If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day recipe that’s easy enough for the kids to make, try this one by Holly Clegg for Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake. Not only is it perfect for Mother’s and Father’s Day brunch, but it’s a great dish to bring to morning breakfast meetings or play dates.

Holly’s guest post follows below. You can check out more of Holly’s trim& TERRIFIC® recipes at hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog.

Mother’s Day Brunch 2012

Looking for a nice way to show your mom, or mother of your children how much you care and appreciate all of the hard, tireless work she does all year? Here’s a secret to what we mom’s want….the way to the heart is not just through man’s stomach, but a woman’s stomach, too. Surprise her with a wonderful brunch, and Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake is just the ticket! My absolute favorite brunch dish as I can eat it all day long. The kids will even have fun mixing the batter and sprinkling the topping.

In fact, you will want to keep these ingredients on hand to whip up when the cravings hit, or you just want to impress your mom…doing the dishes and wrapping up the gift of Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle At Any Age cookbook won’t hurt either!

Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake

My friend, Teresa, gave me this recipe that has been in her family for years. A cross between a muffin and cake. Here’s my version that I made, again, again, and again — that’s how good it is.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup fresh blueberries Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375°F. Coat 9x9x2-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. In bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, milk and egg.
3. Stir in oil and blueberries, only until mixed.
4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup reserved Streusel Topping (see recipe) on bottom of pan. Carefully spread cake mixture on top. Cover with remaining reserved Streusel Pecan Topping.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out dry.

Streusel Topping

A perfect topping to any breakfast cake.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In small bowl, mix together sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
2. Cut in vanilla and butter using pastry blender or fork.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup topping and add pecans to remaining topping.

Nutritional information

• Calories 231
• Calories from fat 81
• Fat 9g
• Saturated Fat 2g
• Cholesterol 25mg
• Sodium 83mg
• Carbohydrate 36g
• Dietary Fiber 1g
• Sugars 22g
• Protein 3g
• Dietary Exchanges: 2 1/2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat
• Weight Watchers POINTS: 5

Photo and recipe courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Mother’s Day Brunch: Holly Clegg’s Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Leave it to my friend and today’s guest poster, Holly Clegg, to come up with an Easter dessert that’s delicious, gorgeous and good for you. You can check out more of Holly’s trim& TERRIFIC® recipes at hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog.

Healthy Easter treats

Easter is around the corner and what a great day to spend with family. Around the dinner table or outside hunting Easter eggs, everyone loves to dive into a luscious, creamy dessert. The Heavenly Yam Delight is just that! Easy to make, and layered in a trifle bowl, you may not have realized sweet potatoes could be an ingredient be in a delicious dessert. No one has to know that they are getting important vitamins, nutrients and fiber - but I can assure you it will be the hit of the family.

Heavenly Yam Delight

This treat is a sweet potato version of a favorite layered dessert. The perfect sweet to make when you’re in a hurry, wonderful!

Terrific Tidbit: 2 cups fresh cooked Louisiana yams = 1 (29-ounce) can sweet potatoes.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package fat-free cream cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) container fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 (29-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams), drained or 2 cups cooked mashed Louisiana yams
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, pecans, and butter. Press into bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. In mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and remaining 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar until creamy. Fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
3. In mixing bowl, beat sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and sugar until smooth. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate.

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4

Servings: Makes 16 servings

• Calories: 205
• Calories from Fat: 57
• Total Fat: 6g
• Saturated fat: 1g
• Unsaturated fat: 5g
• Sodium: 143mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 33g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 1mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Picture courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Don't forget that you can save any of the recipes you see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet to an online recipe box by clicking the Save Recipe button below.

Healthy Easter dessert: Holly Clegg’s Heavenly Yam Delight is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Every school day when it’s hot out, the first thing my son, Nathan, asks after I pick him up is, “Can we go out for ice cream?” Inevitably the answer is no. Instead, I prefer that my kids cool down with a healthy snack, like yogurt parfaits.

To make Berry & Yogurt parfaits, just layer a few spoonfuls of yogurt with berries in a tall glass. While you don’t need fancy parfait glasses, it’s much more fun if you have them. Check your local thrift or dollar store – I got my for 25 cents each! You could also use wide mouthed high ball glasses or even Mason jars.

For my berry and yogurt parfaits, I  combined low fat vanilla and strawberry Mountain HIgh Yoghurt with layers of fresh Driscoll’s blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries. You could also use frozen berries – either thaw them out fully or just enough so they’re crunchy when you bite into them. You can also add a layer of granola or cereal or other fruit like slices of bananas.

Have the kids make their own! Let them use their imaginations and make whatever combination of fruit, cereal and yogurt they’d like. They’re more likely to eat a healthy snack if they prepare it themselves.

Check out the Mountain High Yoghurt website for more recipe ideas.

__________________________
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mountain High Yoghurt. I received a gift card to purchase yogurt, a product kit, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Cool off with healthy Berry & Yogurt Parfaits #MHYMom is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Wordless Wednesday: Wine tasting with dessert pairings #wordlesswednesday is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was partnered with Jayasri of Samayalarai – Cooking is Divine. Jayasri's Indian and lives in the UK, and likes to cook up traditional dishes as well as try out Western ones. I had a tough time choosing a recipe because I wanted to cook up an Indian dish but didn’t want to use ingredients that would be hard for my readers to find. I also wanted to make something that was healthy and her recipe for Mango - Quinoa Halwa in Microwave seemed to be a good choice on both counts.

Halwa is a sweet Indian dish. It’s usually made with lots of ghee (clarified butter) and can be made with carrots, banana, or semolina boiled with milk, almonds, sugar, and cardamom. Jayasri’s recipe used quinoa, which is full of healthy, vegetarian protein and is naturally gluten free.

However, I was puzzled by her microwave directions. Obviously, UK and US microwaves are very different! I decided to make my version on the stove top. I also wanted to health things up by using coconut oil for ghee and coconut milk for cow’s milk, which turned the recipe into a vegan dish. I eliminated calories by using stevia instead of sugar, and didn’t include almonds because of my daughter, Lucie’s nut allergies.

When I was researching halwa dishes, I noticed that Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes used saffron in her Microwave Mango Halwa. Since I had a little bottle in the cupboard, I decided to use that, too.

Want to join the Secret Recipe Club? You can sign up here.

Mango Quinoa Halwa

Based on a recipe from Samayalarai – Cooking is Divine

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup mango pulp (2 mangoes), pureed
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 4 tablespoons light coconut milk
• 3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 3-4 saffron threads (optional)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Cut and peel the mangos and remove the pulp. Puree in a small food processor or blender.
3. Place pureed mango, cooked quinoa, coconut milk, stevia, cardamom and saffron (if using) in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to blend.
4. Cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until mixture starts to bubble.
5. Add the coconut oil. Stir to combine.
6. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken. This should take 10 to 12 minutes. The halwa should be thick like oatmeal and glossy from the coconut oil.
7. Add raisins and stir until evenly distributed and heated through.
8. Dish warm halwa into small bowls and serve immediately.

Prep Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Total Time: 30 - 40 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8

Servings: 4

• Calories: 354
• Calories from Fat: 178
• Total Fat: 19.8g
• Saturated fat: 15.3g
• Unsaturated fat: 0g
• Sodium: 6mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 40.8g
• Sugar: 12.0g
• Fiber: 4.2g
• Protein: 6.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

More from the Secret Recipe Club!

Mango Quinoa Halwa #vegan #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Just because you eat gluten free, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a Valentine’s Day dessert. This decadent treat comes from the new cookbook, Straight from the Heart, by Taos chef and owner of Graham’s Grille, Lesley B. Fay.

Her 224-page cookbook includes recipes for appetizers, soups, salads and dressings, sandwiches, entrees and desserts; butters and spices and resources, shortcuts and tips.

Lesley’s flourless cake stands out due to its unique combination of espresso and merlot wine. Make sure to double check that ingredients like baking powder and vanilla are gluten free. The cake is best if it’s made the day before. Since it makes 16 cakes, you can put a few aside for midnight munchies after the fun on Valentine’s Day (hint, hint) or for the kids.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Crème Anglaise

Makes 16 individual cakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 pound butter, softened and divided in half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee
• 1/2 cup merlot wine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon xanthan gum
• pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped bar) sugar and cocoa powder for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the semisweet chocolate with half the butter, and mix in the vanilla, espresso and merlot. In a separate bowl, cream the rest of butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until light yellow and smooth (about 5 minutes on high speed).
3. Mix together the cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Add these dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture to butter and sugar, alternating, and mixing well after each addition.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg, about 1 minute. Add semisweet chocolate chips. Pour into buttered cupcake tins or paper holders that have been sprinkled with sugar and cocoa powder.
5. Place a large open container of bowling water on the bottom rack of the oven. The stream helps cook the cakes and keeps them moist. Bake cakes on rack above the boiling water for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, open oven door and let rest for another 8 to 10 minutes. They should rise and be medium-soft to the touch. The trick here is to cook them long enough so they don’t fall, but not so long that they are dry.
6. Serve each cake in a puddle of Crème Anglaise. Garnish with fresh raspberries or a ribbon of lime (optional).

Crème Anglaise

Makes two cups.

Ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients:

1. In a heat-resistant mixing bowl, stir together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg with a wooden spoon until well combined. The sugar should be somewhat dissolved in the yolks. Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat and warm the milk just below the boiling point (the milk will start to form bubbles on the edges of the pan and it will become steamy just before it boils).
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir just a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the eggs and sugar, mixing well the whole time. Gradually add the rest of the milk, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan over low to medium heat. Heat the sauce until it thickens, but do not boil or the yolks will curdle. The sauce is done when it stays on the wooden spoon without dripping (this takes about five minutes but will depend on your pan and your burner). As soon as the sauce is thickened, immediately remove it from the heat.
3. Pour the sauce into a heat-resistant bowl (you can pour the sauce through a strainer to remove any lumps).
4. Stir the vanilla extract and cover the sauce with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down on top of the sauce, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Picture courtesy of Lesley B. Fay.

Valentine’s Day: Flourless Chocolate Torte with Crème Anglaise #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

There hasn’t been a good foodie movie since Julie and Julia came out in 2009. (Well, that was half of a good foodie movie as the parts with the blogger Julie were annoying.) Now we have the movie, Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, based on food writer, Nigel Slater’s book of the same name. The movie just came out on DVD in the US – just in time to buy it with that Amazon gift card you got for Christmas or Hanukkah!

In Toast, we quickly learn that Nigel’s mum literally cannot cook – well just about everything but mince pies. Her idea of making dinner is taking canned food, placing the unopened cans in a pan of water, and boiling them until heated. Poor Nigel is starving for a decent meal (he doesn’t even like the milk at school), but at least has his mum’s love – and toast with butter – to sustain him.

Nigel’s mum passes away from severe asthma while he’s still young. Nigel and his distant, sad father bumble through trying to care of each other. Nigel attempts to fill the void by cooking dinner himself. Instead, he ends up with a very burnt dinner that his dad assures him is just fine. It’s rather touching.

Life changes for these two sad blokes when their new cleaner (housekeeper) Mrs. Potter, played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, shows up. She’s dressed like a tart and has the amazing ability to make enticing and picture perfect tarts, cakes, pies, roasts, and British classics like Toad in the Hole. Her cooking goes straight to Nigel’s dad’s heart and he moves them all out to the country, so he can live in sin with Mrs. Potter and her fabulous cooking. There’s something to be said for the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

Meanwhile, Nigel discovers the Domestic Science (home ec) class at his new school and his talent for cooking. Nigel soon starts a culinary rivalry over scones and lemon meringue pie with Mrs. Potter for his dad’s affections. Instead, Mrs. Potter turns up the kitchen heat a notch until she literally feeds Nigel’s dad to death. Fortunately, with his parents gone, cooking serves as a way for Nigel to leave all the madness behind him and start his adult life.

Toast is a lovely snapshot of England in the ‘60s and a sweet, funny story. However, I almost feel much of it is lost on American audiences as Toast’s appeal is nostalgia for a lost time in British life. Still, if  you’re a food aficionado, you’ll enjoy Toast’s classic vintage food presentations while rooting for Nigel – and marveling at Mrs. Potter’s wicked kitchen skills.

And now for a dessert recipe from Toast’s food stylist, Katharine Tidy. Read an interview with her to find how she made all those amazing movie food dishes at Q & A With Katherine Tidy: Buttering Up the Food Stylist From BBC Films Toast from the LA Weekly blog.

Lemon meringue pie

Pastry ingredients:

• 8 ounces flour
• 4 ounces butter
• a pinch of salt
• cold water to mix

Pastry directions:

1. Sieve flour into a bowl rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
2. Gradually add the water approx 2 tablespoons mixing with a knife then your hands until the mixture comes together.
3. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes then roll out the pastry and line a flan case and bake it blind for approx 10 minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with rice or dried beans and cook until golden brown.

Lemon layer ingredients for a 9 inch pie pan:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• the peel of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• 10 grams of gelatin powder
• yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer ingredients adjusted for very deep pie pan or flan pan:

• 2 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 3 3/4 cups warm water
• the peel of 2 lemons
• 1 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 10 eggs
• 10 grams of gelatin powder
• yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer directions:

1. Put all the ingredients except the eggs into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, mixing slowly to combine allowing the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and thicken.
2. When it has reached boiling point continue mixing for about a minute.
3. Separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks and gradually add the thick lemon mix.
4. Return to the heat but do not allow to boil.
5. Sprinkle 10 grams of gelatin powder into a tablespoon of water leave for a few minutes until it looks spongy. Slowly heat until the gelatin has melted.
6. Add to the lemon mixture along with yellow food coloring for that total Toast effect.
7. Pour into the prebaked flan case and allow to cool.

Meringue ingredients:

• 4 egg whites for the 9 inch pie pan

OR

• 10 egg whites for the deep dish

Meringue directions:

1. Whisk the egg whites until thick and you can hold the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out.
2. Gradually add the sugar.
3. Spread the meringues onto the lemon mix making sure to cover right to the edge then pile the rest of the meringue on top or pipe in a decorative design.
4. Bake in the oven at its highest heat for about 5-10 minutes until lightly colored.

________________
Disclosure: I received a movie screener (not the full DVD version) to facilitate this review.

Don't forget that you can save any of the recipes you see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet to an online recipe box by clicking the Save Recipe button below.

Toast: a movie review and a recipe for lemon meringue pie is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Today’s guest post from Holly Clegg focuses on healthy holiday baking. Since fresh cranberries freeze up to a year, you can bake up her Banana Cranberry Bread all year round. This is a terrific recipe for using up any overripe bananas you may have, too!

Check out more of Holly’s trim& TERRIFIC® recipes at hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog.

Homemade healthy holiday treats

Looking for a healthy gift that keeps on giving? Quick breads are one of my favorite homemade gifts as they are easy to make, budget-friendly, and something you make yourself. What could be better during the holidays than my festive favorite, Banana Cranberry Bread?

Quick breads are so easy to prepare as there is no yeast and there is no need for a mixer. I wrap the individual loaves in plastic wrap, and then store in a zip top bag to freeze until I’m ready to distribute them to my neighbors and friends. Tie several mini loafs with a ribbon and your gift is done!

Banana Cranberry Bread

From Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup dried cranberries or fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Coat 9x5x 3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, beat bananas until puréed. Add sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.
3. In separate, small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture alternately with buttermilk into banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing only until combined.
4. In separate, small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture alternately with buttermilk into banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing only until combined.

Prep Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 - 45 Minutes

Total Time: 55 - 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Nutrition Grade NA from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

Servings: 16 slices

• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 144
• Calories from Fat: 37
• Total Fat: 4g
• Saturated fat: 1g
• Unsaturated fat: 3g
• Sodium: 50mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 25g
• Sugar: NA
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 27mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 0.5 fruit, 0.5 fat

This Mama's tips

Here are some tips to further “health up” Holly’s recipe:

• Instead of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar, use 1/4 cup powdered stevia and 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar.
• For the 1 cup of all-purpose flour, substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. This may dry out the recipe a bit, so add a tablespoon or two more of the buttermilk.
• To make this recipe gluten free, substitute your favorite all-purpose gluten free flour mix for the regular flour.
• Try substituting 2 egg whites for one of the eggs to lower the fat content.

Photo courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Healthy holiday treats: Holly Clegg’s Banana Cranberry Bread is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Having had a Jewish father, I grew up eating wonderful cookies and cupcakes at the Jewish-style bakery my parents frequented by my dad’s office in Red Bank, New Jersey. If you lived in the area in the 1970s, it was the bakery by Red Bank Catholic High School and down Main Street from Norman’s Deli, if I remember correctly. I don’t think it’s there anymore.

I never realized that black and white, lace, and rainbow cookies were typical of Jewish treats until I read Inside the Jewish Bakery: Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking by Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg. It’s a wonderful cookbook and would make a great Hanukkah or holiday gift.

I always thought of these treats as “back East cookies” that you could only find in New York City and Northern New Jersey. I never came across them in other parts of the country and only see them when I go back to New Jersey for someone’s bat or bar mitzvah.

My favorite Jewish cookies are the rainbow ones. I was hoping to experiment and come up with a gluten free version. (You can see a non-GF version of rainbow cookies here on the publisher’s website.) However, since they contain almond paste and almond extract – and I have a child who’s allergic to nuts – I didn’t think it was too smart to cook up a batch. Plus, I’d have to eat them all myself, which is a recipe for disaster especially with all the holiday treats out there this time of year.

Instead, I chose to make gluten free coconut macaroons. When my mother-in-law went gluten free over 11 years ago, there were very few premade gluten free products around. One exception was coconut macaroons that I’d find in the ethnic section of the supermarket during Passover. Here’s my healthed up, alternative sweetener version of Inside the Jewish Bakery’s recipe.

Featured at Jane Deere Blog Fusion Fridays.

Coconut Macaroons

Based on the recipe from Inside the Jewish Bakery by Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg © 2011 Camino Books. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons powdered stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (grapeseed, canola or coconut oil works well)
• 3 to 4 large egg whites, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If you’re using “natural” unsweetened coconut from the health food store, you may need to chop up the coconut into smaller pieces. You can do this in a food processor or a blender. Chop until the coconut is confetti-sized.
3. Blend all ingredients except egg whites on the low speed of electric mixer.
4. Increase speed to medium. Then add egg whites in a thin stream, mixing until smooth. Use only enough egg to get dough to the consistency of putty.
5. Using a small cookie scoop, spoon mixture on to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (I use the silicone making mats made by Wilton.)
6. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops of the cookies turn light brown. Do not over bake.
7. Allow to cool on parchment or silicon mat. (If the cookies stick to the parchment, turn paper over and wet it lightly so the macaroons will come off easily.)
8. Carefully remove cookies with a cookie spatula and store in an airtight container.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

Nutrition Grade C- from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

Servings: Makes 36 cookies

• Serving size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 34
• Calories from Fat: 25
• Total Fat: 2.8g
• Saturated fat: 1.7g
• Unsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Sodium: 37mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 2.2g
• Sugar: 1.7g
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Protein: 0.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

____________
Disclosure: I received a review copy of Inside the Jewish Bakery: Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking to facilitate this review. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Holiday cookies: Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh, author of 300 Best Potato Recipes: A Complete Cook's Guide writes in her cookbook:

I once knew a family of Carolinians who moved from the South to New York City many years ago. No doubt because of their Southern roots, these folks always called sweet potatoes “Carolinas.” This is the pie they made every Thanksgiving, which I think is the best sweet potato pie I have ever tasted. Serve it with unsweetened whipped cream.

Sounds like a Thanksgiving dessert winner to me!

Carolina Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe is excerpted from 300 Best Potato Recipes: A Complete Cook's Guide by Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh © 2011 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission.

Equipment:

• 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate
• Handheld blender or electric mixer

Pastry ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1⁄4 cup ice water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling ingredients:

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 pound butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Zest of 1 small orange, finely grated
• 1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1⁄2 cup table (18%) cream

Pastry directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or a large fork, cut in lard and butter until mixture is crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ice water and egg, then stir a little more than half into flour mixture until blended into a dough (add more egg mixture if dough still looks too crumbly and does not hold together when pressed between your fingers).
3. Divide dough in half and gently flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate one disk for about 2 hours. (Freeze second disk for another use. Uncooked pastry can be frozen for up to 3 months if properly wrapped and sealed.)
4. When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit pie plate. Transfer to pie plate, trimming the edges. Set aside.

Filling directions:

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and add cold water to barely cover. Cover loosely and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain well.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg and mash until blended.
3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk egg yolks.
4. Using a wooden spoon, beat into mashed sweet potatoes along with orange zest, orange juice and cream until blended.
5. In another bowl, using a handheld blender, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold into sweet potato mixture (do not over mix).
6. Scrape mixture into pie shell, gently smoothing top.
7. Bake in preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for about 35 minutes or until filling is puffed, crust is golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

This Mama’s tips

• If time is not a factor, cook the sweet potatoes whole, in their skins, for maximum flavor.
• If you’re pressed for time, feel free to use a premade pie crust. I won’t tell!
• If you’re gluten free, use a GF pie crust mix or purchase a frozen GF pie crust at Whole Foods or your favorite health food store.
• To reduce saturated fat, use your favorite buttery spread instead of butter in the filling. (I’m not sure you can get away with it in the pie crust.)
• An alternative to brown sugar is coconut palm sugar. It’s naturally low on the glycemic index (GI about 35), unrefined and gluten free. It has a soft caramel flavor, similar to light brown sugar.
• To cut down sugar calories, substitute stevia powder for half the brown sugar.

Photo credit: Colin Erricson

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Carolina Sweet Potato Pie is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!