Brown Sugar Strawberry Scones and Monthly Posts

Ah, interwebs. How I've missed you.

HighAltVeg will be switching to monthly posts, due to some unexpected medical issues on my end (see: neurological disorders). This means you get extra deliciousness and heavier testing on the recipes, and it means that I get to focus a bit more on my professional practice and volunteering here in Fort Collins. So as posts slow down, know I'm not leaving the blog: just slowing it down to fit the relaxed, easy-going vibe of Colorado. (I know, I become more and more of a "granola" hippie every day, and I love it!)

Moving on....

Ah, scones. How I've missed you even more.

Scones are, for some reason, rumored to be notoriously hard to make and always super unhealthy. While the hard to make part may not be true, the unhealthy part normally is. To give you an idea, a popular coffee shop across the US has seasonal fall scones that clock in at 34g of sugar and 18g of fat.

Gross numbers.

At a local place in Fort Collins, though, I can never go in without getting one of their scones. They're packed with local strawberries, the sweetness of sugar (so much sugar), and then topped with a slightly tart lemon glaze that refreshes and balances the sweetness. And, of course, they're packed with butter and oil.

My obsession with these scones became a bit too much after I kept driving and getting one every single day, which led to a hit in my small paycheck (because: college). So one day, when I just couldn't resist having a scone anymore, I decided to recreate them. I wanted the superb flavor, but without the negatives of daily doses of fat and sugar.

IT WORKED.

These scones cut the fat and calories significantly, while utilizing a majority of sugar from the natural sweetness of the strawberries. A touch of brown sugar makes it extra delectable. Instead of doing a powdered sugar and lemon glaze, I added some creaminess and depth by mixing lemon with vanilla nonfat greek yogurt. These taste (and look!) just as good as the ones from my local coffee shop, which is awesome.

NOM NOM NOM.

Brown Sugar Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Serves 8

Scone Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2/3c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3c. packed brown sugar
• 1T baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 3/4c. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 3T warm water
• 1 large egg
• Zest of one lemon
• 8 strawberries, thinly sliced

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1T lemon juice (or more, depending on glaze consistency desired)
• Zest of one lemon 
• 1/2c. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and sift if there are any lumps. Add Greek yogurt, water, egg, and lemon zest, and stir (don't whisk) until just combined.
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for one minute. Expect the dough to try and fall apart a bit, and don't worry about it. 
4. Divide the dough in half and shape into rounds, then place on baking sheet. Pat down until each round is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. With a wet knife, cut each round into quarters but don't separate them. Place the equivalent of one strawberry on each to-be-scone, pressing down slightly so they stick. 
5. Place baking sheet in middle of oven and cook for 15-17 minutes, until a golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.
6. While scones are cooling, combine lemon juice, zest, and yogurt in a small bowl. Mix well, then drizzle over the scones. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. 

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 315mg
Total Fat: 1.1g
      Saturated: 0.3g
      Trans: 0g
Protein: 7.5g
Sugar: 17.1g
Calories: 188

Cinnamon and Maple Baked Apples

 
IT'S FAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL (!!!!!!)

Therefore apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples and pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins! And cinnamon, and stews, and brown sugar caramel lattes to warm up frozen fingers at 7AM as college students travel to their morning classes.

I have a lot of energy and so much to say, but I'll keep it simple:
 
These apples are amazing.

You should eat them.

You brain will thank you.

That is all.
 

Cinnamon and Maple Baked Apples

Serves: 2 (can easily be changed to serve however many you want) 

Ingredients:

• 2 small Gala apples, washed
• 2/3c. water
• 1/3c. reduced sugar orange juice (such as Trop50)
• 1/4c. reduced sugar maple syrup
• Cinnamon for dusting

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Meanwhile, core the apples (being careful not to go all the way through to the bottom, because they need to hold the maple syrup), creating a cavity. Make sure all seeds are removed.
3. In a small, shallow oven-safe baking dish, combine orange juice and water. Set the apples, core-side up, in the baking dish. Fill each apple with 2tbl of the maple syrup (if the syrup overflows into the pan because the cavity is too small, no worries-- that just means more flavor in the cooking liquid!)
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until apples are quite tender. Remove from oven, and let cool for at least 7 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with cinnamon and top with 2tbl of the whipped topping. If you want an extra citrus punch, pour the cooking liquid over the apple too.

Nutrition Information
Sodium: 90mg
Total Fat: 0g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 0g
Calories: 154

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Spiced Apples

And so it begins.

Yes, yes, I know everyone on every single blog that has to do with anything is posting pumpkin things. Can you blame us? Fall is pretty much the best season: you have crunchy leaves, orange colors, leggings, knit sweaters, boots, and an excuse to have coffee every single morning because "Oh, it's getting crisp outside, I need to warm up" (although in summer I drank iced coffee every morning because "Oh, it's so hot out, I need to cool down." So there's that.)

Basically, fall is amazing and therefore the things associated with fall should be celebrated.

Like pumpkins. Or apples. Or pumpkins and apples. Or pumpkins and apples and healthy ice cream that's lower in fat and sugar than normal ice cream, but still tastes awesome. Yeah, I said it. You can make ice cream without the cream and not have it be a complete and total disaster. You can make ice cream with 2% milk and it will still be creamy, smooth, and fluffy.

How?

Pudding mix.

This is actually an idea I got after I heard (and I'm not sure if this is myth or fact) that ColdStone creamery (which is like Marble Slab ice cream, but in the West) uses pudding mix in their ice cream to stop it from ever truly melting. The pudding makes the consistency creamy and ensures that the ice cream will never melt to a full liquid form; instead, it just becomes pudding-like in texture. I figured that adding pudding mix would make the 2% milk base work out, and it does.

This ice cream, if put into an equation, is pretty much pumpkin+maple+vanilla=deliciousness. Then multiply that deliciousness with some spiced apples and you get deliciousness squared, which obviously is better than just normal deliciousness.

So much deliciousness.  

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Spiced Apples

Serves 4       Serving Size: approximately 3/4c. ice cream and 1/4 of apple topping

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:

• 3c. 2% milk
• 3/4c. pumpkin
• 1/4c. light maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4tsp pumpkin pie spice (can substitute with 1/4t nutmeg)
• 1/2c. sugar OR splenda (I actually like the splenda version more)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pkg sugar free vanilla powdered pudding mix (such as Jello brand)

For the apples:

• 2 medium sweet apples (such as gala or honeycrisp), cut into small, bite-sized cubes
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4tsp curry powder (optional, but really does add depth)

Instructions:

1. Combine all "ice cream" ingredients except pudding in a large bowl and beat until very well combined. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or until deeply chilled.
2. Remove from fridge, mix in the pudding for 1 minute. Place in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. 
3. While ice cream is freezing, preheat a small pan over low heat. Add in apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes (until apples are warmed through and slightly soft). Sprinkle curry powder over the top of the apples.
4. To serve, place approximately 3/4c. ice cream into a bowl; top with 1/4 of the apple mixture. Top with whipped cream, if desired. Devour!

Ice cream is best served the day of, but usually will last a few weeks in an airtight container, frozen. I doubt this recipe will have any leftovers, though!

Nutrition Info (with Sugar)

Sodium: 568g

Total Fat: 5g

      Saturated: 2g

      Trans: 0g

Sugar: 36g

Protein: 7g

Calories: 251

Bonus! Vitamin A: 63% Daily Value

Nutrition Info (with Splenda) 

Sodium: 568g

Total Fat: 5g

      Saturated: 2g

      Trans: 0g

Sugar: 24g

Protein: 7g

Calories: 203

Spicy, Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

We are doing the coolest project right now in my Food Principles and Applications Lab.

First off, I have to note that it's an awesome class. We literally cook different variations of recipes and then get to eat them, plus we use a rating scale to determine relative sensory appeal (texture, flavor, aroma, etc). There have been some disasters (like when we had to add salt to egg whites and attempt to whip them, or when we needed to replace half of a meatloaf with Textured Soy Protein, which is a filler that is commonly used in fast food industries and makes the meat even less appealing, which I didn't think was possible), but overall it's been fantastic! Angel food cake, tofu chocolate pie... Yum!

What I'm really loving is 1) understanding the science behind cooking and baking and 2) a focus on healthy substitutions and habits. The project currently in the works involves taking some type of dietary concern (Celiac Disease, Anemia, Hypertension, etc) and modifying a recipe so that it is appropriate for someone who has that health issue. I'm focusing on the prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, it is the number one cause of death for men and women and is the most common form of heart disease. I had no idea until I did the project. I'm redoing a recipe for cheesy zucchini casserole to cut down the saturated fat, and I'll probably end up putting it on this blog because so far my modifications are working very well! 

Until then, though, I thought I would honor trying to lower saturated fat in meals by making a spicy sweet potato and black bean chili, which is not only low in saturated fat but is also packed with flavor. The black beans, cumin, garlic, tomatoes, kick from the cayenne, and of course the sweet potatoes-- you really can't go wrong with this. I recommend making it the day before so that the flavors have even more time to tango before they have a party on your taste buds. With fall and winter coming (or, in the case of CO, visiting occasionally and then letting summer come back, and then sending summer away to boarding school for a week before missing summer and making it come back), it's always good to have a filling, vegetarian chili on hand in case you need something to warm up.

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Spicy, Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Adapted from Eating Well 

Serves 6         Serving Size: about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1T extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces sweet potato (medium-large), peeled and diced
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1T chili powder
• 2t ground cumin
• 1/2t ground cayenne pepper (or red pepper)
• 1/4t kosher salt
• 1/2t paprika
• 2.5c water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/4c. tomato puree
• 4t lime juice

Instructions:

1. Heat a large saucepan (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Pour in oil. Add in potato and onion, and cook (stirring often) for about 5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and paprika to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Pour in the water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer; cook for 7-11 minutes, covered, until the sweet potato is tender but not mushy.
3. Add in the black beans, tomatoes, and tomato puree. Bring back to a simmer and then add the lime juice. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Voila! 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 168mg
Total Fat: 3g
       Saturated: 1g
       Trans: 0g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 15g
Calories: 292