Kugelhopf...Say what now?

So, I was going to just name this post Blueberry Coffee Cake, but, well, what's the fun in that, really?

So Kugelhopf is a German/Austrian word for a big cake, simply stated. It's a ring shape, similar to a Babka, but it's not rolled into the bundt pan like a Babka is. Oh how I love saying the word Babka. Anyways, I digress.

This is a coffee cake like your grandmother used to make, but I've made it less fattening and tasting just as delicious.

I've thrown in some whole wheat flour in addition to all purpose flour, made sure I cut out some of that shortening with applesauce, and add some nutrient rich blueberries.

With that said, enjoy my lovely friends.

The ingredients:

For the batter (swinnnnng battah battah...Fun fact, did you know Red Sox spring training starts March 3? That's a month away! Hoorah!):

1. 1C sifted whole wheat flour
2. 2C sifted all purpose flour
3. 2tsp baking powder
4. 1tsp baking soda
5. 1/8tsp kosher salt
6. 8Tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
7. 4Tbsp All Natural Applesauce
8. 1.5C Granulated Sugar
9. About 2tsp orange zest; usually one orange
10. 1/4C Egg Beater
11. 2 Large Brown Eggs
12. 1C Low Fat Sour Cream
13. 1C Blueberries- Fresh preferably

For the Filling:

1. 1/2C packed Dark Brown Sugar
2. 1/3C All Purpose Flour (or Whole Wheat)
3. 2tsp Orange Zest (another orange)
4. 4Tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
5. 2-3tsp ground cinnamon

Now, go preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, sift together the first 5 batter ingredients.

In a stand mixture (if you have one, use it), cream ingredients 6-9.

Add the egg beaters, mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, not adding the next until the previous is well mixed.

Now, alternate the flour mix and sour cream into the batter in the mixer. Mixture should be very creamy.

So, at this point, take about 2/3 of the batter and place in your well-lubricated-via-cooking spray Bundt pan.

Sprinkle your blueberries over the batter.

In another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the filling. Mixture should appear "spreadable." Dollop the filling on top of the blueberries.

Mix in a few more blueberries to the remaining 1/3 batter.

Spread this on top of the filling.

Next, place in the oven for 50 or so minutes.

You got yourself a mighty fine Kugelhopf, people.

Ess gezunterhait, or Eat in good health!

The facts, from livestrong.com:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 slice, serves about 14.

Amount per Serving

Calories 200

Calories from Fat 21

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 3.4g

5%

Saturated Fat 1.1g

5%

Cholesterol 33.6mg

11%

Sodium

59%

Total Carbohydrate 41.2g

13%

Dietary Fiber 1.7g

6%

Sugars 31.6g

Protein 3.4g

6%

Low Fat Buffalo Chicken Dip

A friend of mine brought this type of dip over to my house for a party and had people raving.

The next day, I simply HAD to figure out what was in it.

After some playing around, talking to some coworkers, I determined the magical ingredients. And then nearly spit up my coffee when I determined how much fat was in the full fat version (You'll see the comparison below)

In my version, you will save close to 200 calories and over 20, yes 20, grams of fat.

But, you may be wondering, isn't the flavor compromised when you cut out so much of the "good" stuff? Hell no is my short answer. This dip has so much flavor from the cayenne pepper sauce and the blue cheese, you do not need to worry about lack of flavor.

Caveat: This is VERY high in sodium due to the cheeses and pepper sauce; so if you are watching your sodium- please know I warned you, and this may not be the best dip for you!! You could, however, have a carafe of water next to you...because this is a spicy dip!

So make my version. You're waistline will thank you.

Oh, and did I mention this dip is freaking amazing?

You need these things:

• 1/2 cup Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• 1 cup Fat Free Cream Cheese
• 14 oz (the big one) Canned Chicken Breast
• 1/2 cup Light Ranch Dressing, the stuff with about 40 calories per serving (Wishbone is the brand I used)
• 1/4 cup Kraft Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/8 cup Stella Reduced Fat Crumbled Blue Cheese

This is also the easiest recipe, did I mention that?

Place hot sauce, cream cheese, chicken, and ranch dressing and place in a frying pan (or whatever pot or pan as it really doesn't matter!) over medium heat. The cream cheese will need to be pushed around a little to melt. When mixture looks like it's combining nicely and bubbling a bit, add the shredded cheddar and the blue cheese.

You're going to want to either keep this on low heat til ready to serve, OR place in a slow cooker to keep warm. Serve this with carrots, celery, and baked tostitos and you got yourself a superbowl snack (yes, I still will be watching even though my beloved team will not be playing this year).

So, the facts- based on serving 6 people 1/2 cup servings (as always, everything is approximate).

The full fat version:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Amount per Serving

Calories 340

Calories from Fat 241

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 26.4g

40%

Saturated Fat 12.7g

63%

Cholesterol 89.6mg

29%

Sodium

38%

Total Carbohydrate 4.3g

1%

Dietary Fiber 0.0g

0%

Sugars 3.5g

Protein 20.4g

40%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

70%

Carbs

5%

Protein

23%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

My low fat version:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Amount per Serving

Calories 158

Calories from Fat 17

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 2.9g

4%

Saturated Fat 0.3g

1%

Cholesterol 21.3mg

7%

Sodium

73%

Total Carbohydrate 6.4g

2%

Dietary Fiber 0.1g

0%

Sugars 2.6g

Protein 21.7g

43%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

10%

Carbs

16%

Protein

55%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

Good for you Banana Bread (and some healthy baking tips!)

Why, hello there.

Last night, I made low fat banana bread. Last night I also could not find my camera. Which means today, you get no pictures. :(

When it's cold out, I love breads. Whether it be Banana, Zucchini, or Challah, there is just something so comforting about bread.

But, bread in and of itself isn't the best for you. Between butter or oil and white flour... it's just less than ideal.

So here are four easy, healthful, and tasty tips for baking in general. Below my tips, you'll find a pretty kick ass recipe for Healthy Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips for that not as healthy taste (but still, I assure you, this is good for you!)

• Did you know you can substitute applesauce (or really any pureed fruit) for cooking oil? This, my friends, is the easiest substitute, ever. Let's say your recipe calls for 1/4 cup of cooking oil. You may be asking...What's the conversion? How much applesauce do I use? well ladies and gents...you simply use 1/4 cup of applesauce. It's 1:1 ratio. See? Easy.
• Did you know whole wheat flour can be used in recipes like banana bread? Just be careful. Your bread can get very dense, very quickly. Try sifting the whole wheat flour a couple times before using it in your recipe. Why should you substitute this you ask? The Mayo Clinic says it best.
• Have a sweet tooth but can't eat a lot of sugar? There are loads of natural sweeteners out there. I've heard of people using Truvia (note, I've never tried this)...and I've personally tried baking with Splenda for Baking, and have had great results.
• Eggs, sure they are good for you in general, but those yolks! Yikes! The cholesterol!. Try substituting two egg whites for one whole egg, OR 1/4 cup of egg substitute, like this, per egg.

Healthy Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

1. 1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat flour
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
5. 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6. 3 medium, ripe (turning brown) bananas, mashed
7. 1/4 cup egg substitute
8. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
9. 1/4 cup all natural unsweetened applesauce
10. 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x4x2 loaf pan.

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon).
• In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the next four ingredients (bananas, egg, sugar, applesauce).
• In the dry ingredient bowl, make a well in the center. Stupid camera. I would show you what it looks like, but a reference to Kingarthur.com will have to suffice. Here is what a well looks like: Not your Bubbe's Kitchen Couldn't Find Her Camera.
• Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the well.
• Combine ingredients til dry is now wet like a batter. The batter will be lumpy. Do not over mix. Please. You'll be mad at me if you do.
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Place batter in greased loaf pan.
• Place in oven for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick (or slender picking type object of your choice) comes out clean when you insert it in the center of the bread.
• Let cool completely on wire rack (pop it out of pan)
• Wrap it in plastic wrap for about 24 hours (if you can wait that long) before cutting into it.

Enjoy, because the facts say you can.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories 174

Calories from Fat 3

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 3.2g

4%

Saturated Fat 2.0g

10%

Cholesterol 0.0mg

0%

Sodium

3%

Total Carbohydrate 36.5g

12%

Dietary Fiber 3.1g

12%

Sugars 22.6g

Protein 2.8g

5%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

1%

Carbs

83%

Protein

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.