Cranberry Orange Muffins

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1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice (fresh is best)
1 cup oatmeal flour
1 cup whole grain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup 50/50 Smart Balance butter blend- unsalted, softened
1 tsp grated orange zest
2/3 cup granulated sugar (or Splenda)
2 large eggs, at room temperature (or 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans work best)
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute and set aside to cool and plump.

Lightly spray a 12-muffin tin (the small muffins) with cooking spray.

To make oatmeal flour simply put a cup of old fashion oats in a food processor and pulse to grind the oats into flour. I like to leave it not completely ground up because it gives the muffins a grainy texture.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder and mix with a wisk to "sift". This is important to fluff the flour and get softer, fluffier muffins as whole wheat and oatmeal flour can be very heavy.

In a large bowl, cream butter with the orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold the flour in a 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in cranberries and chopped nuts.

Be careful not to overmix! Divide the batter evenly into muffin tin and bake until golden brown (about 20-25 minutes).

ENJOY!



Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Chicken Roulade

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4 boneless skinless chicken breast (or 8 chicken thinly cut cutlets)
3 tbsp Tastefully Simple's Pine Nut & Basil Pesto Mix (prepared as directions state)
1 cup pine nuts (toasted and finely chopped)
2 cups part skim motzarella (or Vegan Gourmet's Motzarella)
1 tbsp low fat (or fat free) parmesan cheese (for pesto)
1.5 tbsp olive oil (for pesto)
2 tbsp water (for pesto)
2 tbs fresh chopped basil
cooking spray



Prep chicken...
if you get the cutlets you won't need any prep. If you got the chicken breasts...
Slice chicken breasts in half to create two cutlets (about 1/2" thick).
To create an even thin cutlet place the cutlet in betweent two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to desired thickness.

Assembly...
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Take a chicken cutlet and spread a thin layer of pesto followed by a thin layer of motzarella (NOTE: You should have about a cup of motzarella left for toping)
Roll chicken up and place on an oven safe baking dish (make sure and spray baking dish with cooking spray).
Once you have all the chicken cutlets rolled up, place baking dish in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
While chicken is cooking mix remaining motzarella and parmesan (if you are including it), and roasted and chopped pinenuts and basil, mix well.
After the 15 minutes are up, spread topping on top of the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve with roasted spaghetti squash, roasted vegetables, or white rice and enjoy!

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Turkey Bean Burgers

**This recipe was inspired by one found in the Woman's Day Holiday Menus issue.

2 can-16 oz. black beans (rinsed)
2 cups chopped turkey (can be chicken)
The white from 1 egg
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt free chili powder


Cooking spray
Honey mustard dressing (low fat)
Whole weat hamburger buns
lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado (or any veggies you like on burgers!)

Before you begin make sure and rinse the beans well because canned beans contain subtantial amounts of salt in them. You can also use home baked beans to control the amount of sodium in the beans.
In a medium bowl mash the beans (it's easiest done with a potato masher or a pastry blender.
Spray large skillet and preheat on medium-low heat.
Mix in turkey, egg white and spices.
Once all ingredients are blended well form 4 large burger patties or 6 smaller patties.
Cook 3-4 patties at a time (depending on your skillet size), for about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with sweet potato fries and enjoy!

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Turkey burgers

1.5 LBS of Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 TBS of Mrs. Dash Hamburger blend
1 TSP of Wurstishire Sauce
1/4 TSP of Liquid Smoke (omit if you are grilling on a coal grill)
Cooking Spray

In a medium bowl mix ingredient until well blended.
Divide mixture into 4 and create thick round patties with a small dip in the middle (this will keep them from plumping into balls).
If you are cooking these on a stove top--preheat pan over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray (olive oil preferred).
If you are cooking on a grill--I recommend that you cook them on aluminum foil or grilling pans because ground turkey might not hold together well on the regular grill.
Cook patties on each side for 4-6 minutes or until brown.

Serve on whole grain hamburger buns with your favorite "fixings" and sweet potato fries.
My favorite are with mixed greens, tomatoes, and avocado...try it you'll love it!

If you want to cut some carbs out, use whole grain sandwich bread, use a whole wheat flour tortilla to make a wrap or make it a lettuce wrap!


Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Healthy eating starts in your pantry!

Here's a great article about stocking your kitchen with heart healthy options that a friend shared with me (thanks Ecksunbeam!)...

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/high-cholesterol-tips-7/healthy-foods
(copy and paste)

The one thing I cannot stress enough is play with spices and herbs. Fresh basil on your home-made pasta sauce (recipes's coming!) makes such a big difference! Mrs. Dash has a fabulous variety of herb/spice blends that will keep you from using high sodium alternatives. My favorite? Mrs Dash Hamburger blend, with this blend you don't need any condiments or pickles on your hamburgers (check out my burger recipe!). Another great product from Mrs. Dash is their marinades. My favorite Mrs Dash marinades are the Chipotle, Smokey Mesquite, and Teriaki (great for stir fry!).

I hope this article inspires you to look at your pantry as an opportunity to better your (and your family's) health.

To Your Health!
M.

Sweet Potato Fries/Chips

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbs of grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs of Mrs. Dash original blend
1 tsp of paprika
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Chop sweet potatoes into slices, wedges, or thin circles (for chips!)--your favorite frie/chip shape.

Lightly spray cookie sheets (you will need 1 large cookie sheet per potato) with cooking spray and line up the fries, side by side leaving a little bit of space in between them.

Lightly spray fries with cooking spray and cook for 15-18 minutes.

Half way through the cooking time (about 8-10 minutes in) flip fries to allow for even cooking.

Once fries are golden brown take them out of the oven sprinkle spices and cheese on top and toss before serving.

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Honey Habanero Chicken

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1/4 cup of Honey
2 tbs of Orange Juice
2 tsp of Paprika
1 tsp New Mexico Chile Powder
1-2 Habanero Chiles (seeded and deveined) finely chopped
Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
Trim all visible fat from chicken and place in cooking dish.
In a medium bowl wisk together honey, orange juice, paprika, chile powder, and habaneros.
With a basting brush lightly coat the chicken with the honey mixture and cook for 10 minutes. You want to place the chicken at least 5 inches from the top of the broiler.
Once the chicken has cooked for 10 minutes or so brush a little more of the honey mixture, turn the chicken pieces over and cook for 5-10 (depending on the size of your chicken pieces) more minutes.

Recipe Tips & Recommendations
>This recipe works as a great alternative to buffalo wings.
>Serve with sweet potoatoe fries for a "junk food" meal. It also goes great with a side salad (or even in a salad with some honey mustard dressing or your favorite vinagrette!).
>For a milder flavor use jalapenos instead of habaneros.
>Don't be afraid of habaneros though! The honey and orange juice give pleanty of sweetness to balance out the heat of the peppers.

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!