Blueberry Almond Bread

Blueberry Almond Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon of flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; coat well with cooking spray.

Whisk vegetable oil, plain yogurt, eggs and vanilla. Separately whisk flour, sugar, sliced almonds, old fashioned oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add 1 1/4 cup blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool 1 hour, then remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

#blueberries #loaf #blueberryloaf

Food Network Magazine

Crusted Baked Fish

Crusted Bake Fish

INGREDIENTS

4 haddock fillets (each fillet about 6 ounces) or any white-fleshed fish

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

About 2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely ground pecans

1 sprig thyme, leaves removed and chopped

Pinch cayenne, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Lemon wedges, for serving

Lighter Tartar Sauce

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Prepare a breading station by arranging 3 shallow bowls or pie plates with the following: Flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, and bread crumbs, thyme, cayenne, and salt and pepper in the third.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish first in flour then egg mixture and lastly, the bread crumb mixture.

Heat a baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes. When pan is hot drizzle with olive oil. Add fish and drizzle a little olive oil on top of it too.

Bake in oven, turning once, about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness.

Serve with lemon wedges and Lighter Tartar Sauce.

Quick Tarter Sauce: Light mayonnaise, bit of relish and a squirt of mustard. Mix well.

#bakedfish #haddock

Nutella Chip Cookies

Nutella Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 Jar of Nutella (375 Gr.)

2 1/2 Cups - Flour

1 Cup - Dark - Semi-sweet chocolate morsel

1 Cup - White - chocolate morsels

1/3 Cup - Milk

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup - Sugar

1/2  Cup - Butter

1 Tsp - Baking soda

1/2 Tsp - Salt

2 Tsp - Vanilla extract

Directions

In a KitchenAid stand mixer add all the wet ingredients: soft butter, eggs, the entire jar of Nutella and the sugar.

Mix all the ingredients well.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, the salt, the baking soda and all the chocolate morsels. Mix everything well with a spoon.

Mix  the vanilla extract and the milk.

Start up the stand mixer again and alternate by adding some of the flour and chocolates and the milk. After you have added all the ingredients continue mixing until the dough is well amalgamated.

Put the dough in the freezer for about one hour.

After the refrigeration the dough will be much firmer and easier to roll into small balls.

*Roll the dough into balls the size of a golf ball and place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 mins. at 375F.

*Foodie Fran's tip - use 2 spoons to maneuver the cookie dough.

#nutella #chocolatechipcookies #cookies #nutellacookies

Cooking with Nonna

Vegetable Stock

Vegetable Stock

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 lg onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 sprigs fresh parsley

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

6 1/2 cups water

1/8 tsp salt (or to taste) freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute carrots, celery and onion for 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute for one minute (being careful not to burn garlic).

Add parsley, thyme, bay leaves and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for

about 30 minutes or until vegetable are very soft. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. Season with up to 1/8 tsp salt and pepper to taste.

Variations

Instead of straining the stock, use a slotted spoon to remove the bay leaves and herb sprigs. Enjoy as it is, or use a blender or food processor to purée the vegetables adding back into the stock.

#vegetablestock #homemadelowfat

Sue Ekserci, RD

Best-Ever Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Best-Ever Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Low Fat Soup

Ingredients
4 cups vegetable stock (see blog recipe) or reduced-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli (about 1 small head)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely shredded light cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions
In a pot, bring stock to a boil over high heat. Add broccoli, onion and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 or 30 minutes or until broccoli is very tender. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.


Working in batches, transfer soup to food processor (or blender or immersion blender) and puree until smooth. Return soup to pot if necessary. Stir in cheese and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Season with up to 1/8 tsp salt and pepper or to taste.


Foody Fran's Note: this soup makes only 1 to 2 servings so double or triple the recipe if needed.
#broccolicheddarsoup #lowfatsoup #broccolisoup
Sue Ekserci RD

Cannoli

Cannoli - Vitantonio Mfg Co

Yes you can make your own! This recipe requires quite a bit of time especially make them the first time. Call a friend or a family member to give you a hand and then you can reward them with some fresh homemade cannoli :) 

Following this recipe is my own "touched up" version which I found a little more helpful. I do this often after always following first the original recipe.

Cannoli Shells

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup white wine

Instructions 

Mix flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking powder. Work in the shortening, then add wine a little at a time, knead well. Take a piece of the dough the size of a nickel and roll it very thin, then put this loosely around a cannoli tube, overlap opposite ends on top of the tube and pinch ends together.

Deep fry in shortening and when nicely browned, removed carefully and place on paper towels to cool. Carefully remove tubes from shells by pushing gently though so as not to break shells. Cool before filling.

Cannoli Filling

Ingredients

3 lbs of ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups milk

8 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground

2 1/2 cups sugar 

Pistachio nuts, ground

Directions

Bring milk to a boil over a slow flame. Pre-mix cornstarch and sugar and add to the boiling milk. Allow to cook for 30 minutes, then set aside to cool.

Beat or strain the cheese until creamy, add the cooled cornstarch and milk mixture,vanilla and ground chocolate. Beat till fluffy. Fill pastry shells from both ends dip ends in ground pistachio nuts and top with powdered sugar. Cannoli shells can be kept indefinitely in a cool place and filled as needed.

Foodie Fran's Version

For the cannoli shells use the exact same ingredients, only I shape the dough in a log a cut small pieces. Instead of rolling each piece, I put he dough In pasta machine starting a the widest size working my way to the finest size. This way all you shells end up the same thickness. Keep a damp cloth over the pastry dough so it doesn't dry up. 

For frying, I mix half shortening, half vegetable oil.

For the filling I added miniature chocolate chips instead of ground. Although grounds pistachio nuts are delicious, I place half or quartered maraschino cherries on the ends of the cannoli. This depends on a what I have on hand.

And finally only fill the shells when the cannoli will be consumed that day otherwise the shell will soften. 

#cannoli #italianpasties #Ricotta

Cantucci Morbidi (soft cantucci)

Almost time to bake Christmas cookies! The is a new recipe I wanted to try and I really liked it! First time I made them, I added chocolate chips and next time I added candied fruit which is suiting for the season. These cookies are excellent with coffee or tea :)

Cantucci Morbidi (soft cantucci)

Ingredients

2 Oz. Warm Melted Butter (about 4 tbsp

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tsp Baking powder

5 Tbs Candied fruit (or nuts, chocolate chips, almonds, peanuts)

Pinch of salt

3 Eggs

1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract

Directions 

Mix the 3 eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt until well blended and smooth.

Add the warm butter and slowly add the sifted flour and baking powder with the vanilla powder, or the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix until well blended.

Add the 5 tablespoons of the candied fruit or nuts, chocolate chips, almonds or peanuts and mix slowly to incorporate all.

*Form two loaves, put them on a baking tray with parchment paper and bake on a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
When the loaves are golden, take them out of the oven and let them cool.
Slice the cantucci in diagonal shape of about 1/2" thick. Optionally you can sprinkle the cantucci with powdered sugar.

When the loaves are golden, take them out of the oven and let them cool.

Slice the cantucci in diagonal shape of about 1/2" thick. Optionally you can sprinkle the cantucci with powdered sugar.

*You can do one long loaf for larger cookies.

#cookies #christmascookies

Cooking With Nonna