Archive for December 12th, 2010

December 12, 2010

Guilt-Free Christmas Cookies

In light of the holiday season, I baked Christmas cookies. Just because the holidays are right around the corner does not mean you have to loosen your belt! These Dark Chocolate Florentines (Eating Well) are the best of both worlds: delish and only 108 calories. They are not tedious like other cookie recipes, which is another plus! Bring these healthy alternative treats to this year’s Christmas parties and I promise you won’t be disappointed, nor will your fellow party-goers.

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or almonds) finely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan and remove from the heat. Add in oats, sugar, oil, flour…

soy milk, salt, nuts…

and vanilla.

Mix it all up! Next, form into level teaspoons of dough and place onto the baking sheet. Press each cooking into a thin, 2-inch circle with a fork.

Bake for 5-7 minutes and let cool completely before removing from the foil. Once the cookies are cool, melt chocolate chips!

Spread the melted chocolate on the flat side of half of the cookies.

On the other half of the cookies, spread a little apricot jam.

Press the chocolate and apricot halves together into sandwich cookies! ENJOY!


Treat yourself to one of these divine desserts and don’t feel bad about it. They are light, gooey and have the perfect amount of sweetness. Again, 108 calories, 6 g. fat, 14 g. carbohydrates, 2 g. protein, 1 g. fiber, 5 mg. cholesterol, 19 mg. sodium, and 14 mg. potassium per cookie! Deck the halls and indulge.

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

December 12, 2010

Tomato and Basil Salmon

This may be one of my favorite dishes ever. I made it for my DZ family the other night and my little sisters are still raving about it. I stumbled upon it a few weeks ago when I cooked dinner for my boyfriend. Mouth still full, Mike said, “Oh my God, Laur. Why didn’t you take pictures of this for your blog. It’s so good.” Usually I think Mike eats my food because he feels bad, but this time I knew for a fact he wasn’t playing pity party because he ate every last bite. Success. Anyway, I couldn’t wait to have another opportunity to make this Salmon with Tomatoes and Basil recipe (Eating Well) because it was so delicious! I baked mine in the oven, but if you want to grill it like the recipe says, by all means do so! Sorry, but going outside in this weather to grill is not what I call fun…I put the salmon over quinoa and made Asparagus with Hazelnuts (FabulousFoods.com) as a side dish. This meal is perfect for entertaining because it is simple and not time consuming whatsoever. I was glad I made too much because this made great leftovers!


Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole wild salmon fillet (roughly 1 1/2 lbs)
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (divided)
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced (wish I had the De Buyer Kobra Adjustable Slicer from my X-mas list)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mash the minced garlic and 3/4 tsp kosher salt on a cutting board (using the side of a knife or spoon) into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in the oil and half of the basil.

Check the salmon for bones, remove if necessary, and place the fish skin-side down on the foil. Spread the garlic mixture over the fillet.

Overlap tomato slices on top and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the remaining salt. Place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes (4 to 6 minutes per half-inch of thickness,) or until the fish easily flakes when separated with a fork.

Before serving, sprinkle the rest the fresh basil on top of the fish. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Again, I put the salmon over quinoa (drizzled with olive oil,) but rice or couscous would also be great. This meal was absolutely fantastic. The tomatoes get crunchy on top of the salmon, but keep the fish nice and moist. I really enjoyed the asparagus recipe with hazelnut and balsamic. It was a great side dish to pair with the seafood.

All in all, great last meal of the semester with the best friends any girl could ever ask for. YAY!

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

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