Yield: 18 cookies

Ingredients:
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 2 egg whites
· Pinch salt
· ¼ tsp cream of tartar
· ½ cup Splenda, granular
· 1 sugar free candy cane
· ½ tsp vanilla extract
· 2 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with Pam.
3. Combine the egg whites, lemon juice, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
4. Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites into a meringue, until the whites are thick and stand up in peaks.
5. Add the Splenda and vanilla and whip for 30 seconds.
6. Drop by the spoonful onto pan, making 12 cookies.
7. Crush the candy cane into small bits.
8. Sprinkle the candy cane on top of the cookies.
9. Bake 1 ½ hours, then turn the oven off and let the cookies sit in the oven while it is left partially open until the oven is cool.
10. Remove the cookies from the tray and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Information:
12 calories/ 0g fat per cookie

Recipe courtesy of Wellspring Academies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup Splenda, granulated
1 tbsp egg whites
2 tsp orange zest
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
1 cup chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
Glaze:
½ cup Splenda, granulated
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp orange extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with Pam.
3. Combine the applesauce, Splenda, egg whites, orange zest, salt, ginger, chopped cranberries, and vanilla in a bowl and stir.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and stir until just combined, no longer.
5. Drop by the small spoonful onto the baking pan.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are firm.
7. Combine the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth.
8. Taste the glaze and adjust flavorings if needed.
9. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from the pan.
10. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

Approximate Nutritional Information:
27 calories/0.1g per cookie

Recipe courtesy of Wellspring Academies

The holiday season is upon us and that means delicious and sometimes not so healthy treats. Laurel Hudson, culinary instructor at Wellspring Academies has created several tasty cookie recipes that the family will love. This Gingerbread Cookies Recipe will be the first in a series of healthy holiday cookie recipes featured here courtesy of Wellspring Academies.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup Fiber One original bran cereal
1 package whole wheat gingerbread cake or cookie mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ cup granulated Splenda
Pinch of salt
½ cup canned pure pumpkin
¼ cup warm water
3 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
6 packets of Truvia no calorie sweetener
Pam spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with Pam.
3. In a food processor, grind the cereal until it looks like flour, then pour into a bowl.
4. Add the gingerbread mix, all the spices, the baking powder, Splenda, and salt and mix well.
5. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin with the warm water, molasses, and vanilla and mix well.
6. Add the pumpkin mixture to the other bowl and stir until blended.
7. Knead the dough to combine.
8. Roll the dough into 1/2” balls, making 36 cookies dough balls total, and place them on the cookie sheet.
9. Flatten balls or scoops with the back of a spoon dipped in the Truvia, so the dough doesn’t stick to the spoon.
10. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the edges are firm.
11. Let cool for 5 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
12. Remove from the pan and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Information:
54 calories/0.1g per cookie

Ingredients:

1 30 oz. can of Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
½ cup of egg beaters or egg whites
1 cup evaporated skim milk
2 9-inch pie pans
Directions:

1. Mix pumpkin pie mix, evaporated milk, and egg substitute in large bowl
2. Pour into pie shells.
3. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool for 2 hours or refrigerate. Serve plain or with fat free Cool Whip (15 calories for 2 tablespoons).

Yield: 12 3.5 oz Servings

Nutritional Information:
97 Calories
.4 Fat grams
3.2 Protein grams
20 Carbohydrate grams

Recipe courtesy of the culinary staff at Wellspring Academies.

Damon Stainbrook, former sous chef of French Laundry, is leading the charge in a new “conscientious cooking” movement. He’s working with mercury certification program, Safe Harbor, to ensure the fish used in his delicious recipes meets strict standards for mercury content and is caught using only sustainable methods – verified through its traceability program.

Thanks to Stainbrook, I have a recipe here for you to create delicious, healthy and sustainable dinners:

Ingredients:

• 4 tuna steaks, 6 ounces each
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• oil

Zucchini pasta:

• 4 cups Julienne green and gold Zucchini
• 2 tsp kosher salt

Artichoke Sauce:

• 16 oz peel, seeded and diced tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup diced marinated baby artichokes
• 1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced hot or mild chile pepper, or to taste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• Black pepper to taste

Black Olive Tapenade:

• 1 cups pitted Kalamata olives chopped (or olives of your liking)
• 1 big garlic clove minced
• 1 Tbls caper
• ¼ cup fresh Basil leaves chopped
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine all Tapenade ingredients, tasting and adding salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let stand at room temperature before serving. Makes 1 ½ cups

Julienne the Zucchini into long thin pasta like shape. Toss with salt and let sit in colander for 15 minutes. Zucchini will soften to an al dente consistency.

To make the sauce cook onion and garlic with salt over low heat in a heavy bottom pot until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for thirty minutes. Add artichokes, chile pepper and basil and simmer another ten minutes. Add black pepper to taste and set sauce aside to cool.

Right before grilling tuna toss the sauce and zucchini together in large bowl.

Pull tuna steaks out of fridge fifteen minutes before cooking which will help to keep the tuna from sticking to the grill (If using). Season Tuna steaks with Salt and Pepper, then brush lightly with oil.

Lightly brush a grill rack, or broiler pan with a little oil. Grill tuna over coals medium high heat. Turn after about 2-3 minutes for rare tuna, 4 to 6 minutes for more medium to well done. Tuna should maintain a pink center, but will flake easily around edges.

To finish twist equal portions of pasta onto four plates, top with grilled tuna and tablespoon of tapenade.

Serves four.

When there is no time to cook and hunger comes calling, you know it’s probably lunchtime. What do you do in such a situation? Generally, a sandwich, soup and salad lunch is fast and easy to cook, delicious to eat and healthy to boot. So, here’s a healthy curd sandwich recipe to help  you sail through lunchtime:

You need:

• Hung curd around six tablespoons
• Powdered sugar or honey one teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Tomato one, sliced thinly
• Cucumber around six thin slices
• Bread two slices, preferably multigrain
• Mint sauce as required
• Cottage cheese, tofu or chicken sliced, enough to cover the bread

Makes one sandwich:

1. Toast the bread slightly.
2. Mix honey or sugar and a pinch of salt into the hung curd and whip lightly for a few seconds
3. Add the mint sauce into the curd
4. Spread the curd mix onto the toasted bread slices.
5. Place the cucumber and tomato slices on one slice
6. Grill or roast the chicken/tofu/cottage cheese slices if needed before placing them on the second slice of bread
7. Use the leftover curd mix to join the two slices

For those who are averse to the idea of honey in their bread, pepper can substitute the honey. Enjoy!