Gingerbread Biscotti

A little more traditional in execution (oil rather than butter), but a nice spicy gingerbread twist.

This biscotti is a dunker- meaning it is MADE to dunk into coffee, not to eat alone.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; mix into egg mixture to form a stiff dough.
3. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a 12-14 inch roll. Place rolls on cookie sheet, and pat down to flatten the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
5. When cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. Place sliced biscotti on cookie sheet, and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until toasted and crispy.

Pumpkin Nutella Swirled Pie

I LOVE pumpkin pie, that and strawberry-rhubarb pie are my absolute favs.

This may break the tie though...

Ingredients:

• pie crust
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 15 ounce can pure pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup fat free half and half
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Nutella, warmed

Directions:

1. Line pie dish with crust, refrigerate until you're ready.
2. In a mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until frothy.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the Nutella) and stir to combine. 
4. Pour the mixture into pie crust. 
5. Drop spoonfuls of warmed Nutella (stick in the microwave for 30 seconds) onto pie, swirling gently with a knife. Do not swirl too much, just lightly.
6. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is set. The center will still look wet but will not "jiggle" too much. 
7. Cool completely and serve at room temperature. 

*Note:  Pie is good up to 4 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Pie freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Eggplant Pie

I <3 me some eggplant, and I SUPER <3 me some eggplant parmigiana.  It's definitely in the running for one of my last meals on Earth.
It isn't very healthy though, it's time consuming, and with gestational diabetes (AGAIN!) it isn't the best thing to eat/make.

Here is a quick(er) alternative that is VERY healthy and tastes oh so good.   I added spinach to the original recipe, roasted red peppers, portobella mushrooms, or thin sliced zucchini would be yummy too.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants, sliced thin
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1 10 oz. package spinach, thawed
• 28 oz.can pasta sauce 
• 4 oz. sharp asiago or provolone cut into thin slices
• 8 oz. mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

1. Lay the eggplant out on paper towels and generously salt one side-let sit 3 hours and then flip and redo. If you can leave them out overnight, all the better.
2. When all the eggplant is salted, dry it off and squish it out with some paper towels.
3. Layer in either a 10 in. springform pan or a 9 X 13 casserole dish in this order- starting from the bottom:

• 1/3 of the eggplant
• 1/3 of the spinach
• 1/3 of the tomatoes
• 1/3 of the pasta sauce
• 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 of the asiago cheese

   4.  Repeat to make 3 layers.

   5.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

   6. Let stand for 20 – 30 min. before serving so it can set up.

                                                    

Greek Yogurt Banana Bread

This banana bread is SO good, and very different from most that I've tried-it's much moister and better for you!

• 4 overripe bananas, mashed
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (one of those small Mott's containers is the perfect size)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp water, OJ, or brewed coffee (the coffee is my choice and doesn't make it coffee flavored, just amps up the other flavors)**
• 1 2/3 cup flour (I did 1 cup whole wheat and 2/3 cup white)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Cinnamon, to taste
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or dried cherries-or both!

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan and a 6 cup muffin tin.
2. Mix the sugar and applesauce, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, and water.  
3. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
4. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan until it is 3/4 full, pour the rest into the 6 muffin cups.
5. Bake 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300 and bake another 45-50 minutes.
6. Pull the muffins, they should be done. If the loaf is not done (brown on edges, wet in center), lower temperature to 275 and bake another 15 minutes.
7. Cool on rack, freezes well.

**If you are feeling decadent, swap the liquid for almond liquor....adds just a hint of specialness. 

Baked Apple Blackberry Oatmeal

I have never tried baked oatmeal until today- it is delish!  It is like a combination of oatmeal, and an oatmeal cookie in terms of texture.  Apparently you are supposed to eat it in a bowl with a little warmed milk or maple syrup on top.  I just started eating it out of the pan-oops!

It reminds me of matzah kugel, but way way better!

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups uncooked oats
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 apple, diced (no need to peel) 
• handful of blackberries, roughly chopped if they are large

1. Mix the eggs and milk together then add all remaining ingredients except the apples and blackberries. 
2. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the oats can absorb some of the liquid.
3. Then fold in the fruit and pour into a greased 8x8 pan and cover with foil, bake at 350° for 30 minutes then uncover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes until the top of the oatmeal is evenly cooked. 
4. Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit if you are eating now.
5. If it is for later, let it cool completely and slice into squares to refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to eat. 

*Note: You can eliminate the added sugar, spices, and apples if you have a leftover can of apple pie filling (just scoop away most of the goop and chop the apples-it comes out very very moist)

Sweet Potato Parsnip Muffins

These muffins are great for kids as they combine several healthy fruits and veggies as well as limited added sugar. They are very moist and delicious!  My toddler loved to help mix everything up and then devour them!

• 2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 medium/large sweet potato, roasted and mashed (this is a great idea to make several and freeze the puree in ice cube trays for baby food or to use in place of oil in recipes)
• 1 small parsnip, grated
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins (I used golden)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 18 muffin cups or 24-30 mini muffin cups (or a combo of both- I did 12 regular sized muffins and 14 minis).
2. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, sweet potato puree, parsnips, and milk. 
3. Stir in dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in raisins. 
4. Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

*Note:  make these extra special by sprinkling on a mixture of 1 Tbs. butter, 1 Tbs. brown sugar, and 1/3 cup oats-mix until coarsely textured.