feel food club

healthy

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

by Kommentar verfassen

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins with Whipped Ricotta Frosting. Doesn’t that sound amazing? A sweet treat between classes, as a dessert or a snack to balance out your afternoon low. Yes! Yes! And yes! I think we all need this, like every week at least a few times! 

Taking a vegetable and putting it into a desert?! Sounds weird although it has already worked out so many times. Think pumpkin pie or zucchini bread. Also carrot cake is many people’s favorite dessert but I mostly is packed with tons of sugar and saturated fat and topped with a rich cream cheese or butter frosting. It is delicious but really heavy and not the healthiest thing to eat in the world. 

But not this version of it. The muffin itself is light and fluffy, no butter or refined white sugar. Light and delicious. The ricotta on top has its natural sweetness which doesn’t ask for any other sugars and works great with the muffins. Pair them with a cup of coffee as a snack, or top with almond butter and fresh banana for a delicious and healthy breakfast or just grab one on the go. You will get your veggies in without even noticing.

The batter is made out of simple ingredients of which most are everyone’s household staples. Grated carrots of course, greek yoghurt for protein and good fats, eggs for texture, protein, vitamins, and healthy fats, Apple sauce for sweetness. A mix of wholegrain and white flour for fiber and carbs, some enrythrit or coconut sugar for sweetness, cinnamon for the heartiness and pecan nuts for the crunch and healthy fats. 

A great balance of ingredients and nutrients that turn out to be a really delicious dessert. I believe it is a really great way to switch up your average use of carrots and try something new with them. I love making them when it is rainy and cold outside as the feeling of baking gives that comfortable feeling and coziness. They are perfect for the days now when it is getting colder and when carrots are in season.

I love enjoying them warm, when the frosting is melting on top of them, but they are also really delicious when chilled. The frosting is optional so if you do not like ricotta or want to go for an even lighter version you can of course leave it out but in my opinion it tastes amazing with it! If you decide to recreate that recipe be sure to tag me with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere and if you could leave a comment that would mean and lot to me. I hope you will enjoy it!

Print

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

A healthy twist on the all beloved cake. LIght and delicious.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
Prep Time 12 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Cool time 15 Minuten
Total Time 47 Minuten
Servings 10 muffins
Calories 127 kcal

What you will need

  • 2 carrots about 150g
  • 100 g Greek Yoghurt
  • 100 g Appl Sauce
  • 2 Eggs
  • 100 g Erythrit you can also use coconut sugar, or raw cane sugar if prefered
  • 80 g Whole Wheat Flour
  • 80 g Wheat Flour
  • 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 200 g Ricotta
  • 2 tsp Honey

How to

That´s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the carrots and grate them into a bowl. They shouldn’t be grated too thin, a little thicker worst best. Into the same bowl add the 2 eggs, the Greek yoghurt, the apple sauce and the sugar of your preference. Mix it well until all combined. 

  2. In a separate bowl combine the 2 flours along with the cinnamon, the baking powder, and the salt. One by one, slowly fold the flour under the wet mixture. Don´t whisk fast, gently fold it under with a spatula.

  3. Portion the mass out into 10 muffin forms. This works best with an ice cream scoop. Fill the muffin tin ¾ of the way. Place the muffins in the oven and bake them for about 18-25 minutes. Take a tooth pick and poke into the muffins, if no dough keeps sticking on the toothpick they are done. 

  4. Don´t take them out immediately, because they will fall back together and the fluffiness will be gone. Turn off the oven and let them sit in there for about 15-20 minutes. 

  5. Meanwhile in a bowl whip up the Ricotta and the honey. Once the muffins are completely cooled, add the frosting and enjoy! 

    They last in the fridge for up to 1 week!

Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

by Kommentar verfassen

This dish basically is a lighter twist on stuffed cannelloni – just without the cannelloni. When I was in the kitchen creating this dish, I actually did not mean to recreate cannelloni or put a lighter twist in them. I just let myself experiment. After finishing cooking, when I ate this dish I realized that it actually looked like the typically Italian pasta. It tasted sooo good. Just all the flavors and textures worked really well together. The crunch of the zucchini, the texture of the ground meat, the softness of the melted cheese, and the intense flavor of the tomato sauce. 

It is a little work, to make this dish, so it is not the perfect dish to have as a quick dinner, but it is if you have some more time and want to cook it together with someone else on a date night or a family dinner. I really, really like this dish because it is family friendly, still sneaks in some vegetables and kind of is a lighter twist on a baked pasta dish.

I decided to use minced veal as a meat simply because I really like the flavor and it is pretty lean. If you prefer to use beef, turkey, pig, or even a vegetarian mince that would work too. I just think that the veal doesn’t overpower the other ingredients but still brings a nice flavor and texture. Also, it makes the dish a little bit more Italian because in Italy, veal is used very often. When frying it in the pan, don’t leave it in there for too long since it shouldn’t be completely cooked through as it would get dry in the oven. Also if you do not have an oven safe pan, you can use any other oven safe dish to bake the “cannelloni” in.

The Ricotta that is in the filling along with the meat gives this entire dish such a delicious richness and hearty flavor, which I realllllyyy like. Of course, you can use cream cheese or curd cheese instead but it won’t be the same. Ricotta just has this little something and this instant-Italian twist on every dish you use it in, so I would not substitute it with anything else. All the herbs that are packed into the Ricotta just give it a freshness and make it real good. Never skip the herbs & spices!

When baking the zucchini in the oven, the sauce will get more liquid since the zucchini will loose water. I personally like it because you can pour some more onto your plate but if you prefer to having it thick you can blanch the zucchini strips in simmering water for a few minutes and dry them with a paper towel. This is quite a lot of work because there are a lot of them, so I leave this step out and go for the thinner sauce. Especially when there is not too much time then I’d recommend not doing this extra step.

All in all, this is a pretty simple Italian inspired dish. It is a little bit of work but really fun to make and such a great way to lighten up stuffed cannelloni. I know that some Italians would come and beat me up now if I keep calling this “cannelloni” but it is really good. A dinner that all of your family is going to love!! If you do make it, be sure to share it with me on Instagram and tag me with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere. I’d love to see it! 

Print

Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

A delicious lighter twist on the traditional italian classic. Made with ground veal and herbed ricotta, which is all packed into nourishing Zucchini and topped with fresh tomato sauce and molten cheese. Just good.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 370 kcal

What you will need

  • 2 Zucchini
  • 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 White Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 400 g Ground Veal can substitute for any other meat
  • 200 g Ricotta
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1 tbsp Minced Basil
  • 1 tbsp Minced Sage
  • 1 tbsp Minced Oregano
  • 400 ml Tomatoe Sauce
  • 50 g Parmesan Cheese Do not use pre-grated ones if possible since the quality is alway lower
  • 50 g Mozarella Cheese Buffalo is best

How to

That´s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. With a peeler, peel of strips of the Zucchini that are about 1-2mm thick. In a pan heat up the olive oil. Meanwhile finely mince the onion and garlic. Once hot add them to the oil and cook them for about 1 minute. Add the meat and generously salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, it does not have to be completely cooked through. 

  2. In a bowl mix the Ricotta with the egg yolk, the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. On a flat surface lay out about three to four Zucchini strips* at a time, depending on how big they are, slightly overlaping. 

  3. Grate the parmesan cheese and chop of the mozarella into about 1.5 cm large pieces. 

  4. At the lower end of them spread one tablespoon of the Ricotta mixture and 1 tablespoon of the minced veal on top. Carefully roll them up and place them aside. Continue until there is no Zucchini and Meat left. 

  5. In an oven-safe dish or pan spread half of the tomato sauce. Carefully place the Cannelloni horizonatlly in it. Top them with the rest of the tomato sauce and the different cheeses.

  6. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, so the cheese has all molten and the Zucchini is cooked through. Serve with some fresh basil and enjoy!

Notes

*if you want the dish to be less watery, blanch the Zucchini strips in simmering water for about 1 minute here. Then transfer them into an ice bath and pat them dry. Continue to follow along the recipe. 

I do not think that this step is necessary because I like it to be saucy but this depends on your preference.

Apple & Cranberry Granola

by Kommentar verfassen

It is finally fall, and finally October and everyone is going crazy about pumpkins. For a good reason. They are insanely delicious and can be eaten basically with anything. But because of this hype so many people are forgetting about apples. The super delicious, sweet or sour apples that are in season right not, that are available in so many different colors, shapes, and flavors. They are seasonal at the moment and grow local here in Austria. I feel apples are underrated and we should actually keep the quote „an apple a day keeps the doctor away“ in mind every day.

Apples actually are pretty healthy. They are really rich in fiber, antioxidants, reasonable amounts of Vitamin C and K. That being said we should consider eating one a day. But the famous little sentence we tell all the kids does not mention the form we should eat them in. So why not eating them in a different way than usually?! Why not eating them in form of Granola. In form of Fall Apple Granola. To be honest, it doesn’t still contain a lot of vitamins in that form, but it gives us an excuse to eat apples. 

This granola tastes like fall in a bowl. It instantly gives you the feeling of hiking through the vineyards and grabbing fresh apples from the tree while all the leaves are turning red and yellow. It gives you the feeling of collecting chestnuts and smelling that good fall flavor. I love eating this on top of a cozy oatmeal or in a yoghurt bowl for breakfast. The crunch makes it a perfect topping for any creamy base or also with milk when enjoyed as cereal. 

I decided to make this granola with popcorn to lighten it up a little, and give it more volume. The popcorn also soaks up the liquid ingredients really well and just soaks up all of the flavor. The oats, pumpkin seeds and nuts add some texture, fall feeling, as well as good carbs and healthy fats. The flax seeds, some fiber, and the hemp seeds some protein. The dried apples and cranberries add some sweetness and chewiness which makes it really addicting. A necessary ingredient which definitely can’t be left out is the cinnamon. It adds sweetness, is super healthy, and makes it all cozy and comforting. Last but not least I added some sea salt to bring out the flavor and maca powder (which is optional) because it has a lot of health benefits.

The liquid ingredients are pretty clean and simple too. I am using Apple sauce (of course) as a base to get that Apple flavor and sweetness without any refined sugars. The coconut oil adds some fats and helps to crisp up the granola when in the oven. The maple adds sweetness and color as it will caramelize in the oven while baking and turn everything delicious golden-brown. When mixing together it already combines the different flavors and  smells. 

You will be able to smell it in the entire house once you take it out of the oven and you won’t have to wait until everything is gone. Won’t take long, I promise. It last up to one month when stored in an air tight container but mine was gone way quicker. I hope that you will enjoy this recipe and if you decide to recreate it be sure to tag me in your post with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere

Print

Apple Granola (V,SF)

A delicious fall twist on your regular Granola perfect for October!

Course Breakfast, Snack
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 12 servings
Calories 93 kcal

What you will need

  • 50 G Popcorn
  • 30 G Almonds Chopped
  • 30 G Oats
  • 30 G Pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tsp Maca Powder
  • 20 g Cranberries
  • 20 g Dried Apples

Wet ingredients:

  • 100 G Apple Sauce or Apple Butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut Oil
  • 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

  2. Chop the Almonds. Add them into a big bowl along with all the other dry ingredients except for the dried Apple. Mix them well until all combined.

  3. In a smaller bowl mix together the Apple sauce, molten coconut oil an maple until it has a smooth consistency.

  4. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry one and gently stir through until all of it is covered. Then spread it on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

  5. When done take it out of the oven and let cool completely. Meanwhile chop up the dried apples. Mix the through the granola. Now you can also add cranberries or any other add ins that you would like.

  6. Store it in an air tight container for up to one month. It is best enjoyed over Jogurt, Porridge, or simply with milk.

Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

by Kommentar verfassen

Who doesn´t love a stuffed potato. Maybe with some sour cream and beef, or with roasted vegetables and guac or whichever combination you like. Roasted potatoes with some sort of stuffing is just such a comforting and easy meal. I love it on weeknights because everyone can pick their one fillings and it is just a family meal. Because they are so versatile I like to add a twist in them whenever I make them. Sometimes I make them a little more American with loads of cheese, sometimes Mexican with salsa and avocado, sometimes a mix.

This time I decided to not only switch up the filing a little but also go for sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes. I honestly love sweet potatoes and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before. The crispy skin and the soft inside is just so good combined with the spices. In order to really get those spices into the potato, you have to use oil when baking it. Without oil, it won´t ever get that deep flavor and that crispiness. I use a spice mix that consists of most people´s pantry staples. It just intensifies the sweetness of the potatoes but gives them an extra kick. 

I wondered what filling would go well with sweet potatoes and a thousand ideas crossed my mind until it came to me to just combine two of my favorite dishes. Stuffed potatoes & tabbouleh! If I wouldn’t had created that myself I would have called it genius. It literally tastes so amazing. It’s going to be your new favorite. Easy weeknight and easy to prep, perfect meal prep dish, ideal for weekends when the family and friends are coming together, just perfect for any occasion.

That warm and soft sweet potato and the freshness of the tabbouleh just go so well together. Paired with the super delicious Tahini Sauce it is just so good! Since tabbouleh is a pretty summery dish I think I added a fall twist to it. Some small chopped up apples, raisins, nuts, and some Swiss chard. I tossed it together with the Couscous and dressed with simply Olive Oil and lemon juice. It helps bring out the flavor but doesn’t overpower them. The different fruits and veggies add such a variety in flavor, a great crunch, and so much color. It feels like eating the rainbow with this salad. 

The real addiction in this dish is the Tahini Sauce. So Good. Really simple ingredients, Tahini, lemon juice, mustard, water, vinegar, and oil. It just has such an amazing flavor and because of the Tahini it makes the dish a little more oriental. The lemon gives a great contrast to the hearty ness of the sweet potato and paired with the guac (which technically is optional, but actually not) you won’t go back to sour cream. The drizzle on top is so satisfying and damn good.

This entire combination of warm sweet potato, crunchy tabbouleh, creamy guac and refreshing Tahini dressing is bomb. It is not complicated to make which will make it your new favorite dish. So easy to meal prep and prepare in general as you can roast some sweet potatoes in the weekend and make some of that good tabbouleh and just take it whenever you need. If you do make it be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere and leave a rating. I honestly really really like this dish and I hope that you will like it too!

Print

Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Super comfortable and healthy fall dinner

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 50 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 650 kcal

What you will need

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1 large Sweet Potato about 500-600g
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Curcuma Powder

For the Tabbouleh

  • 70 g Couscous
  • 3 stalks Swiss chard
  • 1/2 Apple
  • 100 g Tomatoes
  • 1 small Red Onion
  • 1/3 Cucumber
  • 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • Salt & Pepper

For the Tahini Sauce

  • 1 tsp Tahini
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Maple Syrup
  • 1-2 tbsp Almond Milk can substitute for water
  • 1 tbsp Water
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice

To finish it off:

  • 1 small Avocado
  • 1 stalk Spring Onions finely chopped

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the sweet potato in half. In a samll bowl mix all the spices together with the oil. Brush both sides of the cut sweet potatoes with the oil-spice mixture and place o a baking tray. Once the oven is heated up, place them in and bae for about 45-50 minutes.

For the Tabbouleh:

  1. Prepare the Couscous according to the package instructions. Chop the tomatoes, the bell pepper, the appla, the cucumber, and the swiss chard in cubes, a little smaller than 1cm. Finely mince the onion. In a large bowl add all of the vegetables, the couscous and the parsely. drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil on top and gently combine everything until is it well mixed through.

For the Tahini Sauce:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix or into a small blender and blend until you get a smooth and runny consistency. If you prefer to have it thinner, add more water or almond milk, if you want it thicker, add more Tahini.

To finish it off:

  1. Smash the avocado and generously salt and pepper it. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and place them on two plates. With a fork carefully smash the inside of the potatoes and take some of the smashed filling out so you have more space for the filling. Add the Tabbouleh into the muld you just created. Top with some of the mashed avocado and drizle with the Tahini sauce. Serve as it is or with a small side salad if you prefer. Enjoy!