Molten Lava Cake

These ooey gooey cakes are traditionally made with butter, whole eggs and white sugar. We’ve leaned up this version – without sacrificing taste – by using olive oil, egg whites and Sucanat, a minimally refined cane sugar.

Serves 4. Hands-on time: 10 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes.

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Sucanat
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Orange or pear slices, for garnish (optional)

ONE: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly spray four 4-ounce custard cups or small ramekins with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa powder and Sucanat; whisk in applesauce and oil.

TWO: In a small bowl, lightly whisk egg and egg white and add to cocoa mixture, whisking until smooth. Stir in flour and vanilla until flour is combined completely – do not overmix.

THREE: Divide mixture evenly among prepared custard cups, place on a baking sheet and bake for nine minutes. Centers should be soft but sides firm. Invert cups onto serving plates; let stand a few minutes before removing cups. Garnish each cake with fruit slices, if desired; serve warm.

FOUR: Stir in flour and vanilla until flour is combined completely – do not over mix. Divide mixture evenly among prepared custard cups, place on a baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes. Centers should be soft but sides firm. Invert cups onto serving plates; let stand a few minutes before removing cups. Garnish each cake with fruit slices, if desired, and serve warm.

Calories: 250, Total Fat: 13 g, Sat. Fat: 2.5 g, Carbs: 32 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 17 g, Protein: 6 g, Sodium: 40 mg, Cholesterol: 32 mg

Apple Grilled Cheese

WITH GRAINY MUSTARD

The “white-bread-and-butter fried cheese sandwich” of years past is transformed with spelt bread, low-fat cheddar cheese, whole-grain mustard and thinly sliced tart apples. And while we may have updated this classic sandwich for modern and health-conscious tastes, we didn’t dare tamper with its trademark simple assembly or minimal ingredients. Five ingredients and 10 minutes is all you need to get our grilled cheese on the table!

Makes 2 Sandwiches. Hands-on time: 5 minutes. Total time: 10 minutes.

• 4 slices spelt bread or sprouted whole-grain bread
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 oz low-fat cheddar cheese, finely grated, divided
• 1/2 medium Granny Smith apple or other tart apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise

TIP: Try to slice the apple as thinly as possible using a mandolin or sharp knife.

ONE: Lay bread out on clean work surface and lightly brush top side of each piece with oil. Turn 2 pieces of bread over and spread with mustard. Divide half of cheese between both mustard-covered slices, arranging cheese in a thin layer. Cover cheese with a layer of apples, dividing evenly between both slices, followed by remaining cheese. Top each with other half of bread, oiled-side-up, making 2 sandwiches.

TWO: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place sandwiches in pan and cook until light golden brown on bottom. Flip, using a spatula, and continue to cook until cheese has melted and bread is golden brown on other side, about 6 minutes total. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

OPTION: If you have a panini grill, try using it in lieu of the non-stick skillet for even easier no-flipping-required cooking.

Calories: 220, Total Fat: 7 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 27 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 14 g, Sodium: 450 mg, Cholesterol: 5 mg

Calories: 220, Total Fat: 7 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 27 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 14 g, Sodium: 450 mg, Cholesterol: 5 mg

Lemon Paprika Prawns with zucchini and couscous

WITH ZUCCHINI AND COUSCOUS

Paprika and lemon give this prawn dish a sweet, citrus flavor that screams of summer without added calories or fat. Best of all, you can have this scrumptious, yet lean, dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat!

Serves 4. Hands-on time: 20 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes.

• 1 cup whole-wheat couscous
• 1 lemon, halved, divided
• 1 lb large wild prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 baby zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

ONE: Cook couscous according to package directions, fluff with a fork, cover and set aside.

TWO: Thinly slice half of lemon and place in a plastic resealable bag. Add prawns, oil, paprika, salt and pepper to bag and shake to combine.

THREE: Bring a quarter-cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, add zucchini and steam until tender, two minutes.

FOUR: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour prawn mixture excluding lemon slices into skillet, spread in a single layer and cook for two minutes per side until prawns start to curl. Add juice from remaining half of lemon and toss to combine.

FIVE: Mound couscous on a large serving platter, top with zucchini, prawns, lemon slices and any juices from pan. Serve immediately.

Calories: 324, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 0.8 g, Carbs: 38 g, Fiber: 7 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 29.5 g, Sodium: 254 mg, Cholesterol: 172 mg

* (Per 4 oz prawns, 1/2 cup zucchini, 1/2 cup couscous)

Winter Wonderland Salad

Winter Wonderland Salad

As the days grow shorter, there's still plenty of delicious seasonal produce to enjoy. Check out this recipe that features late-season favorites like beets, cauliflower, and walnuts for a delicious, nutritious salad that's great any time of year (but especially now!).

• 2 oz. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. whole-grain or coarse-grain mustard
• 4 oz. olive oil
• 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 8 oz. mixed salad greens
• 2 Belgian endives, cut in 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup beets, thinly sliced (precooked or steamed)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Whisk vinegar, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice to create dressing. Add pepper and a pinch of salt if desired. In a large salad bowl, combine salad greens, endive, cauliflower, beets, and walnuts. Pour dressing over salad a little bit at a time while tossing, being careful not to saturate salad with dressing. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Nutritional Information (per serving)
Calories	Protein	Fiber	Carbs	Fat Total	Saturated Fat
193	3 grams	6 grams	10 grams	16 grams	2 grams

Garlic Shrimp Too Good Shiratake Noodle

This is the quickest meal I have ever made! So tasty! I absolutely love the Shiratake Tofu  Noodles, they go good with anything and they are definitely guilt free. A whole 40 calories per packet! I usually find in the organic session of my grocery store! I have a picture of the package so you can see it!
This D'lish meal took me less than 10 minutes to prepare, you can't really go wrong!


Ingredients:

1 package of Tofu Shiratake Noodles drained
3oz shrimp
1 clove of garlic, minced.
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium frying pan combine oil and garlic, cooked it in medium heat until garlic is fragrant. Add noodles to the mixture and cook it for about 3/4 minutes stirring occasionally to break noodles, add salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp to the mixture and cook till shrimp gets to a opaque pink color.  Enjoy =)

Nutritional facts: 180 calories, 7.5 gr of fat, 20 gr protein, 6 gr carbs

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

Ok, I absolutely love my aunt's "really bad for you" sweet potato casserole every Thanksgiving, I'm happy to say that after making this recipe today, I'm officially retiring the old casserole, sorry aunt Maria! I got this from a weight watchers magazine, Holy yummo!

Ingredients:

3(10oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into scant 1/2 inch rounds
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 navel orange
1 tbsp packed brown sugar mixed with splenda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
12 pecan halves, toasted and each broken lengthwise in half

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 425F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2 Toss potatoes and butter in a bowl to coat. Spread in single layer on baking sheet (I just used a baking dish). Roast until browned on bottom and tender, about 20 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, grate zest and squeeze juice from orange. Set zest aside. To make glaze, combine orange juice, brown sugar/splenda mix, salt and ginger in a saucepan; bring just to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is syrupy and reduce by one third. about 5 minutes.
4 Flip potatoes over and brush generously with glaze. Sprinkle with reserved zest and pecans!

Per serving: (2/3 cup) 99 CAL; 3gr FAT; 1gr SAT FAT; 0gr TR FAT, 4mg CHO; 174 mg SOD; 17 gr CARB; 2gr FIB; 2 gr PRO; (2 points)