Oatmeal Cookies w/Raisins, Pecans, Chocolate Chips and Kosher Salt

This is the most delicious Oatmeal Cookie you will ever make or eat!

Ina Garten of "Barefoot Contessa" fame called and asked me if there was any way to improve upon her  Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  Of course I told Ina that her cookies were fabulous... but I did mention to her the addition of chocolate chips, more vanilla extract and a liberal sprinkling of kosher salt on top before baking them would really take them over the top.  (Ina didn't really call me, but if she had I would have told her about my additions!)

The sprinkling of kosher salt on top of these cookies is a must! We all know how popular the salty/sweet combination is now - and this is fantastic. 

I got the idea for the salt from cookies I used to buy on Martha's Vineyard called Kayak Cookies - cookies made by a woman who summered on Cape Cod and made them available in the region.  She made these big fat oatmeal cookies with salt on top for her long kayaking trips and started producing them commercially.

This is clearly a cheat day recipe and I didn't calculate the calorie count but they are probably around 200. To me, it's a home made cookie and while it does contain sugar - it's much healthier than anything you can buy in the grocery store with a hundred ingredients - most of which you cannot even pronounce.  You can use whole wheat flour in this recipe if you like. For the show I used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat because I wanted to use up a small bag of flour I had.

At the end of the show I froze the left over batter in a plastic container, which is fine. However, I failed to mention that I often scoop out the cookies on a sheet and freeze them with the salt on top. Once frozen I place the cookies in a ziplock bag and store them for months. When I want some fresh cookies, I place them on a cookie sheet, let them thaw for about 20 minutes and cook them in the oven at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pecans (or walnuts) roasted in the oven or a pan until toasted - about 5 minutes or so
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2  cups all purpose flour or wheat flour or a combination of the two
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt (plus more for sprinkling on top of cookies)
3 cups old-fahioned oatmeal (rolled oats)
1 1/2 cups raisins (you can use golden yellow if you like)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (10oz - 1 bag)

Link to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Video

Veggie Burger

My first veggie burger!  I'm sure there are tons of recipes out there but this was my first attempt and I loved it.  The base for the burger is black beans, quiona and steel rolled oats.  You could add almost anything additional you wan to the base of the burger. Just know that you may need to alter some liquids if it get's too dry or vice versa.  Liquid smoke is awesome and it's the first time I have ever used it and as you would guess, it adds an amazing smoky flavor.  You can find liquid smoke almost anywhere now, usually by the tobassco sauce.  Next time I'm going to saute mushrooms into the base recipe.  Enjoy!

Makes 6 (3oz) burgers

(308 calories, 13g fat, 56g carbs, 12g fiber, 12g pro, 10 weight watchers points)

Veggie Burger

2/3 cup cooked quiona

2 cloves crushed garlic in the quiona water

1 3/4 cup black beans

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 Tsp cumin

1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

6 sport peppers

1Tbsp liquid smoke

Toppings

1 Roll per burger

2oz avocado

1.5oz roasted red pepper

1 Slice Tomato

1 Tbsp ketchup (reduced sugar)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

Veggie Burger

Veggie Burger Video

Yogurt with Honey, Pineapple and Chocolate Chips

This is a quick desert using my favorite greek yogurt that really satisfies your taste buds. It has creaminess, sweetness, pineapple and chocolate chips for crunch. While making this video I forgot to add fresh vanilla bean which I usually keep in the panty, so if you want a nice hint of vanilla - scrape some in.
Remember to buy local raw honey, I believe it really helps control your allergies.

(240 calories, 19g protein, 1.3g fat, 40g carbs 2g fiber and 6 Weight Watchers Points)

Recipe
6oz Fage 0% Yogurt
16 semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1 Tbsp raw honey

Video Link
Yogurt, Honey Desert

Video

Steel Cut Risotto w/String Beans and Tomatoes

I found most of this recipe from a chef named Sean Brock who owns two restaurants in Charleston SC, Husk and Mc Crady's. Instead of using the usual Arborio Rice for risotto, he uses steel cut oats.  What I love about this recipe is how much better I feel the next day, rice like pasta makes me feel heavy and takes a while to work through my system but the oats ... well they just keep on moving!

(1 Cup Risotto and 4oz String Beans - 336 Calories, 11g fat, 44g Carbs, 11g fiber, 13g protein, 8 weight watchers points)

Recipe

1 quart chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
1 leek
3 large cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups steel -cut oats
1 cup frozen petite peas
8oz button mushrooms
1/2 cup pecorino romano

4oz string beans
1 medium tomato

Video Link

Steel Cut Risotto


Steel Cut Risotto

Bison Meatloaf

I love, love meatloaf and I'm never giving it up!  The great thing about meatloaf is once you reduce the fat in the meat you choose, you can greatly reduce the calories. I like to use 90/10 grass fed bison but you can  use grass fed ground beef too and 10% fat is plenty to give you flavor no matter which type of meat you choose. If you haven't tried bison yet, you should - some people say bison tastes like beef did back in the 50's.  This meal includes roasted brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet and yam with orange zest - yum!

(396 calories, 30g protein, 43g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 11g fat and 10 weight watchers points)


Ingredients

4oz brussels sprouts
2oz onions

1 medium yam (3oz serving)
1 small orange for orange zest

1 lb. lean ground beef or bison 90/10
2 egg whites
1/2 cup Muir Glen diced tomatos
4 oz chopped onions
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp crushed garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


Video Links
Bison Meatloaf Part 1
Bison Meatloaf Part 2

Videos
Bison Meatloaf Part 1

Bison Meatloaf Part 2

Stuffed Peppers

 

I honestly don't know why I stopped making stuffed peppers, I always loved them as a kid.  But when I went to make them from my memory, I was a little surprised at the calorie count. Of course most of those calories came from the rice, so I replaced the rice with my new friend the Shirataki Noodle.

The new stuffed pepper recipe turned out to be delicious and I was able to bring the calorie count to a tad under 200 calories per pepper!

If your new to my videos, I have a soup and stir fry recipe I prepare with these noodles called Faux Pho Soup.

(Per Pepper: 199 calories, 16 carbs, 3.5 fiber, 23g protein, 5.5g fat and 5 Weight Watchers points)

Ingredients

6 Bell Peppers (6oz each)
2- 8oz Packages of Tofu Shirataki Noodles (could probably get away with just one package but if the mixture does not stretch to 6 peppers you'l have to up the calorie count)
1 medium onion (about 1 cup)
16oz  lean (99/1) ground turkey
3 cloves garlic
14.5oz diced tomatoes (1 1/4 cups)
3oz monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup reduced sugar ketchup
Parsley for garnish

Video Links
Stuffed Pepper Part 1
Stuffed Peppers Part 2
Stuffed Peppers Part 3


Videos

Stuffed Peppers Part 1

Stuffed Peppers Part 2

Stuffed Peppers Part 3

Stuffed Peppers Part 3

Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce with Asparagus

Get Porked!
Sometimes I just don't feel like roasting a pork tenderloin in the usual way.  So I love cutting the tenderloin into little pork medallions, like little filet mignons.  I also found a great recipe for a very simple, chunky plum sauce that's easy to make and really dresses up the dish and adds some fiber to the meal. The asparagus in the dish is peeled, blanched and shocked in cold water to preserve the color. Enjoy!  (307 Calories, Fat 6g, Carbs 32, Fiber 5, Pro 28, Weight Watchers 7 points)

PS: Looking at my body in the purple shirt has made me re-double my efforts to get to 160lbs!


Recipe
Cook as much as you want of the port, potatoes and asparagus but the individual serving size is listed below - keep the leftovers for another day

1 Pork Tenderloin  (3oz serving)
Fingerling Potatoes  (3oz serving)
Asparagus  (8 Asparagus or 4oz)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
2 cups fresh plums (1/4 cup serving)
2 1/2 tbsp diced shallots
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp butter

Video Links:
Pork Tenderloin Part 1
Pork Tenderloin Part 2
Pork Tenderloin Part 3
Pork Tenderloin Part 4


Pork Tenderloin Part 1

Pork Tenderloin Part 2

Pork Tenderloin Part 3

Pork Tenderloin Part 4