Quick Breakfast: EGGS, TOASTED HERB BREADSTICKS, with PEACHES and CHERRIES

SIMPLE EGGS, TOASTED HERB BREADSTICKS, with  PEACHES and CHERRIES

Why is everyone in such a noisy scramble in the mornings? The sense of hastiness to get the kids set for school or to quickly toss on  work clothes leaves very little time for yourself. It seems that the rest of the world knows how to relax a bit more than we do. I'm sure you are aware that breakfast is important. The importance of breakfast is slapped onto the cover of tabloid magazines, mentioned by coworkers in the morning as they shamefully guzzle down their latte from Starbucks, and it's even noted by Mc'Donald and Wendy advertisements--because they want you to buy their food. Healthy breakfasts are daunting to people, but they don't have to be. A post I wrote a few months back, How to Fill Your Plate, shows you what food groups to include when having a meal; this recipe follows that model.  The truth is, breakfast can take 10 minutes of your time, granted that you have the ingredients within your reach and ready to use. Here is one quick idea.


EGGS, TOASTED HERB BREADSTICKS, with  PEACHES and CHERRIES

INGREDIENTS


1 egg, beaten
1 slice whole wheat bread
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cherries
1 small peach
1 sprig of chives
dried basil, optional
salt, to your taste


1.) Heat 1 teaspoon oil over high heat. Add the egg. Leave alone 10-20 seconds, then begin scrambling with a fork until cooked. Sprinkle with salt.* Cut the chive sprig with kitchen shears onto the egg. 
2.) Toast the bread in a regular toaster. Cut long matchsticks using  kitchen shears. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and dried basil. 
3.) Arrange the fresh peaches and cherries on the plate; add the egg and fresh fruit.


Serve with one cup low fat milk, if desired.

Priyanka 

Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies

If someone told you that you cannot have chocolate and stay healthy at the same time, you have my permission to slap them. Go forth and plant one on their cheek because you really can have chocolate. In fact, there is always room for desserts in a healthy diet. 


I tested these brownies 5 times to get the right amount of texture, consistency, and chocolatey goodness. I've been going on a low-fat yogurt rant in the last few recipes (Grilled Potato Salad with Herbs and Spices  & Almond Cake with Lemon Zest), but the tangy goop  is insanely versatile. This really contributes the moist factor to these brownies. 


Most brownie recipes use an entire stick of butter for just a few servings, but these brownies call for 2 tablespoons in the entire recipe, and this means just a little over 1/2  teaspoon of butter is tucked away into one square of brownie. Your love handles will thank you. 


I used semi-sweet chocolate and 70% bittersweet chocolate here, but if it were up to me I would use 70% cacao chocolate throughout the entire recipe. Unfortunately, my brothers aren't so fond of the less sugary taste. From a healthy point of view, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that fight cancer. Does this mean you can eat it by the tablespoon? No, silly. It's still calorie dense, so as I always say moderation is key. This recipe honors that, and the freshly brewed espresso really makes the chocolate sing.  


To make these brownies even more moist a lot of excess flour has been cut out. So the ratio of  wet ingredients to dry ingredients is greater, and from a food science standpoint these develop gossamer, velvety brownies. 


Any other information about the ingredients is boring. Your time is much better spent whipping up a fresh batch of healthy brownies. ;-)


Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies
Makes 9 squares


Ingredients
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 ounces 70% dark chocolate (I recommend Moser Roth), cut into chunks
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (regular, not Dutch processed)
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 eggs, large
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon fresh espresso, or espresso powder, or really strong coffee
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped


Directions


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray.
1.) If you've purchased dark chocolate that comes in the form of a bar, chop it down to the size of chocolate chips. 
2.) Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl: flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3.) Combine the butter, oil, and sugar in a mixer. Mix on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
4.) Add the yogurt, eggs, canola oil, and espresso.
5.) On a low setting, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet just until combined. Don't over mix, you don't want to whip air into the batter (this is desirable in cakes not brownies).
6.) Turn off the mixer and stir in 1/4 cup of walnuts, semi sweet chocolate, and dark chocolate. Transfer batter to pan.
7.) Sprinkle over remaining 2 tablespoons of walnuts over the the top. 


Bake for 30-35 minutes (can take as long as 45 minutes, depending on how hot your oven 
gets).

Enjoy them while they're warm with a cold glass of low-fat milk, or wait until they have cooled to dig in! :o)

Priyanka 

Almond Cake with Lemon Zest

Like most women, I have a major sweet tooth. I was scrutinizing the recipes I have posted thus far on Healthy Eating 101, and I have to say, it's such a tragedy that I haven't posted any desserts! I prefer cooking over baking because it doesn't require much mental effort. With baking you have to measure out ingredients, but I don't hesitate to satisfy my sweet tooth. And these are rare moments when I bake. 

Ideas will come to me at inconvenient times: on the commute to work, in class, or sometimes when I don't have a pad of paper or a pen at my fingertips to scribble on. I have a host of recipes that I have tested and tweaked at least 5 or 6 times to convert into a healthier alternatives. And this Almond Cake with Lemon Zest is no exception. Now, I love chocolate and I would choose it over non chocolate baked items like toffees and fruits based pastries ANY DAY. But this Almond Cake is divine. It's got just the right amount of sweetness, plus it is moist, and it has a nutty flavor from the toasted almonds. 

The flavor of the almonds are intensified with a dash of rum, plenty of lemon zest, and olive oil. To cut out most of the fat without compensating on flavor, low-fat yogurt whisked into the batter will lend the liquid the cake needs to, well, taste like a cake. You gotta try this. 

Almond Cake with Lemon Zest

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup whole almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (this is pretty important)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups low-fat yogurt

2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

1 tablespoon rum (the cheapest one you can find will be great in here)

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest, about two lemons

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until golden brown

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1.) Grind the whole almonds in a food processor until extremely fine, 2-3 minutes or more. 

2.) Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

3.) Using a food processor, whisk the butter,oil, and sugar for 2 minutes until it looks "fluffy". 

4.) Add the whole eggs and egg whites. Whisk again. Then add the yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest, and rum.

5.) Gradually mix in the dry ingredients into the the wet. Pour the batter into a cake pan.  (Don't overmix! Otherwise you strengthens the gluten protein in flour and accidentally make a tough cake. 

6.) Sprinkle over the toasted almonds. 

7.) Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan (or whatever size you prefer) with nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter in.

8.) Bake for 30-40 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so check frequently. Use the toothpick method to check if the batter is too wet and needs more time to bake.