Healthy Living – Page 10

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Valentine Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

February 13, 2013February 13, 2013 by KTgreen

We’ve been a little under the weather here this week and few things warm and lift the spirits like chocolate. OK, and a steak – which is now the ‘so-happy-I’m-almost-done-with-this-sickness’ meal at Chez Beal ! “Steak ‘n Cake!!” It just happens to be Valentines Day this week too. (Like I need a reason to work up a chocolate froth!) So we had our NY Strips on the grill, some yummy veggies and now the last patient is back in bed with the remote in hand – time for some Cake.

However, this is the Healthy Eating Blog so I can’t go all out on the cakeness. I found a cupcake recipe from WholeFoods and thought I’d give it a whirl. Sometimes when people make something vegan and dairy-free, and sugar-free, etc. the results can be well, less than appealing to those of us who enjoy knowing something isn’t contributing to our delinquency, but still puts a smile on our face. I did take the opportunity to change some of the Vegan aspects to suit my carnivorous lifestyle. I don’t even know what ‘powdered egg-replacer’ is much less have it on hand. (good Lord, what kind of chemical could THAT be?!) So, if you don’t have it, don’t sweat it… let’s get bakin’.

Valentines Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes:

Step 1

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle — Step 1

Gather the staff, and light the fire to 375 deg please.

3/4 Cup AP Flour (unbleached is always best)

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Butter, melted (or canola oil)

2/3 Cup Agave (or maple syrup)

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 Cup FF Milk (or soy milk)

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Raspberry Jam (or other fruit – cherry? Yum)

Step 2:

Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Did you heat that oven? …and get the little muffin tins ready. Line them and give each a spritz of baking spray. OK, where was I – oh yeah, toss the wet ingredients, except the vinegar and milk, into the mixer bowl and beat for a minute. Slowly add 1/2 the dry. Careful with that cocoa powder, or you’ll look like you got a bad bronzer job! Then the milk, then the rest of the dry – now you can add the vinegar.

Step 3:

Yes, it’s a shaky photo – it ain’t easy spooning that out and hitting the clicker! Yes, that’s an ice cream scoop. But here it’s called portion control! Fill the tins about 1/3 full.

Step 4:

Now top each with a dab of jam filling. Not too much – keep it in the center.

Step 5:

Now cover the jam with the remaining batter. Just a spoon each should do. Make sure to cover the sides or the jam will melt and run out in baking. No surprise there – it’s all over the place – and burnt. Not yummy.

Step 6:

Get ’em baking for 20 – 25 min. There they are. Beautiful!!! Cool on a wire rack.

Step 7:

Now, you could stop there and be all healthy, but it’s Valentines Day and my sweetie’s not feeling well. More C H O C O L A T E !!!

Make up some icing with: 1/2 stick butter, melted, 1/3 cup Cocoa, 1 tsp Vanilla, 1-1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar, 3 Tbl Milk. Whip it up and once the cupcakes are cool, spread with the back of a big spoon. Now, you can do this with Whey-Low Powdered sugar, and bring down the butter too to save on calories – but not tonight.

Step 8:

Break one open – Surprise! Jam filling. Although, if there are seeds you’ll want to warn people. Nobody really wants mystery crunchy bits in a baked good.

Finale:

Aren’t they pretty – good enough to eat! And don’t forget they’re not bad for you – without the icing, of course. There’s no processed sugar sweeteners in these cakes. The recipe analyzer says : 152 cal, 5.8g fat (now, add the non-diet icing and it’s 252 cal, 10 g fat)

Taste Tester is smiling. Another thing I like about this one is that this recipe only makes 12, so they’ll be gone before they’re stale – or sunrise.

Happy Valentines Day

Michelle

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Popcorners

January 28, 2013January 23, 2013 by KTgreen

Are you getting healthy this year!? I found yet another tidbit that helps me. ‘Popcorners’

Yes, the new crunchy diet snack d’jour are rice and popcorn based crisps or chips. I’ve been snacking on these for a few months now and thought I’d tell you about them. They make me feel like I’m eating real buttered popcorn. Even though all they have is sea salt on them. Now there’s the key word – REAL.

A few weeks ago there was a sale on the new Special K snacks that were potato crisps and popcorn chips. I like the Special K cereals so I picked them up for a taste test. I won’t be buying them again. I was disappointed in the super ‘fake’ taste of the stuff they sprayed on them. There was like 15 ingredients on the label and their popcorn chips were half the size of the ones I had been buying.

My favorite Popcorners chips are found in my Publix deli – I guess the company who makes them doesn’t have quite the market presence that The Big K has, so you may need to hunt them down. It’ll be worth it. They cost a little less, even at $3.00/bag, because the bag is bigger, and they’re all natural. They’re twice the size of the diet ones, making them big enough to top with a slice of cucumber and a dollop of dressing – or even a slice of cheese. Hmmm, they come with cheese flavor too….ooo, something new to try. And a what’s ‘serving size’?

Well, I was curious so I broke out the scale because you know how it goes, a serving is like 5 chips …wrong…this is 1oz of Popcorners. So, at 3g/fat per serving I could, conceivably, eat my way through an entire bag on a Playoff Weekend and not destroy my diet?? Really? I’m sooo there!

I’m giving the makers a ‘shout-out’ because I don’t want to see them disappear. I must not be the only one buying them because they disappear from the shelves at Whole Foods and Publix really fast!

Michelle

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Devilish Ham

January 23, 2013January 16, 2013 by KTgreen

Hey, who out there has leftover ham? You ate it?! No! Well, here I make a huge New Years ham with the southern Black-eyed Peas, etc. and we have a ton left. I freeze the bone and big chunks for later, but there’s a big ‘box’ of it for sandwiches, ham n’ eggs, and my hubby’s favorite PVCC Special sandwiches (Paradise Valley Country Club)-which will NEVER make it to the ‘Healthy Eating’ Blog because they are cheese and ham swimming in butter, all held together with an egg and mounded on buttered toast! O M G!!

But there comes a day that whatever’s left is either cooked for dinner or frozen. So, I made my version of Hoppin’John and I had enough left for something else small. Hmmm, Devilish Haaaaam! I love that stuff like Alabaman’s love pimento n’ cheese!

I thought I should check out some other recipes on the Net to see what other folks do. I was surprised that almost none of them were what I make. I like mine better, so they can have their ‘deviled ham’. Most rely on hot sauce, horseradish, vinegar and a very few would add a dab of pickle relish. Although, they all have mayo and some way too much of it, which wouldn’t make the Healthy Eating blog any sooner than Jonny’s PVCC gut buster! . So, I think I need to jump in with my 2 cents (or a buck n’ a half) to share MY version. So very baaaaaaad – and so very gooood.

Step 1: Gather your goodies and dust off that food processor.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Devilish Ham

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Delish Ham

Step 2: Toss in the food processor and pulse it to the ‘Alpo’ stage – yeah, it ain’t pretty. Awwww, but you can’t smell it though…sorry, there’s no app for that. It’ll be on the iPhone 9.

Step 3: Pick your platform. They’re all good. Feeling fancy, try the Water Crackers. Feeling Festive then fill the tortilla cups. I was out of whole wheat saltines, so they didn’t make the photo. They’re my healthy go-to snack platform. Then there’s Pita – nothing is bad on a pita chip! Not that I’ve found, and I keep looking!

This makes about 2 1/2 cups, which is 6 – 1/4 cup servings. No, that 2 Tablespoon serving will never work here! Still, it’s 117 cal., 6.9g fat and that analyzer has no idea how much white stuff I picked off that ham.

Finale: There’s a close-up… spicy, hammy goodness. Remember, this is Devilish Ham so this ain’t no girly snack – the men will eat it. But probably only on a Frito, so much for healthy.

Michelle