Author Archives: Jessica Howells

Feel less guilty with this low-fat chocolate chip cookie!

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My sweet tooth is rearing it’s ugly head again. It doesn’t very often, but when it does – Look. Out. I’ve tried store bought low-sugar cookies and they just don’t do the trick for me. I’ve tried a lot of Gina’s recipes from Skinny Taste so I knew I could trust her! This is a slight adaptation of her recipe, they turned out great!
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup NuNaturals stevia sugar (you can use regular sugar if you don’t have Nustevia)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted (or butter substitute)
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tbsp apple sauce (not pictured; you can also use butter if you don’t have applesauce – it goes without saying that the apple sauce is healthier)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I only had regular sized so I used less than 1/2 cup)
  • Optional: 1tbsp of Chia seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line two cookie sheets with baking liners, tin foil or lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and chia seeds (if using) and stir to blend. In another bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

3. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is well blended. If the batter looks too dry add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

4. Fold in chocolate chips. Space cookies apart according to size and bake until golden brown. (The directions said 8-10 minutes but since mine were bigger it took significantly longer than that, I just kept an eye on them)


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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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I’ve been on quite a soup-kick lately. There is something about a warm bowl of soup that is so comforting on a cold winter day. Making them healthy is tricky sometimes though since a lot of my favorite soups are loaded with cream and fat. While this recipe has a lot of cheese, I was able to supplement the half-and-half for skim milk and wheat flour that gives it that creamy texture without all of the added calories. I also added some red pepper flake for a little added heat which was pretty tasty.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only, well rinsed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 3 cups low-sodium stock, I used vegetable
  • 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and separated (or same amount of fresh, I think fresh tastes better so I used about 3 small bundles)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded medium Cheddar
  • Optional: a few shakes of red pepper flake for heat and crushed croutons, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, saute the onions (or leeks) until soft, about 3 minutes and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and puree in a food processor or blender in batches and return to the pot.

3. Add the milk and bring to a simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Here you can add some butter for added flavor, however I skipped this step :)

4. Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Optional, sprinkle croutons over the top for garnish and serve immediately.

 

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Garden Vegetable Soup

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I hate wasting food. HATE it! It’s hard when you are first learning how to cook because unless you take the time to painstakingly meal plan, you end up with miss-matched food that you don’t know what to do with. So you just ignore it until it turns some unnatural color and you eventually throw it away. Sound familiar? It’s worse when your a vegetarian too because vegetables go bad so quickly. I always felt guilty buying broccoli and kale because I felt like I was throwing away half of what I bought due to the stalks. Until I learned this fun little trick during my Whole Foods challenge. Our instructor (if that is what you would call her…) said to chop up the stems and save them in a reserve baggie in your freezer. They actually have tons of nutritional value. When you don’t have anything planned for dinner one night you can whip up a fabulous vegetable soup!  And to think, all these years I was throwing away all that vitamin-packed goodness! Oh, the horror!

Anyways, the other night, when we had nothing planned for dinner and our fridge was looking exceptionally bare, I decided it was veggie soup time! It turned out SOOOO much better than I expected! You can certainly substitute different veggies depending on what you like or what you have on hand – another big plus to this recipe! Enjoy!

Garden Vegetable Soup (Adapted from Alton Brown)

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 45 minutes. Yields 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 C chopped leeks, white part only
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
  • kosher salt
  • 2 C carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
  • 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 cans of diced peeled, tomatoes (14.5 oz cans)
  • 2 C frozen corn kernels
  • 2 C frozen green beans (instead I used the bag of frozen stalks I mentioned)
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 C packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Add leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until softened.

2. Add carrots and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. (mine were a bit crunchier than I would have liked so I suggest maybe boiling them first)

3. Add the stock, increasing heat to high. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add tomatoes, corn, green beans, and pepper.

4. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

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