80(ish)--- Oven-Fried Coconut Shrimp

All the goodness of restaurant-style deep-fried coconut shrimp, quite a bit less of the guilt. One serving of these restaurant beauties will provide you with 500 calories and 20 g of fat. That seems a bit excessive, doesn't it? This health-ified version has all of the flavor and a bit less of the other stuff.

Oven-Fried Coconut Shrimp
Serves 3

1/2 lb large shrimp (about 12), shelled and de-veined
1 egg white
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut meat
1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, combine coconut meat and powdered sugar and stir until sugar is evenly distributed. Place cornstarch in a separate bowl.

Dip each shrimp into cornstarch, then egg whites, then coconut mixture. Place shrimp onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Bake for ~16 minutes, flipping halfway through. Both sides should be brown at the end of cooking.

Serve with dipping sauce of your choice (mango salsa works very well).

Nutrition Info per ~4 large shrimp: 228 calories, 11 g fat, 7 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber

80(ish)--- Pumpkin Donut Holes

This is a modification of my Baked Apple Donut Holes recipe. They are so delicious that they needed a post of their own.

Pumpkin is a great source of potassium, iron, and vitamin A. Canned pumpkin is easy to use and very nutritious. Make sure to check your can to see that additional sodium was not added (also make sure to use canned pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie mix). Ingredients should read: PUMPKIN.

Pumpkin Donut Holes
Makes 24-28

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk (or almond, rice, or soy milk)

TOPPING
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray each cup in a mini muffin tin with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a large separate bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moist.

Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove donuts from oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Transfer donut holes to a sheet of waxed paper to cool completely.

TOPPING

Melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and pie spice in another bowl. Brush each cooled donut with melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture to coat.

Place donut holes back onto waxed paper for ~15 minutes before storing in an airtight container.

Note: donut holes can be made one day ahead of serving, but topping should be done the same day as serving.

Nutrition Info per 1 donut hole: 78 calories, 2.5 g fat, 1.5 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber

80(ish)--- Stuffed Squash Blossoms

I did not plant squash this year. Because it takes over the garden. But what I missed was the squash blossoms!

These pretty flowers do not have a ton of nutritional value. But they make a nice cocoon for other tasty ingredients. Many times stuffed squash blossoms are fried, but I found that baking them works wonderfully and does not mask the flavor of your stuffing.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Makes 8 blossoms

8 large squash blossoms, stemmed and washed
3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 oz crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 tsp crushed red pepper
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, pressed and finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine stuffing ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a fork until evenly combined. Stuff each blossom with 2 Tbsp mixture and place onto lined baking sheet.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, until flowers are wilted and stuffing ingredients are bubbling. Remove from oven.

Place each blossom onto a toasted slice of baguette. Serve immediately.


Nutrition Info per 1 blossom: 51 calories, 3 g fat, 4 g protein, 1.5 g carbohydrates

80--- Strawberry Green Tea Smoothie

Matcha powder is a finely-milled high quality green tea. It can be found at your local specialty-foods market (I purchased mine in bulk). Don't be afraid- it is expensive but you only need a little bit (mine was $75 per pound but I only paid $8 for ~1/2 cup). There is also such a thing as green tea powder-- they are not the same. Matcha can be used to make green tea ice cream, mixed with powdered sugar for a fruit dip, folded into cookies (stay tuned), etc.

Green tea naturally contains antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, and has long been touted as having health benefits ranging from promoting heart health, to preventing breast cancer, to assisting with weight loss. Only a few human studies have been conducted to verify these health claims, but most health professionals agree that it can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet (use with caution if taking Coumadin) and may have heart-healthy and antioxidant-driven benefits.

This smoothie was delicious and so easy (as most smoothies are). Will drinking one give you the health of a 20-something long into your 90s? Most likely not, but it can't hurt to try.



Strawberry Green Tea Smoothie
Makes one ~12 oz smoothie


8-10 large organic strawberries, stemmed (if frozen omit ice cubes)
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt (if you want to use vanilla-flavored, omit honey)
4-5 ice cubes
1 tsp matcha
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract


Place all ingredients into a blender and puree to desired consistency. Add skim milk to thin if necessary. Enjoy!



Nutrition Info per 1 smoothie: 140 calories, 2 g fat, 7 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g fiber

80--- Candied Carrots

Multi-colored carrots are so much fun, and they are popping out of gardens everywhere right now! I always go for the smaller ones because they have so much flavor.


Check out this link to the Carrot Museum for more information on the individual nutrient properties of different varieties.


Candied Carrots
Serves 4

~2 lbs small (6")carrots, washed and trimmed just above the stem (leave a little green)
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
Dash fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place carrots into a baking dish and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Toss to coat. In a small jar, combine orange juice, honey, paprika, salt and pepper. Screw lid on tightly and shake vigorously to mix.

Pour mixture over carrots and place dish in oven. Bake on middle rack for 20-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of your carrots) until a fork can pierce them (check frequently to make sure that they do not become overdone).

Remove from oven and garnish with chopped chives.

Nutrition per 1/4 recipe: 99 calories, 0.5 g fat, 1.5 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber

20---Individual Crustless Goat Cheese Cheesecakes with Blueberry Compote

Quite a few readers mentioned in my contest that cheesecake should never be health-ified. I agree.

These are so easy AND since they are crustless, our gluten-free friends can enjoy them as well. The goat cheese adds a tangy dimension and extra creaminess.

Individual Crustless Goat Cheese Cheesecakes with Blueberry Compote
Serves 5

CHEESECAKE
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz goat cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

COMPOTE
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped


CHEESECAKE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in sugar in two additions, mix until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add one egg at a time and beat until mixture is very smooth.

Spoon mixture into individual ramekins that have been sprayed lightly with oil. Place ramekins into a 9x12 baking dish filled halfway with water (water should come up halfway the sides of the ramekins). Bake for 35-40 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and place ramekins on a rack to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

COMPOTE
In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine compote ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer until berries have burst and mixture has thickened, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and place into a glass bowl. Refrigerate until cool.

TO SERVE

Spoon cooled compote over each cheesecake.

Eighty Twenty GIVEAWAY Winner #2

Congratulations to Kathryn!

Kathryn said...
One thing I think should never be healthified is choclate cake with gooey chocolate frosting. My reasoning is that how often do you really have chocolate cake and when you do, don't you want it to be rich and gooey?!!!!

I will be in contact via email soon with instructions on how to collect your loot!

Thank you to everyone for your comments! I truly appreciate them!

Stay tuned for a FANTASTIC cheesecake recipe (20 all the way)!!