Berrylicious

Courtney, this recipe is for you! It's a re-mix of the blueberry cake you enjoyed two years ago which I'm finally getting around to posting. It has the right amount of sour cream and non-fat half and half which makes it tender and moist. And it's pretty easy to make. Here's the recipe.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Topping (Crumble)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup AP flour
2 T unsalted butter
2T canola oil
1/4 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener (granulated sugar works fine too)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Dry Ingredients
1-1/2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
6 T unsalted butter softened
2 T canola oil
1 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener (or sugar)
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries, washed and patted dry

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8" x 8" pan with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour. I like the disposable aluminum pans from the grocery store. Place blueberries in a strainer and sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Shake out excess flour. This coating will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Set the berries aside.


I like to prepare the topping first. In small bowl combine all crumble ingredients and set aside.

Now on to the cake. In mid size bowl combine the dry ingredients and whip with a whisk to incorporate.

In large bowl, with hand mixer combine butter, canola oil and Splenda and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix, then vanilla, sour cream and half and half. Combine well. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, scraping down the sides of your bowl as you go and mix until smooth. Fold in blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping on the cake and press down lightly with your clean hands to make it stick to the batter. Bake 35 to 45 minutes and remove to cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before you dig in.

Slice into 9 portions and enjoy. I can't think of a better way to kick off the summer fruit season!

Re-mix: If you're feeling nutty, add some chopped walnuts to the batter (1/2 cup). And if that isn't enough nuts for you, add 2 tablespoons to the topping. Also, I have made this recipe with fresh peaches as the star and some haphazard blueberries thrown into the mix and it's also quite good. Tip- If you want to make this with frozen blueberries, don't defrost them or your batter has the chance of turning blue.

Vegetable Rice Pilaf

It was time to go through the fridge and do something with last weeks unused produce. I had half an onion, one lonely carrot, a green pepper and a package of button mushrooms that were desperately looking for attention. I also had an abundance of Near East Rice Pilaf bought on sale for a dollar a box that somehow seemed to fit into the mix. I decided to try a vegetable pilaf (you know how I love the combo of rice and orzo) and figured vegetable pilaf would go great with the two chicken breasts that also needed to be cooked. The chicken recipe- so easy I'm embarrased to post it. You can find it on any can of French's Onion Rings. It's quite good and I recommend it.

The pilaf, that's my contribution and it turned out great. Simple, versatile, yummy and a quick fix.

Vegetable Pilaf

1 box Near East Rice Pilaf Original flavor

1-1/2 tsp canola oil

1/2 medium size onion diced

1 carrot diced

1 green pepper diced

8 oz mushrooms chopped

Salt

Pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook rice according to package directions (I add 1 T of butter to the boiling water for richness and flavor). While rice is cooking, warm canola oil in large skillet on medium heat, then add diced onion, carrot and green pepper. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if using. Cook a few minutes and add chopped mushrooms. Cook all vegetables until soft. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

When rice is done, fluff with a fork and combine the veggies with the rice. If you're a fan of Parmesan, top the pilaf with a teaspoon or two of cheese.

Bedeviled

Last night I made a macaroni salad that's devilishly good. It's a marriage of deviled eggs and macaroni and is the perfect side for burgers, hot dogs or anything grilled. It's easy to make and you most likely have all the ingredients in your fridge and pantry.

Deviled Macaroni Salad

5 eggs hard boiled and diced
2 cups uncooked macaroni (I use Dreamfield's low carb)
2 celery stalks diced
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 T yellow mustard
2 T sweet relish
1/4 cup light sour cream
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper

*************

Hard boil the eggs.

To get nice looking eggs with no green ring around the yolk, put the eggs in a medium sized pot, cover with cold water and cook on high heat. When water boils, cover pot and remove from heat. Let eggs sit covered for 8 minutes. Run cooked eggs under cold water or cool them in an ice bath. When cool, peel and dice. I promise you...perfect eggs.

Cook macaroni according to package directions and run under cold water to cool. In large bowl add macaroni, chopped eggs and diced celery. To make the dressing combine the remainder of the ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Pour dressing over macaroni mixture and combine. Chill and serve. This recipe's a keeper.

Caesar Salad (no raw eggs invited)

Anne Burrell is possibly my favorite chef on the Food Network. Her flavors are as bold and big as her personality and her recipes never disappoint. A few months ago she did a show that featured a Caesar dressing that didn't include raw eggs. I bookmarked that in my memory and finally made it today. Delish. I changed her recipe slightly because I didn't have all the ingredients she specified. However success was achieved. It was cheesy, garlicky and as good as the real thing!

Caesar Dresssing
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese (Anne used 1 cup grated Parmesan- that sounded like a lot to me so I cut back on the amount, plus I only had shredded in my fridge)
2 lemons juiced
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1-1/2 T Dijon mustard (Anne used 2 T)
1 tsp anchovy paste (Anne used 3-4 anchovies)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt


In large bowl combine all ingredents and whisk until combined. Anne used a food processor but I chose the old fashioned method.

Croutons
4 slices Italian bread sliced into 1/2 to 1 inch squares
2 cloves of garlic smashed
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt

In medium to large skillet, on medium heat, add oil and smashed garlic. Cook the garlic until it becomes warm and amber colored and the aroma permeates the room. Do not cook the garlic too long or it will burn. Remove garlic from oil, lower heat slightly and add bread cubes and a pinch or two of salt. Cook cubes until golden. This happens pretty quickly, so don't take your eyes away from the pan. Remove croutons and drain on paper towels.


To assemble the salad for 4 people I used one Romaine lettuce heart and left the leaves whole (that's what Anne did) and I loved the informality of the presentation. Drizzle lettuce with dressing and garnish with croutons. Add freshly ground pepper if desired.

One Pot Rice and Vegetables

If you like rice and vegetables cooked as a one pot dish, this recipe is for you. If you like it a little spicy and don't mind taking some help from packaged foods, then you're really going to be happy. I have never been a successful brown rice cooker, but somehow between Uncle Ben and Thai Kitchen, I've figured this baby out. My Thai inspired rice and veggies first come together with the help of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste.


This little 4 ounce jar is packed with flavor and has all the exotic spices you've come to expect when making curried Thai food. But all the work is done. There's no chopping or grinding or figuring out measurements. Sit back and check out this simple recipe.

Thai Inspired Rice and Vegetables

1 T canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 T Thai Red Curry Paste
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (use less if you're not familiar with the heat)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1 14.5 oz can of low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 T fish sauce (available in the International aisle of your supermarket)
1-1/2 T brown sugar- this sounds like a lot of sugar, but it adds so much to the dish, that I wouldn't cut back on it)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 red pepper sliced
4 oz fresh sugar snap peas
1 can 4 oz baby corn sliced
juice of half a lemon
2 bags Uncle Ben's Boil n Bag brown rice

Heat oil in large pot over medium/low heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic, curry paste, cayenne pepper and salt. Stir to combine and cook about 1 minute. Add coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, brown sugar and black pepper. Stir again until all ingredients seem to be incorporated. Bring liquid to a boil. Add vegetables and 2 packages of rice (remove the rice from the boil-n-bags). Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Remove cover, add another pinch or 2 of salt, stir and cook uncovered 2 or 3 minutes more. Turn off heat and squeeze lemon juice into the rice mixture. Stir again and serve.

I love this dish. It's delicious served hot, cold or at room temp. And it can be made with different vegetables, or none at all. But what I like most about it, is that it is pretty much fool proof and in 20 minutes you've got a tasty dish to bring to the table. I consider this a lower calorie version of vegetable fried rice and would serve with an egg roll, fried shrimp or chicken fingers from the local take out and call it a meal. A delicious meal!

Cilantro Burgers

Since this weekend is the unofficial start of summer and barbeque season, I thought it would be appropriate to share a new burger recipe I came up with. It's not a burger for everyone- it's for those who can't get enough cilantro in their lives. Cilantro is the plant (herb) that grows from the coriander seed. It's amazing how the population is so split on this herb. It seems you either like it or hate it. So for you cilantro lovers, this burger's for you.

Cilantro Burgers

1 T finely chopped scallions (whites only)

1/2 cup bread crumbs- I used 1 slice Italian bread ground in my spice mill

1T Gourmet Garden Cilantro Herb Blend

2 tsp Sambal Olek (Chinese Chili Paste)

2 pinches curry powder (optional)

4 pinches paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 egg slightly beaten

1 pound ground beef

Combine all ingredients (except beef) in a large bowl. Now add ground beef, and with fingertips mix gently until incorporated. Don't over mix. Make 4 patties . **TIP**When making the patties, indent your thumb in the center of each patty to make a small well. This will ensure the burgers will cook flat and not puff up.

Prepare grill. I cook my burgers on a stove top grill and heat it to high, then lower the temp to medium. Spray grill with PAM or lightly grease with canola oil. Add burgers. Cook 5 minutes on the first side, then 4 minutes on the second. Your burgers will be medium to well done.

These burgers are ever-so moist and tender, with the fresh flavor of cilantro and hint of heat from the Sambal. The texture is perfect. You won't be disappointed. I served this batch with a dollop of mayo and Dijon mustard, with Bibb lettuce on grilled Italian bread. As with all burgers, add the condiments that YOU like. Anything goes.

Happy Grilling!

Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Cookies

I've had this recipe tucked away in one of my files for years. I think Paula Deen was the first one to turn me on to it. But today on the TV Foodnetwork, Claire Robinson added a little something, something that had me waiting for a break in my day to make these cookies again- the addition of sea salt. I think there's nothing better than the combination of sweet and salty. And this cookie (gluten free I might add) hits the mark, and then some. It has only 4 ingredients and if you make it with Splenda as I did, it's the perfect snack, treat, or dessert for anyone who has diabetic issues as well. And it couldn't be simpler.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Smart Beat)

1 cup Splenda no calorie sweetner (you can use granulated sugar if you like)

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Coarse sea salt (easy to find these days in the regular supermarket)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, Splenda, egg and vanilla until incorporated. I used a hand mixer. It was quick. To form the cookies, take about 1 tablespoon of mixture and roll with your hands to form a one inch ball. Continue rolling and place 9 balls on parchment lined cookie sheet. Slightly flatten balls with the tines of a fork, making a criss cross pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies, just don't add too much. Bake 10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Repeat rolling and baking process with the rest of the mixture.

Remove from oven, let cool on rack and you're ready to enjoy.
I'm bringing these to Fran's pool tomorrow. I know they'll all be gone by the end of the day (or within the hour), because this recipe made only 18 cookies. Next time I'll double the recipe and maybe add in some mini chocolate chips.

Ahh. Summer is finally here!