80(ish)--- Crisp Olive Oil Flatbread

I brought my Feta & Date Cheese Balls to a Christmas party last night, and I needed a cracker of some sort to spread it on. I wanted to make something that didn't distract from the flavors in the cheese balls but I also wanted a yummy homemade taste.

Crisp flatbread!! You can modify this recipe to meet your needs. You could add sprigs of rosemary or Parmesan cheeese to the top also! As far as baking goes, these were really easy! However, note that each flatbread should be cooked separately for even cooking, so allow for time for that!

Crisp Olive Oil Flatbread
Serves 10

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
1/3 cup olive oil (plus more for brushing)
Sea salt flakes

Preheat oven and large heavy baking sheet to 400 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add water and oil. Use a spoon to gradually stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until a dough forms. Gently knead dough 4-5 times on a clean work surface.

Divide dough into 3 even pieces. Cover with plastic wrap. Roll out one ball at a time with a rolling pin to a 10-12" round(ish) shape. In my opinion, the more rustic the shape the better!

Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and place on the preheated baking sheet. With a pastry brush, lightly brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt flakes (this is where you would add the rosemary sprigs or Parmesan cheese-- press them gently into dough).

Place sheet on a rack in the bottom half of oven and bake for ~15 minutes, until flatbread is firm in texture and slightly browned around edges.

Repeat rolling out, prepping and baking with 2 remaining dough balls. Cut baked flatbread into pieces of your desired size and shape.

Serving idea: line a gift box with tissue paper, fill with flatbread pieces and garnish with ribbon.

Nutrition Info per 3-2" square pieces: 156 calories, 8 g fat, 2 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates

80--- Whole Wheat Tortillas

I made my peace with lard today. Lard, really? I know, I know. I am sure that I could have found a substitute for it, but I really wanted these to be authentic. AND, I figured, those tortillas that you purchase at the grocery store may have partially-hydrogenated oil in them. So, these are my Preservative-Free Whole Wheat Tortillas Made with Lard. I would suggest trying to find a lard that is refrigerated. This is less likely to be processed and hydrogenated.

However, it is PARTIALLY-hydrogenated oils that form trans fats. Trans fats have been shown to lower HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), reduce omega-3 fatty acids in our cells, elevate CRP (C-reactive-protein) leading to inflammation in our arteries, and interfere with immune functions and enzyme functions. When you compare saturated fats (in lard) to trans fats, saturated fats appear to be MORE healthful. However, note that saturated fats can negatively affect your cholesterol profile, especially if you are predisposed to heart disease. It is still recommended that you consume less than 7% of your total calories as saturated fat (that's less than 15 g per day if you consume a 2000 calorie diet).

You can substitute ALL white flour in these tortillas if you would like. Corn and wheat tortillas are naturally more fragile. I suggest if you would like to use these tortillas for tacos, put a thin layer of low fat refried beans under your meat to help with stability. The flavor of these homemade tortillas is wonderful--- the wheat flour makes them almost nutty.

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Makes 20 - 8" tortillas

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup lard (refrigerated if you can find it-- so it is not processed)

1 cup hot water

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add lard to dry ingredients in spoonfuls. Use a pastry cutter to cut in lard until coarse crumbs are formed.

Add hot water, a little at a time, to crumbs. Stir to mix. Kneed dough 30-40 times until a ball is formed. Cover with a towel and let sit for one hour.

Roll dough into balls the size of golf balls and place on a tray. Cover tray with a towel and allow to set for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Note: temperature needs to be exact for these tortillas-- you will learn as you go. If the heat is up too high, they will get charred spots. If it is too low, they will get crispy before getting brown spots.) Roll out a ball of dough very thin and place on skillet (even if you have a large skillet I would recommend only one at a time). Cook until brown spots are formed (~10-15 seconds each side). Continue rolling and cooking until all are cooked.

Place cooked tortillas on a plate under a towel to keep warm. If needed, wait until cooled to place in airtight container for storage. Tortillas can be warmed in microwave under a wet paper towel if needed.

Nutrition Info per 1 tortilla: 96 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber

80--- Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Cottage cheese pancakes... kind of a funny concept, huh? But, the cottage cheese makes a pancake, especially a wheat one, more light and fluffy. Once they are cooked, you really do not notice the cottage cheese. These flap jacks also have more protein than your regular pancake. Serve these topped with some homemade jam or berries (I only had bananas).

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Serves 4

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp sugar

6 egg whites

1 cup 1% cottage cheese

1/2 cup skim milk

1 Tbsp canola oil

Cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, cottage cheese, milk, and oil. add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until blended.

Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, ~5 minutes. Serve!

Nutrition Info per 2 pancakes: 249 calories, 5 g fat, 18 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber

80--- Carrot Cake Muffins

These started out as Carrot Cupcakes.... and then they got health-ified. They are really really tasty-- just little less sugary.

In this recipe I substituted mashed bananas for the majority of the oil. This is a quick fix to make baked goods a little bit leaner. Use bananas, canned pumpkin, or applesauce in place of the MAJORITY of the oil or butter (I would say 3/4 fruit to 1/4 fat) in baked goods such as muffins and breads, where you really do not notice the difference taste-wise. It will save you calories, fat, and cholesterol.

Carrot Cake Muffins

Makes 18 medium muffins

1 1/3 cups shredded carrots

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 c mashed banana

1/4 cup canola oil

5 egg whites (from large eggs)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup canned, crushed pineapple, drained

Frosting

8 oz lowfat plain yogurt
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in two muffin tins. In a medium saucepan, add carrots and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain water and set aside carrots to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon.

In a larger bowl, combine oil, banana, egg whites, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the flour mixture and beat until well blended. Fold in carrots, coconut, and pineapple.

Fill muffin cups until 3/4 full. Bake for ~25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool.

For frosting: fold confectioner's sugar into yogurt and mix well. Lightly spread onto cooled muffins.

Nutrition info per 1 muffin: 154 calories, 4 g fat, 3.7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber

80--- Best Blueberry Muffins

Muffins are so easy to make! However, they can be very deceptive nutritionally. Even bran muffins can be packed with calories and fat.

These blueberry muffins have whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour has not been as "stripped" of nutrients as white flour, therefore it contains more vitamins and minerals. Wheat flour can be difficult to use because it often makes baked items dense. Therefore, I try to not substitute out ALL of the white flour. I also added in some oats for a little bit of texture (what I really mean is FIBER).

Because this recipe calls for yogurt, not a lot of oil is needed! Hooray for decreasing fat and calories, however this makes them non-vegan and not appropriate for those with severe milk allergies.

Best Blueberry Muffins

Makes 10 medium muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup white flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar (I used raw)

1 egg white

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup lowfat plain yogurt (I like the flavor of Nancy's Organic)

1 cup fresh blueberries (also use frozen, thawed)

Preheat oven to 385 degees. Mix flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, combine sugar, egg white, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until ingedients are wet (~10 strokes). Fold in blueberries (reserve 1/4 cup). Fill lined muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Place remaining blueberries on top of each muffin. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar (optional). Bake for ~14-17 minutes.

Note: These would be wonderful served with Purple Velvet Blueberry Sauce!

Nutrition Info per muffin: 177 calories, 6.5 g fat, 4 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber

20--- Cornbread Cupcakes with Chile Cheese Frosting

If you read up on "Salty Candied Almonds", you would know that today we are going to a friend's annual pig roast. I know that these cupcakes will be a perfect accompaniment to the pork. "CUPCAKES?" you might ask. But these are no ordinary cupcakes. In fact, I only call them cupcakes because they are just too good to be muffins (or should I say BAD)?

I typically make this recipe (minus the frosting) just as a cornbread in a 13x9" pan. But, this is a special occasion! We went camping a few weeks ago with friends and found out that this cornbread is also great for BREAKFAST! Basically, this cornbread would taste good if eaten with a rubber boot, throw pillow, pile of mud, etc.

Cornbread Cupcakes with Chile Cheese Frosting

Serves 12-16 (depends on size of muffin tin)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 package cornbread mix (I like Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Mix)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup butter

1 can creamed corn

1 can kernel corn, drained

Frosting

1 package light cream cheese (you can use regular, but with this recipe you will not notice the difference)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 small can diced green chilies, pureed in food processor or blender

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all cornbread ingredients together. Fill lined muffin cups to the brim with cornbread mixture. Bake 30 minutes.

For frosting, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, and green chili puree. Refrigerate.

When cupcakes are cool, place a dollop of frosting in the center of each. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.