Recipe Remix: Low Fat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

A few days ago I posted a recipe for my Low Fat Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Bars and they are a delicious combination of yellow cake and semi sweet chocolate chips topped with a refreshing fresh lemon glaze.  And they are GOOD!  Well, if you are a chocolate lover, hold on to your hats.  I remixed the recipe for the chocoholics!  These are chocolate and nothing but chocolate and are topped with a vanilla glaze...perfection!  And still low fat...woot!  Bake a batch today, you will thank me. Enjoy!

To make the bars, substitute the yellow cake mix and vanilla sugar free pudding in my original recipe with your favorite chocolate cake mix and chocolate sugar free pudding.  All other ingredients and directions stay the same.  To make the vanilla glaze use a cup of powdered sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla extract and enough drops of milk (I use almond milk) to get the right consistency and whisk it up.  After I pour the glaze on the cooled bars, I chill them in the refrigerator to set the glaze.

Let's Cook: Salmon Patties with Creamy Dill Sauce

We all know that salmon is good for us.  Salmon provides the essential Omega 3 fatty acids that provide so many health benefits.  Unfortunately, not everyone likes fresh salmon.  I love fresh salmon and eat it every chance I get.  I enjoy it simply grilled with a squeeze of fresh lemon...delicious.  If you or your family members balk at the thought of fresh salmon, try these flavorful salmon patties on for size.

Wild Alaskan caught canned salmon gets dressed up with fresh vegetables and herbs.  Shape them into patties and brown them to perfection and serve them with my fresh and creamy dill sauce.  Dill is the perfect accompaniment to salmon.  My hard and fast rule for salmon is to always buy wild caught.  Most stores carry various brands of wild caught canned salmon.  This recipe will make eight nicely sized patties and you can easily halve the recipe if you have fewer people to serve.  Enjoy!

Beth's Salmon Patties with Creamy Dill Sauce
serves 4 (2 patties per serving)

2 cans of wild caught Alaskan salmon
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
2 large stalks celery
4 green onions
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 regular eggs lightly beaten
Jucie of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Drain both cans of salmon thoroughly and place in a large bowl.  Using a fork, break up all the chunks of salmon.  Dice the peppers, celery and green onions.  Heat a non stick skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.

 Lightly saute the peppers, onions an celery until bright in color and slightly soft.  Season with fresh ground pepper and salt.  Finely mince the parsley and dill and add to the vegetables.  Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Add the bread crumbs and egg substitute to the salmon along with the cooled vegetables and herbs and lemon juice.  Season with more salt and pepper and mix thoroughly to combine.  Shape into 8 patties.  Heat a clean non stick skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Heat the patties on each side until golden brown.  Serve with fresh lemon wedges and creamy dill sauce.

Beth's Creamy Dill Sauce

1 1/2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use the lower fat olive oil mayo)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 green onions chopped
1/2 cup finely minced fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Season with freshly ground pepper and salt. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Something Sweet: Low Fat Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

Are you in the mood for a sweet treat?  I know I am.  Some days I just need an afternoon pick me up.  Maybe a cup of coffee or tea and a little something sweet.  I am a lover of brownies and bars more than cake or cookies.  To me, bars are the best of both worlds.

Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Bars are my lightened up version of a traditional cake bar.  Semi sweet chocolate chips add sweetness and the fresh lemon glaze adds some tartness.  I keep these light by using unsweetened applesauce in place of oil and egg substitute instead of whole eggs.  Even with these substitutions, these bars are cake-like and moist. The lemon glaze is optional.  They are delicious without glaze or make the glaze without lemon if you prefer a simple vanilla flavor.  A really nice sweet treat for your afternoon coffee break or any time of the day.   Enjoy!

Low Fat Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Bars
16 bars or can be halved into 32 bars

1 box white or yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1 box sugar-free vanilla pudding
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
3 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Mix cake mix and pudding in a medium size bowl.

Add the water, applesauce, egg substitute and yogurt into the cake mix and pudding.  Stir to combine.  The batter will be very thick.

Add chocolate chips to the batter and stir just to combine.  Press the batter into the bottom of the prepared cake pan.

Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Do not over bake.  Remove from oven and  allow to cool while you prepare the glaze.

Lemon Glaze

Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, zest, juice and vanilla extract. Stir with a whisk until combined and there are no lumps. Pour the glaze over the cooled cookie bars in an even layer. Place pan in the refrigerator to set the glaze. Cut into bars.

Recipe Makeover: Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I really enjoy Ree Drummond otherwise know as Food Network's Pioneer Woman.  I started reading her blog quite a few years ago but honestly, I almost never make any of her recipes.  Her food looks wonderful but unless you are a cattle rancher that burns about a bazillion calories a day, you probably can't eat her food without gaining a ton of weight.  On one of her recent shows, she had a recipe for what she called Sour Cream Noodle Bake which was a dreamy concoction of ground beef, tomato sauce, sour cream, cheddar cheese and cottage cheese with egg noodles baked in a casserole.  It sounded right up my alley but I knew I needed to lighten it up.

I started by substituting lean ground turkey for the ground chuck.  I also used plain nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and reduced fat cheddar cheese in place of full fat.  I added some freshness by including a few tablespoons of minced fresh flat leaf parsley.  The original recipe called for green onions but I was out so I subbed in dried onions and they worked much better than fresh onions would have. Instead of egg noodles, I used whole wheat penne pasta for extra fiber.  The results were very impressive.  The dish was still creamy and rich with a good meaty flavor and a comforting feel.

Here is a link to the original Pioneer Woman recipe--->Sour Cream Noodle Bake and if you would like to try my lightened up version, you will find the recipe below.  Enjoy!

Lightened Up Sour Cream Noodle Bake
serves 8

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground turkey
8 ounces of whole wheat penne pasta
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/4 cup low fat small curd cottage cheese
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced dried onions
1 cup 2% milk fat grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.  In a large skillet on medium heat brown ground turkey until no longer pink.  Drain excess fat and return to the pan.  Add in the can of tomato sauce and season with salt and ground pepper.  Simmer on low.  Combine the yogurt, cottage cheese, parsley and dried onions in a large bowl.  Stir to combine and season with salt and ground pepper.  Drain pasta and add pasta to the yogurt and cottage cheese mixture.  Stir to coat all of the noodles.  Remove meat sauce from the heat.  To assemble, pour half of the noodle mixture into a casserole dish.  Spoon half the sauce on top of the noodles and top with half of the shredded cheese.  Repeat another layer with the rest of the noodles, meat sauce and cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Let's Cook: Blueberry Banana Protein Pancakes

Now these are delicious!  After I posted my Blueberry Protein Smoothie recipe I was surprised at the number of fellow chemo patients that told me they are concerned about getting enough protein.  Here is another protein packed breakfast recipe to get you started on your day.  These pancakes are light and fluffy and have no white flour, sugar or fat in them.  The basic pancake recipe can be altered with any fruit you desire or are just as delicious plain.  I dressed mine with warm blueberries and sugar free blueberry syrup. The entire recipe is one serving of four generously sized pancakes.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Protein Pancakes
1 serving

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not instant oatmeal)
1/2 small ripe banana
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of vanilla protein powder (I use Aria)
1 packet stevia or sugar substitute of choice
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
splash of vanilla extract
1 handful of frozen blueberries

Heat a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat.  Place oatmeal in a food processor (I use my Ninja blender) and pulse until oatmeal has turned into flour.  Place all other ingredients except for blueberries into food processor and pulse to blend until smooth.  Remove blade from processor and fold frozen blueberries into the mixture.  Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared hot pan.  These pancakes do not bubble like traditional pancakes so check for desired color after 1 minute and then flip to cook other side. Serve with syrup of choice or additional fruit.

Chemo Cravings: Blueberry Protein Smoothie

After I have a chemo infusion, I can expect some stomach upset and usually some heartburn.  During these times, I need foods that are easy on my system yet still nutritious.  Oh, did I mention the mouth soreness?  My gums do get sore and I sometimes feel like I have lumps in my throat.  Nice, huh?  This soreness usually only lasts a couple of days and I use the "Magic Mouthwash" given by my doctor a few times a day.  Even so...hot, crunchy and bumpy foods do not always go down well.

A protein smoothie is a good alternative for breakfast or as a mid-day snack when chemo side effects make it hard to eat your normal meals.  I normally love "green" smoothies were the green comes from a good wad of fresh spinach but honestly, the thought of raw spinach makes my toes curl when on chemo.  My favorite smoothie has a scoop of protein powder, almond milk, nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh fruit.  I use plain Greek yogurt because the fruit varieties have a TON of sugar in them.  I usually stick to fruits like blueberries or strawberries and stay away from more acidic ones like pineapple.

Now, let me tell you about this awesome new Ninja blender I just purchased.  I will be honest,  I do not have a lot of fancy kitchen gadgets.  You won't find a Kitchen Aid mixer or a Cuisinart food processor in my kitchen arsenal.  Would I like to have them?  Sure I would but I have found I can still cook and get great results without them.  I was so excited when I found this really affordable Ninja blender as a Today's Special Value on QVC.  It works beautifully and doubles as a powerful blender and food processor.  I can do everything from smoothies to pesto in this red beauty!  Click here---> Ninja Storm if you are interested in getting one.

Blueberry Protein Smoothie
(makes 1 serving)

1/3 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup frozen blueberries
Ice

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Add ice cubes and blend until desired constancy.  If a thinner milkshake is desired, add more almond milk.

Comfort Food Friday: Lower Fat Mac & Cheese

 I am not going to lie. I make some mean mac and cheese. I start with the classic bechamel sauce that includes real butter, whole milk and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg then I add the cheese.  Lots and lots of wonderful, full fat cheese that turns plain white sauce into mac and cheese heaven.  Unfortunately, this lovely dish is not exactly a healthy food.  I do indulge and make this recipe for my family a couple of times a year and it gets devoured almost instantly.  My goal with this recipe was to find an alternative that was cheesy and delicious enough for the pickiest mac and cheese lover in my household, my 15 year old son.  It looks like I have succeeded...yeah!  

Low Fat Mac & Cheese

4 to 6 servings

2 1/2 cups small elbow macaroni (I regular, whole wheat or a combination of both)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
2 egg whites lightly beaten
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup grated reduced fat Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a casserole dish by spraying it with cooking spray.  Add noodles to rapidly boiling salted water and cook until just al dente to prevent mushy mac & cheese. Drain the noodles and return to the pan.  Add the shredded cheese and stir to combine. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy.  To the egg whites add the almond milk, yogurt, mustard powder, Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper.  Stir to combine and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Pour  mixture into the prepared casserole dish and top with the Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!

Friday Ramblings:

This blog post was made from the chemo chair. Yes, it is Chemo Friday

Looking forward to next week off of chemo. 

Celebrating my wedding anniversary next week with a trip to Newport Beach and whale watching!

Rigby the Yorkie is getting "fixed" next week. There will be a blog post!

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!