Animal, Vegetable, Miserable...

I have recently started eating meat again. Having moved in with the boyfriend, my meat-eating habits have become more commonplace than they once were. The problem is that I'm noticing more problems: upset stomachs, strange cravings, and generally unhealthy eating habits. Seemingly, by letting meat back into my diet in a major way, I've let other problems come in that have made me feel less than awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going vegan, but I definitely want to start eating more vegetables, fish, eggs, chicken, and keep other meats to special occasions. However, I can never curb my diet without attempting to get away from my ridiculous sweet tooth. Well, that's kind of a misnomer; it's also a fat tooth. This is where bran muffins come in. Healthy and chock full of fiber and protein, these guys make for a very filling breakfast and a great start to my day.

A Healthier Bran Muffin

Typically, store bought bran muffins have very little bran, loads of fat, and far too much sugar. I'd like to trim down on all of this and make a healthier version. This recipe produces a delicious muffin base that can be modified in at least a couple of ways.

1 cup Bran cereal (I use Fiber One bran cereal because it doesn't contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup)
1 1/2 cups low-fat or non-fat milk

1/2 cup unsulphered dark molasses
1/4 cup splenda dark brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce + 2 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
1 large egg

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

For the basic muffin mix, combine the bran cereal and milk and let it stand for 5 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and prepare a muffin tin with liners.

Add the molasses, brown sugar splenda, applesauce, yogurt, and the egg to the bran cereal/milk mixture. Mix until combined. While the bran will soften, don't expect it to totally dissolve until the muffins are baked.

In another bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid mixture, and mix just until it all comes together (avoid over mixing). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Because of the bran and the molasses, the muffins will get fairly dark. Cool, remove from the pan, and enjoy regularity like never before!



Alternatives:

Apple Cinnamon Muffins: Add 1 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients, and mix in 1 large finely chopped, Granny Smith apple with the liquid ingredients.

Mocha Muffins: add 1 tbsp instant coffee to the milk and bran. Add 1 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in 3 oz of chopped dark chocolate. This alternative naturally comes with a little extra fat and calories.

I've tried both of these alternatives and they worked out wonderfully. Both lent themselves to the dense texture that the bran and wheat flour provide. I imagine adding blueberries would make a delicious muffin as well. Pictured are the mocha muffins. I used parchment paper to fashion some muffin cups and plan to do so again; they provide plenty of support for the batter and they're the perfect size for unwrapping and holding the muffin.

Nutrition Data
(Compiled the old fashioned way with impeccable math skills, a pen, and some paper...)

Per regular bran muffin:
Calories: 170 calories
Fat: 1.5 grams
Fiber: 5 grams (or 20% of the daily recommended amount)
Protein: 3 grams (okay well maybe not as chock full of protein as I'd like...)

A Fail and a Success... Blueberry Jam

So I decided to try out some Asian appetizers for my bf's birthday/going away party. He's going to China, so why not have some chinese appetizers? Ah the first of my attempts into Asian food. Well, not technically first, but eggrolls are pretty straightforward. I will say that store bought broccoli slaw mix and shredded cabbage make a delightful, easy filling when cooked with sesame oil and soy sauce, but I digress.

Pot stickers were a little tricky, folding and crimping the wonton wrapper and making sure the liquid evaporates after cooking them; I'm not used to either of these methods, but I guess we all live and learn. Well, the pot stickers stuck to the pan, but the filling was delicious. Note to self: use a non-stick pan... no, seriously.

Onto better and brighter ideas, at least until I get the nerve to attempt the pot stickers again. Now for some blueberry jam.

Blueberry Jam



Start with 1 pint blueberries
1/2 pouch liquid fruit pectin
juice of half a lemon and the zest of 1 whole lemon*
2 cups sugar

In a pan combine blueberries and sugar, crushing some of the blueberries so that the end result will have a nice texture.

Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cook over medium to medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a full boil over medium high heat. Stir in pectin and boil hard for 1 minute.



Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars. If you're like me, I prefer to let this cool in the pan, transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator. In the fridge, it will last 2-3 weeks, thanks to the acid and the sugar. However, such a small amount of jam will not last even that long.

*I would like to say that you get a delightful, lemony zing in this jam. I love lemon and I love lemon with blueberries even more, so this is the perfect jam for me. However, if you're not such a fan, I'd reduce the lemon juice and zest by half.

Coming up next - healthy bran muffins. I know I'm an old man, but I love love LOVE bran...

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

I'm not even sure where I got this recipe from, but I heard about it on one cooking show or another. Homemade coffee liqueur? I was doubtful. And truthfully, it's not really on par with Kahlua or other coffee liqueurs... it's something else though, something delicious. You can drink this straight; it's really not that strong. What's even better is mixing it with milk; because of the vodka, it's like an instant White Russian. Mixed with coffee and cream, it makes a pretty heavenly drink as well.

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

3 cups vodka

2 cups sugar (vanilla sugar works wonders here)
2 cups water

1/2 cup instant coffee
1 tbsp good vanilla

Combine the sugar and the water in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool and add the instant coffee and vanilla.

In another container, pour in the vodka, followed by the coffee, vanilla syrup. Let it set for about 1 - 2 weeks, shaking it every day. After a week or two, you're ready to have fun.



I will say that this makes quite a bit of liqueur and, in the future, I may only half the recipe.

The Wedding Cake

This White Chocolate and Lemon Wedding Cake originally comes from a Bon Appetit magazine that can be found at Epicurious.

The Wedding Cake

I’ve made this cake a total of three times including this most recent time. I’ve never made it as a complete recipe (ie a complete wedding cake). However, the recipe is incredibly helpful—half of it makes enough for either one 12-inch cake or one 9-inch cake and one 6-inch cake. To clarify, what I am providing here is one half recipe; this is really for my own benefit, since I always have trouble finding this recipe when I need it and have to go through halving the recipe each time. Additionally, I've altered some of the order of events for my own benefit.

The process of baking this cake is involved; it contains two fillings: lemon curd and a lemon, white-chocolate mousse. Lemon + white chocolate = heaven. So first up is the lemon curd. This can be made as much as a week in advance; it has enough sugar and lemon juice to preserve it for at least that long.


Lemon Curd

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
18 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the cake)
1 1/2 cups butter, chilled and cubed

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add in the lemon juice and whisk until incorporated. Add the egg yolks and half the butter, whisking until combined. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously, until thick—thanks to the cornstarch it should thicken well before it gets to the boiling stage. In a large pot with plenty of space, it only took about 7 minutes to thicken.

Remove from heat and gradually add the remaining butter to help cool down the curd. Strain it through a sieve to remove any solids. Press some plastic on top, and chill until thickened and delicious.



As a filling, the lemon curd is delicious. It's great on toast as well, heh.


Lemon White Chocolate Mousse

2 cups Lemon Curd
8 oz white chocolate (Lindt continues to be my favorite both for taste and price)
1 1/2 cups whipped cream

This could not be easier. Keep the lemon curd chilled. Melt the white chocolate gently in the top of a double boiler. Do not overheat. In another chilled bowl, with chilled utensils, beat the chilled (get the pattern?) whipped cream until medium peaks form. Fold in the warm white chocolate. Next, fold in the lemon curd in three editions. Cover the bowl and chill for at least one day and up to four days.

See? Easy peasy. Additionally, each of the previous fillings makes excellent desserts in their own right. The lemon curd is such an amazing multi-tasker. Throw it in a pie shell and top it with some blueberries for a quick and easy tart or have it on some toast for a decadent breakfast. The mousse is just ridiculously amazing; there’s no other way to describe it.


The Frosting

8 oz white chocolate (Lindt continues to be my favorite)

2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 cups packed powdered sugar (yes, packed)

3 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

In the top of a double boiler, melt the white chocolate.

In a mixer, beat the whipping cream and 1 1/4 cups (roughly half) of the powdered sugar until medium-firm peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.

In the mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until it's light and fluffy. Add in half of the sugar, followed by the white chocolate.

Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in 4 additions, using the first addition to just lighten the cream cheese. Cover and chill. Because of the use of cream, rather than butter, the frosting is spreadable right from the refrigerator. However, it needs to remain chilled once the cake is frosted.


Orange Buttermilk Cake

5 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
5 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
2 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 10 large reserved from the lemon curd)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sugar

This is a little involved. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing and flouring the 12-inch pan (or the 9 and the 6-inch pans). Either way, your cake pans should have 3-inch-high sides.

Next, sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together three times in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites in a mixer with the cream of tarter until medium peaks form. Transfer to another bowl. In the mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the oil, followed by the remaining sugar. Make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. Once everything is incorporated, mix in the flour alternately with the buttermilk (four additions of the flour, three of the buttermilk).

Finally, stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten and fold in the remaining egg whites in three additions. Bake in the prepared pan or pans of your choice. Bake the cakes as follows, based on the times provided in the original recipe. Note that the cakes will be a dark brown, but in my experience, these times can be reduced because our oven bakes hot.

12-inch pan: 1 hour and 25 minutes
9-inch pan: 1 hour and 18 minutes
6-inch pan: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Cool cakes in their pans for 30 minutes before removing. The original recipe recommends having used cake pans with removable bottoms, but I've had no trouble using regular cake pans since finding these sizes can be tricky.


The Assembly

Separate the cake, regardless of the size used, into three layers. Top the bottom layer with about 1 3/4 cups lemon mouse. Drop the lemon curd onto the cake (about 1/2 to 2/3 cup) and spread evenly. Make sure not to spread either filling to the edge of the cake. The fillings, even chilled, have a tendency to leak out of the sides.



The first layer, topped with both the mousse and the lemon curd. I highly recommend chilling the first layer thoroughly (for about an hour) before proceeding. After the second layer is complete, top with the third layer and chill for at least 30 minutes just to allow the fillings to set and firm up. If the curd leaks out the side at all, it will do so during this time, which is why it's important to let it rest before frosting.

Once the cake and the fillings have had ample time to firm up and set, begin frosting the cake. I've had the best luck by removing the frosting from the fridge and stirring it to loosen it up a few minutes before the cake is ready to be frosted. Start by frosting the sides, making sure to use enough frosting to "cement" the fillings in the cake. Traditionally, you begin by frosting the top of the cake and then work around the side, but by starting on the sides, you're preventing the cake from moving too much while you're frosting the top.



This is obviously the pitcure from the website because I totally fail at taking a picture of the finished result. However, with an offset spatula and a little work, the frosting was incredibly smooth, even, and shiny. Easily one of my better frosting jobs.

This cake is definitely a special, once a year event. It's worked wonderfully every time, but it can be a little tricky. When in doubt, keep everything well chilled. Up next, I need to post some more muffin recipes and I still want to try steaming some salmon in a pouch... after these past few weeks I need to start watching what I eat more closely!

A healthy, light, French dessert

I served this with some oven roasted chicken, the light fettucini alfredo from a few posts ago, and some steamed broccoli. Needless to say, the meal was a hit.

Raspberry Clafoutis

This recipe was a pure experiment. I’ve grown comfortable with some basic substitutions for making slightly healthier desserts that are lower in fat and sugar. I’ll start with the original recipe then explain my low-fat, low-sugar substitutions.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt

3 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp almond extract

2 cups raspberries
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Here are my substitutions. Rather than 3 tbsp butter, I used 1 tbsp melted butter mixed with 2 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt. Rather than the sugar, I actually used a blend of 1 tbsp splenda brown sugar, 1 tbsp fructose sugar, and 3 tbsp splenda granular. This is a complicated yet tasty mix, but I imagine using only regular splenda granular would produce solid results here as well. Now back to the directions…

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch gratin dish or cake pan.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt. In another bowl beat the eggs, butter, almond extract, and lemon zest until smooth. Add the milk to the liquid mixture, and mix until incorporated. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture until light and very smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the gratin/pie dish, and top with the raspberries.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the clafoutis is set and golden in color. Let it cool slightly then dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve with some ice cream.



The dessert is great, but the raspberries were just a wee bit tart. Up next, a Lemon Wedding Cake, and eventually I want to be cooking "en papilotte" (french(?) for in pouches)...