Lowfat Stuffed Shells

I'm a sucker for pasta. Pretty much every kind I've tried. There's something really wonderful about Italian food...

• homey, hearty
• rustic with simple ingredients
• beautiful dishes, yet not TOO pretty to eat
• a little mysterious (I didn't grow up with an Italian grandmother sharing all of her secrets)
• and, best of all, it is meant to be shared!

 So let's share some shells...
Stuffed shells were a treat in college. Living in Boston and having a tight budget, ordering Italian takeout was a treat. It was especially good because I don't think I ever had REAL Italian until moving to Boston. And there are a ton of great Italian places in the city...mmm, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. One of my roommates turned me on to stuffed shells. They were humongous, full of melted cheese and had this amazing sauce. The flavor was spectacular! 

So here's my first shot at making the home-version, which has a LOT less fat but hopefully is full of flavor still. This one uses jar marinara but, if you have time/access, I strongly recommend fresh sauce and fresh basil. Yummm.

Lowfat Stuffed Shells
serves 8 (4 shells each)

32 shells + 2 quarts water + large pot + dash salt
step one: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Let pasta cook according to instructions on package. Once the shells are cooked, drain the water and lay the shells out in one layer on a dry towel. Set aside.


1 TB olive oil + large saute pan + 4 garlic cloves, chopped + 1 bell pepper, chopped + 1 onion, chopped
step two: Heat the saute pan on medium-high, adding oil. Saute bell pepper and onion and cook for 3 minutes. Then add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Set pan aside. 

large bowl + large spoon + 1 pint fat free cottage cheese (or ricotta) + 1/4 cup parmesan cheese + 16 oz. chopped spinach (if using frozen, thaw and squeeze out water) + sauteed veggies from pan + 1 TB Italian seasoning (or 3 TB fresh chopped basil) + 1 egg + 2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
step three: Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl. This is your "stuffing" for the shells.

3 cups marinara + 9X11 baking pan + 8X8 baking pan + non-stick cooking spray
step four: Spray each baking pan with spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup marinara in the bottom of each baking pan. 
step five: Using a spoon, stuff 2 TB of cheese mixture into each shell and place opening-down in each pan. Repeat the process until all of the shells are stuffed. [20 shells fit in the large pan and 12 fit in the smaller pan!]

1/4 cup parmesan + 1 1/2 cups 'Italian blend' shredded cheese [use mozzarella, more parm, pecorino romano, or your favorite cheese blend] + 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs [optional]
step six: After all of the shells are stuffed and arranged in the pans, pour the remaining 2 cups marinara over the shells. Sprinkle cheeses over the top and breadcrumbs [if you want a little extra crunch]. Bake for 30 minutes.

Adapted from: Recipe Girl, Live Better America

There you have it, stuffed shells! Serve with steamed veggies or a giant salad on the side. Enjoy the flavor without all of the takeout guilt. :)

   

Happy eating!
Laurel

Low-fat Brownies

Isn't it nice to whip up a little dessert after a long day? I'm talking about 5 or 10 minutes on your feet in the kitchen, max. I found this recipe on Joy of Baking's site, a low-fat wonder before adding a layer of crunchy peanut butter for my dear husband Matt. He and my mom (and other members of the family) are nutz-o about chocolate peanut butter in combination, so I imagine that--even if I had burned these brownies--they still would've been gobbled up.

You know, I just realized that I should explain all of these "Joy's" that I've been referring to in the posts these last few weeks.

• Joy of Cooking--the classic, 80 year old cookbook with the white cover and red lettering; I refer to this often in cooking, and a little less on this blog
• Joy the Baker--a hip, Californian young baker who is creative with her flavor combos and baking techniques; I refer to her regularly
• Joy of Baking--a middle-aged, established blogger with many traditional baking recipes (think comfort food) that she and her contributors offer; I refer to her seldomly

So today's brownies are from Joy #3, the last on the list. So much Joy! The brownies are low fat and, if you add the peanut butter topping, well, it adds a little more fat. Just warning you. But they are tasty!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Makes one 8X8 pan

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup soft butter spread (margarine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup light sour cream or plain low fat yogurt

Topping (not so low fat)

3 TB crunchy peanut butter, melted in the microwave (1 minute)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Step one: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in the center of the oven. Spray an 8X8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and margarine until smooth. Then, mix in the vanilla and egg.

Step two: In a second bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Combine the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients. Then mix in the yogurt/sour cream. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 15--20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Topping: Once the brownies are out of the oven, cool for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, add the peanut butter and microwave for 45 seconds, or until warm and melted. Add the powdered sugar and stir until dissolved. Spread carefully on top of the brownies. Let cool. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar to finish.

Happy eating!
Laurel

Lowfat Carrot Cake?

Do you ever read those monthly features in Cooking Light magazine? You know, the ones where they take a cream puff that would normall have 1550 calories and 89.7 grams of fat, and they transform it into a delicious cream puff with 22 calories and .5 grams of fat? Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but the chefs and contributors at that company do come up with some pretty tasty dishes that are pretty healthy, too.

I remember one month's feature was carrot cake. Traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting had something like 1000 calories and 85 grams of fat, more fat than your daily allowance. And, if you're a lover of carrot cake or any cake, is it really humanly possible to eat just one slice? Doubtful. So they transformed the cake into 430 calories and 17 grams of fat, or something like that. Better, but not exactly healthy-ish. So I found a Martha Stewart recipe (of all places) that was a little more reasonable, and I've kicked up the "healthy-ishness" up another notch.

Lowfat Carrot Cake
Adapted from Martha
This moist cake is easy, simple and quite delicious. If you must devour more than one piece of carrot cake goodness, this is the one that won't make you feel so guilty afterward.


1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled into the measuring cup
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon or 1/2 t. cardamom
1 large egg + 1 egg white
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup + 2 TB plain lowfat yogurt
2 TB canola oil
1 cup finely shredded carrots, packed (about 2 carrots)
Glaze: 2 TB milk + 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon/cardamom. In a second bowl, combine eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil.
step 2: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Fold in carrots. In an 8-inch round cake pan, spray with non-stick oil and dust with flour. (line the bottom with parchment paper if you like) Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 minutes.
step 3: Let cool in pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes, then transfer cake to cooling rack for 20 minutes. Drizzle with glaze and serve proudly.

This cake                                        Starbucks' Carrot Cake Bar

I apologize that I had to break the news about the Starbucks bars. But, on the bright side, you can make something a little less bad for you! :) Happy baking!

Laurel

Can't Stop Baking!

Yesterday, I got the urge to bake. So I baked...a lot. None of them were my recipes (originally), but I vamped all of them to make them 1) (hopefully) tastier & 2) healthier. That's what it's all about anyway, right?

THE MENU: chocolatey, cakey, sconey.
THE MUSIC: An old new favorite...Ella Sings Broadway on vinyl...

Sometimes I wonder if I was born 60 years too late...she's definitely one of my top 3 faves. So, while she & I sang Hernando's Hideaway and I Could Have Danced All Night, I baked and baked. Joy!

Here's what happened:

1) Bethenny's Low Fat Fudge Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have a guilty pleasure, I'll admit. I like the Bravo reality show "Bethenny..." about a New York housewife and her craziness. She's witty, crass, & wears beautiful clothes while pulling off her hectic schedule and chaotic life. She's a self-proclaimed healthy foods chef, so I thought I'd give a couple of her recipes a shot. They're simple and really tasty! This particular one is vegan, completely guilt-free and so chocolatey! The only thing I changed was using dark chocolate (non-vegan) chips instead of the vegan variety. (I'm too cheap to spend $6 on a bag of vegan chips.) The key is applesauce instead of eggs and oil, which I use a LOT for a sub. You don't notice the difference when all is said and baked!

You throw everything into a bowl (easy cleanup and quick!) and pop it in the oven. I eat them for breakfast/dessert, a side with lunch, and (sorry mom) for dinner sometimes, too. They freeze well, too.

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup raw sugar (1/3 cup packed brown sugar works, too; white if you must)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ¾ cup oat flour (wheat works, too; white if you must)
  
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips (for non-millionaires, reg milk/dark chocolate chips work, too)
  
• 1 dash cinnamon (who am I kidding? I throw in MORE than a bitty dash.)

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray/paper-line 8 muffin cups. Fill each cup 2/3 full and bake for 17-20 minutes. You can use the toothpick method, but I usually know they're ready when the top is slightly firm and the visible chocolate chips look "melty." The applesauce allows for the entire muffin to bake really evenly, which is quite nice.

2) Low-Fat Coffee Cake (not the prettiest, but still tasty)

This came from that magazine "Taste of Home," you know, the one where you have to be Mary Sue Earl from Timbuktu and must have a degree in all things southern, just in order to submit your fave recipe! It's a simple, traditional cinnamon coffee cake you've had a million times before...lots of cinnamon, a sugary crumble on top, and gooeyness. I've gotta admit, this recipe wasn't my favorite. My grandmother loved coffeecakes, and she always used the base from Joy of Cooking...a classic. I like that one better. Of course, her's called for something like 2 sticks of butter...this LOW-FAT version requires no butter/margarine and only egg whites. The cake was moist and fluffy, but not as moist as the full-fat version served at every Baptist church breakfast and bridge club on this side of the Mississippi. (ha) This one is good (and guilt free!), but there are other really great ones that you can modify. Here's my moister (yet still low-fat) version:

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups oat flour (all-purpose will work, too)
  
• 3/4 cup sugar (turbinado or white)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk (cow's or soy)
  
• 4 TB margarine/butter, unsalted & at room temp
  TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of granola/corn flakes, crushed
  

Directions

• In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat egg whites, applesauce and milk. Add to dry ingredients. Pour into a 9-in. square baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375° for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Yield: 9 servings.

3) Raspberry Scones Recipe

I got this one off of Joy of Baking's website. I've used a couple of her recipes, and they're fun. While this was not an authentic British scone, it was good. The dough was tasty (you have to taste it!), and I used Strawberry Jam (my favorite) instead of fresh raspberries, like the recipe calls for. They turned out tasty, a bit crisp on the outside and soft and moist in the middle. Yum! Here's my version:

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour (1 2/3 wheat flour works, too)

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter/margarine, cold and cut into pieces

1/2 dark chocolate chunks or chips (optional)

1/3 cup strawberry preserves

1/4 unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chunks (chips) and raspberries. In a small measuring cup whisk together the yogurt, vanilla extract, applesauce, and egg. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into eight triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Although not necessary, if you want the tops of the scones to be crispy, then turn your broiler on high. Sprinkle confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.

Fun, fun! I'll put the rest of my baked goods up tomorrow! Happy Monday. Relax, enjoy the week and try not to stress the small things.