Low Fat Banana Bread with a Cookie Butter Glaze.

Happy Monday! Today I will be sharing a recipe that will blow your mind, but won't blow your diet. I promise.

But before we begin, let's discuss Monday mornings first. They can be stressful, frustrating, and completely boring. First, you wake up and realize it's Monday, not Friday or Saturday or Sunday. Assuming that most people would agree with me, Mondays are NOT FUN. At all. The weekend, on the other hand, usually is fun. As our alarm clock startles us awake and interrupts our beauty sleep(even though we don't need any ;)) and our brain begins to process that it is indeed Monday and that our relaxing two days away from work or school has ended, we begin to dread the day ahead of us. However, Mondays don't have to be all bad. Despite the fact that it may be the start of a hard week filled with homework and studying, we can all make our Mondays a bit better by focusing on the little things that make us happy. These things can include grabbing a Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla Coffee on the way to school, having a friend say hi to you, or even just making someone else smile. Or, you can treat yourself to this GUILT-LESS banana bread dripping with a sweet Cookie Butter Glaze! 

I ever so slightly adapted this banana bread recipe from Joy of Baking's website. The bread itself is extremely moist and tender from these ingredients: yogurt, oil, and brown sugar. The yogurt replaces the unhealthy butter that is used in most banana bread recipes, but it does not sacrifice any flavor or texture that would come from butter. I promise! The only thing you lose is the bad fat and calories, which is a good thing in my opinion :). There is only 1/4 cup of oil, but again, the moist-ness of a banana bread with more fat is not sacrificed.  In addition to the healthy yogurt and oil, the recipe calls for some whole wheat flour, just enough that it doesn't make the bread dense and dry. Now, here comes the strange one. You may wonder, how does brown sugar allow for a moist and delicious bread? Brown sugar has molasses, while granulated sugar does not. Because of this, baked goods made with brown sugar retain more moisture than baked goods made with granulated sugar. Along with a perfect texture, this banana bread also has an amazing flavor from cinnamon, vanilla, and of course, the bananas. In order to fully achieve the best flavor, make sure your bananas are VERY ripe and soft, like so: 

If your bananas are not adequately ripened, the bread will not be sweet nor banana-y enough. I also stress that you measure the amount of mashed banana you have. This particular recipe calls for one cup of mashed banana, usually from two large bananas. However, I needed two and a half bananas to meet the required amount of mashed banana, making the bread the best it could be. As delicious as this bread is alone, I still thought it needed a little something. I searched through the cabinets to find something extra to add onto the banana bread. Nutella? Good, but maybe another time. Peanut butter? Still great, but not now. Cookie Butter?! YES YES YES! 

If you have never had Cookie Butter, you are unfortunately missing out on Heaven in jar. Cookie Butter is Trader Joe's version of Biscoff spread. It is essentially made of ground-up speculoos cookies. And boy is it delicious! It tastes almost like a gingerbread cookie mushed up into a peanut butter-like consistency. The deep, warm, spicy flavor of the Cookie Butter pairs perfectly with anything banana and really brings out the cinnamon in bread. To make the Cookie Butter glaze, I simply melted it in a small sauce pan on the stove. 

So go ahead, mix up a loaf of this delicious banana bread and make your Monday a little better. You can also share a slice with someone else and make their Monday a little better too :). 

Ingredients

1 cup mashed banana

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt(any kind will be fine, I used Chobani Non-Fat Greek yogurt) 

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil 

3/4 cup light brown sugar 

2 large egg whites or one large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. baking powder 

1/4 tsp. salt  

1/4 cup Cookie Butter or Biscoff spread

Yields: 12 generous slices 

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a 8"x4" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, baking soda, and yogurt until well combined. Set this aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg whites/egg, and vanilla extract. Set this aside. 

In a separate large bowl, lightly whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. 

Add the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla mixture into the banana/yogurt mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until JUST combined and moistened. As soon as you don't see any dry clumps of flour, STOP STIRRING.

Pour the banana bread batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes just until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.  Allow the bread to cool inside the pan for about 3 minutes and then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool for about one hour. 

To Make the Cookie Butter Glaze: 

Melt the cookie butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Use a spoon or fork to drizzle the glaze on top of the banana bread. You may do this while the bread is still warm. 

Enjoy! 

Love, 

Teresa 

Recipe Slightly Adapted From: http://www.joyofbaking.com/healthydesserts/LowFatBananaBread.html

*Please do not take this recipe or photos from my blog and use them as your own. If you do wish to post my recipe on your blog, please ask for permission by emailing me. Thank you. 

Thanksgiving Pita Pockets.

So, who here loves Thanksgiving? I sure do. It is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. Every year, my family and I cram ourselves into my grandmother's(who my cousins and I call MeMa) tiny townhouse. Although it becomes a little chaotic in the kitchen, everyone just enjoys being together and waiting anxiously to delve into MeMa's homemade Thanksgiving meal.

MeMa makes the best Thanksgiving dinner on the planet in my opinion; her corn custard, "normal"stuffing, pineapple stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pumpkin roll all contribute to the most wonderful eating experience you will ever have. She just has a way of making everything perfect. That is probably because she bakes and cooks out of love; love is her most important ingredient that brings our family together. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving only comes once a year. Besides eating leftovers, I am forced to wait another year until I can stuff my belly full of MeMa's delicious food. 

It is near impossible for me to wait 365 days. Even now, my excitement builds more and more as it gets closer to Thanksgiving. The cravings for stuffing and pie have long been set in, so I needed a little bit of Thanksgiving to hold me over until the official Turkey Day. That is where these Thanksgiving Pita Pockets come into play. They combine some of the best components of a Thanksgiving meal: turkey and anything with cranberries(MeMa puts cranberries in her apple pie and stuffing). I have to say, these are probably one of the best sandwiches/pita pockets I've ever eaten. They are simple yet so delicious, plus they are quite easy to make! And the ingredient list is short :D. The pita pockets are stuffed(and I mean STUFFED) with turkey, spinach, cranberry sauce, and fontina cheese. You will be amazed about how well all these flavors blend together! The melty cheese is a perfect compliment to the sweet cranberry sauce, while the turkey and spinach create harmony and balance within all the flavors. So go ahead, have a little unofficial taste of Thanksgiving :) 

Ingredients

Yields: 8 halves 

4 white or whole wheat pita pockets

Baby spinach 

1 cup shredded fontina 

1 cup whole cranberry sauce 

16 slices oven roasted turkey breast (about 1 lb.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Empty the cranberry sauce into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until softened. The cranberry should not be liquified; it should just be heated enough to slightly soften it. This step makes the cranberry sauce easier to measure out and spread inside the pita pocket.

Cut pitas in half and arrange on a baking sheet. Put them in oven for 3 minutes to soften and warm them.

Remove the pita pocket halves from the oven. Stuff each halve with some spinach, 2 slices of turkey, 2 tbsp cranberry sauce, and 2 tbsp fontina. 

Rearrange stuffed pitas on the baking and heat for an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. 

Enjoy! 

Love, 

Teresa 

Recipe From: Sweet Dreams and Sprinkles 

*Please do not take this recipe from my blog and use it as your own. If you do wish to post my recipe on your blog, please ask for permission by emailing me. Thank you. 

Fat-Free Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi.

I think I have found sauce's new best friend! These Ricotta Gnocchi are the perfect blank canvas for any sauce your heart desires! If you have eaten gnocchi before, I can assume that you have had potato gnocchi. Or in my words, lead balls. The sit in your stomach like a pile of bricks for hours upon hours after eating them. Ew. Just ew. I prefer my gnocchi light and fluffy, like clouds. NOT bricks, thankyouverymuch. So how does one avoid lead ball gnocchi? Replace the potato with ricotta cheese. And trust me, these are so easy-peasy-lemon-sqeasy. In fact, you can make them while your
Delicious Sausage and Veggie Sauce is working its magic ;).  I must admit, I was absolutely terrified the first time I made gnocchi. But I was pleasantly surprised; they were like little clouds, just how I like 'em. *Plus you can freeze  them! I know,  awesome, right?! And...drumroll...they are completely FAT FREE when you make them with fat free ricotta! My great Aunt Helen(Hi Auntie!) gave me this recipe, and it will be one that I treasure forever. Along with the directions and ingredients, I have provided you with a step-by-step picture guide to take out the fear factor. Break out that flour and ricotta and lets get cooking!

Yields 4 generous servings.

Ingredients: 

Approximately 1 cup of flour, plus more for dusting your cutting board. 

Approximately 1 cup of ricotta cheese(fat free, skim, and full fat all work) 

Step 1: Combine the flour and ricotta together in a blow and mix with your hands until it can come together in a ball. It should be sticky but not sticky enough that it's wet. Add some ricotta if it feels too dry or add some flour if it feels too wet.

Step 2: Dust a cutting board with flour. Break off a small section of the dough and roll into a log that is about the width of your finger.

Step 3: Cut the log into 1 in. pieces. Take a table fork and turn it upside-down onto the cutting board, with the tongs on the board. Holding the fork upward in one hand and a gnocchi in the other, roll the gnocchi up the tongs of the fork with the tip of your index finger. Continue this step until the whole ball of dough is used. There should be lines on one side of the gnocchi and a little indent on the other, like so: 

(PS: These little crevices are perfect for catching sauce ;))

Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the gnocchi about 12 at a time, boiling them uncovered until they rise to the top of the water. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a glass or plastic plate. 

Ta-da! You just made gnocchi! Or little clouds, or pillows, or whatever you would like to call these adorable little creations :). 

*If you wish to freeze the gnocchi, complete steps 1-3. Coat them in flour(to keep them from sticking). Place them in an airtight container and transfer to your freezer. To cook them, allow them to thaw and complete step 5. 

Enjoy!

Love, 

Teresa

**Please do no take my recipe, pictures, or words and use them on your own website without my permission. If you do wish to use any of those on your website, please email me or comment below to ask for permission. Thank you. 

Delicious Sausage and Veggie Sauce.

Hi everyone! 

Have you ever been caught not knowing what to make for dinner? Well, that happens to my family and I a lot. It just so happens that this recipe was created during one of those situations. And let me tell you, this is one of the best things I have ever made. I have to give a lot of credit to my mom(Hi mom!) for inspiring this recipe. It came together one of those night when we were in rut about what to make for dinner(as usual), and she suggested pasta with marinara sauce and sausage. I grabbed my pots and pans and all the fresh veggies that I had on hand and got cooking. Not too much later, this beautiful sauce was born! See, everything happens for a reason! If we had something planned for dinner, I never would have even tried to make this! 

The recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one that will be a staple in your kitchen. This is the most flavorful sauce I have ever made, and I guarantee that you will love it just as much as I do! I don't know about you, but I can't stand a bitter, bland sauce. This sauce is neither of those. In my opinion, it is saucy-veggie-sausage perfection! The layers upon layers of flavor come from veggies, Italian chicken sausage, fresh basil, and just a touch of sugar.
Each of these components play an important role in the sauce: 

1. Veggies: Carrots, celery, and mushrooms add a texture explosion!
2. Sausage: The Italian Chicken Sausage adds a nice, deep, flavor and a bit of heat. 
3. Sugar: The sugar is super important, it cuts out the bitterness of the crushed tomatoes that comes from the seeds. 
4. Basil: The basil adds freshness, so the sauce isn't too heavy! 

Along with other simple ingredients, the veggies, sausage, and sugar all team up to form a dreamy and delicious sauce. Your spaghetti, lasagna, and gnocchi will never be the same! 

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray 

8 oz. sliced mushrooms 

1 tbsp. EVOO(extra virgin olive oil) 

5 links(12 oz) sweet italian chicken sausage(I recommend Trader Joe's Sausage)

1 clove of garlic, minced 

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped 

2 small-medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp granulated sugar 

salt and pepper, to taste 

Handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped 

 First, sauté the mushrooms in a small skillet sprayed with the non-stick cooking spray until all of their water is released. Drain the mushrooms on a paper plate covered in paper towel. Set aside. 

 Heat the EVOO inside a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile,  cut the sausage links into small pieces and transfer them into a food processor. Pulse the sausage a few times *just* to break it up, you do not want it to turn into a paste. Sauté the sausage in the large skillet until it is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.

Next, add the crushed tomatoes into the large skillet and stir to combine it with the sausage. Stir in the garlic, celery, carrots, sugar, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the carrots and celery are soft, about 1 hour. 

Enjoy! 

Love, 

Teresa 


Recipe From: Sweet Dreams and Sprinkles 
*Please do not take this recipe from my blog and use it as your own. If you do wish to post my recipe on your blog, please ask for permission by emailing me. Thank you.