In honor of this patriotic weekend ahead, here are a couple of new recipes that feature whole wheat options and a nutrient-rich red or blue food.
The first is a colorful crowd-pleasing appetizer and the second is a fun brunch bread. We’ll have you celebrating the red, wheat and blue all day long!
Ingredients:
4 whole wheat pita pockets (Cut into 4 wedges each and split each one in half to make 8 wedges)
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto (available in jars in most supermarkets)
2 green onions, finely chopped, white and part of green
8 teaspoons pesto sauce
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Lay pita wedges on nonstick jellyroll pans, with the smooth side facing up. Using a silicone brush, lightly brush the top of each pita wedge with olive oil. Place jellyroll pans in oven for 10 minutes or until just crispy.
2. Meanwhile, place grape tomatoes and sundried tomato pesto in food processor and pulse briefly (about 4 seconds) until tomatoes are finely chopped but not pureed. Stir in green onions.
3. Turn oven to broil. Spread the top of each wedge with 1/4 teaspoon pesto then top with a slightly heaping teaspoon of tomato mixture. Sprinkle a teaspoon of the mozzarella over the top of each. Place pita wedges until the broiler, while watching carefully, until cheese is starting to melt (about 1 minute). Serve!
Yield: About 8 servings (4 wedges each)
Per serving: 98 calories, 4 g protein, 6.5 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, 3.5 g monounsaturated fat, .6 g polyunsaturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 121 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 54 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .5 gram.
Just in time for 4th of July weekend, serve these blueberry scones with red berry jam or a red berry cream cheese spread. This recipe makes 12 scones so if you aren’t baking for a big group, cut all of the ingredients in half. For the egg, use 2 tablespoons egg substitute or one egg yolk.
Red, Wheat & Blue-Berry Scones
Ingredients:
1 cup fat free sour cream or nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup granulated sugar (Splenda can replace 1/2 cup of the sugar if desired)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch squares (less fat margarine can be substituted)
1/2 cup light cream cheese
2 tablespoons fat-free half and half
1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available
4 ounces dried blueberries (about 2/3 cup) or 1 cup fresh blueberries (using fresh blueberries may cause some streaking and slight texture change)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with canola cooking spray.
2. In small bowl, blend sour cream and baking soda and set aside.
3. In food processor bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar by pulsing for about 5 seconds. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse to cut in. If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry blender).
4. Add flour mixture to a large mixing bowl, add sour cream mixture, half-and-half, and egg, and blend on low speed until dough forms. Fold in the dried blueberries by hand.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured piece of wax paper and knead a couple of times. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch thick round and cut into 12 wedges. Place them 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
6. If desired, serve scones with a red berry spread made with 1/2 cup light cream cheese blended with 1/4 cup no sugar or less sugar strawberry or raspberry preserves.
Nutrition Per Scone: 345 calories, 9 g protein, 59 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 2.4 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 522 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 23 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1 gram.
