Tag Archives: low fat

Alabama Beauties

Peach-Blueberry Bread Pudding

I’m not talking beauty queens y’all, these beauties are Chilton County peaches! One of my most treasured southern landmarks is just off 65 south right in the heart of Alabama. Clanton may be proud of their peach queens but the Peach Park is the real crown jewel!

Every year as we make our way to the white sands of the gulf coast, the stop at the Peach Park is almost more important than getting to the beach. You don’t eat breakfast, hop in the car, and make a beeline for exit 205, all the while planning what you’re gonna eat first and what you’ll take for later.

Recipe:

5 cups french bread, cubed into 1″ pieces

2 tbsp butter

3 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups fresh peaches, sliced

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

2 tbsp light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cube or tear French bread into 1″ pieces to make 5 cups and place in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over cubed bread, gently toss to make sure buttermilk is evenly soaking into bread and let sit for about 2o minutes.

Slice about 3 large peaches, enough for 2 cups then add blueberries. Toss with brown sugar and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla and set aside. Then put 2 tbsp of butter into a 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish and place in the preheated oven. Once butter melts, remove dish from oven.

While the butter is melting, add egg mixture to buttermilk soaked bread and combine gently. Then fold in peaches and blueberries.

Pour mixture into baking dish with melted butter and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until center is set and the edges have pulled away from the baking dish.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

I used an 8×8 baking dish because I like a thicker bread pudding, so it will require about an hour and a half of baking time.

You won’t need the entire loaf of French bread, just enough for 5 cups. Do what any good southern girl would and spread pimento cheese on the leftover bread!

Roots

Potato Salad Two Ways

“In the South, perhaps more than any other region, we go back to our home…hoping it remains what it was on a lazy, still summer’s day…”

-Willie Morris

Everything that is summer in the south is at the root of who I am. No matter where I have lived or where I’ve been, my roots bring me back to the lake, celebrating a summer holiday with perfect potato salad.

My Nana was the queen of holiday meals and July 4th is still my favorite thanks to her. Aside from the grilled hamburgers, baked beans and deviled eggs, potato salad is one thing every good southern cook knows how to make by heart. It’s the cornerstone of any summer holiday meal in the south.

So here’s a lightened up version of Nana’s and twist from Lolleigh – potato salad two ways!

Recipe:

3 lbs red new potatoes, washed

1 hard-boiled egg

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 tbsp chives, chopped

2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup light blue cheese crumbles

1/2 cup Hellmann’s Mayo

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt

1 tsp white vinegar

salt and pepper

Place whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil and let cook for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork.

Pour off water and let cool. Cube potatoes and divide evenly into two bowls.

For the dressing:

Combine Hellmann’s, sour cream, greek yogurt and vinegar. Set aside.

Classic Potato Salad:

Into one bowl of diced potatoes add egg, celery, relish, salt and pepper. Toss with half of the dressing mixture and chill before serving.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad:

In the remaining bowl of potatoes add bacon, chives, sun dried tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, salt and pepper. Toss with the remaining half of the dressing mixture and chill before serving.

Notes:

I never subsitute anything for Hellmann’s, not even the reduced fat version. The real deal is just better!

Happy 4th of July!

The Blueberry Birthday

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

My little guy turned one last week and so we’re back after a long weekend of action-packed 1st birthday festivities! One thing for sure, this kid loves food, he eats anything I put in front of him. Yesterday he tried out tomatoes, cucumbers and kiwi, smacking after every bite he popped in his mouth.

His birthday breakfast was a huge blueberry muffin, which was shoved almost entirely whole into his mouth. Hope you enjoy as much as he did!

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl combine all flour, baking powder, salt and sugar then make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a small bowl combine buttermilk, egg and oil. Pour mixture into the well and then gently fold wet and dry ingredients together until just blended. Do not overstir or muffins will be dense.

Gently fold in blueberries. Then drop batter into muffin cups filled 2/3 full. I like to sprinkle about a half teaspoon of raw sugar on top of each muffin before baking for a crunchy, sweet crust on top.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 15 muffins.

Notes:

These muffins freeze really well. Just double the recipe and store half in the freezer for later.

I like to use the foil muffin cups that don’t require using a muffin pan so there’s no mess to clean-up.

Rolling Scones

Vanilla Bean Scones

When the temperature drops, my visits to Starbucks increase significantly for my daily dose of chai lattes. In the summertime, the southerner in me wants iced tea but since I am southerner living in Ohio – it’s cold and I need a hot drink!

So on my frequent trips to Starbucks, I stumbled upon a new obsession – petite vanilla scones. Bite size and buttery, I knew I needed to figure out a way to lighten these babies up or I would have a little extra ‘winter padding’ to work off.

Recipe:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp butter, unsalted and at room temperature

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 egg

1 whole vanilla bean, use half for scones

In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. Drop in room temperature butter cut into small cubes and combine using a fork or pastry cutter. The mixture will become crumbly when the butter is incorporated.

Cut a whole vanilla bean and cut in half. Take one half of the bean and cut a slit down the center. Fold back the sides and then run a knife down the inside of the bean to scrape away the vanilla bean paste.

In a small bowl combine beaten egg, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste from half of the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into the flour and lightly mix together. Batter will still be a little crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly a few times until a dough ball forms. Then roll out to 3/4″ thickness, creating a rectangle shape with the dough. Cut into 24 small triangles.

Place scones on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Transfer scones onto a wire rack and let cool a few minutes before topping with vanilla glaze.

For vanilla bean glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp low-fat buttermilk

other half of vanilla bean

In a small bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste from other half of vanilla bean. Add buttermilk one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition making sure glaze doesn’t get too thin.

Dip the top of the scone in glaze and place back on wire rack to let harden. There will probably be some leftover glaze, wait until the first layer of glaze has hardened and then drizzle remaining glaze over scones.

Notes:

I always try to use some whole wheat flour when baking. It seems to be a bit drier than regular flour so a little extra liquid may be needed especially when making muffins or breads.

Curious about the calorie content of these little gems, I used the recipe builder on My Food Diary, each scone was roughly 80 calories and 2 grams of fat.

The skinny on mac and cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

In the south, we think of macaroni and cheese as a member of the vegetable family and after all no self-respecting meat and three joint would leave this gooey concoction off the list of daily veggies. Always a crowd pleaser, chock full of butter and cheese makes this favorite a definite belly buster and hip plumper!

Mother always says ” a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips” and if your short like me, decadent food always shows up on those hips sooner rather than later. You won’t miss an ounce of butter in this dish and your figure will thank you.

Recipe:

1/2 lb elbow macaroni or favorite pasta for mac and cheese

1 tbsp butter, unsalted

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, lightly pulsed in blender

1 1/2 cups low-fat or 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp parmesan reggiano, shredded

I personally like to use shells for my macaroni and cheese. This is a great pasta to use – it has 6 grams of protein per serving and is made of organic durum wheat. You can find it a your local Whole Foods.

Always try to use wheat or whole grain pasta when cooking. Barilla has an excellent line of whole grain pasta called Barilla Plus which has added protein and omega 3′s.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil large pot of water. When water comes to a boil add a pinch of salt and then pasta. Boil pasta according to directions for an al dente finish.

Drain pasta in colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In same large pot, turn heat to medium. Add butter and let melt. Stir in flour and let cook for one minute. This will be a thick to almost crumbly paste.

Slowly whisk in buttermilk until a thick sauce is formed and there are no lumps. Stir in blended cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once cheeses have melted into sauce, add macaroni back to pot and stir together to coat pasta evenly.

Spray a baking dish lightly with cooking spray and pour in pasta. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes:

You may notice I do use butter even when trying to lighten up a dish. I do not like “light” butter type products. A lot of them contain palm oils and other things I cannot even pronounce. My theory is to use what is real and just less of it. Butter is all-natural and is made from cream and we all know where cream comes from so that makes me feel a lot better about what I put in my body.

I also never buy fat-free products. Whatever they take out to make a product fat-free you have to figure that what is going back in to make it taste good is probably not all that good for you! Try to stick to low-fat and 2% dairy products whenever possible.