Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon-cran scones

  • Christine on December 10, 2012

    I already have a cranberry scone recipe I love, but I was interested to try this lightened up version, which turned out to be quite good. I didn't have a lemon so I used a small orange instead, but I'm certain either one would work. I don't really care for dried cranberries in scones, so I used fresh ones that made this recipe extra tasty. I love tart flavors, so I might even use some extra cranberries next time. I also used mostly whole wheat flour and skipped the glaze, both as matters of personal preference and to make these a bit healthier as I was planning to eat them for breakfast rather than an afternoon treat.

• Bright-eye blueberry-bran muffins

  • Christine on September 24, 2012

    I was very skeptical about this recipe because it contains no butter/oil and is very low in fat, but made them anyway because it called for several ingredients I've been trying to clear out of my pantry. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by how good they are! Just sweet enough, hearty, but tender, and bursting with fruit. I would happily make these again and will definitely make them for my Mom who is always looking for tasty, healthy recipes (but wants me to try them first!)

• Asian almonds

  • cjannace on October 07, 2015

    Delicious! A great snack & a great addition to her skinny pad thai!

• Grilled nectarine salad with blue cheese crumbles

  • lean1 on February 19, 2021

    Lovely light dressing. The blue cheese added a needed salty bite.

• Spicy soba with shiitakes and peas

  • Amelia.B on April 13, 2025

    Absolutely delicious. A family staple.

• Skinny tofu pad Thai

  • cjannace on October 07, 2015

    Absolutely delicious! I love this pad thai. It definitely benefits from having her Asian almonds mixed in to the recipe, but this is a great pad thai to make at home. And my boyfriend who is pure carnivore doesn't even mind the tofu.

• Pan-seared scallops with skinny pesto fettuccini

  • cjannace on March 12, 2016

    Make sure you read all of the steps carefully. The lemon juice & olive oil need to be divided & I definitely misread that, making my scallops a bit more lemony than expected. Also, be sure to time your pasta & scallops properly so your pasta does not end up sticking together. Despite my mistakes, this was still an absolutely delicious dish! J & I were very happy with the way this turned out and will definitely be making this again.

• Lemony shrimp and bok choy lo mein

  • Christine on September 30, 2014

    Not really sure why a dish calling for just 2 tsp of lemon juice warrants the inclusion of "lemony" in the recipe title, but this was a very good recipe regardless. The bok choy stems which I was a little nervous about including in such a quantity were surprisingly mild and tasty. I used 3/4 pound of shrimp and doubled the sauce ingredients. As this is not a "saucy" dish (even with double amounts), but rather meant to lightly coat the ingredients, I really can't imagine using only the amount called for. Since I had no idea how to measure 2 cups of dry lo mein noodles, I decided my 8 oz. package looked like about the right amount for a dish yielding 4 servings and it seemed to be. (Though my approximation definitely could have affected the sauce ratio.) I probably wouldn't seek out the ingredients to make this again, but if I found myself with some bok choy again it would certainly be worth another go.

  • cjannace on May 31, 2015

    Like Christine, I didn't feel like this was a very saucy or lemony dish, but I definitely still enjoyed it. I think my boyfriend also overestimated the "2 cups of noodles" by a bit which left it a bit dry at times. I have a few more heads of bok choy from our CSA share and I'll definitely try this again, but may make more sauce for next time.

• Orange-glazed chicken stir-fry over brown rice

  • Christine on May 12, 2014

    This was an excellent stir-fry. Instead of mushrooms, I increased the amount of snow peas and corn (regular sweet corn instead of baby corn) and added in some shredded carrot. Obviously the vegetables are rather flexible, just be careful about when you add them to the pan depending on how long they take to cook. The sauce is delicious, though as written it is much too spicy for me -- I halved the cayenne pepper and it still had plenty of kick (for us anyway!) I would definitely make this one again.

• Ginger-soy baby bok choy

  • anya_sf on December 01, 2025

    I can't comment on the baking method (and am slightly skeptical), but braising bok choy in the liquid on the stove worked well for a flavorful side.

• Sexy Swiss chard with golden raisins and pumpkin seeds

  • anya_sf on May 20, 2020

    I substituted a sweet yellow onion for the red onion. When cooking the chard, having some water clinging to the leaves helps soften them (or add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan). I thought this needed extra salt, but otherwise I enjoyed the raisins and pumpkin seeds with the chard.