Health(ier) Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Well, hello there! Long time, no blog. Sorry about that. I hate to make excuses, but life's gotten a little busy as of late. I'll try to do better, I promise.

As you've probably noticed, I like to bake. A lot. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to convince David that we can, in fact, subsist on cheesecake and cookies (but wouldn't that be awesome). Since we do have to actually eat real food sometimes, I am forced to cook. Yes, forced. You see, I love to bake, but cooking always seems like a chore. Weird, right? Anyway, I decided that I would start sharing some of the savory things that come out of my kitchen, alongside the barrage of sweets that you're accustomed to. I can't promise anything too earth shattering, since I am a far more creative baker than I am cook, but here goes.

If you live in the south, chances are you have at least heard of and probably eaten at Zaxby's. For those not in the know, Zaxby's is a regional fast food joint that specializes in chicken fingers. While I fancy myself a foodie, I must admit that the Kickin' Chicken Sandwich from Zaxby's is one of my weaknesses. It consists of three chicken fingers (deep fried, of course), hot wing sauce, ranch dressing (full-fat, naturally), all piled on top of thick-cut slices of buttery Texas toast. Sounds pretty tasty, right? Unfortunately, this little gastronomic delight is not exactly figure friendly, weighing in at around 700 calories and 40 grams of fat.

So, what's a girl to do? Recipe makeover, of course. My version of the sandwich includes chicken tenders that are breaded in panko breadcrumbs and then baked, not fried. Instead of ranch dressing, I made a reduced-fat blue cheese dressing with a Greek yogurt base. I then grilled up a couple of lightly-buttered slices of thin sliced Italian bread. To top it off, I used my favorite wing sauce, Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce. The verdict? David and I both thought these were better than Zaxby's for a couple of reasons: they were far less greasy, and we both preferred the blue cheese dressing that I made to the ranch that Zaxby's serves. Plus, mine weighs in at around 375 calories and 12 grams of fat, which is much more figure friendly than the original.

Health(ier) Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
serves 4

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders
adapted from: Food.com

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders, cut into 1/2" strips
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
cooking spray
1/2 cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce (or wing sauce of your choice)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, spices, and salt together in a shallow dish. Place egg in a separate shallow dish. Place panko in a third shallow dish.
3. One at a time, dredge chicken pieces through the flour, then dip in egg, and finally dredge in panko. Place strips on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Lightly spray the tops of chicken tenders with cooking spray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 15 minutes, turning once half-way through cooking.
5. Toss cooked chicken with wing sauce to evenly coat.

Reduced-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing
adapted from: Clean and Delicious

1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together first five ingredients until smooth. Fold in blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

"Skinny" Texas Toast
8 slices thin sliced Italian bread (I used this one)
2 tablespoons light spreadable butter

1. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium high. Butter one side of each piece of bread and grill until golden brown.

2. Assemble sandwiches with three to four chicken tenders, approximately two tablespoons of blue cheese dressing, and two slices of Texas toast.

Linked to: Tastetastic Thursday

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes

I was never overly crazy about pancakes when I was growing up. I would eat them on occasion, but they certainly weren't at the top of my list of favorite breakfast foods. I attribute that mainly to growing up in a house that used "pancake" syrup. I was not a fan of "pancake" syrup at all, so I usually ate pancakes and waffles topped with some sort of jam or jelly.

My change in opinion came on the day that I discovered real maple syrup. I suddenly understood what all the fuss over pancakes was about. I was still a boxed mix kind of girl until one day a few years ago I was craving pancakes, and much to my dismay I discovered I was all out of pancake mix. Fortunately I was armed with a well stocked pantry and the power of the internet. One quick Google search later, and we were in business.

That first recipe that I tried was for basic buttermilk pancakes. They were very tasty, but quite lacking in the nutrition department. While you may not guess it from looking at the desserts that I typically post, I actually try to make healthy choices 90% of the time. At first, I tried making pancakes with all regular whole wheat flour. I liked the results just fine, but David gave them a big thumbs down.

Enter white whole wheat flour: all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour with a lighter color and texture. It's truly the best of both worlds. Then I subbed the buttermilk for half plain yogurt-half milk, since I'm more likely to have those ingredients on hand. For this batch, I added the juice and zest of a lemon and fresh blueberries. I thought they turned out great, especially with the addition of a healthy dose of maple syrup. David wholeheartedly agreed. So, if you're looking for a pancake recipe that's nutritionally sound and will please even the picky eaters in your house, try these out.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com
Yield: two generous servings

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I usually use greek yogurt; use less milk if using regular yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted butter
zest and juice of one lemon
1 pint fresh blueberries

1. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. I like to use a glass measuring cup with a spout for ease of pouring.
2. Mix yogurt and milk together in a medium bowl until fairly smooth. Add egg, vanilla extract, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat until well combined.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix or pancakes may be tough. Batter will likely look a little lumpy. Set mixture aside to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Spray a griddle or frying pan with non-stick spray or rub with oil and heat on medium high. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface of the pan, it is hot enough.
5. Pour rounds of batter of desired size onto the heated griddle. Immediately drop blueberries evenly over the surface of the pancakes. Allow pancakes to cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping only once. Spray or re-oil griddle after cooking each batch. Top as desired. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days or can be frozen for up to a month.

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight, Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Chic and Crafty, Sweet Treats Thursday, Feature Yourself Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Fridays, Comfy in the Kitchen, Hodgepodge Friday, Shine on Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday

Chewy Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free)

These cookies are pretty amazing, on a few levels. First and foremost, they taste like eating an Almond Joy candy bar in chewy cookie form. Sounds pretty good, right? You know what's even better? They're not that bad for you. In fact, for cookies, these are basically health food: they contain no flour, no butter, and no processed sugar. On top of that, they are so easy to make. They come together in under five minutes flat. And you won't even have to turn on your mixer or dirty up a sink full of dishes.

I promise you would never guess that these are "healthy" cookies. They are intensely chocolatey, pleasantly chewy, and just sweet enough. They even passed the "David test", and that is saying a lot. Have I convinced you to make them yet? Well, what are you waiting for?

Chewy Coconut Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sucanat (can substitute light brown sugar)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate almond butter (I used Justin's, but I'm sure others would work, or you could probably make your own)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together egg and vanilla until foamy. Add sugar, salt and baking soda, whisking until light and fluffy. Whisk in almond butter (this may take a little time, since the batter gets pretty thick). Stir in coconut and chocolate.
3. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared  baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack. Yields approximately 15-18 cookies.

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy, Tea Party Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesday, Mrs Fox's Sweet Party, Midweek Fiesta, Sweet Treats Thursday, Famous Linkz, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations, One Stop Shoppe, Comfy in the Kitchen, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Maple Cherry Pistachio Granola

If you've spent more than twenty seconds talking to me or looking at my blog, it should come as no surprise that I am a dessert lover. I mostly blame my mom for this penchant for all things sugary. I mean, this is a woman who is not opposed to eating cake for breakfast, nor was she opposed to letting me eat cake for breakfast on occasion as a child. Apparently, as I have since learned, cake is not commonly on the menu for breakfast in most households. That's too bad, because cake for breakfast is amazing. For the record, my mom was not a horrible excuse for a parent. She did make me eat healthy food, just not at every meal.

Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that I can't live on dessert alone. Well, I'm sure I could survive for at least a little while on just dessert, but I think my pants would eventually put up a pretty strong protest. Sadly, I do feel the need to sneak in healthy food from time to time, particularly at breakfast. Enter this granola. It's full of wholesome ingredients, it's a cinch to make, and it's very tasty. Even David says so. Also, it's a more socially acceptable breakfast alternative to cake.

This granola is also very customizable. I happen to like cherries and pistachios, so that's what I used this time. Feel free to use any fruit and nut combo you like. Hey, even throw in some flax or sesame seeds if you're feeling crazy. I like to sprinkle it over a bowl of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit; David prefers to eat his with milk, a la cold cereal. It's also pretty good eaten by the handful, straight from the jar.

Maple Cherry Pistachio Granola

adapted from Annie's Eats

2/3 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup raw pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds)

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 tablespoons canola oil

2/3 cups roasted pistachios

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg white, beaten until foamy

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups freeze-dried cherries*

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add chopped pecans and pepitas to a large pan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, allow nuts to brown slightly, 3-5 minutes. Add the oats and canola oil to the pan, stirring to combine, and continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until oats appear slightly toasted.
3. Transfer contents of pan to a large bowl. Stir in pistachios, maple syrup, egg white, and salt. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake until granola begins to turn golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. If you prefer larger clumps of granola, do not stir. Otherwise, stir 1-2 times during baking.
4. Allow granola to cool completely. Cooling overnight without stirring should result in granola with larger clumps. Once granola is cool, break in to chunks, add cherries and store in an airtight container.

*I prefer to use freeze dried fruit in my granola, as opposed to dried, for a couple of reasons: first, it is crispy instead of chewy; second, it generally has no added sugar or preservatives. I can usually find it at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, and I've seen a couple of varieties at Target.


Linked to: Things that make you say: "Mmmmm", Creative Me Monday, Savvy Homemade Monday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday