Saturday, December 12, 2009

Christmas Truck


Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives

These chive-flecked cornmeal biscuits taste best made with extra-sharp Cheddar, but any type of Cheddar will work.





12 biscuits


Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes


Ingredients


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground (see Shopping Tip)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon honey, (optional)

3-5 tablespoons low-fat milk

Preparation


1.Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add cheese and butter and pulse again until the mixture looks pebbly with small oat-size lumps. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

3.Add sour cream, chives and honey (if using) and stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Add 3 tablespoons milk, stirring, just until the dough comes together; add more milk as needed until the dough holds together in a shaggy mass. Don’t overmix.

4.On a lightly floured surface, lightly pat the dough into a rectangle about 9 by 5 inches and just over 1/2 inch thick. Using a large chef’s knife, divide the dough evenly into 12 biscuits. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

5.Bake the biscuits until lightly browned on top, 14 to 16 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips & Notes

Shopping tip: Find stone-ground cornmeal in the natural-food sections of supermarkets, in natural-foods stores or online at kingarthurflour.com and bobsredmill.com.

Nutrition

Per serving: 131 calories; 5 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 15 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 1 g fiber; 318 mg sodium; 39 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat

Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies


Servings: 3.5 dozen




Ingredients:1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chunks



Cooking Directions:Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir in oats. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add honey and vanilla; beat until blended. Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating until well combined. Stir in cranberries and chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake until the centers of the cookies are soft, about 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

3 New Health Benefits of Eating Chocolate

Chocolate has all but been elevated to superfood status. And the good news keeps rolling in.




So here are three more reasons why you may not want to be too quick to break that chocolate habit. (As long as you're hitting the dark stuff.)



Chocolate makes you smarter. Ample research suggests that the flavonols in dark chocolate increase cerebral blood flow, which in turn may trigger the creation of new blood vessels and brain cells. And a new study showed that older adults performed better on cognitive tests after eating small portions of the sweet stuff. Talk about a nourished noggin!
 
Chocolate weakens heart attacks. Although more research is needed to confirm this one, a new study showed that regular chocolate eaters who had heart disease were less likely to die following a heart attack compared with the people who didn't treat themselves to the dark and dreamy stuff.
 
Chocolate has a cavity-fighting compound. Okay, so you don't necessarily want to trade in your toothbrush for a chocolate bar. But some interesting new research shows a compound in chocolate -- theobromine -- may be just as good as fluoride at hardening tooth enamel. So the compound could find its way into toothpastes and mouthwashes one day. Until then, keep in mind that most commercially prepared chocolate has lots of sugar in it.Don't Go Overboard


Despite chocolate's benefits, you don't want to o.d. on it lest you do your waist and blood sugar more harm than good.
 
For more information click here:New Health Benefits From Chocolate