Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup White whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 egg
1/2 cup turbinado sugar + 2 tbs agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup 1 % milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sliced almonds


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease 12 cup muffin pan

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

4. Whisk sugar, agave nectar and eggs together until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in oil and milk until combined. Add the vanilla extract.

5. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and flour mixture until just moistened, do not overmix.Fold in sliced strawberries.

6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin pan and sprinkle almonds on top of muffins

8. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 15-20 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Bliss

Just about everyone knows that blueberries are nutrional stars. The health benefits of blueberries seem almost endless so I am not going to try to list them here. These phytonutrient superstars are bursting with flavor. Take my advice have some Bluebery Bliss and start your day in a state of profound satisfaction, in terms of health and joy!

Ingredients:
1 cup skim milk
1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries
1 medium banana (frozen)
1 Tbsp cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil

Directions:

Place milk and frozen banana and unsweetened blueberries in blender and blend for 1 minute. Transfer to glass, and stir in flaxseed oil.

This recipe is my submission for "Show me your smoothie!" hosted by Divya.

Sheraton Maui Macadamia Nut Pineapple Banana Bread

This tantalizing bread was so delicious it was all gone before I could take a picture of it. I will post the picture as soon as I make another one. But you don't have to wait for the picture to believe how delicious it was, just try it, I promise you won't regret!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water (I used 1/3)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ( I used only 1 cup)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups oil ( I used only 1/2 cup canola)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 1/4 cups over-ripe banana, mashed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped (or hazelnuts but not walnuts)
1 1/4 cups crushed fresh pineapple, drained

Directions:
1. Mix oil and sugar together thoroughly. Add bananas, eggs and water.
2. Sift dry ingredients and blend into mixture; DO NOT over-mix.
3. Dust macadamia nuts with flour.
4. Fold dusted macadamia nut and pineapples into mixture.
5. Lightly grease and paper line three mini loaf pans.
6. Pour batter into loaf pans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until firm.

Healthy Treats/Whole-Wheat Crepes

You can use any type of filling (sweet, fruit or savory) with this crepe recipe and no one will suspect these are made with whole wheat flour! I love them for breakfast, but you can make them as a desert with frozen berries and 1 tablespoon crème de cassis, (or black currant syrup)

Ingredients:
1 cups whole wheat flour or buckwheat (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (or canola oil)
1 teaspoon sugar, (if you want to make dessert crepes; optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt






Directions:

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, sugar (if using), salt, eggs, milk and butter (or oil) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth, scraping the sides once or twice. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Lightly oil a small nonstick skillet with a crumpled paper towel; heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Ladle about 2 tablespoons batter into the skillet with a small ladle or measuring cup; immediately tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom.

3. Cook the crepe until the underside is lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Using a small metal spatula or a fork, lift the edge of the crepe, quickly grasp it with your fingers and flip. Cook until the second side is lightly browned, about 20 seconds longer. Slide the crepe onto a plate. Enjoy!

Turkish Spinach Pie (Ispanakli Borek)

Borek is a general term in Turkish cuisine that applies to a family of pastries with about fifty different members. It is a type of baked or fried filled pastry, made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka (or phyllo). It can be filled with cheese, often feta, or kaşar, ground meat, or vegetables such as spinach, zucchini, potatoes, leeks, also carrot and peas. Spinach Borek is very popular in the countries composing the former Ottoman Empire such as Greece. This recipe may sound time consuming but as Alton Brown always says :"YOUR PATIENCE WILL BE REWARDED!":-)

Ingredients:
40 phyllo dough sheets (1 packet)
1 lb fresh spinach (semi-savoy,chopped and washed thoroughly)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (you can also use ricotta or cream cheese)*
4 eggs
1 and 1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil or canola oil for egg mixture
2 tbs olive oil for spinach (or butter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
nigella seeds and/or sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Thaw phyllos according to the instructions on the package. Generally speaking, you want to thaw the dough slowly, in its box and wrapping bag. Some companies include microwave thawing instructions. This is very risky. Thaw too quickly or at too high a power and you will end up with a gummy wet mess instead of separate sheets. Keep stacks covered with a dampened clean kitchen towel (Do not place the towel directly on top of the dough.)

2. Heat 2tbs of olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add chopped spinach after the onions change color and cook for a few minutes. Spinach may look a lot but it will reduce significantly when it is cooked.

3.Cool the spinach for 5 min. Season with salt and pepper and add cheese (you can also add some crushed red pepper).

4. In another bowl beat the eggs and add milk and olive oil. Mix well.
5. Grease a pan that's approximately the same size with phyllo sheets. Layer half of phyllo dough sheets in the pan by brushing every single layer generously with the liquid mixture.
6. On the 20th phyllo spread spinach mix. Keep layering the rest of phyllos by brushing each layer with the mixture.
7. After putting down the last phyllo, pour the rest of the egg mixture on top.Sprinkle the pie with nigella seeds and/or sesame seeds.
8. Bake in a preheated oven 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. When cooked sprinkle 1 tbs of cold water over the pie, right after removing from oven and cover with a kitchen towel. Wait for 5 to 10 min. and then cut and serve.

* You can also skip the cheese in this recipe and make with spinach filling only. If you are using ricoatta: using a coffee filter set over a bowl, drain the ricotta and discard the liquid.

Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta (Kozlenmis Biberli Kabakli Ekmek)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)

2 roasted red peppers (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (grated)

1/2 cup feta (crumbled)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Mix the zucchini, roasted red pepper, garlic, feta, oregano, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and eggs in a large bowl.

2. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and oregano in a bowl.

3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.

5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

(Recipe is adapted from Closet Cooking http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/07/zucchini-bread-with-roasted-red-peppers.html)

Light Whole Wheat Bluberry Muffin that Has Berry in Every Bite

One serving of blueberries contains as many valuable antioxidants as five servings of apples, carrots or broccoli. Can you think of a better way to pack more antioxidant power? This lightened up version of the bluberry muffins is a healthy alternative to usual coffe house muffins and also perfect for snacks and lunch boxes.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup milk/or buttermilk(I used vanilla soy milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup splenda)
2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract until well-blended. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the blueberries.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.

* For beginner muffin makers it is crucial to know not to mix the batter too long or else you will end up with tough, poorly risen muffins. Combine wet and dry with the fewest strokes possible, there should still be some lumps and perhaps even light streaks of flour.

Carrot & Orange Muffins

Can you think of a better way to brighten up a rainy day? Carrots and Orange create a very light and delicate flavor combination, when combined with walnuts these muffins need no further adornment. The pitfall with all muffin batters is in over mixing the batter and ending up with a tough muffin. So make sure you only mix the batter until the ingredients are combined and moistened.

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup canola oil (substitution: 1/2 cup apple sauce)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 medium carrot- grated
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick vegetable spray.
2. Beat together brown sugar, oil (or applesauce substitute), vanilla extract, carrot, orange juice and eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and orange zest. Slowly blend into wet ingredients.
4. Add walnuts and mix until just combined.
5. Spoon approximately 3/4 cup of batter into prepared tin. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Savory Zucchini Bread (Kabakli Ekmek)

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini (shredded)

1/3 cup olive oil
2 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup feta cheese or any white cheese (crumbled)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup Dill (chopped, if you are using dried dill use 2 tbs)

salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 375°F.

2. Lightly grease the loaf pan and sprinkle with a little flour.

3. In a small cup beat the eggs and add milk and oil mix well.

4. In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.

5. Add the egg mixture, zucchini, cheese, dill and mix.

6. Transfer the dough to the buttered loaf pan and bake for 30 min and then rotate the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes longer.

7. Turn the loaf out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

8. Serve the bread warm or at room temperature.

Zucchini Muffin

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded zucchini (frozen)
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt  

1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions: 

1. Use 2 medium-sized zucchini for every 1 cup shredded zucchini that you need.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 muffin pan and set aside.
3. In a bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking soda. Set it aside.
4. In a larger bowl beat with a hand mixer the sugar, zucchini and the egg. Now add the vegetable oil.
5. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Take out of oven and let cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan.

Very Berry Smoothie

Increase your daily intake of fruits with one easy drink, it takes less than 3 min. to make this smoothie. A healthy breakfast smoothie is a well-rounded fuel to power you through your day. It can also take the place of dessert or an afternoon snack. The secret to a great tasting smoothie is using frozen fruit which will yield thicker, more flavorful results. Not only is frozen fruit cheaper, frozen food has just as much if not more nutritional value than the "fresh"fruit you find on the shelves. This is because frozen fruits such as blueberries and strawberries are picked at their peak of freshness, while most fruit sold in stores is picked way before it's ripe so it doesn't expire before reaching the store shelves. Less time to ripen means less time to be fully enriched with all the nutrients that nature provides during the ripening process.

Ingredients:

1 small banana

1/2 cup soy milk

1 scoop soy protein (unflovared-unsweetened)

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened berries (rasperry, blackberry, strawberry)

1/3 pomegranate juice

1/3 crushed ice

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender.

2. Blend for about 10 seconds or until all ingredients are smooth

3. Enjoy!

Harvest Fruit Bars

I found this recipe from quaker oats website while I was searching for a healty snack for my picky 4 year old daughter. Even though my husband loved it more than her, she likes it too.

What I like about this recipe is that you can substittue the fruits, and the juices and have numerous different versions.

Each time I make, I substitute raisins with cranberries, or dried appricots or mixed dried fruits. I also tried apple cider and pear cider instead of orange juice and still got deliciuos bars.

Two months ago I had an acorn squash at home and didn't know what to do and I decided to experiment them with this recipe so I cut the squash in half, cleaned and sprayed with canola oil, sprinkled some cinnamon and added dried cloves and roast them for an hour. After roasting I removed the squash with a spoon and added it to my fruit bar mixture instead of the bananas. I also replaced the orange juice with pear cider and substitute apple pie spice with pumpkin pie spice, walnuts with hazelnuts. End result was great tasting and chewy fruit bars that I plan to make many more times.

Ingredients
One 6-ounce package diced dried mixed fruit bits
1 cup chopped banana (about 2 medium)
2/3 cup Tropicana or orange juice*
1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice or ground cinnamon, divided
1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. In medium bowl, combine dried fruit, banana, orange juice and 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice; set aside.

3. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats and remaining 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice; mix well. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugar together with electric mixer until creamy.

4. Add oat mixture; beat until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining oat mixture onto bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

5. Spread fruit evenly over crust to within 1/4-inch of edge. Add nuts to reserved oat mixture; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over fruit; pat down lightly.

6. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely; cut into bars. Store loosely covered.

*If using old fashioned oats, decrease orange juice to 1/2 cup.
Yield 32 Bars

Pumpkin Muffins

My absolute must for fall season. This recipe is from prevention magazine. I used whole wheat flour to make it healthier. I usually try to replace butter with apple sauce as much as I can but don't try on this recipe, I tried and it didn't work. Instead of butter you can still use healthier butter spreads and get good results. You can change the amount of pumpkin spice to your liking, I like mine spicy so added more pumpkin spice .

You can never go wrong with this recipe even if you lack the essential baking skills, it is simply delicious.

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned solid-packed pumpkin
¼ cup milk
¼ cup dried cranberries/ or raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin, and milk. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the cranberries.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.