Whole Foods Nutrition

These muffins also make great cupcakes. They are rich and moist and definately more cakey than most muffins I make. Top them with your favorite chocolate icing recipe and you have a decadent treat.

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lighlty greese your muffin tins.

In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients, including nuts.

In a seperate, larger bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients including zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just moist.

Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake until done (a toothpick comes out clean). Baking time will vary depending on the size of your muffins.

This makes a great appetizer for a christmas party. Serve with a thin cracker like a Raincoast Crisp.

Ingredients

• 1 container of lowfat yogurt
• 1 cup dried cranberries, diced
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked pepper

Method

Line a strainer with a few coffee filters or with cheese cloth. Sit the strainer over a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the strainer and let sit covered in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Once the yogurt is strained, discard the liquid.

Chop the hazelnuts and put them in a pan on medium-low heat. Stir frequently until lightly roasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Mix the cranberries, strained yogurt, cooled roasted hazelnuts, salt and 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper together. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with remaining cracked pepper and serve with crackers.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla pudding of your choice
• Angel food cake
• 2 cups Frozen berries; strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
• 3 bananas
• 2 cups mixed fresh fruit salad of your choice

Method

Combine the berries, with their  juices and the fresh fruit salad. Layer the bottom of a big glass bowl with angel food cake. Add a layer of sliced banana, and then spread a layer of vanilla pudding made with skim milk. Add another layer of angel food cake and top with the thawed frozen berries mixed with fruit salad. Repeat layers until bowl is full and/or ingredients are finished.

Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tblespoons melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups frozen cranberries

Sauce ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 10% cream
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Cake Method

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and milk and mix well. Fold in the cranberries. Transfer to a greased 8″ by 8″ baking pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sauce Method

About 1/2 hour before serving the cake, place butter, brown sugar and cream in a sauce pan on low heat. Cook over low heat untiil melted. Use a whisk to stir occasionally. Once melted, remove a small amount of the sauce and whisk it with the cornstarch, then add the cornstarch mixture back to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened.

Serving method

Cut the cake and pour a small amount of the sauce over each piece. Serve while the sauce is warm.

Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, julliened (cut into matchsticks)
• 1, 540 ml can oc chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 4 scallions, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh dill, minced

Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• cracked pepper

Method

Steam the carrots until just tender, then run under cold water and transfer to a large bowl. Add the chick peas, scallions, parsley and dill.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the dressing together. Pour over salad. Stir, cover and refridgerate several hours before serving.

• 4 ripe avocados (2 pounds total)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1-2 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped, including seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste
• Pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 3/4 cup diced peeled mango
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste

Cut the avocados in half. Pit them and peel them and mash them in a bowl. Stir in the onion, the chiles, and the lime juice.  Put a few tablespoons of pomegranate seeds aside for garnish, and then fold in the remaining pomegranate seeds, the mango, and the cilantro. Season with salt and additional lime juice. Garnish with leftover pomegranate seeds. This recipe is based on a recipe from epicurious.com

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Large leeks, white and green parts, sliced in ½ cm thick rounds (about 5 cups)
• 4 medium potatoes, (about 3 cups) scrubbed and chopped into cubes (around 1 square cm)
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Put a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the olive oil and leeks, and sautee until translucent. Add chopped potato and vegetable stock, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are falling apart, about half an hour.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I don’t know where this recipe came from but it is not my own. I love it for its simplicity, and it makes delicious muffins. You can get the kids in on this one from the start. Get them breaking eggs, measuring and stirring.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mace
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 cup raisins

Method:

Cream the brown sugar and the oil. Add the eggs and mix. Add the pumpkin and mix.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate large bowl. Add the raisins and mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed.

Drop into lightly greased muffin tins. Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

These are great for a packed lunch or a snack on the run.

 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, or other)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal or crumbled rice cakes
• 1 cup dried apple
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup each of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds
• 3/4 cup rolled oats

Method:

Put the peanut butter and the honey in a saucepan on low heat. Stir frequently until warm.

If you have a food processor, pulse the dried fruits, the rice cereal or rice cakes and the seeds until finely chopped. You will need to do this in at least 2 batches. If you don’t have a food processor, chop all the dried fruit, nuts, seeds and rice cakes or rice cereal into small chunks. Your energy balls will be chunkier but still delicious.

Put the finely chopped fruit and seeds into a large bowl. Add the coconut and the oats. Mix well.

Add the warm nut butter and honey mixture and mix well. Let sit in the fridge for 1/2 hour -1 hour, then call the kids in to roll the dough into small balls.

Wrap the balls well and store in the fridge or in the freezer.