All posts by Katherine Dinger

Desserts

Baked NYC Brownies

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Finally got around to making the brownies from the Baked cookbook. We ate them with scoops of delicious bourbon vanilla ice cream (from Sweet Firefly) and homemade hot fudge. I didn’t include the calorie content for this recipe because I haven’t calculated it yet (and possibly because I’m scared to learn what it is).

 

 

Baked NYC Brownies
The famous brownie recipe to end all brownie recipes.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 teaspoon salt
  3. 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  4. 11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  5. 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  6. 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  7. 1½ cups granulated sugar
  8. ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  9. 5 eggs, at room temperature
  10. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
  3. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
  4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
  5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.
  7. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Gouda Monster http://www.goudamonster.com/
Soups

Black Bean Soup & Chili Lime Tortilla Chips

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So easy to make I’m embarrassed to post it. Leave out the cream (or opt for a nondairy alternative) and cheese garnish for a tasty vegan entree.

 

Black Bean Soup & Chili Lime Tortilla Chips
Serves 3
A very easy and satisfying meal that is also low calorie at 350 per portion, including the chips.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients

  1. For the soup:

  2. 1 Can Black Beans
  3. 1 Cup Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  4. 1 Jalapeno diced
  5. ¼ Onion diced
  6. 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  7. ½-1 Cup Water
  8. 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  9. 1 Bay Leaf
  10. 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
  11. 1 ½ Ounces Queso Fresco
  12. Green Onion diced, for garnish

  14. For the chips:

  15. 6 Corn Tortillas
  16. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  17. 2 Tablespoon Lime Juice
  18. Salt & Chili Powder to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Using a nonstick pot cook the onion and jalapeno until onions start to become translucent.
  3. Whisk together the lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush over the tortillas (both sides) and cut them into 8 segments.
  4. Add canned beans, tomatoes, and ½-1 cup of water depending on how thick you want your soup. Add the seasonings (including any others you might like). Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low.
  5. Line the chips on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for around 8 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 8 minutes. They should be super crispy. If not just bake a little longer until they are done.
  6. When they come out of the oven you can spray them with a light mist of cooking spray to give the seasoning salt something to stick to. Sprinkle with the salt and chili powder.
  7. Turn the heat off of the soup and add in one tablespoon of cream. Feel free to use sour cream, cream cheese, or nothing at all – but I like the added richness. There will be some leftover oil and lime juice from the tortilla chips, dump that into the soup as well. Remove the bay leaf. Stick an immersion blender in the pan or transfer about half the soup to a blender and pulse. The point is to get part of the soup smooth and creamy while still leaving some remaining beans and chunks of tomato for texture.
  8. Serve the soup (about 1/3 of the pot is a serving but you could probably stretch it to ¼ with more water) topped with some sliced green onion and ½ ounce of queso fresco cheese. Have your tortilla chips on the side.
Calories
  1. 350
Gouda Monster http://www.goudamonster.com/
Vegetables

Shaved Zucchini Noodles and Kale Pesto

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If you haven’t tried zucchini “noodles” yet, I urge you to give it a try. They are easy to make by simply shaving a zucchini or squash with a vegetable peeler and then lightly sauteing the ribbons in a small amount of butter or oil. This kale pesto has an illusion of indulgence – it tastes great but is low calorie and low fat. With the addition of a vegetarian chicken cutlet, fontina cheese, and halved cherry tomatoes this entree comes in at just over 300 calories per serving. Served on it’s own, the zucchini and the sauce are under 200.

Shaved Zucchini Noodles & Kale Pesto
Serves 3
Shaved zucchini makes an awesome and healthy substitution for regular pasta.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients

  1. For the pesto:

  2. 3 Cups Kale Greens
  3. 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
  4. 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  5. 1 Clove Garlic
  6. ¼ Cup Pecans
  7. Salt & Pepper, to taste

  9. For the cream sauce:

  10. 3 Wedges Laughing Cow Light Cheese
  11. 3 Tablespoons Fat Free Cream Cheese
  12. 3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan
  13. ¾ Cup Skim Milk
  14. 1/8 Heavy Cream

  16. For the "noodles":

  17. 3 Zucchini, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
  18. 1 Tablespoon Butter
  19. Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place pesto ingredients in food processor and pulse until well combined and no large pieces of pecan remain. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  2. Put cream sauce ingredients in food processor (no need to clean it out from before) and pulse until smooth.
  3. Transfer the pesto back into the food processor and pulse a few more times until blended with the cream sauce.
  4. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add zucchini ribbons to hot butter, toss to coat, and cook until soft but not mushy.
  5. Serve topped with your creamy kale pesto and added protein of choice. Here I’ve eaten it with a braised Quorn cutlet and some halved cherry tomatoes.
Calories
  1. 164
Notes
  1. Caloric information is for zucchini noodles and sauce only. The addition of the Quorn cutlet, fontina cheese, and tomatoes brings it to around 313 per servings.
Gouda Monster http://www.goudamonster.com/
Pastas & Grains

Whole Wheat Orzo with Meyer Lemon & Thyme

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Quickie lunch noms.

 

Whole Wheat Orzo w/ Meyer Lemon & Thyme
Serves 1
A quick, low calorie lunch for one that’s simple to toss together.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. ¼ cup whole wheat orzo, prepared according to package instructions (make sure to salt your water!)
  2. ½ cup cooked Quorn tenders
  3. 4-6 quartered cherry tomatoes
  4. 3-4 chopped kalamta olives
  5. 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  6. 1 teaspoon meyer lemon juice, plus the zest from the outside (about ¼-½ of the lemon is zested)
  7. 1 teaspoon water
  8. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  9. Dash of garlic powder
  10. Salt & pepper to taste
  11. 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I didn’t give exact measurements for these things because you use a small amount. Make it tasty to your specifications.
  2. When the orzo is done, toss it with… well, everything. I generally like to leave a little of each ingredient on the side to top my dish with because I eat with my eyes first. :)
Calories
  1. 315
Notes
  1. For those unfamiliar with meyer lemons, they are a little sweeter than regular lemons. The skin is much less bitter as well. Regular lemons would work just fine in its place, but I really like the taste of these.
Variations
  1. The veggies can be modified quite a bit. Throw in some cucumbers, peppers, chopped spinach. Change the thyme to basil. Change the lemon to lime and use cilantro. Try feta instead of parmesan. There are a lot of possibilities for customization here.
Gouda Monster http://www.goudamonster.com/

 

Sandwiches

Shredded Quorn & Broccoli Panini

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A panini with broccoli in it. A belly with panini in it.

 

Shredded Quorn & Broccoli Panini
Serves 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
6 min
Total Time
16 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
6 min
Total Time
16 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 Slices Multigrain Bread
  2. 1 Tablespoon Butter
  3. 1 Quorn Cutlet, braised in a small amount of stock then chopped
  4. 1 Cup Frozen Broccoli Florets, thawed in microwave
  5. 1 Tablespoon Veganaise, feel free to use regular mayo or cream cheese
  6. 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan
  7. 2 Ounces Grated Asadero Cheese
Instructions
  1. Pulse the quorn, broccoli, veganaise, parmesan, and any seasonings (I used garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne) in a food processor until coarse, but not pasty.
  2. Butter each slice of bread. Assemble sandwiches by putting half of the broccoli mixture and half of the asadero on each one.
  3. Grill on both sides or put in a panini press.
Calories
  1. 454
Variations
  1. Cut some calories by using one slice of bread and doing a grilled open faced sandwich. Lightly broil the cheese until nice and bubbly.
Gouda Monster http://www.goudamonster.com/
Sandwiches

Veggie Burger

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It was National Cheeseburger Day, and just because we’re vegetarian didn’t mean we wanted to miss out! Jah, a self proclaimed connoisseur of veggie burgers said this was the best one he’d ever eaten. That is not a compliment I take lightly because I know how much that guy digs veggie burgers. I had some leftover beans from the recipe that I used in a tasty three bean dip a couple of days later. That recipe is coming soon as well – but in the mean time I seriously suggest giving these homemade burger patties a try. It’s totally worth topping with the smoked gouda as well, especially if you’re a gouda monster like me. :)

 

Veggie Burger w/ Smoked Gouda & Green Bean “Fries”
Serves 4
This veggie burger turned out to be the best I’d ever eaten, and I’ve eaten a lot of them!
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Ingredients

  1. For the patty:

  2. 1 Cup Reduced Sodium Black Beans, rinsed and drained
  3. ¾ Cup Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
  4. ½ Cup Ground Beef Style Tofurky
  5. ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  6. 1/8 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
  7. ¼ Cup Rolled Oats, dry
  8. 1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced (remove seeds for milder flavor)
  9. ½ Purple Onion, diced
  10. 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
  11. 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
  12. ½ Teaspoon Dried Cilantro
  13. 1 Teaspoon Paprika
  14. 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  15. 1 Teaspoon Braggs (could use soy sauce if you don’t have any)
  16. 1 Teaspoon Ener-g Egg Replacer (corn starch would be fine if you don’t have it)
  17. Salt & Pepper, to taste

  19. For assembly:

  20. 4 Teaspoons Butter
  21. 4 Ounces Smoked Gouda
  22. 4 Whole Grain Hamburger Buns, toasted
  23. 8 Strips Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon
  24. Sliced Tomato & Lettuce, enough for topping

  26. For the "fries":

  27. 4 Cups Fresh Green Beans, washed, dried, and ends removed
  28. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  29. Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet and cook the jalapeno, onion, and garlic until translucent.
  3. In a food processor combine all patty ingredients except for ¼ cup of the black beans and ¼ cup of the kidney beans. Pulse until mixture comes together and is well blended. If you like you can add some salt or additional dried seasonings at this point.
  4. Add the remaining beans and pulse just a couple of times – you want them to be mostly whole.
  5. Begin forming the patties with your hands. You should have enough of the mixture to make four. Place on a plate, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the green beans.
  6. In a large bowl toss the green beans with olive oil and seasonings until well coated. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring around occasionally. They should be crispy and slightly caramelized.
  7. While the green beans are baking, cook your veggie bacon strips in a nonstick skillet until hot and slightly crispy. Cut in half and set aside.
  8. On medium high heat melt one teaspoon of butter. When hot, place your burger patty on the skillet and cover. Let sear for about 3 minutes and flip to the other side, making sure to get any buttery goodness off the pan and onto your patty. Cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat process for other 3 patties.
  9. Place patties on cookie sheet (I used the same one I prepared the beans on after transferring the beans to a plate) and top each burger with 4 bacon strip halves plus 1 ounce of smoked gouda. Broil for a couple of minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly.
  10. Assemble burgers with lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, or whatever else floats your hamburgery boat! Enjoy with green bean “fries”.
Calories
  1. 474
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