Have you ever heard of substituting tofu in place of eggs? A friend of mine suggested it to me and it works great in this recipe. Tofu is now my favorite egg replacement. It seems to help make the brownies pretty moist. This is the best, scratch brownie recipe that I have come up with so far.

Ingredients:
¾ cup silken tofu
½ cup water
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar (I use Domino organic sugar)
½ teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large food processor add tofu, water, maple syrup and cocoa. Blend well. I large mixer add flour, sugar and baking powder. Add tofu mixture to large mixer and blend well by hand then turn mixer on medium speed and blend until combined. Place in large, lightly greased, baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes.
Servings: 16

Try my healthy version of Red Velvet Cake. Red Velvet cake is by far my favorite cake, it melts in your mouth. I was surprised that even with the substitutions I made it is just as light and tasty. Even with the whole wheat flour it has the same consistency and still melts the moment you put it in your mouth.

Ingredients:

Cake
1 ½ cups “I can’t believe it’s not butter” or other butter substitute
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup fat free buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon red gel food coloring

Frosting
1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectionary sugar
½ cup light brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8×8 inch pans.
2. Cake: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Place buttermilk in measuring cup and add baking soda in with buttermilk so it will dissolve. In small bowl sift flour and cocoa powder together. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the sugar and eggs, beginning and ending with the four. Add red food coloring and mix well. Add as much as you need to reach desired color. Pour into greased pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing.
3. Frosting: Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature. In large mixer add all ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Add more milk if necessary depending on what consistency you prefer.
Servings: 16 servings

If you are looking for a very healthy and tasteful breakfast this recipe is for you. It has a similar texture to eggs, protein and great flavor. If you are a fan of tofu you will enjoy this!

Ingredients:
1/5 package extra firm tofu
¼ cup green pepper (diced very small)
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup diced tomatoes
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
1. Heat medium fry pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and green pepper. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes and add tomatoes. Drain tofu and pat dry with paper towel. Crumble and add to fry pan. Add spices and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Enjoy!
Servings: 1

This is a quick and easy dish with a quick and easy sauce. I am the type of person that likes a lot of flavor in my food. I have a hard time eating baked chicken plain so this sun-dried tomato/roasted red pepper sauce is a healthy and easy way to make your average baked chicken a flavorful dish.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg
6 tablespoons wheat germ
1 cup bread crumbs (I use my Honey Whole Wheat Bread)
12 sun-dried tomatoes
6 ounces roasted red peppers
1 cup boiling water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On one large plate scramble the egg and on another large plate combine wheat germ and bread crumbs. Trim chicken breast of excess fat and coat in egg and then in bread crumb/wheat germ mixture. Place in lightly greased baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or so depending on the thickness of the chicken. If you have thick chicken breasts you can pound down to about ¼ to ½ inch thickness to cut down on cooking time.
2. To prepare sauce place sun-dried tomatoes in small bowl and add 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for about 10 minutes so that they can soften. In small food processor combine sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Process until smooth or until desired consistency is reached.
3. Serve sauce on the side or place on top of baked chicken.
Servings: 4

This is my favorite pork tenderloin dish that I have come up with. I love to smother my meat with flavor and sauces and this creamy, mushroom-dill sauce is so simple, yet easy to make. It is a great blend of flavors with the mushroom, dill and broth and the fage yogurt is such a great substitution for sour cream, try it as a replacement in some of your favorite other recipes. You won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients:
1-1 ½ pound pork tenderloin
¼ cup water
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
½ chopped white onion
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth (low sodium)
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup 0% fage greek yogurt, plain yogurt or low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried

Directions:
1. Cut pork into slices about ½ thick. In large skillet over medium heat, add water, onion and mushrooms. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked and onions transparent. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
2. Over medium heat, in same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add pork and cook for 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Pour in wine and half the broth. Cover, lower heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to dish and keep warm.
3. Add flour into same pan and blend with juices left. Over medium heat, stir in remaining broth and cook, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Stir in yogurt and dill, add mushrooms and heat through without boiling. Serve the sauce over pork.
Servings: 3

Usually, if we have extra chicken breast we need to use up and we want a quick and easy dinner, we grill the chicken and have grilled chicken burgers. I was getting a little bored with that and decided to try making ground chicken by using my food processor. The results were great, it came out delicious. It is quick, easy and a little more flavorful then grilled chicken. It is one of my new favorites. I like to eat it on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato.

Ingredients:
2 Cups chopped chicken
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Directions:
1. Place chicken, mushrooms and garlic into large food processor. Process until chicken is ground finely. Put ground chicken mixture into a bowl and add basil, onion powder and cottage cheese. Mix until combined. Form into patties and cook any way you like. I usually use my George Foreman grill and grill it for about 4 minutes on each side.
Servings: 4

This is a great healthy chicken burger. The wheat germ/bread crumb coating is a great alternative to deep-fried chicken. It has a similar texture and flavor without all the fat and calories. The sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers are mixed with a little nasoya sandwich spread. It is a great flavorful alternative to mayo.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 tablespoons wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I use my honey whole wheat bread)
1 egg
12 sun-dried tomatoes
6 ounces roasted red peppers
½ cup nasoya sandwich spread

Directions:
1. 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On one large plate scramble the egg and on another large plate combine wheat germ and bread crumbs. Trim chicken breast of excess fat and coat in egg and then in bread crumb/wheat germ mixture. Place in lightly greased baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or so depending on the thickness of the chicken. If you have thick chicken breasts you can pound down to about ¼ to ½ inch thickness to cut down on cooking time.
2. To prepare sauce place sun-dried tomatoes in small bowl and add 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for about 10 minutes so that they can soften. In small food processor combine sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Process until smooth or until desired consistency is reached. Place mixture in small bowl and add ½ cup nasoya sandwich spread and mix until combined.
3. Serve baked chicken on a whole wheat bun. I also like to put a slice of tomato and lettuce on my burger.
Servings: 4

I love zucchini’s! There are so many good uses for them. I figured if zucchini tastes great in bread, it will probably taste good in cookies too, and it does. This recipe is not only tasty but healthy too. Well, as healthy as cookies can be. Instead of butter I use a mixture of canola oil, apple sauce and banana. You can taste a slight banana taste so if you don’t like banana simply substitute with more apple sauce. I also use all whole wheat flour to make them a little healthier than your average cookie and you really can’t even tell by their taste.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups splenda granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
1/3 cup mashed banana (about 1 small banana)
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl mix oil, banana, applesauce and sugar. Add Eggs and vanilla and blend well. In small bowl combine flour, baking powder and spices. Slowly add this flour mixture to large bowl and mix well. Add the zucchini to the mixture. At this point I like to separate the batter in half and add chocolate chips to one half and raisins to the other half. My husband likes raisins and I like chocolate chips. You can use both chocolate chips and raisins or choose your favorite. Lightly grease cookie sheets and drop by spoonfuls (I like to use a small ice cream scooper). Bake until lightly browned on bottom, about 15 minutes. Makes about 20 pretty large cookies.
Servings: 20

These burgers are so quick and easy to makes. It is about 5 minutes prep time and 10 minutes cooking time. Not only are they healthy but tasty to. This is a great way to get your kids to eat tofu and get some protein into their diet.

Ingredients:
1 1b or 1 package nasoya firm tofu
1/3 cup old fashioned quaker oats
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ginger

Directions:
1. Drain and mash or crumble tofu. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into patties, makes about 8. Heat lightly oiled fry pan over medium heat. Cook burgers for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve on whole wheat bun with organic ketchup.

Servings: 5

This homemade whole wheat ravioli filled with a delicious spinach and mushroom filling is well worth the work. I, unfortunately, do not own a pasta maker but after making these raviolis plan on investing in one. It is possible to make by hand but will save a lot of time and effort with a machine. This dough recipe is great but if you are rolling by hand I must warn you that it is a bit tiring and hard to get it as thin as you might like it. But, as far as taste goes the dough is great. And as for the filling my husband ate half of it plain as I was working on the dough. I chose to make circle raviolis but the fun part about it is you can make them whichever shape you like (square, circle, triangle . . .). So, enjoy this recipe and have fun. Be creative!

Ingredients:
Ravioli Dough:
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
½ cup warm water

Filling:
7 ounces baby spinach
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

Directions:
1. In large bowl add whole wheat flour. Make well in center of flour and add eggs. Scramble eggs a little with a fork then mix in with flour. Slowly add warm water and mix until a stiff dough is formed. This can also be done in a mixer with a dough hook. Need dough for about 5 minutes, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside (for about 15 minutes).
2. Steam mushrooms and spinach then place in a food processor and add ricotta cheese. Blend well. Take mixture out of processor and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Lightly flour the counter or your workspace. Bread dough in half. Need for a few minutes if necessary then roll each half of dough into very thin matching sheets (1/16 to 1/8 inch thick).
4. Drop about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls of filling about 1 1/2 inches apart all along one of the sheets of dough. Place other half of dough on top and with your fingers gently press around where there is filling.
5. Take pizza cutter and cut between raviolis. You can then cut them into a square or a circle or whatever shape you like. Press around the filling to get rid of any excess dough and trim.
6. Allow ravioli to dry for 1 hour then boil for about 10 minutes or until ravioli float to the top. Serve with your favorite sauce.
Servings: 4