Meatloaf

Time for all the hearty, filling dishes! The holidays are around the corner & if you're on a diet like me, you'll be craving like crazy! I made a low-fat meatloaf recipe that does the trick! ​

​Time: 1 hour 

Ingredients: ​

• 1 pack ground chicken​
• 1/2 yellow onion diced​
• 3 gloves garlic​, roughly chopped
• A handful of shishito peppers, diced ​(can sub bell peppers)
• ​1 habanero pepper, diced (seeds removed)
• 1 egg, beaten ​
• Salt & pepper​
• 1/2 breadcrumbs ​

Recipe: ​

1. In a large basin, put the ground chicken & all other ingredients together & incorporate with your hands. Careful not to over mix. ​
2. Use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place the mixture in the middle & form it into a loaf with your hands. ​
3. Bake on 375 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the loaf is brown on the ​outside & deliciously moist on the inside. 

Spiced Butternut Squash

Looking to squash some extra belly fat while still having a flavorful meal?  Try out my spiced butternut squash recipe!  I used spices that remind me of the holidays - and my apartment smelled amazing while this was cooking. 

This recipe is great as a snack, side dish, or even throw it into a salad for lunch!  I actually had it as a full meal for dinner last night! 

Time: 30 - 35 mins

Ingredients:

• Small/medium sized butternut squash
• About 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil depending on the size of your squash
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika to taste
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Recipe:

1. Peel and cut the butternut squash into small bite-sized cubes
2. Lay the cubes out on a cookie sheet that's covered with foil
3. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the squash pieces
4. Sprinkle desired spices - I used smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, and salt & pepper
5. Bake on 400 degrees for about 20 - 25 mins or until the tops are golden brown and you can easily stick a fork into the pieces. 

Enjoy!

FYI - there are several health benefits of butternut squash.  These gourds are high in Vitamin A and B-complex.  They have no saturated fats or cholesterol and are a rich source of dietary fiber.  They are also great for controlling your cholesterol and weight. Read more about their benefits here: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/butternut-squash.html

TIP: Save the seeds!  Butternut squash seeds are also really high in fiber!  Wash them thoroughly after scooping them out of the squash and roast them (try my roasted pumpkin seed recipe with these seeds, use whatever spice you like!)

Pear Pie

Put this on your holiday dessert list!  

Time: about 1.5 hours total

Ingredients:

• 2 Pears
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter or margarine (1 stick = 1/2 cup)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F
2. In a food processor, pulse 1 stick of cold butter (cut into cubes) with 1 cup all purpose flour & 1 teaspoon salt until dough forms (you will likely have to finish forming dough with your hands after you take it out of the food processor).
3. Roll dough out with a rolling pin so that it's wide enough to cover the bottom of your round pie pan, and have room to press up the sides of the pan (like a crust).
4. Press dough into the bottom of the pan and around the sides, ensure all around the pan is coated with the crust. 
5. This step is optional:  I sprinkled some ground cinnamon into the pie crust so that it's a little more flavorful.  I fully believe in cinnamon.... on everything.
6. Bake crust alone for about 20 mins or until slightly browned.  
7. Filling: Slice pears very thin (I used a mandoline slicer, but you can just do this with a utility/paring knife). Remove any seeds.
8. In a medium bowl, coat sliced pears with brown sugar, remaining ground cinnamon, gloves, and ginger.  Add a little salt if you'd like. 
9. Remove bottom crust from the oven and fill it with the above mixture.
10. Top crust:  Repeat steps 2-4.   Roll dough out over the pie filling with your hands (to cover the pie) and gently tuck in the corners using the excess dough (you may have to pinch a little to ensure that the top crust stays on!)
11. Cut two slits on the top so the filling has room to breathe
    TIP:  wiggle your knife so the slits are a little wide, since the dough will expand a little as it cooks.
12. Put pie into the oven first, then lower the degrees to 350° F and bake for about an hour or until the top crust is golden brown! 
13. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones

Time:  1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or more, as needed)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of the following:
  • salt
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground cloves
  • ground ginger
• 1 cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon applesauce
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

White Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk (I used fat-free lactaid)

Spiced Icing:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk (I used fat-free lactaid) (any kind)
• 1/4 teaspoon of the following:
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground ginger
  • ground cloves 

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Lightly dust the top with flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for the scones.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin and apple sauce.
4. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (You can also use a food processor for this step).
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. The dough will be wet, but if it seems super sticky, go ahead and sprinkle a little more flour into the dough until it's easier to handle (you'll be working in 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional flour to get the right consistency).
6. Pat out dough onto the lightly floured baking sheet and form it into a 1-inch thick circle. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough three times through, making 6 equal squares. Gently pull them apart.
7. Bake 14 to 16 minutes on prepared baking sheet. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
8. While scones are cooling, prepare plain glaze by whisking ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
9. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.  Let this glaze cool completely until firm.
10. Prepare spiced icing by whisking the ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone.
11. Enjoy!