Light-As-Air Chocolate Cake

 

This recipe was in a Taste of Home newsletter recently.  I tweaked the ingredients slightly, going with a sugar-free cake mix and unsweetened almond milk to "healthify" a bit more.

I made it for a housewarming party and got good feedback.  In a backhanded compliment, one taster told me she liked a heavier, buttercream-style frosting, that this one was a little too airy. 

By the way, what looks vaguely like a bit of butter on the top of the cake slice is actually a white chocolate shaving.  :)

 

Ingredients:

 

Cake:

• 1 package sugar-free chocolate cake mix
• 1 2.1-ounce package sugar-free, fat-free instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 3 egg whites

Frosting:

 

• 1 1/4 cups cold unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1.4-ounce package sugar-free, fat-free instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 8-ounce carton reduced-fat whipped topping
• Dark chocolate curls
• White chocolate curls

Directions:

 

Cake:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, water and egg whites.
• Beat on low speed for 1 minute and then on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Pour into roughly a 9x13 baking pan, spritzed with non-stick buttery spray.
• Bake for 12-18 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

• Place milk and extract in a large bowl.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pudding mix.
• Let stand for 1 minute.
• Whisk pudding into mix.
• Repeat twice more until all the pudding mix is incorporated.
• Whisk for 2 minutes longer.
• Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Fold in whipped topping.
• Garnish with dark chocolate and white chocolate shavings.

Beef & Bean Tacos

I finally had a chance to make dinner for my husband using the homemade tortillas I'd whipped up a week or so ago, and I decided to go with one of his favorites: tacos.  These soft tacos are very easy to make and can be customized with any ingredients you or the fam might like.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1/2 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 packet cheesy taco seasoning mix (or regular taco seasoning mix)
• 1/2 cup refried beans, at room temperature
• Shredded Mexican cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Pico de gallo
• Homemade tortillas

Directions: 

• Cook ground beef in fry pan over medium heat.
• Once cooked through, mix in ranch packet and cheesy taco seasoning mix, blending thoroughly.  (No need to add liquid; just use the little bit of grease from the hamburger.  The cheesy taco mix adds some creaminess to the hamburger, which is why I like it.)
• Assemble tacos by spreading a layer of the refried beans onto the tortilla and topping with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, ground beef mixture and pico de gallo.

Note: Depending on how you assemble your tacos, you may have some ground beef left over.  Just refrigerate it and use it to make these tasty tacos again.

Party Crackers

I first tried these savory saltine crackers at the Taste & Toast Thursday's farmer's market at Tivoli Village.  One of the vendors was offering samples.  One taste, and I was hooked.  Smart vendor! She had the snacks pre-made, in bags, and ready-to-eat, and she was selling the mix, "The Original Savory Saltine Seasoning", to make your own at home.  I bought the mix and made some for my husband.  He loved them and found them, like I did, to be addictive.  It took a supreme act of will to stop munching!

I wasn't wild about all the additives in the mix, so I decided to try making my own version.  I was surprised to find several different recipes online, and after trying a couple, I found my favorite.  It's not entirely additive-free; the ranch dressing mix has some.  But at least it's a little better, and using the Smart Balance oil helped with boosting the nutrient value, if not reducing calories.  The chili pepper flakes give the crackers some bite, but the heat is tempered by the Parmesan.  Just enough... but not too much.  

These are super easy to make and very tasty.  I brought them to a 60th birthday party, and they were gobbled up.

Ingredients:

• 3 sleeves whole grain saltine crackers
• 1 cup canola oil (I used Smart Balance Omega 3 oil.)
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon crushed chili pepper flakes

Directions:

• Pour oil into a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag.
• Add ranch dressing mix, Parmesan cheese and chili pepper flakes.
• Stir to combine thoroughly.
• Add crackers.
• Seal bag without releasing the air.
• Gently shake crackers in bag so that oil mixture coats crackers.
• Let rest for 10 minutes and shake again.
• Let rest for another 10 minutes and shake again.

These taste best, and are less greasy, if they are allowed to sit overnight before serving.

Homemade Tortillas

Inspired by my very good friend, Becky Johnson, who recently made tortillas from scratch for the first time, I decided to try it myself.  As Becky and others report, it's not hard to do. It is, though, a time-consuming process because you cook each tortilla individually.  One recipe makes a bunch of 'em, so it makes sense do it on the weekend and then freeze them for meals throughout the week.  They're inexpensive, and it's nice to use healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour.

Becky's blog post has a great tutorial that nicely illustrates each step of the process.  

My husband snacked on a couple of these with butter and really enjoyed them.  I think they'd be good with some jam as well, which is what I've pictured here.  My husband's working out of town this week, so I'm freezing the remainder of the tortillas until he gets home.  I plan to make steak tacos for him.  I'll post the recipe here, of course.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
• 2 cups white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups water

Directions:

• Whisk the flours, salt and baking powder together.
• Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles corn meal.
• Add the water and mix until a dough forms, kneading lightly.
• Divide the dough into 24 golf-ball size balls.
• Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Grease (with non-stick olive oil spray) or flour a cutting board and roll out each ball into a thin, round shape.
• Place into the hot skillet and cook until lightly browned; then flip.
• Continue rolling and cooking the remaining balls of dough.

Mango Margarita Cupcakes

My "adopted fam" in Vegas always throws a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, and there's never a lack of yummy food or alcohol.  However, this year's party was the last one in the house they've lived in for 18 years.  Such a momentous occasion required a little extra effort beyond showing up to the party, and I wanted to make something special.  A little Internet research, Googling "cinco de mayo recipes", led me to Hoosier Homemade, the blog of Liz, the Cupcake Lady. Liz's blog is fantastic.  It's already become one of my favorites. Liz blogs about baking, cooking, and decorating, and she has several terrific free email newsletters you can sign up for.  I highly recommend them.

On Hoosier Homemade, I found a  wonderful recipe for Margarita Cupcakes.  I adapted mine just slightly by using a mango mix and adding it to the frosting.  

The cupcakes started disappearing as I was walking up the drive to my adopted fam's house.  Several comments were made about the cupcakes matching my outfit.  I swear I didn't plan it that way!  Those enjoying a quiet moment outside quickly snapped the sweet treats up, and they kept being plucked from the tray as I made my way through the house to the outdoor patio area in the back.  A good sign, don't you think?! :)

About the frosting: Including the margarita mix made it a bit runny.  It held up fine when I chilled it in the fridge after frosting the cupcakes.  You may want to use less than I did to keep it fluffier and firmer. I did, however, get great feedback on how good the frosting tasted, so it may be worth it to have it a little softer.

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 3/4 cup mango margarita mix (I used Master of Mixes Mango Daiquiri/Margarita Mix.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 1/4 cup mango margarita mix
• Red and yellow food coloring
• Orange candy slices for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spritz cupcake liners with non-stick buttery spray, if you'd like.
• Combine all ingredients up to frosting in a large bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended.
• Spoon into cupcake liners.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Allow to cool.
• While the cupcakes are baking, stir margarita mix into frosting.
• Place a few drops each of red and yellow food coloring into the frosting and stir, adding more food coloring if necessary to achieve the desired color.
• Chill until the cupcakes are ready.
• Frost and top with an orange candy slice.

Fruit & Nut Bars

These remind me of KIND bars, which are a new favorite "granola" bar of mine.  I replaced some of the nuts with chia seeds to keep the crunch but add more nutrition.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
• 1 cup dried strawberries
• 1 cup dried papaya, diced
• 1 1/2 cups roasted almonds
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate almond spread (or Nutella)
• Sea salt

Directions:

• Spritz a 9x13 baking pan liberally with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine cereal, dried fruits, almonds and chocolate chunks.
• In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar, honey and almond spread, whisking until everything is melted and combined.
• Pour sauce over cereal mixture and stir to coat thoroughly.
• Spread into prepared pan, pressing down firmly and evenly.
• Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
• Chill until firm.
• Cut into bars.

Note:  To roast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the almonds out in one layer on sheet pan.  Roast for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Adapted from http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/fruit-nut-bars/. 

German Chocolate Bars

Creamy coconut, rich caramel and crunchy pecans on top of a fudgy base...yum-o-liciously addictive!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 package German Chocolate cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup caramel bits
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spritz a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick buttery spray.
• Beat together melted butter, one egg and cake mix.
• Press into baking pan.
• Beat together remaining two eggs, powdered sugar, cream cheese, coconut and caramel bits.
• Spoon over cake mix layer.
• Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes.
• Let cool completely and cut into squares.