Zen Bakery Blueberry Fiber CakesSo, my dad turned me on to a new snack.... Zen Bakery Fiber Cakes. Horrible name for a delicious, healthy, bran muffin. They're small, compared to "normal" muffins, but they're very satisfying.
I'd been eating two a day, one for breakfast and one for a snack later in the day. They're kind of expensive, though. Almost $6 for a package of 6 cakes. I figured that I could probably make some at home, and save myself some money.
First problem: I couldn't figure out for the life of me how they managed to get 13 grams of fiber into those little cakes. Based on their ingredient list (bran, water, white grape, whole wheat flour, blueberries, bicarbonate and salt), it just didn't seem possible. No matter what the proportions, there just isn't THAT much fiber in bran.
My Raspberry Fiber CakesSo, I thought... what about a fiber supplement? You know, the powder that dissolves in water that you see advertised on TV? I've used it before to add some extra fiber to my diet by mixing it into yogurt and soup. It really is tasteless and doesn't change the consistency of the food. So, I gave it a try.
On my first attempt, I ended up with a good muffin. Definitely on par with the Zen Bakery ones. But I thought I could do better.
On my second attempt: OH MY GOD!! They were incredible. So, I share with you all my creation.
Katherine's Raspberry Fiber CakesDry Ingredients:- 2.5 cups wheat bran
- .5 cup buckwheat flour
- 5 tbsp soy protein
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tsp Splenda brown sugar mix
Wet Ingredients:- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 tbsp sugar free Torani syrup, raspberry flavor
- 1.5 cup frozen raspberries, crushed
- 12 tsp fiber supplement (yes, not a wet ingredient, but you dissolve it in water before mixing)
Mix all the dry ingredients (except the fiber and Splenda) in a large bowl and set aside. Dissolve the fiber supplement in the water called for in the recipe and stir until completely dissolved. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients to the water/fiber mixture, except for the raspberries. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well. Then add in the raspberries (I crushed them so they were more evenly dispersed in the mix. But you can keep them whole, if you'd prefer.)
Scoop 1/3 cup wet mix into 12 muffin tins greased with a bit of pam. Top each muffin with 1 whole raspberry (just to make them pretty) and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the Splenda brown sugar. (If you're really watching your carbs, you can leave the Splenda off and save yourself 2.5 carbs and 10 calories.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
They're absolutely delicious still warm out of the oven.
Nutrition Info (per muffin): 95 calories, 1 g fat, 23 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Labels: recipes
I don't know where it came from, but when I was at the store last night I got the idea to stuff portobella mushroom caps with a pureed cauliflower mixture. And WOW. It was fantastic. Best of all, it's not only low calorie, but also low carb, and high protein.
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
12 medium portobella mushroom caps
.75 cup reduced fat blue cheese (Treasure Cove)
4 tablespoons real bacon bits (hormel's 50% less fat)
3 ounces fat free cream cheese
Garlic salt
Spray balsamic salad dressing
I chopped the cauliflower and put it into my steamer for about 20 minutes.
While that was steaming, I washed the mushrooms and removed the stems and placed them on a cookie sheet. I sprayed them with balsamic salad dressing (wish bone), sprinkled some garlic salt over the top, and put them in the oven to bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Then I pureed the cauliflower in my food processor, and added the cream cheese, blue cheese, bacon bits, and a bit more garlic salt. I took the half-baked mushrooms out of the oven and generously packed them with the cauliflower mixture and returned them to the oven for about 25 minutes.
They turned out SO good. Even nice and browned on top. I was worried that there would be too much moisture from the cauliflower, but there was just enough cheese to hold them together perfectly. I used the medium mushroom caps, as I wanted to eat them as a meal. But I'm sure if you used baby bella's they'd make great appetizers!
I wish I took pictures. Maybe next time.
Labels: recipes
Kathy's Lentil Pasta:
This recipe was an accident. 10 years ago, I was trying to make lentil soup, and after a series of mishaps, I ended up with something like this. The recipe has been tweaked and refined over the years. It's one of my favorite things to cook.
It's delicious. I promise!
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup chicken broth
1 med yellow onion, chopped
1 cup petite sweet peas
1 medium tomato
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 lb pasta
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese
Note: You may substitute 1 18.5-ounce can lentil soup for the lentils and broth. I like Progresso.
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until very brown. Add red pepper flakes, chopped tomato, and peas and simmer, stirring often, until tomatoes begin to soften. Add lentils and chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, add sugar and, if desired, salt and pepper to taste. If sauce gets too thick, add a bit more broth and/or olive oil until sauce reaches the desired consistency.
Serve with the pasta of your choice. Shapes that "hold" the sauce are best, such as large shells or gnocchi. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4
For more recipes, see my other site: Sara's Virtual Kitchen.
Labels: my favorite things, recipes
Scoop 1/3 cup wet mix into 12 muffin tins greased with a bit of pam. Top each muffin with 1 whole raspberry (just to make them pretty) and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the Splenda brown sugar. (If you're really watching your carbs, you can leave the Splenda off and save yourself 2.5 carbs and 10 calories.)
