Tag: Lauren Keating

{Fat Free!} Golden Squash Biscuits

The first time I made these biscuits, this past fall, they were kind of a fluke. I was working on a freelance assignment about sneaking extra vegetables into food and I ended up with some pureed squash left over at the end of the day. I decided to use it in place of the butter in my favorite baking soda biscuit recipe, just to see if it would work, and was surprised to find that it was my favorite recipe of the day!

The dough for these golden squash biscuits comes together like a dream. It’s soft and supple and incredibly easy to work with, resulting in tender, flakey biscuits that are practically fool-proof. Once you’ve made them a few times and are familiar with the recipe, you can have them in the oven in 5 minutes flat. (Until then, it might take closer to 10.)

As an added bonus, these biscuits happen to be fat free! That means you can load them up with delicious filings without feeling guilty. The biscuits don’t taste like squash at all (promise) but they do have a very subtle sweetness that makes them perfect with a slip of butter and a drizzle of honey. They’re also fabulous with raspberry jam or as a little breakfast sandwich with a slice of ham and a fried egg.

They’re best served warm from the oven, but will keep about 3 days in an airtight container.

{Fat Free!} Golden Squash Biscuits

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 12

2 to 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup winter squash puree (butternut, acorn, pumpkin, etc)
¾ cup skim milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicon liner or parchment.
In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the squash puree and milk to form a very soft dough. If the mixture is too wet, stir in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms.
Place on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times; pat into a ½-inch thick disk. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet, with the edges of the biscuits just touching. Re-roll and re-cut scraps.
Bake 10-12 minutes. These biscuits are best warm from the oven but will keep about 3 days in an airtight container.

Calories: 88 Fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 19 Fiber: 0.5 Protein: 3

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Carrot Cake Granola

I’ve been craving carrot cake for weeks, but summer’s coming up quickly and I really don’t need to be eating cake right now. I decided to make carrot cake granola instead! It’s loaded with all of the goodies that you’d find in your favorite carrot cake: coconut, walnuts, raisins, and warm spices. I even got all trendy and threw in some quinoa, which adds a nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture. This is one of my new favorite treats – I keep disappearing into the kitchen to sneak a hand full. It’s also great sprinkled over yogurt – I recommend coconut or lemon!

Because the carrots and quinoa add so much moisture to this granola, it takes longer to make than my other granola recipes – about an hour total. You’ll start it at high heat to toast the oats and walnuts, then reduce the heat to dehydrate the carrots. The result is a great combination of crunchy, chewy, and soft textures. It’s also my contribution to this month’s leftover club, where food bloggers ship their leftovers to faraway friends. A bag of this carrot cake granola is headed off to Dani from Dining with Dani. I hope he likes it as much as I do! Be sure to check out the bottom of this post to see what everyone else made this month!

Carrot Cake Granola

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 20

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2)
¾ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
dash salt
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup raisins

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment.
Mix fist 10 ingredients (through salt). In a separate bowl, mix together honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; mix thoroughly. Spread in a thin layer on the baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes; stir. Reduce heat to 225F and bake 45 minutes, or until ingredients are dry and toasted. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in raisins.
Store in an airtight container.

Calories: 115 Fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 15.5 Fiber: 2 Protein: 3

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Check out what everyone else made this month! (I was the lucky recipient of the Pancakes and Bacon Cookies… Um, Yum!!!)

Don’t you wish you could enjoy some of these leftovers with us? You can! Visit The Leftovers Club for more details!

Lemon Risotto with Seared Scallops #SundaySupper

Has is really been over a year since I’ve posted a proper risotto recipe? I’ve clearly been slacking when it comes to my signature dish. (That farro “risotto” a few weeks ago was delicious, but it doesn’t count – it doesn’t even use rice!)

This week, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day at Sunday Supper. I thought about making Chicken Cordon Bleu, the first meal I really remember cooking for my mom, but I didn’t really feel like eating that. So I made a summer-y risotto topped with seared scallops and lemon salt instead. It doesn’t have any significance – I don’t think I’ve ever even seen my mom eat risotto – but it’s a decadent dish that’s the perfect way to pamper someone.

Serve it up with a wedge of Lavender Dark Chocolate Tart and she’ll feel like a queen.

Lemon Risotto with Seared Scallops #SundaySupper

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 4

4 cups chicken stock or water
¼ cup finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup Arborio rice, or other medium-grain risotto rice
¼ cup white wine
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
2 ounces Parmesan, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound large sea scallops, pat dry
coarse sea salt
cracked black pepper

In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a 3-quart pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic; cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Add the rice and half the lemon zest; stir so that each grain of rice is coated with oil and appears glossy. Cook the rice for 3-4 minutes, or until it is mostly translucent. Stir in the wine, scraping up any bits that have hardened in the bottom of the pan.
Add 1 cup of the warm stock. Stir constantly until all the stock has absorbed into the rice. Continue this process, adding the stock ¼ cup at a time, until the rice is creamy and soft – the whole process will take about 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach, parmesan, and lemon juice, until the spinach is wilted.
Heat the oil and butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the scallops. Cook 2 to minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Stir together ¼ teaspoon of the remaining lemon zest with ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
Serve the scallops on top of the risotto. Sprinkle with lemon salt and season to taste with black pepper.

Calories: 398 Fat: 12 Carbohydrates: 30.8 Fiber: 1.9 Protein: 39.5

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This week, #SundaySupper is celebrating Mother’s Day! Be sure to check out what the other participants brought to the table. There are loads of great recipes for any time of day!

Mother’s Day Brunch:

Mother’s Day Entrees:

Mother’s Day Sides:

Mother’s Day Desserts and Drinks:

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, May 12th to celebrate Mother’s day! Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST, but we’ll also be tweeting throughout the day and sharing recipes that celebrate mom.