Cranberry-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I recently subscribed to Eating Well magazine.  I'm not quite sure why when you can find all of their recipes for free on their website, but I guess the magazine draws my attention to recipes I want to try that I probably wouldn't discover if I were just randomly searching their site.  In the most recent issue, the recipe that jumped out at me was Cranberry-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, which you can find here.  You can even see my review on the site.  So far, it's the only review. 

The cinnamon rolls looked so good in the picture, and having "cranberry-pecan" in the name completely sold me.  The one thing I thought was odd was that this recipe was in Eating Well magazine.  These are supposed to be "healthy" recipes, right?  When I think of "healthy", I usually don't think of corn syrup, sugar, butter and oil.  Regardless, I decided to consider them a splurge and give them a try.

I made them exactly as directed, which was easy enough.  A food processor made it easy to chop up the cranberries and pecans.

As I was assembling them in the muffin tin, I thought that these didn't really seem like "cinnamon rolls" at all since they're not rolled.  They seemed more like muffin-sized upside down cake with cinnamon-pecan topping instead of pineapple.  I also once again questioned why these were in a "healthy" recipe magazine.  Maybe because they're not topped with cream cheese?

I put them in the oven and set the timer.  They looked perfect when the timer went off, so I took them out and set the timer again to let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  They came out perfectly.  There was a little topping left in the pan, so I spooned it on top of the "cinnamon rolls".

Cue the glamor shots...

They look perfect, don't they?

The real test was tasting them.  That's why I only rated them as "okay" in my review on the Eating Well site.  The topping is amazing, but how could it not be when it contains corn syrup, brown sugar and butter?  The "cinnamon rolls" themselves taste more like biscuits.  At 219 calories each, they should've been more filling.  After eating one, I wasn't full at all.  I wished I had eaten something more satisfying, like waffles or a yogurt parfait.  My husband ended up eating 3 of them.  The topping was really good, but they're definitely not healthy if you keep going back for more.  Suddenly a 219 calorie breakfast becomes 657 calories, and you're still hungry.  Thanks, Eating Well (sarcasm).

Waffle Quarter topped with Sweet Cranberry Sauce

Anyway, if you're not looking for a "healthy" recipe, and you just want a cranberry-pecan biscuit-like treat for your family over the holidays, these are a sure winner.  They do taste good.  I'd just rather eat a waffle topped with an ounce of my Sweet Cranberry Sauce.  You can get the waffle recipe here (it's also from Eating Well, but be sure to look at my blog post because I add some extra flavor to it) and the Sweet Cranberry Sauce recipe here.  For less than 90 calories I can have a waffle quarter topped with an ounce of sauce, and I think it tastes better and is more satisfying, but you can decide for yourself.  Why not make all the recipes and treat your family to a cranberry-themed breakfast buffet?  :)

Happy eating!

Grandma's Cranberry Salad

I grew up eating this cranberry salad at my Grandma's house every holiday.  I loved it so much, that back in 2001, I asked her for the recipe.  I still have the handwritten recipe card she gave me.  Since she passed away 2 years ago, it's a little bitter sweet pulling out the recipe card and seeing her handwriting.  Every time I make this recipe, I think of her.

I've slightly modified her original recipe, making it a large batch and leaving out the celery she used to add.  I also use Splenda instead of sugar to save calories without sacrificing flavor.

This isn't a cranberry sauce.  Keep that in mind.  This is meant to be eaten as a side dish on Thanksgiving or Christmas next to your turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc.  I think leftovers make a great dessert or breakfast.

It's best to make this salad the day before you plan on serving it since it needs quite a bit of time to set.

This is for you, Grandma.

Grandma's Cranberry Salad
Makes about 8 1-cup servings.
About 200 calories per serving.

Ingredients:
1 bag cranberries
4 c water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 8-serving package sugar free Jello in cranberry, raspberry or strawberry
1 1/3 c Splenda (or sugar)
1 c chopped walnuts
4 c mini marshmallows
2 Honeycrisp apples, chopped

Method:
Rinse the cranberries and put them in a large pot.  Add the water, salt and baking soda.  Stir, and heat to medium-high.  Bring to a low boil and cook until the berries pop open, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Add the Jello and Splenda.

Let cool until the mixture starts to set.  You can put the pot on top of a potholder in the refrigerator to help speed up the cooling process.  It'll still take about 2-3 hours in the refrigerator before it's semi-set.

Meanwhile, if you have whole walnuts instead of chopped walnuts, you can easily chop them by putting them in a storage bag and pounding them with a rolling pin.

Chop the apples.

When the cranberry mixture starts to set, add the walnuts, mini marshmallows and apples.  Stir well to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl or container, ideally with a lid.  Refrigerate until completely set, ideally overnight.

Happy eating!

Festive Cranberry Sauce

By reducing the sugar and adding the flavor of light orange juice, this cranberry sauce is low-cal and still delicious.  It has a slightly tart taste that will make your mouth pucker when eaten alone, but it's the perfect complement to your Thanksgiving turkey!

Festive Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1/3 cup light orange juice (like Trop 50)
1 12-ounce bag cranberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
pinch salt

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened.  About 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.  Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

Happy eating!

Sweet Cranberry Sauce

I love cranberries.  They taste like the holidays to me since that's when they're in season and readily available in grocery stores.  I always stock up on the 12-oz bags from the produce department.  So far this year I've tried 2 new recipes that feature cranberries.  Combining some ideas from the flavors I liked about those recipes with the simple recipe for traditional cranberry sauce on the back of the bag of cranberries, I was inspired to create something new.

This cranberry sauce doesn't just feature the flavor of cranberries.  It also features the wonderfully festive taste of cinnamon, and my other favorite winter fruit, oranges.  To save calories, I'm using Trop-50 in this recipe, but you could substitute freshly squeezed orange juice.

You could eat this sauce with your Thanksgiving turkey, but I plan on using it as a waffle topping, spreading it on toast and mixing it in Greek yogurt.  The best part?  One batch makes about 2.5 cups, and there are only 241 calories in the entire batch! Yes, feel free to indulge your taste buds.

Sweet Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 12-oz bag cranberries
1 c Splenda
1 c Trop-50 (or lite orange juice)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Combine all ingredients except vanilla extract in a small pot.  Heat to medium-high until boiling, stirring occasionally.  Cook until all the cranberries pop open and the sauce starts to thicken.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.  Stir well to combine and let cool to room temperature.  Then refrigerate.  The sauce will get thicker while it cools.

Happy Eating!

Low-Cal Buttermilk Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a delicious, traditional holiday dish, but the fried onions and high sodium soup make this vegetable dish truly unhealthy.  This holiday season, try this rich, creamy variation that saves a ton of calories.  The secret: buttermilk! This is a perfect recipe to add to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu.

Low-Cal Buttermilk Greenbean Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cans green beans, drained
1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat buttermilk
TexJoy, salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Happy eating!