Guilt-Free Junk Food – It Does Exist!

Healthy cookies
For those of us with an insatiable sweet tooth, these miracle cookies are great for breakfast on-the-go or as a less sinful snack. Choose to make them bite-sized, or even customize them with your favourite dried fruit and/or chocolate. Prepare to get hooked.

Recipe makes 10-12 large cookies

1 cup quick oats
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons flax seeds (ground if possible)
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 bananas, mashed
3 tablespoons of nut butter (peanut, almond, or your favourite), melted
¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tbsp honey

Handful each of chocolate chips and dried fruit (I used a combination of cranberries, apricots, raisins, and 55% dark chocolate chips. Chocolate can be substituted with more fruit) with almonds to decorate.
 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk.
3. Combine all wet ingredients in a second bowl.
4. Gently mix wet and dry ingredients just until combined.
5. Fold in dried fruit and chocolate chips.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop about 2 tbsp of batter down, evenly spaced apart.
7. Slightly press the bounds of batter down into your desired shape – the cookies will hold their shape in the oven.
8. Decorate with 3-5 almonds.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cookie comes out clean.
10. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool. Keep stored in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for a month.

Root vegetable chip nachos
You can’t get much better than cheesy, salty nachos when it comes to junk food. For guilt-free satisfaction, replace the tortilla chips with healthy, baked root vegetable chips instead. Experiment with any of your favourite root veggies – I used beets, parsnips, and sweet potato, but turnips and carrots work too.

Recipe makes 2 servings

3 root vegetables, assorted or the same
3 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to coat the vegetables)
3 pinches garlic salt
3 pinches paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Nacho toppings of your choice (cheese, olives, guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Thoroughly wash root vegetables and trim the ends (you can peel the veggies if you wish).
3. Slice the veggies thinly. If you’re using a mandolin, set it to the 1/8th of an inch setting.
4. Separate veggies into different bowls.
5. Drizzle each bowl lightly with a tbsp. of olive oil (or more if necessary to coat all the veggies) and toss to coat.
6. Season each with a pinch of garlic salt and paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Keeping the different vegetables separate, spread the root vegetables out on a baking sheet. You may need to use more than one tray, or bake your chips in batches if they don’t all fit on one layer.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn all the vegetables over.
9. Bake for another 10-20 minutes. Keep checking the doneness of them as the cooking time will vary depending on the vegetable and the thickness. Look for golden brown edges and the chip should hold its shape with you pick it up with tongs.
10. When each vegetable is ready, transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel. Optional: salt the chips lightly.
11. Add toppings to the nachos. If melting cheese, do not microwave. Place on a heat-proof plate and cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Eat immediately or store after cooling in an airtight container for up to three days.

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Spaghetti squash with Italian sausage ragout
Spaghetti with meat sauce is a classic comfort food, but we’ve all heard the horror stories about white pasta and lovehandles. Try tossing spaghetti squash in a quick and easy Italian sausage ragout (or in your favourite recipe for meat sauce) to add a serving of vegetables to your dinner and to cut down on high-glycemic carbs.

Makes 3 servings
1 medium/large spaghetti squash
3 Italian sausages (spicy or mild), casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ onion, chopped
2 cups of jarred/canned tomato sauce (or homemade sauce if possible)
1 tsp dried basil (or 4-5 basil leaves, chopped finely)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: dried chili flakes to taste
Parmesan cheese and parsley for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove any grocery store packaging/stickers from the spaghetti squash.
3. Bake entire spaghetti squash on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the skin is easily pierced with a sharp knife. Allow to cool for 30 minutes or so.
4. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove the fibrous string and seeds from the inside of the flesh.
5. Using a fork, pull the spaghetti-like strands away from the peel of the squash. Set aside.
6. Brown sausage meat in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once cooked, set aside.
7. Sauté onions over medium heat in the same pan as the sausage drippings until translucent
8. Add minced garlic (and chili flake if you wish) and stir.
9. After 30 seconds, add the cooked sausage, tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper.
10. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until sauce is hot.
11. Add spaghetti squash and serve immediately with grated parmesan and parsley.