Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

In my never ending quest for clean eating approved desserts, I saw this recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles and could not wait to try it.  All I needed to do to make it clean was switch out the sugar source!  The original recipe calls for powdered sugar, so I got to thinking... if you can make powdered sugar at home by grinding up regular sugar, then I should be able to make powdered sucanat by grinding up regular sucanat.  It worked like a charm!  Per Bridget's suggestions, I cut down the amount of sugar, and found that they were still sweet enough to have reduce it even more, next time.

I think I slightly under-baked mine, but I loved how they turned out because they were still soft.  Bridget mentioned they were much like meringue cookies, and that was true of my version - but only around the edges.  The centers were soft and gooey and deliciously chocolatey!  Mine spread quite a bit more than Bridget's, so perhaps next time I will chill the cookies in the fridge while the oven finishes warming up. 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
Source: Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Bon Appetit June 2008
Servings: Makes about 13
BA note: Made without butter or flour, these dense, chewy cookies will satisfy even the most intense chocolate craving.

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (about 6 ounces), divided
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup sucanat, ground into a powder, divided
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line one large baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 90 seconds. Cool slightly.
2. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup powdered sucanat. 3. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1/2 cup powdered sucanat, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and ½ cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
4. Scoop 1 rounded tablespoon dough onto prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Nutritional Information, per cookie:
Calories: 137
Total Fat: 5.4 g
Sat. Fat: 3.1 g
Sodium: 96.2 mg
Carbohydrate: 23.3 g
Fiber: 1.2 g
Sugar: 20.1 g
Protein: 1.8 g

Buffalo Wings

Somewhere over a year ago, we discovered a place serving up buffalo wings near our house. Things started out innocently enough, as we ordered wings for the first time when my parents were visiting. Over the course of the next year, there were one or two more meetings with this lovely buffalo wing joint (no pun intended). Recently, my husband has been requesting it more and more often. I caved one night and agreed. Then he said, "We should do this every Thursday!"  Hold the phone. Definitely not! I had to find a way to make good wings at home, because once a week wing ordering was NOT going to happen here!

Tucked away in the back of my mind, for quite some time now, was Alton Brown's buffalo wing episode of Good Eats (The Wing and I). It was definitely time to bring up that recipe and put it to good use! After waiting over a month for the darn wings to go on sale at the store, I finally was able to pick some up and prepare wings, at home, for my buffalo-adoring husband. The method, although not at fast as picking up the phone and driving a mile down the road, worked out quite well and produced wonderfully moist and flavorful roasted wings. I ended up using a bottle of buffalo sauce we got from the Anchor Bar ages ago instead of Alton's sauce, but when that bottle runs out I will surely be trying Alton's.

Buffalo Wings
Source: Alton Brown

• 12 whole chicken wings
• 3 ounces unsalted butter
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
4. Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
5. While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.
6. Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs

It's good to have an arsenal of quick, easy, delicious meals in your recipe file for when you...well... need something quick, easy, and delicious. This recipe definitely fits the bill.  It has a bright lemon flavor, and is done in the amount of time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta.  I used my toaster oven to make the breadcrumbs since it takes even less time to heat up than the regular oven.

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs
Source: Everyday Food, January/February 2009

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons slivered Kalamata olives
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) chunk light tuna in water, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse bread and 1 teaspoon oil until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, olives, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss, adding enough pasta water to coat. Add tuna; toss gently. Serve sprinkled with breadcrumbs.

Homemade Granola

This recipe was actually for breakfast bars, but they didn’t stay together for me (I think due to my under baking them).  However, they work great crumbled up into granola and tossed into some greek yogurt.  I’m a huge fan of greek yogurt, but I’ll be honest – I usually eat it plain.  I don’t see it as something to try and make sweet.  I love it the way it is!  The granola is not really sweet, so for me, it makes a perfect addition to yogurt.  Together, they are a great breakfast or snack!  A great add-in to the yogurt and granola is natural peanut butter - that is officially my favorite way to eat this!

Homemade Granola
Slightly adapted from: Clean Eating Magazine, November/December 2009, page 48

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 cup unsalted pecans, chopped
• 1 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried unsweetened apricots
• 1 cup dried unsweetened figs
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened golden raisins
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened brown rice cereal
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or raw organic honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly mist a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine pecans, almonds, apricots and figs in a food processor.  Lightly pulse until chopped.  Transfer pecan mixture to a large mixing bowl; add oats, raisins and cereal. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, syrup or honey, cinnamon, salt and vanilla, stirring well.  Add to pecan mixture, mixing well.
4. Spread mixture onto prepared pan, pressing down gently.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Allow to cool 15 to 30 minutes before crumbling into granola. Store in ziplock bags in the refrigerator or freezer.
   

Crispy Tofu with Garlic and Broccoli

We like tofu, but have kind of been in a tofu rut - we only make one dish with it. I saw this and decided to give it a try, and see if we can like tofu in other dishes. I decided to serve it with japanese soba noodles, and it was a great pairing. The sauce it great, though next time I might reduce the amount of broth and/or add a thickener. Either way, a delicious meal!

Crispy Tofu with Garlic and Broccoli
Source: Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations

• 1 block firm tofu, cut into thirds
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Approximately 1 tbsp chopped white onion
• 2 tbsp cooking sherry
• 1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets
• 14.5 oz chicken broth
• 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Hoison
• 1 tsp (or less) red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add tofu; remove after 5 minutes. Drain and press some of the water out. Chop into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan.
3. Add tofu and cook until browned on all sides, about 12-15 minutes. Once cooked, remove tofu and let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel. Note - the tofu will still be somewhat wet so be careful when you add it to the oil! I wore an apron tonight to protect me from the splatter.
4. Add the onions and garlic to the pan; saute 2 minutes. Add cooking sherry, cook 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli and red pepper flakes; saute 3-4 minutes.
5. Add chicken broth mixed with soy sauce, brown sugar, and Hoison. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove a few tbsp of the sauce to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir.
7. Return the tofu to the pan along with half of the green onions. Let simmer for a few minutes.
8. Serve over noodles and top with the rest of the green onions.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been desperate for cookies lately.  Since August I have avoided making cookies, with my commitment to eating clean.  Most cookies I've made before use a hefty amount of butter, and I'm trying to avoid that.  I knew the July/August 2009 issue of Clean Eating Magazine had oatmeal cookies, but I never got that one and my subscription began with the following issue.  Luckily, The Happy Texan posted it (and her ice cream sandwiches look great!).  I happened to be making oatmeal cookies for my husband at the same time, and Baking Illustrated suggested using ground nutmeg in this type of cookie instead of cinnamon, since it can be over-powering.  I decided to use that suggestion in these cookies as well. 


I was so excited to make these because they looked so good, and they definitely did not disappoint!  They are soft, chewy, and sweet, with a high oat to flour ratio.  Much better than I expected!  I grabbed one before they cooled completely, and the large chunks of bittersweet chocolate were still warm and gooey.  I think the icing on the cake for me is that each cookie is under 100 calories, and packs 2 grams fiber and 2 grams of protein! 

Now, it's November, and I'm obsessed with cranberries, so I added some to half the batch.  I've been getting accustomed to the natural sweetness of foods and I was surprised at how sweet these cookies were, so adding the cranberry helped to take the sweetness down a notch.  


Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies
Source: Slightly adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, July/August 2009, as seen on The Happy Texan Cooks
Yield: 16 cookies

• 1 1/4 cup quick-cook old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp ground flaxseed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp. unsalted almond butter or natural peanut butter
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped cranberries (optional)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flaxseed meal, nutmeg, baking powder and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together agave, egg white, almond/peanut butter and vanilla. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients all at once and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Scoop 2 teaspoons of batter per cookie onto prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced.  Using the back of a slightly dampened spoon, flatten each mound into 2.5 inch circles (if desired). Bake 9-10 minutes, until golden. Cool on sheets for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, cookies will keep fresh for 2-3 days.

Nutritional Information 
Per cookie, using bittersweet chocolate chips and without cranberries

Calories: 94
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Sat. Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 52.6 mg
Carbohydrates: 17.3 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 9.2 g
Protein: 1.9 g

Pumpkin Ice Cream

I love pumpkin. I love ice cream. This was clearly a match made in heaven!  This ice cream is perfect with chopped pecans sprinkled on top.

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Source: Slightly adapted from The Novice Chef / Ben & Jerry's

• 2 large eggs (I used the equivalent amount of eggbeaters)
  
• 3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup agave nectar
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup fat free half and half
• 1 cup low fat (1% milk)
• 1 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, and continue whisking 1 minute more, until completely blended.  Pour in the cream, half and half, and milk and whisk until blended.  Pour 1 cup of the mixture into a separate bowl. Add the pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon to the mixture. Stir until blended. Return the pumpkin mixture to the cream mixture and whisk to blend. Refrigerate mixture for at least 4 hours.  Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the directions.