This weekend I was delighted when my friend passed on this recipe for baked apple doughnuts. Baking not only saves the hassle of hot oil, it lightens up the fat content as well (taking away about 30 calories per mini doughnut). Plus, the cute mini size is the perfect portion for a sweet snack without over-indulging. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Variation: Substitute canned pumpkin puree for the applesauce for an equally delicious fall treat
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Beat everything except the flour together until smooth. Add flour and stir until just mixed. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about three-fourths full, using a scant one-fourth cup of batter in each well; a tablespoon cookie scoop helps with this task.
Bake the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges and transfer them to a cooling rack. While the doughnuts are still warm but no longer fragile, gently shake them in a bag with cinnamon-sugar.
Yields 24 mini donuts
Original recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour.
5 Healthy Eating Goals to Tame the Holiday Season Indulgences
Thanksgiving tops the charts as America’s holiday with the highest food consumption and Christmas Day falls close behind in third place (with Superbowl Sunday nudged in-between). The holiday season is here, but amidst the festivities it’s possible to eat, drink and be merry while keeping tabs on your waistline.
Keep these five goals in mind to enjoy the holiday season in good health!
1. Aim to maintain weight, not lose weight. Contrary to common belief, the average American only gains one pound between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas; however, most people may not lose that extra weight. In these next two months set reasonable weight expectations by focusing on maintenance—plus, get a head start on those January 1st resolutions!
2. At the party, scan and plan. During family gatherings or cocktail parties, survey the entire food scene before diving into the first dish that comes your way. Then plan your plate accordingly, prioritizing decadent nibbles and filling up on lean protein (think shrimp cocktail, chicken skewers, meatballs with light sauce) and plenty of fruit and veggies.
3. When entertaining, offer healthy alternatives. I’m all for respecting family traditions and in my family no holiday season is complete without my grandma’s pumpkin pie, her Guam-style red rice and Christmas sandies. But in addition to the must-have classics, sub in a light appetizer like these Caesar Salad Endive Spears, feature veggie-heavy side dishes or add a fruit platter to the dessert table.
4. Lighten up recipes with substitutions. Cut calories and fat with simple swaps, like switching low-fat milk for cream in mashed potatoes or substituting egg whites for eggs in eggnog. Reference this ingredient substitution chart from Healthcastle.com and for starters, try the Cornbread Stuffing with Brussels Sprouts & Squash pictured above (made with olive oil instead of butter). Delish!
5. Factor in physical activity. Need ideas? Take a stroll after the big meal, plan a walking tour to view the holiday lights or consider a holiday walk/run such as the annual Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving morning or the Fleet Feet Free Holiday Classic on December 16.
A Sneak Peek Inside Davis’ New Whole Foods
If you haven’t heard already, Whole Foods is opening its fourth Sacramento-area store in downtown Davis this week. Now hungry travelers on their way to the Bay Area have yet another reason to pass through Davis, if simply for a fresh salad or made-to-order gourmet deli sandwich. Doors officially open at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, October 24.
Last week SacFoodies had the privilege to attend a private preview tour of the 19,741-square-foot store. The cozy retail space is packed to the brim and aptly decorated with bicycle-themed murals—a tribute to the local college town.
In addition to the usual trappings of fine cheeses, organic produce and specialty natural food brands, the Davis Whole Foods boasts a full-service kitchen that produces a wide array of prepared foods in addition to a deli, burrito station and extensive salad bar. I am most excited about the well-stocked bulk bins, which occupy a significant portion of floor space and offer everything from quinoa to cereal. UC Davis students will also particularly enjoy the indoor café and free Wi-Fi.
Finally, any other bread lovers out there? Word has it that the freshest loaves will be out of the ovens and onto the shelf at 5 p.m. each day. I’ll meet you there.
Whole Foods Market Davis
500 1st Street
Davis, CA 95616
Hours: 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
Website: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/davis
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WFMDavis
A Mochi Memorial
Whenever I bite into mochi—that soft, chewy Japanese rice cake—the taste immediately transports me to one particular Saturday afternoon in Honolulu.
It was December 2008 and the family had gathered at my grandpa’s house to begin the usual New Years’ preparations—the cleaning, purging, cooking and this year, the mochi-making.
Traditionally mochi is made by pounding cooked glutinous rice into a large, sticky mass—a task that requires one sizeable sturdy bowl, two strong men with two heavy pounders, and one brave soul who flips the rice in between blows.
However, on that Saturday afternoon there was no pounding to be heard, save for the quiet rumbling of the mochi machine, a new contraption that cooked and pounded the rice automatically. I was fascinated. Think of a bread maker without the baking component—a true wonder!
The mochi machine had a stately place in the kitchen that day. When the dough was complete my uncle poured out the scalding sticky mess onto the papered kitchen table. With floured hands, my sisters and I joined my grandpa in pinching off plump mounds, forming them into small circles and filling them with an, a sugary red bean paste. Pat, turn. Pinch, turn. The smooth rice ball becomes a treat so soft it melts in the mouth when fresh.
A few weeks ago I returned to Honolulu to pay one last visit to my grandpa, a precious time before he passed. While rummaging in the pantry I unexpectedly uncovered an old but familiar friend—the mochi machine! Rusted to the counter top and comfortable in its dusty corner, the trusty green and white mochi maker was a silent memorial from the past.
It is unlikely that I’ll soon hear again the warm rain pattering against that tiled roof or smell the scent of hibiscus and plumeria lifted from the outside garden. Yet give me one taste of soft, sweet mochi and I’m transported right back to that beloved house in Honolulu.
Quick Mochi Recipe
1 cup mochiko (rice flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup water
Katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch
Optional: An (red bean paste)
Stir together rice flour, salt and sugar. Stir in 1/2 cup water to form soft dough. Cover and microwave on medium high, 10 minutes. Rest 3 minutes. Turn and cook additional 2 to 3 minutes or until done. Cut or pinch off 8 equal pieces and form into smooth round shapes. Dust with katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch as needed to prevent sticking. Serve rice cakes the same day while fresh, if possible.
Red Bean Variation: Pinch off walnut-size pieces of steamed mochi. Place 1 tablespoon an (red bean paste) into each circle of dough; pinch edges to seal and dust with katakuriko (potato starch).
Recipe courtesy of Cuisine: The Legacy of the Japanese in Hawaii
If you’re looking for mochi in the Sacramento area, you’ll likely enjoy the varieties at Osaka Ya and Oto’s Marketplace.
Osaka Ya
2215 10th Street
Sacramento, CA 95818
http://www.osakaya-wagashi.com/
Oto’s Marketplace
4990 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95822
http://www.otosmarketplace.com/
Explore Sustainable Brewing and Winemaking at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science
Did you know that the Sacramento region is home to the first winery with a net-zero carbon footprint?
You heard right. Last week fellow Sac Foodie Jenna Buhagiar and I returned to our old college stomping grounds to tour the UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science, a leader in the field of sustainable winemaking thanks to their new 34,000-square-foot eco-friendly fermentation facility.
Located on the outermost edge of south campus—yes, beyond the cowsheds—it’s easy to spot the tangerine-hued complex set against the broad expanse of fields and empty blue sky. Opened in January 2011, the teaching and research institute serves as the new home for the departments of Viticulture and Enology and Food Science and Technology. In addition, the Institute includes a food and milk processing center, sensory facility, 12-acres of teaching vineyards and, of course, UCD’s famous teaching brewery and research winery facilities.
During the tour I was most impressed with the center’s environmentally-friendly features. Huge holding vats enable the winery and brewery’s water needs to be met entirely through captured and recycled rainwater. The complex is LEED Platinum certified (the highest rating for environmental design and construction) and sections of the cement floors even contain recycled wine bottles.
“We are incredibly proud of how the outside world views our programs,” said tour guide Charles Brenneman, winemaker and manager of the Department of Viticulture and Enology. “You cannot go to a winery anywhere in the world and be more than two degrees of separation from this place due to our 150 years of teaching and to our alumni.”
The Institute is certainly worth a visit just to see its green innovation; however, if you’d like to go a step further, they also offer a series of short brewing courses available to the public. The next course, Brewing Basics: Going Beyond the Kit, will start September 29th and is currently open for enrollment.
While, UCD does not sell any beer or wine produced at the facility (preferring to focus strictly on research), we were able to end our tour with a refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio.
Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science
392 Old Davis Road
Davis, Ca 95616
http://rmi.ucdavis.edu/