Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Recipes

Recipe of the Week: Homemade Eggnog

Here is a healthier recipe for Eggnog that you can enjoy while cutting back on some of the calories, fat, and sugar!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • Freshly grated cinnamon, for garnish

Directions:
Heat 1 ½ cups milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl until combined. Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Place back into saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until eggnog thickens, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately add remaining ½ cup of milk. Pour into pitcher and chill until ready to serve. Garnish with cinnamon. Makes 6 servings

 

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Cranberry-Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 36 cookies
Serving Size: 1 cookie
Per serving: Calories 75, Fat 2.6g, Protein 1.4g, Carbs 12.1g

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (about 3 1/2 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup regular oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate minichips
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, oats, baking powder, and the next 5 ingredients (through chips) in a large bowl.
  2. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add honey, vanilla, egg, and egg white; beat well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°.
  4. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on pans. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Recipe of the Week: Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.
  3. Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Nutrition:
Serves: 8
Per serving: Calories 160; Fat 4 g; Sodium 180 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Protein 3 g

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Sausage, Sage and Apple Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 cups sourdough bread, 1-inch cubes
  • 6 oz. mild Italian sausage
  • 1½ cups onion, chopped
  • 1¼ cups fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 cups chopped, peeled Golden Delicious apple (about 2)
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • ? cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1¼ cups chicken stock
  • ¼ cup apple cider
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ tsp. black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Bake bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until golden. Cool and place in a large bowl. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage until browned and crumbled. Add sausage to bread in bowl.
  3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add onion, fennel and celery to pan. Saute for about 7 minutes until crisp and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in apple and garlic; saute for 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add sage and cook for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Add onion mixture to bread mixture and toss well to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken stock, apple cider, eggs and black pepper. Gently combine egg mixture with bread mixture. Spoon stuffing into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes until top is browned. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serves: 12 servings
Serving Size: ¾ cup
Per serving: Calories: 166 • Fat: 6 g • Carbs: 22.1 g • Fiber: 2.3 g • Protein: 7 g
Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
  • Cooking spray

For Creamy Sauce:

  • 10 small white mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For Parmesan Topping:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 small onions, thinly sliced into circles
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat or Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 3 tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray large baking dish (approximately 8 x 11) with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add beans along with pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes or until al dente. Green beans should be firm and not too soft. Drain and add a few cups of ice to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  3. Preheat large skillet on medium high and add olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden brown/almost charred, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Return skillet to heat, spray with cooking spray and add mushrooms. Cook until golden brown.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Stir enough to coat the mushrooms. Slowly pour almond milk and whisk while you’re pouring, until no lumps are left. Add water, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and whisk again. Bring to a boil and let simmer to thicken, for about 3-4 minutes.
  6. In the meanwhile, add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and water to a bowl with onions and mix with your hands until crumbs appear.
  7. Drain green beans, add the sauce and stir to combine.
  8. Transfer green beans to prepared baking dish and sprinkle with topping. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve warm. Casserole tastes best within first couple hours after it has been cooked.

Nutritional Info:
Number of Servings: 6, Serving size = 1 cup
Calories: 196, Total Fat: 7.6 g, Sodium: 458.5 mg, Total Carbs: 20.0 g, Protein: 9.3 g
 

Original recipe can be found here at ifoodreal.com!

Recipe of the Week: Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes

 

Our members make some delicious and healthy dinners!

Thank you to our friend, Flo, who submitted this week’s recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 can unsalted petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted chicken stock
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 8 ounces whole-grain spaghetti or linguine
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 10 oz fresh spinach
  • 1 oz grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil; swirl to coat.
  2. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion starts to brown.
  3. Add tomatoes, stock, oregano, and pasta in that order. Bring to a boil.
  4. Stir to submerge noodles in liquid. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 7 minutes or until pasta is almost done. Uncover and stir in salt.
  5. Add spinach in batches, stirring until spinach wilts. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle with cheese and serve!

Recipe of the Week: Zucchini Tator Tots (Zots)

This week our recipe was submitted by one of our awesome gym members, Cathy. Taste tested and approved!

Yield: 3 servings, Serving Size: 5 tots

INGREDIENTS:

  • cooking spray
  • 1 packed cup grated zucchini
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 medium onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel until you have 1 packed cup.  Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini, there will be a lot of water. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture in your hands and roll into small ovals. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, turning halfway though cooking until golden. Makes 16.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Per Serving:

  • Calories:108
  • Total Fat:3g
  • Sodium:262mg
  • Carbohydrates:5g
  • Fiber:2g
  • Sugar:2g
  • Protein: 7g

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 butternut squash, cubed (I used about 4 cups cubed)
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 apples, peeled and quartered
  • 4 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 cup of rice drink
  • ¼ cup of coconut milk
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • Sea salt

 

Directions:

  1. In large pot, sauté onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add squash, apples, stock, rice milk, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Cover, bring to boil, and then simmer for about 30 minutes until squash is soft.
  2. Using immersion blender, puree soup. Add sea salt to taste.

 

Nutrition:

  • Calories 211
  • Carbohydrates 39g
  • Fat 8g
  • Protein 3g
  • Great source of Vitamin A and Potassium