanilla extract
-1 egg
-1/4 cup chopped walnuts
-1/4 cup raisins

-Preheat your oven to 350F

-Mix all the dry ingredients (oats-baking soda) in a bowl, set aside. Mix all wet ingredients (brown sugar-egg) in another smaller bowl). Mix the wet until well combined (should look like the picture below). Add the raisins and walnuts to the dry ingredients and toss them so they are lightly coated in flour. Then mix the wet and dry. I didn't use a mixer for this but you could!

before mixing together

all combined

-Spray a whoopie pie dish or regular cookie try and dollop a tbs worth of batter down (I used a heaping tbs and these got a little bigger than I would have liked). Then place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven).

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling
-1/2 package of low fat cream cheese (softened)
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to combine all these ingredients into a creamy frosting, like below.

When you're whoopie pies have sufficiently cooled down frost the whoopie pie and try not to eat them all! :)

ALL DONE!

chicken n' squash

Funny story about this recipe, I actually planned on making it Monday night. Moving disrupts my cooking schedule! These chicken breasts have been "marinating" since Monday night, whoops! I was supposed to bake them that night but my oven decided to smoke. Being the frazzled genius I am, I didn't there was any other solution than to eat a salad with deli turkey on it (nobody wants to see that). My brilliant brother shed some light on the issue and reminded me today (while I complained about my chicken) that I could cook it on the stove top. GENIUS! Why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, I was too paranoid about the water bug I found in my laundry room. Ew, those things are big and scary and I swear they want to eat people! So yeah, I can't think clearly and I'm a coward when it comes to killing bugs.

Anywho... back to the chicken (since I know you're hungry after all that gross talk).

Mustard Marinade
-2 heaping tbs dijon mustard
-1 heaping tbs lemon juice
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper

(rub all over your chicken and let it sit overnight...or 2 days, whichever..)

-You can bake your chicken breast in the oven at 375 for 20(ish) minutes or you can do it on the stove top like I did. I seared it on medium high so each side browned nicely and then put the lid over the pan to help it cook evenly throughout.

Summer Squash
-3 yellow squash
-1 zucchini
-1/2 orange pepper
-5 baby bella mushrooms
-1 small yellow onion
-1/4 pint cherry tomatoes
-salt/pepper
-2 tsp lemon juice
-2 tsp garlic powder

-I precut all these earlier in the day and sprinkled them with salt/pepper (about 1 tsp each), lemon juice, and garlic powder. Spray down your pan with PAM and sauté these bad boys up. It's really that simple! It took about 15 minutes to get them soft and browning a little.

Tonight was one of those quick dinners where you don't worry about proper cooking process or anything. You just throw it all in the pan and let it go! I promise, it works! I'm way too worried about that stupid waterbug to be concerned with dinner. I'm hoping it finds its way out just like it found its way in! There I go mixing grossness with delicious food again, sorry!

Jerk Chicken

This post is a little bit overdue.  But what can I say- it's definitely worth the wait.  When it comes to grilling out, nothing else quite gets the senses going like jerk chicken (or jerk anything really).  Yeah, you can go buy a bottled jerk marinade at the store and call it a night.  But why cook with all the extra preservatives and sodium when you can whip up a tasty recipe from fresh, nutritious ingredients?

Vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices are all packed with flavor and can lend a lot to a dish... when sodium just falls short.  In this recipe, you do need a food processor or blender.  Then we blend together onions and peppers, spicy ginger, pungent garlic and a whole bunch of spices.  You can use the marinade for chicken, vegetables, meat, fish, even tofu (yes I really have used this marinade on tofu before!)

I used some meaty pieces of chicken (chicken thighs, breasts, etc.).  This recipe is better with skinless chicken pieces because it allows the flavor to soak deep into the meat.  I have done it both ways though, so feel free to experiment.  Although I didn't cook kabobs this time, my favorite way to use this recipe is chicken kabobs with peppers, onions and pineapple..mmm mmmm!

All you do is blend the ingredients of your marinade in a food processor or blender...

Toss your chicken, vegetables, or whatever else you like in the marinade.  Let sit, covered in the refrigerator, for at least an hour and up to overnight.  Cook on a hot grill- this was Sonny's job! 

Buddy likes to sit and watch the magic happen.

And there you have it!  The yummy jerk chicken is pictured here with jerk-marinated vegetables, grilled pineapples and plantains.  As you can see there is a little dipping sauce next to the chicken.  You can reserve about 1/4 cup of the marinade (before you use it on the raw chicken- do not use the same marinade that you used for raw chicken because that is how you get salmonella) and mix that with about 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt.  Now you have a yummy jerk sauce to extend the flavor a little more!

Jerk Marinade
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tb fresh ginger, roughly chopped (may use 2 tsp ground)
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup salt
6 Tb lime juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Use to marinate your poultry, meat, seafood, veggies or tofu.

Asian Salmon and stir fry

Happy Hump Day all! I hope it's warm and beautiful wherever you are. It's definitely a nice day here but sadly my iced coffee is almost done! Man, I love coffee...

Enough of the small talk, let's get to this fish dish shall we? This is a quick weeknight meal. Honestly, it took me about 30 minutes or less from start to finish. I created the recipe on a whim and called out ingredients and amounts to my brother so he could keep track, I was thinking of all of you guys! :)

I'll write this out in the order I cooked it. I did chop up a sweet potato and put roast it but that was a so-so addition. I couldn't find baby corn at the grocery store so I had to make a substitution and sauteed sweet potato in stir fry just seemed wrong.

Preheat your oven to 400F

THE VEGGIES

- 1 bunch of bok choy (baby or regular)
-1 red pepper
-3 carrots
-1 shallot
-2 cloves garlic or 1/2 garlic scape
-2 cups diced shitake mushrooms
-1 can baby corn or 1/2 package fresh baby corn (if you can find it)
-1 tbsp sesame oil
-1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
-1 tsp honey
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp rice vinegar
-2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
-1 tsp lemon juice,
-pepper to taste

Start by putting oil in a wok or saute pan over medium high heat. Add shallots and garlic scapes. Then add the other spices/sauces as the shallots and garlic soften. Add all other vegetables and saute until soft. Make sure you cook the bok choy well otherwise it can taste a little bitter.

saute those veggies!

While the veggies are get your fish out and whip up the following sauce.

FISH MARINADE

-1 tbsp sesame oil
-1 tbsp rice vinegar
-2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
-1 tbsp honey
-1/4 tbsp chili powder

Mix the above ingredients and then pour over your fish. NOTE: if you plan making this dish in advance rather than winging it like I did then it'd be a great idea to marinate your fish for an hour or so in the sauce above for extra flavor.

pour the sauce over your fish

THE FISH
- 1.5ish lbs of fresh caught salmon

NOTE: It's best to buy wild caught salmon, farm raised salmon is lower in nutrients and omegas (those heart healthy fats we all love). Farm raised salmon is actually gray and dyed pink because they aren't able to eat the plankton that wild caught salmon do giving them all their phytochemicals and pretty pink color.

I cooked the fish for about 20-35 minutes and bumped up the heat to broil at the very end (for about 5 minutes)

All done!

Now you're dinner is all done and ready to eat! This recipe made enough for 3 hungry adults and 1 very happy pup!

Cookie dough? Yes please!

Who doesn't love cookie dough? Nobody worth hanging out with that's for sure! Okay, maybe that's a bold statement. If someone doesn't like cookie dough they must have just not had a good experience, we can change that. In fact, I think this recipe will convert someone over into the "cookie dough fan club".

I got this recipe from www.joythebaker.com. I changed it up a little bit but the recipe is basically the same. She's got an awesome blog and if you haven't checked it out already you should.

I was dog sitting for a few friends when I had the urge to bake something but didn't want to actually turn on the oven. This is a great "lazy baking" recipe since it actually doesn't require baking at all. Plus, who doesn't want to come home to cookie dough balls after a vacation?

Here's what you'll need for the recipe:

-1/2 stick butter (original recipe uses a whole stick)
-1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp sea salt (or 3/4 tsp kosher salt)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/3 cup granulated sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt
-3/4 cup chocolate chips (original recipe uses 1 cup)
-1/4 cup caramel chips (original recipe doesn't add these)
-1/2 cup chopped pecans (original recipe uses walnuts)
-1.5 cups chocolate chips for melting and dipping

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside. Then whisk together butter, sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract (the wet ingredients). You need to use softened butter here so if you don't have time to leave the butter out at room temp than just put it in the microwave for a little bit. I did this by hand but you can use an electric mixer if you'd like to speed up the process a bit. Once the wet ingredients are whipped together slowly add the dry to the wet. Lastly, add in the nuts, chocolate chips, and caramel bites.  It should look like this...

Next you'll want to make little balls out of this dough. I choose to make small-medium sized balls. I used a large spoon (~1 tbsp) to scoop and rolled the balls in my hands (clean hands). They should look like this.

Now here comes the hard part. You have to put them in the freezer (I put them in a deep freezer) for a few hours to harden and cool off, otherwise they won't hold. If you don't have a deep freezer plan on waiting about 4-6 hours before these little guys are good to go. In the meantime you can watch a silly movie or go for a walk with your dogs or workout or nap or cook dinner for the week ahead!

Once they were frozen I melted the 1.5 cups of chocolate chips in the microwave, you could also use a double boiler. Then I dipped the cookie dough balls in melted chocolate and put them back in the freezer so the chocolate shell could harden. I had a picture of these and accidentally deleted it, whoops! Just imagine a chocolate shell on the outside or go to www.joythebaker.com and see them! 

I recommend storing these in the freezer and taking them out 20-30 minutes before you want to eat them. I couldn't wait so I ate them straight out of the freezer, weird right? You could also pop them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds but be careful they get melty. Cookie dough soup could be good though...

Adaptations you can make...

1. Try using replace 1/2 cup of the flour with oats, use 1 cup of raisins instead of chocolate chips, use walnuts instead of pecans, and 1 tsp cinnamon and you've got oatmeal raisin cookie dough balls. I wouldn't dip them in anything but you could certainly dip them in chocolate

2. Use 2 mashed bananas instead of yogurt, 1/2 cup peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and you've got chocolate peanut butter banana cookie dough balls (wow that's a long title).

3. Use shredded coconut and chopped almonds for an almond joy inspired cookie dough ball. 

The possibilities are endless. Have fun in the kitchen and experiment. Turn on some music, get your hands a little doughy, and invite a friend over. Sometimes you make fail but sometimes you'll end up with a tasty treat!