A few years ago, I followed the South Beach Diet pretty faithfully. The menu was easy to follow, except for those horrid recommended desserts...flavored ricotta, bland custards, popsickles & all that Jello. I don't normally have a sweet tooth--I crave crunchy, salty snacks more--but when I am carb-deprived I want lots of sugar.
I looked for some good SBD-friendly dessert recipes online last week and came across a few on the Kraft Foods website. One was for a "Crustless Tangy Lemon Pie" made with yogurt and Jello. I altered the recipe slightly, and the result was a delicious lemon dessert that is similar in taste to a lemon merengue pie!
It was so good--and guilt-free-- that my friends had more than one piece!
You'll need:
32 oz fat-free, no sugar added vanilla yogurt (I used Dannon Light & Fit)
2 small packages sugar-free lemon Jello
8 oz Cool Whip Free
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or gingerbread syrup)
1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs
Directions:
1. Combine the yogurt & jello is a microwavable bowl. Nuke for 2 1/2 minutes to dissolve the Jello. Stir well.
2. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (don't use butter or olive oil flavored).
3. Refridgerate at least 3 hours.
4. Mix Cool Whip and ginger (or syrup). Spread on top of chilled lemon mixture. Sprinkle on crumbs.
This would, of course, also be good with lime Jello (minus the ginger)...I think it would be like a mock Key Lime Pie. I can only imagine the possibilities with different Jello flavors and toppings!
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~ Virginia Woolf
January 6, 2008
January 5, 2008
Lavender Curry Hummus
I've been browsing around Kalyn's Kitchen a lot lately and decided to post a recipe for her Weekend Herb Blogging round-up.
I love eating lavender, thanks to my friend Sue, who introduced me to lavender "better butter" a few years ago. As I wrote in my Christmas Cookie post, if you've never eaten lavender-laced food, you must try it.
Lavender makes fragrant and tasty breads, drinks, and desserts like cookies, cakes, or custards. It goes particularly well with chocolate or green veggies. I like lavender mixed with melted butter then used as a dip for steamed artichokes and sprinkled on roasted asparagus or sauteed peas.
According to What's Cooking America: Flowers and leaves can be used fresh, and both buds and stems can be used dried. Lavender is a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is best used with fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory.
English lavender has the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders and is the most commonly used in cooking. [...] Lavender has a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. The potency of the lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh.
Note: Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. [...] A little goes a long way.
Here is a recipe from The Lavender Cookbook (by Sharon Shipley) for Garlicky Lavender Curry Hummus:
You'll need:
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
2/3 cup tahini (sesame paste) or creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender buds, finely ground.
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
paprika (optional)
chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (optional)
Directions:
In a food processor, combine the beans, tahini, water, lemon juice, oil, lavender, curry, salt & garlic. Process until smooth, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency. Season with additional salt & lemon juice, if needed. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and dust with the paprika & parsley (if using).
Serve with pita chips and raw veggies.
Labels:
blog events,
snacks
January 3, 2008
On a roll...
I've joined the Foodie BlogRoll, a list of foodie blogs created by Jenn DiPiazza (aka The Left Over Queen). Check it out...I've added the list to my sidebar.
Labels:
blogging
Stuffed Peppers
While I was browsing online for some tasty, comforting, healthy recipes, I came across a recipe for stuffed peppers on Kalyn's Kitchen, a blog devoted to low-carb South Beach Diet friendly cooking.
I decided that since I'd never made stuffed peppers, it would be a good recipe to try. I tweaked Kalyn's recipe a little. I used:
6 bell peppers (3 red & 3 yellow)
1 pound ground venison (beef or lamb would work, too)
12 ounces reduced fat pork sausage (Jimmy Dean)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
28 ounces crush tomatoes (Rold Gold)
2 ounces capers, drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
salt & pepper, to taste
I made the filling by browning (& draining) the meats separately, then sauteeing the onion & garlic in the olive oil just until soft. I mixed it with the meat and added the crushed tomatoes, capers, half of the mozzarella, the feta, herbs, and seasonings.
I packed that into the raw peppers, stood them upright in a square stone casserole dish, and baked covered at 375 for 30 minutes. I removed the foil, topped each pepper with the remaining mozzarella cheese, then baked it for another 20 minutes.
The peppers were still a bit crunchy (which I really didn't mind) & the filling was a tad wet, but the flavor of the meats with the capers, feta, & herbs was rather good.
If I make stuffed peppers again, I'll either par-boil the peppers first or maybe cut them in half & fill with a raw meat mixture before baking.
I decided that since I'd never made stuffed peppers, it would be a good recipe to try. I tweaked Kalyn's recipe a little. I used:
6 bell peppers (3 red & 3 yellow)
1 pound ground venison (beef or lamb would work, too)
12 ounces reduced fat pork sausage (Jimmy Dean)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
28 ounces crush tomatoes (Rold Gold)
2 ounces capers, drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
salt & pepper, to taste
I made the filling by browning (& draining) the meats separately, then sauteeing the onion & garlic in the olive oil just until soft. I mixed it with the meat and added the crushed tomatoes, capers, half of the mozzarella, the feta, herbs, and seasonings.
I packed that into the raw peppers, stood them upright in a square stone casserole dish, and baked covered at 375 for 30 minutes. I removed the foil, topped each pepper with the remaining mozzarella cheese, then baked it for another 20 minutes.
The peppers were still a bit crunchy (which I really didn't mind) & the filling was a tad wet, but the flavor of the meats with the capers, feta, & herbs was rather good.
If I make stuffed peppers again, I'll either par-boil the peppers first or maybe cut them in half & fill with a raw meat mixture before baking.
Labels:
beef/veal/venison/bison,
veggies
January 2, 2008
Best of 2007
Nupur, another St. Louis food blogger, recently posted her top ten recipes of the year and challenged others to do the same. So, I thought this would be a good time to reflect back on the evolution of my own food blog.
When I started this blog in July 2005, I had no intentions for it. I simply created it as an example for my Writing Camp students. I posted pictures, rants, things I thought were interesting. I was really enjoying writing online...until December of that year, when my in-laws discovered my blog and got mad about my "12 Days of (things I hate about) Christmas" posts. All hell broke loose and so I started censoring everything I posted.
In 2006, my marriage collapsed and I moved out of our new house in December of that year. I didn't want to share what was happening with the world, so I rarely posted.
Then, in April, as I was reading Julie & Julia, I was inspired to begin my own cooking project. I was living alone again after 7 years of marriage and needed something to occupy my time. I had always loved to cook. I read cookbooks cover to cover. I collected recipes from magazines and the Internet. I decided to challenge myself to cook something I'd never made before, at least once a week. I would write about it all on my blog.
Except for a brief lapse this fall when I was overwhelmed with teaching 6 college classes, I have been successful with my challenge. I have many other things that I want to cook, but I am happy with what I've tried so far...the things that turned out well, and even those that didn't.
So, for my "best of," here are my favorite things I've cooked for the first time (in no particular order):
1. Potage Parmentier - My first "new recipe" is still my favorite. It was simple, but not easy, and comforting. I've made it several times since.
2. BLT Cheesecake - So full of bacon and cheese, so rich, so naughty.
3. Spanakopita - This labor-intensive recipe is the one I'm most proud of.
4. Soft Boiled Eggs - While it doesn't take a genius to soft boil an egg, I love the lazy ritual of eating one, complete with my pretty antique egg cups!
5. Fried Green Tomatoes - I ate A LOT of these this summer.
6. Red Velvet Cupcakes - My first homemade cupcakes & the reddest thing I've ever cooked.
7. Blue Goose Pie - I am not a baker. Most of the time, my baked goods don't turn out so well. This pie, however, was so tasty and easy that I made three of them this summer.
8. Curry Lime Chicken Wings - This recipe is from Tyler's Ultimate cookbook, and like everything else in that book, these are spectacular.
9. Eggs Benedict - This is another thing I am very proud of...my first hollandaise & poached eggs, both of which turned out perfectly.
10. Caramelized Onion Toast - I crave salty, crispy foods, so this toast laden with onions, anchovies, and olives really hit the spot!
11. Spiced Pear & Caramel Trifle - While I've made trifle before, this is the first one I invented. And it's by far the prettiest thing I've ever made.
12. Cheese Souffle with Lobster Sauce - The most perfect meal I've ever cooked.
Looking back at my posts, it's no wonder I've gained 20 pounds in the past 8 months!
Here are my favorite posts:
Finally, here are some pics--some good, some not--I never got around to posting:
When I started this blog in July 2005, I had no intentions for it. I simply created it as an example for my Writing Camp students. I posted pictures, rants, things I thought were interesting. I was really enjoying writing online...until December of that year, when my in-laws discovered my blog and got mad about my "12 Days of (things I hate about) Christmas" posts. All hell broke loose and so I started censoring everything I posted.
In 2006, my marriage collapsed and I moved out of our new house in December of that year. I didn't want to share what was happening with the world, so I rarely posted.
Then, in April, as I was reading Julie & Julia, I was inspired to begin my own cooking project. I was living alone again after 7 years of marriage and needed something to occupy my time. I had always loved to cook. I read cookbooks cover to cover. I collected recipes from magazines and the Internet. I decided to challenge myself to cook something I'd never made before, at least once a week. I would write about it all on my blog.
Except for a brief lapse this fall when I was overwhelmed with teaching 6 college classes, I have been successful with my challenge. I have many other things that I want to cook, but I am happy with what I've tried so far...the things that turned out well, and even those that didn't.
So, for my "best of," here are my favorite things I've cooked for the first time (in no particular order):
1. Potage Parmentier - My first "new recipe" is still my favorite. It was simple, but not easy, and comforting. I've made it several times since.
2. BLT Cheesecake - So full of bacon and cheese, so rich, so naughty.
3. Spanakopita - This labor-intensive recipe is the one I'm most proud of.
4. Soft Boiled Eggs - While it doesn't take a genius to soft boil an egg, I love the lazy ritual of eating one, complete with my pretty antique egg cups!
5. Fried Green Tomatoes - I ate A LOT of these this summer.
6. Red Velvet Cupcakes - My first homemade cupcakes & the reddest thing I've ever cooked.
7. Blue Goose Pie - I am not a baker. Most of the time, my baked goods don't turn out so well. This pie, however, was so tasty and easy that I made three of them this summer.
8. Curry Lime Chicken Wings - This recipe is from Tyler's Ultimate cookbook, and like everything else in that book, these are spectacular.
9. Eggs Benedict - This is another thing I am very proud of...my first hollandaise & poached eggs, both of which turned out perfectly.
10. Caramelized Onion Toast - I crave salty, crispy foods, so this toast laden with onions, anchovies, and olives really hit the spot!
11. Spiced Pear & Caramel Trifle - While I've made trifle before, this is the first one I invented. And it's by far the prettiest thing I've ever made.
12. Cheese Souffle with Lobster Sauce - The most perfect meal I've ever cooked.
Looking back at my posts, it's no wonder I've gained 20 pounds in the past 8 months!
Here are my favorite posts:
- Pesto: A Recipe in Haiku
- Bad Boozey Brownies
- "...tastes like summer, and death."
- This is just to say
- Port Club
- Foodie Fieldtrip
- Insatiable Macaroni & Cheese
Finally, here are some pics--some good, some not--I never got around to posting:
Labels:
favorites
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