Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes with Light Creamy Topping Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Since there is still summer to celebrate before we’re back into the school season we are sharing this Blueberry Shortcake recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog. “These mini Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes are the perfect ending to a summer barbecue. A dollop of this Light Creamy Topping stands in for whipped cream with minimal fat. I’m always looking for ways to lighten up desserts, so today, I’m sharing our first of the season summer dessert – barely cooked fresh blueberries, topped with a gluten-free biscuit/scone, and finished with a generous dollop of a creamless creamy topping made with nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Who doesn’t love creamy whipped cream on top of a summer fruit shortcake? The best part about this creamy topping is that it has no cream in it and it is very low in fat. The secret ingredients here are non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese. Of course, if you really want to use some whipped cream, you can, I would just use half the amount of whipped cream you typically would use and fold in this yogurt and cottage cheese topping for the other half. You’ll almost cut the amount of fat in half.” Jeanette Chen
 Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes with Light Creamy Topping Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 15 small servings or 8 regular servings
Ingredients 
Blueberry Topping 
4 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Shortcakes 
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Biscuit and Scone Mix
6 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cut into slices
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon organic sugar
Light Creamy Topping 
1 cup non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Directions 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until berries begin to pop, stirring often; set aside. Place scone mix and Buttery Stick slices in food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until just combined. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured surface (use more scone mix). Press dough into a 7 inch circle. Use round biscuit cutters, cut dough into pieces (I used a 1 3/4″ biscuit cutter which made 15 circles). Place rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Combine egg white and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush tops of biscuits with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Place yogurt, cottage cheese, vanilla and honey in a blender; blend until smooth. To serve, place a few spoonfuls of the blueberry mixture in the bottom of a small plate. Top with one biscuit. Put a few tablespoons of the Light Creamy Topping on top. Serve.
See more at: http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/06/gingered-blueberry-shortcakes-with-light-creamy-topping.html#sthash.lqeltTk2.dpuf
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.

Jeanette’s Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

This week we chose a seasonally-appropriate recipe from Jeanette Chen (Jeanette’s Healthy Living) .  . . “With fresh strawberries coming into season (Walter Stewart’s had its first delivery of native Strawberries from Pell this week and will continue to receive deliveries of CT Strawberries throughout June), I immediately thought of making a traditional Spinach Strawberry Salad with a Poppy Seed Dressing. I first had this salad a number of years ago and was instantly hooked. This is an easy salad to make for a crowd as there are just a few ingredients in the salad itself. (Walter Stewart’s just received a fresh delivery of Local CT Bunched Spinach from Cecarelli Farm in Northford).
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Salad
8 large handfuls of baby spinach, washed
2 pints fresh strawberries, halved
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry, apple cider or rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Toss Salad ingredients together in a large salad bowl.
Whisk together Dressing ingredients. Drizzle lightly over salad just before serving.
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce – Featured Recipe

fishtacos2_edited-1Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. Today, she’s sharing her recipe for Fish Tacos with a Chipotle Sauce – it’s a great casual meal that everyone can assemble themselves. To make things even easier, substitute shredded romaine lettuce for the coleslaw.
Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
Coleslaw

  • 4 cups coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage and carrots)
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Fish

  • 4 fillets firm white fish such as tilapia
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika, optional
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise
  • dash of salt

To Serve

  • Corn or taco size flour tortillas (about 12)
  • Optional toppings:tomatoes, chopped avocado or guacamole, tomato salsa

Directions 
Coleslaw

  • Mix all Coleslaw ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until time to serve.

Fish

  • Drizzle olive oil on both sides of fish fillets, using your fingers to lightly cover all the pieces.
  • Sprinkle chili powder, smoked paprika and a little salt and pepper on each piece.
  • Grill or broil fish on top of a lightly greased piece of foil until done (this keeps the fish from sticking to the grill). Flip the fish halfway through cooking, or just leave it alone and let it finish cooking without turning.

Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

  • Finely mince chipotle pepper (without the seeds or else it will be way too spicy). Mix with yogurt, mayonnaise and a dash of salt.

To Serve

  • Lightly warm corn tortillas over gas flame or in a pan on the stove (you can also wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave until soft, about 30-45 seconds). Let everyone serve themselves by topping the corn tortilla with some Grilled Fish, Coleslaw and a drizzle of Chipotle Yogurt Sauce.

Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole Recipe

Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole (1)Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole
(gluten-free/dairy-free adaptable):
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. The Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole she’s sharing is perfect for Easter Brunch, and is easily gluten-free and dairy-free adaptable.
Ingredients

  • 8 slices bread (whole grain or gluten free), crust trimmed, cut into cubes
  • 2 banana, mashed
  • 12 strawberries, diced
  • 1 cup low-fat milk or non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • maple syrup for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish with spray oil (for a more elegant presentation, use individual ramekins). Place cubed bread in baking dish(es). Mix mashed banana, strawberries, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture over bread cubes and toss gently until bread is evenly coated.
  2. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
  3. Serve with maple syrup.

Skinny Philly Cheesesteak Dip Recipe

Skinny Hot Philly Cheesesteak Dip
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. This Skinny Philly Cheese Steak Dip is perfect for March Madness – it’s deceptively rich tasting and will satisfy the meat lovers in your crowd.
Skinny Philly Cheese Steak Dip (gluten-free)
Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups 1% milkfat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 8-ounce package mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound ground turkey or chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • paprika, if desired

Directions

  1. Place cottage cheese in food processor and process until smooth. Add milk, cornstarch and shredded cheese and process until combined.
  2. In a large pan, heat oil and saute bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and garlic until onions are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking up pieces.
  3. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook a minute or two for flavors to develop.
  4. Stir in cottage cheese mixture and turn off heat. Stir until cheese is melted and dip is creamy. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika if desired.
  5. Serve with tortilla chips or whole grain crackers.

Winter Recipe – Warm Kale, Farro & Winter Fruit Salad

Farro Kale Winter Salad_edited-1Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She’s off to a healthy start to the New Year with this kid approved Warm Kale, Farro and Winter Fruit Salad, packed with goodness. Farro is a whole grain that looks a little like barley, and retains a soft but chewy texture when cooked. It is rich in fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, B, C, and E.
Warm Kale, Farro and Winter Fruit Salad
Yield: 6
Use your favorite vinegar and dried fruits. Fresh cut apples or clementines would also be nice.
Ingredients

  • 1 cup semi-pearled farro
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate vinegar or your favorite fruit flavored vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups chopped kale leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup crumbled aged goat cheese or regular goat cheese

Directions

  1. Place farro and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes until tender (but still chewy). Drain, rinse and drain again. Place in a large bowl and toss with vinegar, honey, dried cranberries and dried figs.
  2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and add kale leaves. Saute 1-2 minutes until kale is just tender. Add to farro, along with salt, pine nuts and goat cheese. Toss well and serve.

Farro