Veg SF

The adventures of a lacto ovo vegetarian in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

The Wonderous Oat Bran – 2 ways February 12, 2010

Filed under: Angela Concoction, Breakfast, Fruit, Grocery, High Fiber, High Protein, Low Calorie, Lowfat — vegsf @ 9:44 am
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Holy Addiction!

I was introduced to Oat Bran by my friend and fellow food blogger, Faith of I Pray to Gouda. Without making myself like a mad woman, I’ll say it simply – I’m addicted. This stuff is so good and you can do all kinds of things with it making it taste all kinds of goodness. Ahhh… So so yummy. You really do need to try it. (See? Now I’m a oat bran ‘pusher’!) Plus, it’s so easy, you have no excuses.

I can whip up a quick oat bran breakfast for myself in about 3 mins, so it’s a great on the go meal. It also works well to bring to work with me because I can throw the oat bran, sweetener and cinnamon in a tupperwear container and just add the water and microwave it there. Easy, peasy!

And in honor of Valentine’s Day, here are a pair of  MY favorite ways to make oat bran. (FYI – I used two mini bowls and half the recipe for each for presentation purposes, but you’ll want to use bigger bowls)

Step 1: Assemble Ingredients.

  • 1/4 cup Oat Bran (I use Toasted Oat Bran from Trader Joe’s)
  • 3/4 cup Water
  • Dash of salt
  • Sweetener of your choosing, to taste (Agave Nectar, Sugar, Stevia, Splenda, etc)

Strawberries n Cream:

  • Freeze dried , unsweetened strawberries (Trader Joe’s them and I’m ashamed to admit I have found yet another addiction. These little guys are awesome morsels of crunchy “yum”. They also have freeze dried mango, blueberries and banana chips – all unsweetened. You MUST try them!)
  • 1/8 c (2 Tbsp) Nonfat, plain greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage that I buy in bulk at Costco)

Banana Cinnamon:

  • Cinnamon (I like a lot. I usually use 1 t. or more)
  • 1/2 of a ripe banana, sliced and warmed in the microwaved for about 30 seconds to make it warm, gooshy and caramelized

Step 2: Cook Oat Bran.

In a microwave safe bowl with some extra room for boiling up (so it doesn’t run over), stir together the oat bran, water, salt and sweetener. Microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir.

For Strawberries n Cream: Add your strawberries at this time and stir.

Microwave for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until it just begins to boil. Watching CAREFULLY (aka – do not take your eyes off the bowl. The moment you do, it WILL boil over and create a mess. You don’t want that to happen. And don’t say I didn’t warn you… ha!). Stir again and continue microwaving for 15 seconds at a time until your preferred consistency is reached.

Step 3: Add the Fixin’s.

For Strawberries n Cream: Add greek yogurt and mix together well. Top with a few more strawberries if you feel fancy.

For Banana Cinnamon: Add cinnamon and mix together well. Top with warmed bananas.

Step 4: Eat.

‘Nuff said.

 

Nonfat Whole Wheat Carrot Craisin Muffins February 2, 2010

Filed under: Breakfast, Fruit, Low Calorie, Lowfat, Meat-Lover's Seal of Approval, Nonfat, Whole Grains/Whole Wheat — vegsf @ 12:05 pm
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This amazing little muffin is surprisingly moist and light in texture for being nonfat and whole wheat! Even my husband (who doesn’t usually go for muffins all that often) loves these. I found a random recipe online and did a bunch of “doctoring” until I made it my own lightweight version of the muffin. It’s lovely. I highly recommend you go try it asap. And go check out the nutrition stats at the bottom. Shocked? Yep. I was too. Those little numbers (pun intended) make me very happy. :)

Nonfat Whole Wheat Carrot Craisin Muffins

Prep time: 15 mins
Bake time: 18-20 mins
Makes 12 muffins

  • 1 1/4 c white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat)
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t ginger
  • 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 c light orange juice (Trop50)
  • 1/4 c egg substitute (Egg Beaters)
  • 1 1/2 c grated carrots
  • 1/2 c dry, sweetened cranberries (Craisins)
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Sift (or mix with a whisk) the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger together in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, applesauce, orange juice, and egg beaters together.
  4. Add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until almost combined. Fold in the carrots and cranberries. (do not over beat!)
  5. Divide the batter evenly in 12 muffin cups. Reduce the oven temperature to 360 and bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
  6. Let cool 5 mins in the pan, then carefully transfer the muffins to a wire rack to continue cooling.  (Letting them cool out of the pan allows the edges to not become soggy.)

Nutrition: 105 calories, 0g fat, 25g carbs, 2g protein, 2g fiber

 

Mediterranean Vegetable-Cheese Pie January 6, 2010

Filed under: Breakfast, Cheese, Mains, Meat-Lover's Seal of Approval, Potato, Vegetarian, Veggies — vegsf @ 1:35 pm
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I’ll just go on record and say that this is absolutely AMAZING and DELICIOUS and you might as well double the recipe right off the top because you’ll eat it all and then come back wanting more. I made this for our Christmas morning brunch and it was a hit. I tripled the recipe and came home empty handed. Every single crumb was devoured. I made it a week later for dinner. It worked just as well for either meal!

To top it all off, it’s HEALTHY. (what a nice way to start 2010, no?). The nutritional content on this both surprised and thrilled me and it’s for an entire quarter of the pie! It’s just 192 cals, 4.8g fat (2g sat fat), 10.5g carb, 17.5g protein, 7.8g fiber. Don’t lie. You’re in awe too.

Mediterranean Vegetable-Cheese Pie

Serves 4.
Recipe from SELF, April 2005 courtesy of Epicurious.
Rancho La Puerta Spa, Tecate, Baja California

  • Olive-oil cooking spray
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/8-inch rounds
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 8 oz (about 8 cups) baby spinach
  • 3 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup nonfat ricotta or fat-free cottage cheese (I couldn’t find nonfat ricotta, so I went with the cottage cheese and couldn’t tell the difference)
  • 1 tbsp feta, crumbled
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or dill, or 3 tsp dried basil or dill, divided into 2 equal portions (I used fresh basil)
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grated Asiago or Parmesan
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grated lowfat mozzarella
  1. Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 9″ pie plate with cooking spray.
  2. Line bottom of plate with potato slices. Cut remaining slices in half and arrange around side of plate. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Remove from oven and set aside. Coat a sauté pan with cooking spray and sauté onion over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach to pan and let wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain excess fluid from onion and spinach mixture. Stir in olives.
  4. In a bowl, beat eggs and egg whites. Stir in ricotta and feta. Add half the basil or dill and set aside. Spoon onion and spinach mixture into pie plate over potatoes. Layer on egg mixture, then slices of tomato. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until egg is set and a knife inserted into pie comes out clean.
  5. Sprinkle grated cheeses evenly over top of pie and top with remaining basil or dill. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.

192 cals, 4.8g fat (2g sat fat), 10.5g carb, 17.5g protein, 7.8g fiber.

 

Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling (lowfat) October 24, 2009

Filed under: Angela Concoction, Breakfast, Sweets, Vegetarian, Veggies — vegsf @ 10:51 pm

These muffins are darling and deliciously spicy for fall. The best part about them? They’re lowfat and (I like to think) good for you!  I found the muffin recipe online and adapted it to suit my tastes – namely adding the cream cheese and crunchy topping. I love a good streusel topping but with this lowfat muffin, I didn’t want to add the extra butter and sugar a traditional streusel would add. So, I decided to try it with Kashi cereal. It was the perfect “streusel” topping without adding all the extra unwanted calories/fat to hips – er- I mean – muffin!

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Poached Eggs Florentine with Parmesan Sauce May 18, 2009

Filed under: Angela Concoction, Breakfast, Veggies — vegsf @ 9:17 pm
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I don’t know how to explain what I did on these, but I’ll try my best. They were delicious so I feel like I need to share.

Basically, I poached two eggs in plastic wrap and dropped into boiling water to create a nice round shape to the egg. While they were cooking, I very lightly (and I mean LIGHTLY) steamed the spinach just until it was not cold. (do NOT overcook – it should not be slimy).

I also made a Parmesan sauce of fresh grated parmesan, milk, and butter. I melted and blended it together, stirring frequently in the microwave.

It was amazing. Try it!

 

Quiche in a Tortilla May 18, 2009

Filed under: Angela Concoction, Breakfast, Cheese, Vegetarian, Veggies — vegsf @ 9:12 pm
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I recently discovered these fabulous little uncooked flour tortillas by Tortilla Land at Costco. Since they come in massive bulk sizes, I usually buy them and freeze half. The other half, I use to make quesadillas and other random things. For example, this broccoli cheese quiche. The raw tortilla makes the perfect shell.

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Double Chocolate Espresso Banana Muffins November 4, 2008

Filed under: Breakfast, Chocolate, Fruit — vegsf @ 7:16 pm
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I just made these HEAVENLY muffins this morning. They are much too good. I’ve already scarfed down two of them and I’m thinking about going back for a third. I really shouldn’t, but they are sitting there calling my name!

It’s the perfect way to use up overripe bananas, and all with ingredients that I usually have around the house!

Go make them. Now.

Double Chocolate Espresso Banana Muffins
(recipe & image from here)

  • 1 1/2 cups of mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium-sized bananas)
  • 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup of whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon of strong espresso *
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 ounces of milk chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir in the banana, sugars, butter, espresso, milk and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and gently add in the banana mixture. Stir into just combined. Gently fold in the chocolates.

Fill each muffin tin about three quarters full and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Once cooked, move muffins to a cooking rack. The muffins can be stored in an air tight container for up to two days. Enjoy!

* TIP: You must brew the espresso before using it in your recipe. I had a friend make espresso cheesecake for us a long time ago and put in 2 Tbsp of espresso… grounds. We went out for ice cream. (hehe – I love you, M!)

 

Peaches Foster Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake August 17, 2008

Filed under: Angela Concoction, Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Sweets — vegsf @ 5:15 am
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Inspired by the plump, sweet peaches off my mom’s tree, my sister’s peach upside down cornmeal cake and the knowing how well rum would go with peaches – such as banana’s foster (wow that was a mouthful!), I decided to make my own version. Except I wanted to make it a bit lighter than the traditional heavy cake recipes usually found for cornmeal cakes. So, I looked up a few different recipes including ones from Martha Stewart and Cooking Light and made a cake of my own. I was really pleased with the outcome.

The cake has a sweet cornbread type flavor, warmed by the rum and brown sugar mixed with peach juice that seeped into the batter while it was baking. The best part was the outside edge where this sweet mixture started to bubble up along the edges of the pan, creating a crisp, sweet crust. I highly recommend serving it with some vanilla ice cream. It complimented the flavors perfectly. Enjoy!

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Crack Pancakes (aka Lemon-Cottage Cheese Pancakes) May 27, 2008

Filed under: Breakfast, Restaurants — vegsf @ 4:09 pm

Pre-Script: Sorry for the absence and lack of blog posts recently. I’ve been traveling a LOT (I mean a LOT) for business and a vacation, so I haven’t been around much. I also haven’t been cooking much, which means nothing to blog about. However, these amazing pancakes lured me out of my dark cave and I just have to share.

Lemon-Cottage Cheese Pancakes. They are out-of-this-world good. My husband and I first had them when we went on our anniversary trip to Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. We ate at the Big 3 Diner there at the Inn and got these pancakes as part of our breakfast. We were in heaven. We loved them so much we ordered them a second time, the morning we were checking out.


Big 3 Pancakes:

I then ran out on the internet to see if I could find the recipe. I DID! They are identical. I made them yesterday morning for brunch. My husband and I are calling them “Crack Pancakes”. They are entirely too good and too addicting.


My Pancakes:

We love them so much, we decided we need to show them off to our friends and have a brunch. (Yeah, we’re weird. haha!) :)

GO MAKE THEM! You’ll get addicted, too. (I cut the below recipe in half)


Lemon-Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Chef Robert Champagne of Big 3 Diner at Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa – Sonoma, CA
Adapted by StarChefs

Yield: 8 to 10 Servings

Juice and zest of 5 lemons
12 egg yolks
1 cup powered sugar
1 quart low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 egg whites, whipped into soft peaks
4 ounces clarified butter
Kosher salt to taste
Crème fraiche (optional)

In a large bowl, mix lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, powdered sugar, cottage cheese, and flour. Fold in the whipped egg whites; add clarified butter and season to taste with kosher salt.

Serve garnished with a thinly sliced lemon twist and powdered sugar. On the side serve crème fraiche and warmed real maple syrup.