Black Bean Brownies

Last week we made these black bean brownies for our superfood presentation! Our presentation was to senior citizens and they really enjoyed the brownies! They could not tell the brownies had black beans. The superfoods that are in this recipe are black beans, spinach and cocoa powder! This is a great dessert to make without the guilt of eating a regular brownie! The brownies came out very dense compared to other brownies that I have made. Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time:  10 minutes Cook Time: 25-30 minutes Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can reduced-sodium black beans, well-rinsed & drained
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder *(dark cocoa powder can be another alternative)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan or dish with non-stick spray or line with foil or parchment.

Put the black beans, spinach, and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and process until completely smooth. Try not to have any chunks of beans!

Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, instant coffee powder, baking powder, and salt. Process until completely combined.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, and put in the oven.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for about 20-30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Calories: 116

Protein: 3.2g

Fat: 4.7g

Carbohydrates: 17.1g

WW+pts: +3 pts

The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip Ever

My boyfriend loves spinach and artichoke dip, so we had to experiment and find the best recipe! This recipe was from The Pioneer Woman but I changed the type of milk the recipe called for to make it a bit healthier. This is not the healthiest recipe, but its the best spinach and artichoke dip you will ever have!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
• 1 bag Spinach
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cans Artichoke Hearts, Rinsed And Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Butter (additional)
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1-1/2 cup Whole Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cups Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• Extra Grated Pepper Jack
• Pita Wedges, Tortilla Chips, Crackers

Directions:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Crank up the heat a bit and throw in the spinach. Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the spinach from the skillet and put it in a small strainer. Squeeze the excess juice back into the skillet. Set the spinach aside.

Throw in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes, until liquid is cooked off and artichokes start to get a little color. Remove the artichokes.

In the same skillet or a different pot, melt 3 additional tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour until it makes a paste. Cook over medium-low heat for a minute or two, then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; splash in more milk if needed.

Add cream cheese, feta, Parmesan, pepper jack, and cayenne and stir until cheese are melted and sauce is smooth. Chop artichokes and spinach and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.

Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated pepper jack and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with pita wedges, chips, or crackers!

Calories: 174

Protein: 6g

Sodium: 222mg

Fat: 14g

Carbohydrate: 8g

WW+pts: +5pts

Crispy Smashed Potato with Avocado Garlic Aioli

I have been trying out Oh She Glows recipes for a few weeks now! This is a great side dish to make for anyone! The avocado garlic aioli sauce is a crowd pleaser! Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes Yields: 7 potatoes

Ingredients:

For the potatoes-

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (or try red or new potatoes)
• 2-2.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or oil of choice)
• Fine grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (be generous)
• Garlic powder, for sprinkling on top
• 1/3-1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

Avocado garlic aioli-

• 1 large avocado, halved and pitted
• 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup soy-free Veganaise (or vegan mayo of your choice)
• Fine grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add potatoes into a large pot and cover with water (I do not peel the potatoes). Place on stove top and turn heat to high. When the water starts to boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the avocado aioli. Add garlic into food processor and process until minced. Now add the rest of the aioli ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain in a colander and cool for 10 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 450F.

Place potatoes on a large lightly greased baking sheet. With the base of a mug or measuring cup, smash or press down on each potato until it’s mostly flattened (see photo in post). Some potatoes might break apart a little, but this is totally fine.

Drizzle each potato with about 1 teaspoon of oil and sprinkle on a generous amount of salt and pepper. Finally, sprinkle on some garlic powder.

Roast potatoes in the oven for 25-30 minutes until crispy, golden, and browned on the bottom. I roasted the potatoes for 30 minutes as I used fairly large potatoes. Keep an eye on them as cook time will vary.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, more sea salt, and pepper. Serve immediately with avocado aioli and watch them go lightening fast!!

Taken from: Oh She Glows

Calories:

Protein:

Sodium:

Fat:

Carbohydrate:

WW+pts:

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

 

 

I found frozen garbanzo beans and I did not know how to use them! They have a different texture then the canned garbanzo beans. Making a soup was the best option! I decided to make this recipe because all of the ingredients were staples that I always have on hand! Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 12 hours Cook Time: 30-45 minutes Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of dried Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), soaked overnight (You can use canned just skip the first step)
• 2 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup onions, chopped
• 2/3 cup tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small hot pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 lemon juiced
• 1/3 sweet paprika
• 1/3 tsp ground turmeric powder

Directions:

In a soup pot combine the chickpeas and water and bring to a rolling boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can also cook these in the pressure cooker) {You’re looking for the chickpeas to be cooked with a bite to them} {Skip if using canned beans.

While the beans are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onions, garlic, and hot pepper until they barely take on color; very slightly browned.

Add the mixture and the remainder of the ingredients (except coriander & lemon juice) to the soup pot and simmer 30-45 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft. You don’t want a “bite” to the chickpeas but firm and creamy.

Garnish with coriander (or parsley), lemon juice & serve!

Calories: 264

Protein: 12g

Sodium: 1100mg

Fat: 7g

Carbohydrates: 42g

WW+pt: +7 pts

Easy Cream-less Cauliflower Soup

When I went home a few weeks ago, the family I babysat for had this soup for dinner. It was so good and refreshing! I had to get the recipe! (I do not know where the original source is from) This soup is very easy to make and great for a light lunch, snack or an appetizer! I have been having it for dinner with some crackers! Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium leek, sliced and washed
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large head Cauliflower
• 4 ½ cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• salt & white pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
• minced chives for garnish

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, sauté the leek and onion in 2 tablespoon for butter until translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes).

 

Core the cauliflower and cut away the leaves and gray outer sides of the stem. Slice stem and set aside. Cut enough tiny florets to make one cup and set aside. Slice the rest of the cauliflower into steaks.

 

When leeks and onion are done, add 4 ½ cups of water, cauliflower stems and half of the cauliflower steaks. Cook for 15 minutes. Add in rest of cauliflower steak and cook for 15 more minutes. (When you cook cauliflower for a longer time, it develops a sweet and nutty flavor. When you cook it for a shorter time, it has a fresh and grassy flavor. Doing it this way creates depth of flavor).

 

Puree cauliflower soup until smooth. Transfer soup back into saucepan. At this point you can add more water if you want a thinner soup or not. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. (Soup can be made up until this point and refrigerated for a week or frozen.)

Calories: 56

Protein: 2g

Sodium: 25mg

Fat: 3g

Carbohydrates: 7g

WW+pts: +2 pts

Flourless Thumbprint Breakfast Cookies

This recipe was from Oh She Glows blog! These cookies are so easy to make and great for you! I have been looking for snacks for on the go since I never know when I will be coming home from my rotations. This cookie is perfect for that! I recommend using less oats than what the recipe says. Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minute Cook Time: 11-13 minutes Yields: 8 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)
• 2 cups rolled oats (I ended only using 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 tbs ground flax seed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt (recommended sea salt)
• 8 tsp jam
• Optional: Peanut butter (or almond or sunflower seed butter for serving)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a food processor, add the oats and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Next, in a large bowl, mash the banana. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the jam and nut butter. The mixture will be very wet and dense.

With a retractable ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 8 mounds. The cookies do not need to be spaced far apart on the baking sheet as they don’t spread out. Press your thumb (or small spoon) into the centre of each cookie to create a well. Fill each well with 1 heaping teaspoon of jam.

Bake cookies at 350F for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies are slightly firm, but soft and doughy in the middle. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack for 10 minutes or so.

If desired, serve cookies with your preference of nut or seed butter.

Calories: 115

Fat: 3g

Protein: 3g

Carbohydrates: 21g

Sodium: 6mg

WW+pts: +3

Recipe from: Oh She Glows 

Almond Flour Banana Bread

It has been months since I last updated my blog. My internship has taken up a lot of my time and therefore I have not been able to post any recipes!…But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been in the kitchen cooking!

A family I babysit for has been following the Paleo diet and has been sharing recipes with me. I tried out this banana bread and it was really good! I was suggest it to anyone who is experimenting with gluten free diets or following a Paleo diet. I do think that this banana bread is a bit sweeter than a regular banana bread. If you’re not into the sweet breads but still want to make banana bread, I would suggest my Healthy Banana Bread recipe.

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes Cook Time: 45-50 minutes  Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of almond flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 4 tbs melted coconut oil or butter
• 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; grease a 1.5 quart loaf pan.

Whisk together the almond flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside . In the bowl of a stand mixer (or another large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), mix the eggs, bananas, sugar, coconut oil (or butter) and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Mix in the almond flour mixture in three additions on low speed, mixing well and scraping down the sides after each addition. Stir in the walnuts.

Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out the loaf. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Calories: 277

Carbohydrates: 14.7g

Protein: 2.6g

Fat: 21g

Sodium: 227.g mg

WW+pts: +7

 

Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Chickpea Stew

 

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This is a great vegetarian Prevention magazine recipe! It may seem like a lot of prep time, but it is worth it. I placed the stew over brown rice to have a nice well balanced meal! I am sure you can have the stew with farro, quinoa or even pasta!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 1 hr and 25 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Yield: 6 serving

Ingredients:

•  1 1/2 lb eggplant
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced in 1-inche cubes
• 1 large yellow or red bell pepper, cut into triangles or strips
• 2 zucchini, cut into rounds 1-2 inches thick
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1/2 cup or more chunks of tomato, peeled and seeded
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 8 sprigs cilantro chopped
• 8 sprigs parsley chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise and slice across into 3/4-inch slices. Line two rimmed baking sheets with baking parchment and brush the parchment with the olive oil. Lay the eggplant slices on the baking sheets and brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Leave a little room on one pan for the peppers. Brush the outsides of the peppers with olive oil and place them, cut side down, on the pan. Remove the papery skins from the garlic bulb (as much skin as will come off easily). Place the garlic on one of the pans as well. Place the pans in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven. Place the red pepper in a paper or plastic bag and close up the bag (so that the pepper skins steam off). Flip the eggplant pieces and brush a little oil on any pieces that look dry (they should be fairly browned, albeit unevenly). Return the eggplant to the oven for an additional 15 minutes and remove the garlic, setting it aside to cool. The garlic should have been in for 40 minutes, but if you did the eggplant flipping with lightning speed, give the garlic a few more minutes to bake.

On the stovetop, preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. The eggplant should be ready while the onion is browning, so remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside (if you are running out of counter space, use tongs to transfer the eggplant to a bowl). Add the garlic to the onions and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the white wine and herbs and cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tearing up each tomato with your hands before adding to the pot, and add the remaining tomato juice from the can. Add the eggplant to the pot and mix well. Don’t be afraid of crushing the eggplant; in fact it’s good if it gets a little crushed. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the skin. If for some reason the skin won’t peel, don’t sweat it. Chop the peppers into bite-size pieces and add to the soup pot along with the chickpeas. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To prepare the garlic, wet your hands (to avoid sticking) and squeeze each roasted garlic clove into the soup pot. Mix well, turn off the heat, and let the stew sit for as long as you can stand to let the flavors to develop.

Calories: 291

Protein: 8g

Sodium: 850mg

Fat: 10.5g

Carbohydrate: 42g

WW+pts: +7 pts

Lentil Tomato Sauce

This is a great recipe as fall is slowly approaching! I made this “sauce” and put it over farro. Now, I did not add the farro in my ingredients, directions or caloric intake. That is because, I found that you can really swap any grain or starch for farro. Spaghetti, rice, brown rice and or quinoa are all great options! I am trying really hard to not eat any meat now and slowly start a vegan diet. This would a great option! Enjoy!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dried green lentils
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbs of tomato sauce

 

• 2/3  cup vegetable stock
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• **Optional: chopped basil leaves, choice of cheese

Directions:

Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, or according to the package directions, until just tender. Drain well. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, red bell pepper, tomato paste, rosemary and oregano. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the vegetables are tender. Add the lentils and cook, stirring, for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Calories: 146

Protein: 7g

Sodium: 247mg

Fat: 2.8g

Carbohydrates: 26g

WW+pts:+3 pts

Modified from: The Supper Foods: 50 best foods to change your life.

Energy Balls

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This was SANDs (Student Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) go to. SAND is an organization at Miami University for dietetic students. Now that I am at Keene State for dietetic internship, I thought to share these energy balls for our potluck! Surprisingly, no one had heard of them! They are so easy to make and great for everyone. This is a really good post workout snack!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: ZERO TIME Yield: 10 servings (20 energy balls)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats
• 1/2 cup of reduced fat peanut butter
• 1/3 cup of honey or agave
• 3 tbs of shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together and start rolling small handfuls into balls. I said the recipe would make about 20 balls but that would depend on how big the energy balls are. I put the oat balls in the refrigerator for the ingredients to hold together better but it is not needed. Enjoy!

Calories: 211

Protein: 4.9g

Sodium: 91mg

Fat: 9.2g

Carbohydrates: 29g

WW+pts: +6 pts