Welcome to Hungryland

I know I am clearly an advocate, but let’s face it: food blogs are taking over social media entertainment these days. I am lucky enough to have been singled out among the Austin community, but hundreds of thousands of food writers are promoting and publishing all over the globe. Don’t you also find that number overwhelming to conceptualize?

Every concept begins with a pioneer who brings an idea to life, translating principles into action. And for the food blog world, my friends, that pioneer is Lisa Lillien.

Lisa began the Hungry Girl website in 2004 (the year I received my KitchenAid…coincidence?!) before blogs like Caramelized were even dreamt about.  Her humorous and realistic perspective toward healthy eating (without starving yourself) has quickly become the pioneering enterprise for food sites and blogs over the past decade.  Hubbed in Los Angeles, the Hungry Girl headquarters craft healthy recipes, recommend products, publish daily online newsletters, and sell out cookbooks at a faster pace than the Raising Cane’s grand opening in Austin last month (the drive-thru line cut off two lanes of traffic).  Her newsletter has over 1,000,000 online subscribers. Needless to say, Lisa is my idol.

When my family visited LA for the holidays, Lisa and her Nickelodeon-writer-Memphian husband Dan Schneider met us for a memorable pancake feast at CiCi’s before checking out the Hungry Girl headquarters. My Dad snuck his credit card to our waiter before Dan could get to it, quickly ensuing in the realization that Dad “out-Clooneyed” Dan…George Clooney is the only other person who has managed to cover Dan’s meal before. Whoa.

Hungryland personifies Lisa and her team’s energy in every detail, from the iconic diner booth and restaurant signs, to the bright purple couches and crisp white test kitchen with pops of color. The space was open, bright and inventive. I didn’t want to leave!

Below is one of my favorite guilt-free Hungry Girl recipes that I have a feeling you will love, especially for any of you with healthy New Years resolutions.

cran-orange scones

Makes 6 servings

1/3 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)


1 cup whole-wheat flour


1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats


2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/8 teaspoon salt


1/4 cup no-sugar-added applesauce

3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, roughly chopped

1. Spread butter into a 1/4-inch-thick layer on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. (If needed, let it come to room temperature so it's easily spreadable.) Freeze until solid, at least 2 1/2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. 

3. To make the scones, in a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, orange zest, and salt. Mix well.

4. Cut frozen butter into very small cubes. Using two forks, quickly and thoroughly mash butter into the flour mixture, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add applesauce, buttermilk, orange juice, and vanilla extract, and stir until uniform. Fold in cranberries.

5. Form dough into a circle on the baking sheet, about 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Evenly slice into 6 wedges, but don't separate the wedges.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean, 14-16 minutes. Let cool completely. Once cool, separate wedges, and enjoy! 



courtesy of hungry-girl.com