Half the Fat Zucchini Bread

I took the highest rated zucchini bread recipe and reduced the fat by half and the sugar by a third! My zucchini bread keeps it healthy, but has the same great texture and taste!

You may be rolling your eyes at me, you're thinking "Ewwwww it's gonna taste like crap with half the fat, why did you do that?" Come on now... do I look like a chick that would eat crappy food?! I founded NY Foodgasm for the purpose of creating healthy recipes for those of us that reeeeallllly love food. Good food, not "diet food".

Eggplant Parmesan "Meat"balls

So my gratuitous v-day post was last week, but I made this recipe around the same time and all I could say is "Damn these are good" every single time I ate one. I never posted my recipe for veggie infused meatballs, but this is a staple to me. The perfect transformation of a food I love so very much to something soooo much healthier. The secret is that I add lots of hidden veggies to my meatballs. Seriously, no one will know since they a chopped up in the food processor. So I though why the hell not add the meat at all.... and use eggplant!! Since you are going to cover it in marinara anyways later on, why not add a little fresh mozzarella cheese over top. So this magical concoction was born!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This has EVERYTHING you love about Eggplant Parmesan, even the breading, in a crispy little ball dripping in marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. They are NOT fried, they're baked! So you are losing LOTS of calories and fat and keeping ALL the flavor. These are sooooo good, I am making them twice and I almost NEVER make the same thing twice! Even better: they are not nearly as time consuming as Eggplant Parmesan.

So I don't have kids yet. But you know, I think that kids would eat these guys up! If you have vegetarian friends coming over- you can make this and both eat meatless, healthier and be completely satisfied. Actually this is one dish that makes me think, maybe I can be vegetarian someday. It is that good. Another great thing is you can make this as an appetizer or serve these over pasta as an entree.

#HolidayDetox Part 4- Guilt Free Snacks

This week my focus is snacks and I still got my girl Jennifer from Peanut Butter and Peppers on board to provide you with even MORE healthy recipes. Who doesn't love to snack? Myself, I am more of a meal kinda girl. So last week's post was my favorite, I am a dinner girl to the end! But I have come to realize that snacks can be very important. Like that moment in between meals, the moment that you would eat cardboard if you had to because your stomach is stabbing and nagging at you to eat. Well we gotta be prepared for this crisis and even if you don't think you will need them, pack yourself some snacks!

What kinda foods do you think of as snacks? Usually people think of the usual suspects: cookies, chips, candy, pretzels etc. These are common snacks, but the irony is none of these things fill you for long. They are all simple carbs and fats make your energy literally crash and burn. Yup more evidence we are what we eat!

I used to eat these kinds of snacks until I knew better. I wanna share with you some quick easy healthy snack recipes. Snacks that are delicious, easy to prepare, have some great nutrition and will get you to your next meal without the "hanger".

First up- I developed my very own Peanut Butter Spread! Because who doesn't love peanut butter, but who does like all the fat?!

Don't forget to see the bottom of this post for pics of Jennifer's recipes and a direct link to them!

Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Peanut Butter is soooo good, but really high in fat. So I usually don't eat it much. You ever hear of Better n' Peanut Butter? It is a low fat peanut butter spread cut with some tapioca so it has a lot less fat. Well I came up with the idea to try and make my own natural peanut butter spread, but cut it with chickpeas. I figure the texture should blend well with it all. So I roasted some peanuts in the oven for a few minutes to make them fragrant and release the natural oil, them put them in a food processor and combined in some chick peas and additional oil as well as some honey for flavor. The texture is not the same as regular peanut butter but it is spreadable and it tastes really good. You can't taste the chickpeas nearly as much as the peanuts.  

Seriously I think sometimes the fact I am not a trained chef can be as much as strength as a weakness. When it comes to low fat recipes you really gotta think outside the box and I am really proud of the ingenuity I used with this one! Seriously, chickpeas and peanut butter, who woulda thought of that?! It is actually good too!! Like I was really enjoying every bite!

What you need

1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts
1 cup chickpeas
7 tbsp canola oil
4 tsp honey

How to make it

1- Roast peanuts in the oven at 350 for 7 minutes
2- Put all ingredients into a food processor and let it run until mixture is creamy

Nutritional Info 

 All the protein punch of Peanut butter with 30% less fat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Red Pepper, Basil and Goat Cheese Hummus

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Hummus is something I have really come to love. It is a dip made of ground chickpeas and it's packed with flavor and protein and very low in fat! Of course you don't eat it by itself. I LOVE hummus with baby carrots! So I decided to make my own variation with goat cheese, because I am obsessed with goat cheeese soooo sweet and creamy! Also been loving the combo or roasted red peppers and basil. So I added these flavors together to give you this Mediterranean masterpiece. A trip to Italy for your mouth. If you cannot afford the real thing, if you close your eyes and really concentrate you may see yourself in a villa in Tuscany, but no promises. This is a little sweet, a little spicy and very savory. It would also be amazing with toasted pitas! Why not add it to a sandwich?

What you need

2 cups chickpeas
1 roasted red pepper
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chili Oil
5 basil leaves
2 tbsp goat cheese

 How to make it
1- Combine ALL ingredients until creamy in food processor
2- Top with some extra goat cheese if desired and serve with the dipper of your choice.

Nutritional Info

Lots of vitamins up in here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

Why is this a Foodgasm?

So I totally jumped on the Kale bandwagon guys, it happened. Mark this day on your calenders, LOL. So I will let you in on the secret, Kale chips are NOT potato chips, don't expect them to be. If you don't expect it to be a potato chip and take it for what it is they are quite tasty.

So every experience we have shape us weather we realize it or not. When making these I didn't realize it, but they were totally inspired by a dish that I had recently and LOVED, Burnt Sprout Leaves! Basically they were crispy leaves from brussels sprouts with salt and vineger reminiscent to that classic potato chip. The flavor of salt and vinegar lended itself really well with the present veggie flavor. So these were definitely inspired by Jackson's Restaurant, thanks Shelby and Harry!

So I made my own version. These are soooo easy to make and pretty addictive to eat, I could have eaten the entire batch! Really delicious!

What you need

1 large bunch of kale, ripped into bite size pieces.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
Salt to your liking
Dash of pepper

How to make it

1- Preheat oven to 300º
2- Toss kale pieces in 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and pepper (if desired)
3- Bake for about 14 minutes
4- Toss in a drizzle of vinegar and a little more Salt.

Nutritional Info

Can't argue with these stats! AMAZING source of Vitamin A and C! Super low in fat and calories too!

Jennifer's Snack Recipes this week!

Awesome yogurt recipes!!!

Peanut Butter and Honey Oat Bars

Seriously I want one NOW! Great job Jennifer!

#HolidayDetox Part 1- Build a better salad for the win!

As part of my holiday detox series I aim to give you the tools you need to make 2014 the year you really eat healthy. Let's not start this year saying we are going on a diet or need to lose weight, this can make you feel bad about yourself. Instead empower yourself and say this is the year I learn to enjoy eating healthier. To find a balance of healthy eating and enjoying every minute. 

This has been my mission for NY Foodgasm from the beginning. To bring you healthy food that is fun and you can really enjoy thereby empowering everyone to become healthier and happier. I have lost 73 pounds the old fashioned way. Healthier eating habits and exercise. It's through that struggled I realized my passion and that is making a healthy lifestyle fun- because life should be fun! I can get all weepy with you about this struggle, it is still a struggle everyday. I love food second only to my husband, lol! But I found a way to lose weight and eat healthy that still keeps my passion for food alive and I want to share this with you! 

When everyone decides to eat healthier we all reach for a salad. Not all salads are created equal. There are two mistakes people usually make 1- making salads with more calories and fat than a cheeseburger combo meal or 2- making a salad so plain and boring and not at all filling.  Totally from one extreme to another. See the Guide below for tips for an awesome salad!

As part of my mission I have teamed up with my FAVORITE healthy food blogger Jennifer from Peanut Butter and Peppers! See her salads at the bottom with links!

TIP: Be prepared! A lesson I have learned from a lot of my weight loss struggle is to learn to think ahead and prepare meals or components of meals in advance. For me I chop up all my fruits and veggies I will be eating for lunch though the week on Sunday. This is for two reasons: I have little time Monday-Friday during the work week and if I do not have something healthy prepared I will gravitate to something unhealthy in a moment of "hangery" weakness. You know, then you are sooo hungry you are angry?! So save yourself the heart ache and get this right from the start!

Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Salad

 Why is this a Foodgasm?

This salad is a perfect transition from the holidays to your new year. Why? It retains a lot of the great flavors from the season with cranberries and pecans, while helping you wean slowly off your sugar addiction since the dried cranberries and sweetened and the goat cheese adds a bit of sweetness too, even the fig Balsamic drizzle is sweet. Then there are so many different textures, creamy, crunchy, soft etc. Then you got those gorgeous colors, this is totally me- shades of purple and shades of magenta! LOVE it!

What you need

1 1/2 cups spring mix
1/2 cup arugula
1/3 cup finely sliced red cabbage
4 tablespoons pecan pieces
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
A few thin slices of red onion
A drizzle of Fig Balsamic Glaze (I used Sophia Brand, if you cannot find this you can use a regular balsamic glaze, but this one adds sweetness.)
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil drizzles over the top.

How to make it

Add all ingredients to a bowl or lunch container, then drizzle with the Fig Balsamic Glaze and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

 

Spanakopita Salad- Aka Spinach Pie Salad with Lemon Oregano Dressing

Why is this a Foodgasm?

I think you all know by now I am half Greek and one of my favorite comfort foods was Spanakopita aka Spinach Pie. Basically it is filo dough buttered in layers with spinach, feta and rice inside. It is one of those meals that makes me feel happy and safe. So I decided to make it into a salad. So I used fresh spinach and I cut it into strips so it would mix well with some cooked orzo that I added. Of course I topped it with feta, red onions for color and I also added some fresh lemon zest over the top of it. I made a really nice lemon oregano dressing to go with it too, sooo bright and tasty!

What you need

2 cups of fresh baby spinach, sliced into strips
1/3 cup cooked orzo
A few slices of red onion
1/4 cup feta cheese (I like Athenos the most)
2 tablespoons Lemon Oregano Dressing

Dressing 
Juice of 1 large lemon
7 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Oregano (fresh if you got it)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pulse in food processor, put in squeeze bottle for use.

How to make it

Add all ingredients to a bowl or lunch container, then drizzle with the Lemon Oregano Dressing.

Simple Arugula Shaved Parmesan Salad with Lemon and Pepper 

 

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Sometimes simplicity is best, especially when the flavors are well balanced. In this case, the pepperiness of the arugula along with the salty of the parmesan and the acidity of the lemon make this a beautifully balanced and simple salad! I would call this more of a side salad since there is very little protein. If you want to make it a meal, add some grilled chicken- done!

What you need

2 cups arugula
.5 oz shaved Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper (makes it MUCH better if it's freshly ground)

How to make it

Add all ingredients to a bowl or lunch container, then drizzle with the Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Peanut Butter and Pepper's Salads!

Go to her post HERE to see these salads pictured and more!! She even has more ideas on how to build a better salad!