Healthy Weight-Loss and Diet Recipes - TopRecipesDiet.Blogspot.com

Monday, March 21, 2016

Oatmeal Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

A healthy and delicious breakfast on the run or lunchbox snack. These cookies are gluten-free, energy packed and lightly sweetened with an overripe banana and stevia.

200 g Coconut oil
10 g NuNaturals white stevia powder
10 drop Vanilla flavoured liquid stevia
Pinch of salt
1 Large egg
1 Large over ripe banana, mashed
400 g Rolled oats
1 tsp Baking powder
50 g Chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 170C/340F, fan forced. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat coconut oil with stevia powder, liquid stevia and salt until softened and fluffy. Beat in egg and mashed banana.
Stir in rolled oats, baking powder and chocolate chips until well combined. Scoop up heaping teaspoons of dough, and form into balls with your hands and place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1-inch apart.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing to finish cooling on wire racks.

Lemony bread and butter pudding with custard and berries

It's been a while since my last proper blog post, I know. It's not that I've neglected my food-loving readers, I've just been focusing on my Estonian readers during the last months. Apologies :) But here I am, attempting to start blogging again with this fun take on bread and butter pudding.

Why bread and butter pudding? We were sorting the bread and butter recipes over on my Estonians site with one of my editors, Kaare, and while doing the research, I came across this shortcut version in the British food magazine Delicious. Meanwhile, if you read Estonian, you can check out Kaare's great article on this humble - yet versatile dessert: Millal Sa viimati saiavormi sõid?

Lemony bread and butter pudding with custard and berries
(Saiavorm sidrunivõide, vanillipudingi ja marjadega)
Serves 6 to 8

400 g good white bread (brioche, challah or such like)
butter, softened
500 ml (2 cups) fresh vanilla custard
200 ml double cream/whipping cream
300 g berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
6 Tbsp lemon curd or toffee/caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 160°C . Thickly slice the bread and butter one side of each slice. Cut each slice into large triangles or halves and layer in a 2 litre ovenproof dish.

In a 1-litre jug, mix the vanilla custard and fresh cream, then pour in around the bread slices, pressing the bread down gently. If you can, leave to stand and absorb for about half an hour.

Scatter berries on top, tucking them between the bread slices. Spoon dollops of lemon curd or caramel sauce on top.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until the bread slices on top are golden brown on edges and nicely crispy.

Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a jug of cream or milk (pictured).

How do you make bread and butter pudding?

Monday, March 14, 2016

Einkorn Chia Poppy Loaf Cake

This lemon poppy seed einkorn cake is deliciously healthy, and quick to make, and perfect for a spring brunch. The flavours of lemon and poppy seeds complement each other beautifully in this loaf cake, but chia seeds and coconut were added for extra goodness and flavour. If desired, prepare a lemon syrup and drizzle over the warm cake.

Einkorn Chia Poppy Loaf Cake

adapted from taste

110 g Einkorn, ground into flour
100 g Finely ground poppy seeds
1 tbsp Coconut flour
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
10 g NuNaturals white stevia powder
10 drop Lemon flavoured liquid stevia
70 g Coconut oil, melted and cooled
160 g Coconut cream
2 Eggs
1 Large lemon, zested and juiced
80 g Blueberries, optional

Line a 20cm loaf pan with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
Whisk together the ground einkorn, ground poppy seeds, coconut flour, chia seeds, baking soda and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl, stir together the stevia powder, liquid stevia, melted coconut oil, coconut cream, eggs, lemon zest and juice.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix gently until well combined. Transfer the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with the blueberries if using.
Bake in the middle of hot oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out the cake and cool on a wire rack completely.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free Almond Cookie Squares

These healthy almond chocolate cookie squares are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free (if using vegan chocolate chips or cacao nibs) and sugar optional. But despite being so healthy, they taste freaking delicious!

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free Almond Cookie Squares

adapted from simply vintage girl

250 g Finely ground blanched almond
1/3 tsp Sea salt
1 tsp Vanilla powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
80 g Coconut oil, melted and cooled to room-temperature
2 Eggs, medium
2 tbsp Maple syrup or liquid stevia
100 g Dark chocolate chips (or cacao nibs)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Combined ground almond, sea salt, vanilla powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled coconut oil, eggs, and stevia or maple syrup.
Pour the egg mixture into the almond mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or cacao nibs.
Place the dough on the prepared baking tray and shape the dough with your hands into a square or circle.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and cut into squares.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Bread Machine Buttermilk Wheat Bread Recipe

Recently I’ve gotten back into baking bread. First I tested a bread recipe using Einkorn flour in anticipation of reviewing an Einkorn cookbook. And when my friend Jerry James Stone asked if I would contribute a recipe to his Three Loaves project, I couldn’t say no.

Three Loaves is a project where participants make three loaves of bread, one for themselves, another for a friend and a third for someone in need, every month. After signing up, each month you receive a new recipe to try. Since my recipe uses a bread machine, you won’t be baking all three loaves at once, but the concept is the same—bake and share.

My baking supplies were rather low and I didn’t have any bread flour in the house so I decided to look for a recipe I could make in my mini Zojirushi bread machine (it makes one pound loaves) that used all purpose flour. I found the basic recipe on the King Arthur Flour website for Sandwich Bread for the Mini Zo Bread Machine. The comments on this recipe were very encouraging. Commenters had good success with the recipe using different bread machines, and with adapting it, which is exactly what I did. I used ingredients I had on hand—namely honey, buttermilk and white whole wheat flour.

I’m sharing my version which makes a light whole wheat loaf, but if you want to make some changes, feel free! The original recipe is very forgiving. If you want to make a larger loaf, you could certainly double the recipe. It makes very good toast and is perfect for sandwiches.

Bread Machine Buttermilk Wheat Bread

Makes a one pound loaf

Ingredients

2/3 cup hot water

1/4 cup cold buttermilk

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Instructions

Place all ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order listed, and program the machine for a one pound loaf, Basic White Bread and press start.

Enjoy!

Thursday, March 3, 2016

SF Chocolate Salon & Amano Chocolate Giveaway!

This year marks the 10th San Francisco International Chocolate Salon. I’ve been a judge and moderated panels and even spoken a couple of times at this fun event. It offers the opportunity to discover new chocolates, new flavors, new creations and even meet some chocolatiers and chocolate makers. There's also usually some wine and spirits for those over 21.

At the upcoming SF Chocolate Salon I recommend checking out chocolates from some of my favorite local producers—melt in your mouth truffles from NeoCocoa, pretty bon bons from Jade Chocolates and Socola Chocolatier and scrumptious chocolate covered marzipan from Nuttyness.

My other favorites are William Dean Chocolates from Florida and Amano Artisan Chocolate from Utah. Don’t miss either of them!

The reason I enjoy attending (not to mention judging) the Chocolate Salon is I get to catch up in person with some of the best chocolate makers and chocolatiers I know. Nothing beats finding out what they are up to and trying some of their latest treats.

At the last Salon I got a chance to try the new flavored bars from Amano. Here are my tasting notes:

Raspberry Rose

Inspired by a pastry in Paris, this has just very clear raspberry flavor and just a hint of something floral. Eating it is a dreamy, transporting experience.

Cardamom Black Pepper

Chocolate, cardamom and black peper is one of Art Pollard of Amano's favorite combinations and I have to agree. This bar is exotic and familiar at the same time. For me this is the most well balanced of the flavored bars.

Mango Chili

This bar has a kick, but also some sweet fruity flavors from the mango. It’s only for chocolate lovers who can handle some heat.

The SF Chocolate Salon is this Saturday March 5th, 2016 at Fort Mason in San Francisco and tickets are $20 if purchased in advance.

GIVEAWAY

Whether you are or are not attending the Salon, I have a treat for you. Thanks to Amano I’m giving away two absolutely exquisite chocolate bars, the Chuao Village, a single origin Venezuelan dark chocolate 70% cocoa (2 oz, $9.95) and Dos Rios, a single origin bar from the Dominican Republic, also 70% cocoa (3oz. $7.95).

The Chuao Village bar is made from some of the most prized cocao in the world. It’s extremely precious and difficult to attain, even dried in a unique manner. You don’t just fly in to Chuao, you hike hours over the mountains through rainforests or take a fishing boat to reach it on the coast.

The Dos Rios bar has a very unusual and complex profile with strong citrus and spice flavors. On tasting it you might think it's flavored with orange and cinnamon, but it's not. It's one of the signature bars from Amano because the beans are are available exclusively to them.

To win the bars, share any memorable chocolate experience--what chocolate you enjoyed, and anything you remember about eating or drinking it in a comment below. You must have a US mailing address to win. You MUST leave your email address in the field designated in the comment, it will not be visible to the public, only to me. DO NOT leave your email address in the body of your comment, if you do, I will delete it. Only one entry per person! I will choose the winner at random on March 10, 2016.

Disclaimer: Review samples and giveaway prizes provided by Amano. I was not provided with monetary compensation for this or any other post.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Arugula, Radicchio and Plum Salad with Mango Chia Dressing

A deliciously healthy salad recipe of sweet plum, blueberries, radicchio and arugula salad with a tangy fruity mango chia dressing. Vegan and gluten-free!

Mango Lime Chia Dressing	Salad
1 Ripe mango, peeled and diced 2 tbsp Freshly squeezed lime juice 1 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 1 tsp Whole grain Dijon mustard 1 clove Garlic 1 tsp Sea salt Freshly ground white pepper 1 tbsp Chia seeds Parsley leaves	60 g Arugula 60 g Radicchio, sliced 2-3 Plums, stoned and cut into wedges 60 g Blueberries Coconut chips, optional

Place all the dressing ingredients in a blender and process until combined. Chill until ready to serve.
Arrange the arugula, radicchio, plums and blueberries on serving plates. Drizzle with prepared dressing and gently toss to combine. Serve with coconut chips if using.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Whole Baked Romanesco with Ajvar Sauce

Romanesco (Roman cauliflower), a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, is a tasty side dish that has bizarre spiraling points. The whole roasted romanesco makes a beautiful presentation as well as being really delicious with ajvar sauce.

Whole Baked Romanesco with Ajvar Sauce

adapted from Jamie Oliver

1 Red onion, peeled and chopped
3 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 head /800 g Romanesco
Olive oil
A handful of black olives, stoned
2x400 g Bottled ajvar sauce
150 ml Vegetable stock
1 stalk Green onion, finely chopped for garnishing

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Trim the outer romanesco leaves. Trim away and discard the stalk so the cauliflower can sit flat.
Add the chopped onion and a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and and slowly fry for 10 minutes until softened and with a little colour. Add the olives, ajvar sauce and vegetable stock. Stir everything together and bring to the boil.
Transfer the sauce in a baking dish. Take the romanesco and gently push it down into the sauce. Spray the romanesco with a little olive oil and bake for around 1 hour 20 minutes, or until golden and tender. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Orange Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Winter is citrus season. I had a bounty of blood oranges and tangerines harvested from various backyards, so I made a mixed citrus marmalade. It’s a little soft and fairly bitter which is the way I like it. In addtion to being good on toast, scones or biscuits. Marmalade, whether you make it or buy it, is a great ingredients to have on hand. It can be used in many different recipes.

Orange marmalade is particularly versatile. It works in both sweet and savory dishes. You can use it flavor plain yogurt, whipped cream, cream cheese, vanilla ice cream or even with a mild goat cheese. It’s featured in quite a number of cake recipes and as a glaze on sticky buns. Mixed with a bit of lemon juice it makes the perfect dressing for a fruit salad. I recently wrote about marmalade cocktails for OpenTable. It also pairs particularly well with chicken, ham or pork.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Napa Grass Farmer, a locally based, “beyond organic” meat farm located in both Napa and Suisun counties. Currently they offer delivery to Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin and San Francisco. They serve hundreds of families and wanted to begin featuring custom recipes in their monthly CSA boxes and in their newsletter. I received a whole chicken and a pork tenderloin in exchange for a recipe for each. Call it an example of the barter economy. Here is the pork tenderloin recipe which just happens to use citrus marmalade.

Orange Pork Tenderloin

Serves about 4 entree portions

Ingredients

Pork tenderloin, about 1 pound

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon olive or canola oil

1/4 cup orange marmalade, or mixed citrus marmalade

1/4 cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon dry mustard such as Colman's

Fresh herbs and slices of lemons or oranges, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and pat the pork tenderloin dry. Combine the kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl, then rub it over the tenderloin.

In a saucepan combine the marmalade, orange juice, honey and mustard. Whisk and heat just until thoroughly combined.

Heat a large, heavy oven-proof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat, add the oil, then sear the tenderloin, turning until brown on all sides, about 2 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the tenderloin and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast the tenderloin for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once and basting with the sauce in the pan, until the internal temperature reads 145ºF.

Remove the tenderloin to a cutting board and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing it into medallions. Can be served as a main dish or on top of baguette slices for a crostini appetizer. Garnish with fresh herbs and citrus, if desired.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Napa Grass Farmer for providing the pork tenderloin. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.

Raisin Oatbran Banana Einkorn Loaf

Found this recipe on Ricardo Cuisine, but I tweaked it a bit using what I have on hand and making it even healthier with ground whole-grain einkorn, oat bran, banana, coconut oil and liquid stevia. This makes a good snack, breakfast, or even dessert with a chocolate glaze or lemon icing.

110 g Wholegrain einkorn flour
80 g Oatbran
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Sea salt
120 ml Buttermilk
1/2 tsp Vanilla-flavoured liquid stevia
3 Very ripe bananas, mashed
1 Large egg
30 ml Coconut oil, melted
100 g Raisins

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a small loaf pan (21cmx10cm) and line with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the wholegrain einkorn flour, oatbran, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, liquid stevia, mashed bananas, egg and melted coconut oil with a whisk.
Stir in the dry ingredients until the flour is just moistened. Set aside 1tbsp of raisins for garnish and add the remaining ones to the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with the reserved raisins and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean. Let cool completely before unmoulding. Slice and serve.