ZUCCHINI-CRANBERRY MUFFINS

Muffins are my go-to dessert when I have to have a sweet.  Sweets are becoming less a part of my life as my blood-sugar problems intensify.  This muffin is more like a breakfast muffin than a dessert muffin, since it’s not overly sweet.  Zucchini and applesauce lend moistness and flavor, and the craisins, walnuts and spices round everything out to make a muffin that is very light, slightly spicy, fruity and crunchy.  I’ll be making these again to be sure.

Zucchini Cranberry Muffins Adapted from Simply Recipes Rating:  9.5 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 1 jumbo egg 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup brown sugar + 1 Tbsp. NuNaturals Stevia) 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/3 cup melted butter (I used 2 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 + 1/2 cup applesauce) 1 tsp. baking soda big pinch sea salt 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cinnamon 1-1/2 cups flour (I used 3/4 cup white whole wheat, 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose) 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries 1-1/2 cups finely grated zucchini (grate on large holes of box grater, then chop) Heat oven to 400F.  Set out a 12-cup muffin tin.  Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, or line with paper cups. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, vanilla and melted butter.  Sprinkle baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon over mixture and whisk in.  Using a spatula or spoon, gradually add flour, gently stirring only till barely combined.  Fold in walnuts, cranberries and zucchini, being careful not to overmix. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, using about 1/4 cup for each.  Place pan in oven, close door and immediately reduce heat to 325F.  Bake 17-20 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs.  Yield:  12 muffins

BLUEBERRY SWIRL OATMEAL

This is my new favorite oatmeal flavor.  You can swirl this blueberry puree into your  favorite oatmeal – instant,quick, old-fashioned or steel cut.  I happen to favor steel-cut oats, which I start the night before, then finish cooking in the morning.  With peaches and blueberries in season, I’ve been cutting a half peach and putting it in the pot with the oatmeal for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Then I top the oatmeal with a swirl of homemade blueberry puree, about 1 Tbsp., and finish it off with soy or almond milk.   The blueberry puree is not terribly sweet, but it has an intense blueberry flavor that is quite pleasing to the palate.  It’s not  hard to make and is a great, more healthful  substitute for the overly sweet preserves and jams in stores.  Give it a try.

BLUEBERRY PUREE Source:  Judy’s Kitchen Rating:  10 out of 10 PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS:  1 pt. fresh or frozen blueberries 2 Tbsp. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice In 1-1/2 quart heavy saucepan, combine blueberries and sugar.  Cook over medium heat till mixture bubbles.  Reduce heat slightly to keep mixture to slow boil, stirring as needed for about 15-20 minutes, or till liquid is reduced and jam consistency is reached.  Stir in lemon juice.  Puree with immersion blender.  Refrigerate.

PINEAPPLE PECAN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

It sounds weird:  a cake with no butter, shortening or oil.  How could it be good?  But  I decided to try it, with my adaptations, of course.  And I was surprised to find that it’s quite good, in fact, delicious. 

The pecans that go inside the cake have fat, and there’s fat in the frosting, even if it is reduced.  And, just in case you think this is a good diet recipe, just remember that wheat flour of any kind has more than 400 calories per cup.  My own opinion is that flour products contribute to weight gain as much as fat and sugar products.  Still, I did reduce the sugar by subbing stevia for part of it.  And, all things considered, this dessert has less impact on your diet than, say, a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting….. that is, if you ration your portions.  Very hard to do, because these are unbelievably good.  They’re light but rich tasting and so very easy to eat.

The cupcakes will puff up as they bake and you will be thinking, oh my, such a nicely crowned cupcake.  But to your dismay, they will then deflate and sink a little.  I don’t know why they do that, but that’s why you need the frosting.  To cover them up and make them look pretty.  But to my thinking, any excuse to use cream cheese frosting is okay with me.

Pineapple Pecan Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Adapted from keyingredient.com Rating:  9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp. NuNaturals Stevia) 1 tsp. baking soda 1 large egg 10 oz. fresh pineapple, chopped, then processed in food processor (or 10 oz. crushed pineapple with juice) 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans Heat oven to 350F.  Set out a standard 6-cup muffin tin and a 12-cup mini-muffin tin.  Line both with paper cups.  Spray each of the cups inside lightly with non-stick cooking spray, if desired.  In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda.  Add the egg, pineapple and pecans and stir with a spatula or spoon just till moistened.  Fill the muffin cups almost to the tops with batter.  Set in oven on middle rack and bake standards about 15-18 minutes and minis about 11-14 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns clean.  Cool on wire racks.    When thoroughly cool, frost with cream cheese frosting. Cream Cheese Frosting: 1/2 stick (2 oz.) butter or Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, softened 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) 4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, cold In small bowl, beat butter till it’s fluffy and light.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well after each addition.  Beat till smooth.  Gradually add cheese in little pieces, beating well after each addition till frosting is smooth again.  Keep beating until frosting is smooth, creamy and of spreading consistency.  (If you use liquid extract, you may need to add some more sugar to get the right consistency.)  (This frosting requires a lot of beating, probably about 10 minutes total, but the finished frosting is so creamy and wonderful, it’s worth it.)  Store unused frosting in refrigerator or freezer.

WINNER OF $70 GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCED

Thanks to Random.org, picking a winner for the CSN $70 giveaway was effortless, unbiased and quick. As comments were received, each was assigned a number beginning with 1.  In all, there were 50 entries. I plugged the 50 into the random number generator at Random.org and instantly the number 23 came up. When I checked my master list, I saw that #23 had been assigned to Emily (EMSFS). Congratulations to the winner, and thanks to all of you who entered.

ULTIMATE BANANA CAKE

This recipe is also known as “best banana cake,” and Banana Cake VI, depending on which internet site you visit.  When I read the directions, my cynical mind rejected the recipe.  Baking a cake at 275F and then putting it in the freezer for 45 minutes sounded insane to me.  However, the person who dreamed up this method is a genius.  Never have I tasted a banana cake with such wonderful flavor and texture. 



The moistness and tenderness are incomparably the ultimate.  It’s the kind of cake you dream about at night and find yourself raiding the refrigerator for at 3AM to just sneak another piece of heaven.  My old favorite one-bowl banana cake recipe has dropped to second place, and there is a new king on the throne.  But I fear that I’ll be buying more bananas now, just to be able to make more of this incredibly good banana cake.  This, coming from one who is not a banana cake fan.  Pretty amazing.



I did make a few changes to the recipe.  First, I was put off at the amount of sugar.  I changed the ratio to equal that of my one-bowl fave recipe, cutting out 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. of sugar.  I used stevia in place of half the remaining sugar, to cut it even further.  Then I used applesauce and Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend in place of the butter, and half whole-wheat flour for added fiber.  Besides the extraordinary texture and moistness, the cake was also plenty sweet, and had a wonderfully complex flavor that went well with the cream cheese icing.  (I frosted one small strip of the cake with chocolate frosting for my hubby who does not appreciate the fine points of cream cheese icing.)  Plenty of toasted chopped pecans went over the top.  Everyone, but everyone, who tasted this went wild. 

ULTIMATE BANANA CAKE Adapted from allrecipes.com Rating:  10 out of 10 PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1-1/2 cups mashed bananas 1/2 cup applesauce plus or unsweetened applesauce 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 cup Smart Balance 50/50  Butter Blend (or butter) 1-1/2 cups sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp. NuNaturals Stevia) 3 large eggs 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I used my homemade vanilla) 1-1/2 cups buttermilk (I used 1-1/2 cups sweet milk + 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar) 1 cup chopped toasted pecans Heat oven to 275F (135C).  Grease and flour a 9x13” baking pan.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with applesauce and lemon juice; set aside. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light.  Beat in eggs very slowly, adding half at a time on medium-low speed.  Reduce speed to lowest setting and stir in vanilla.  Using lowest speed, beat in  flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.  Stir in banana mixture.  Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, or  until a toothpick inserted near center of cake returns clean.  (Start checking cake at 55 minutes.  Please note that the cake does not rise and the top is quite hard.  Rest assured it will soften before you eat it.)  Remove cake from oven and place (uncovered) directly into freezer for 45 minutes.  Take cold cake from freezer and frost as desired. For cream cheese icing, in a large bowl, cream 1/4 cup softened butter (1/2 stick or 2 oz.), 1 tsp. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) and 1-1/2 cups 10X sugar till smooth.  Cut 6 oz. cold cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese into 8 pieces.  Add one piece at a time to sugar mixture, beating well after each addition, for a total of about 8 minutes of beating.  Be sure each piece is completely incorporated and smooth before adding next piece.  This is just enough icing to frost this cake, with no leftovers.  Frost cake; sprinkle nuts over top.  Yield:  one 9x13 cake

$70.00 GIVEAWAY!

Just  how well equipped is your dining room?  I don’t just mean on the inside of your house.  How’s your outside dining room doing?  Either one, actually.

CSN has $70.00 for one lucky winner to spend at their dining room website.  While the prize does not include shipping, many of  the items are offered with free shipping.  And, yes, you can find items within the $70.00 range, so you don’t have to spend more if you don’t want to or can’t.  Personally, I would love to have some cedar grilling planks, since I love to grill fish on wood planks.  But then I wouldn’t mind having a wireless talking thermometer for oven or grill.   Hmmm, I might even go for a new grill cover.  I could easily spend a day searching CSN’s website, drooling over the neat stuff they have.

I could have kept the prize for myself.  CSN offered it to me.  And I really wanted some of their great merchandise.  But, no, I decided to give it away to one lucky reader.  That may be you.  Don’t pass up this opportunity.
 
To enter this contest, do the following:

1.  Mandatory entry:  Leave a comment with contact information  and be sure to tell me what prize you want .   You can just copy and paste the name from the website with the item #.  Easy peasy.
 
2. For extra entries, pick more prizes.  For instance, leave a comment that says, “My second choice prize is………..”  “My third choice prize is…….”   etc.  Be sure to copy and paste the item name and # from the website each time.


3. How to get a triple entry (your name will be entered 3 times):  Just visit another blog and leave a comment giving my contest info and linking to my site.  Come back to my site and leave a comment telling me what you did (name of site you told about the contest and a link to that site).

There is no limit to the number of entries you can have.  But everyone must begin with the mandatory entry.  The extra entries are entirely optional.   You do not need to have a website or blog to enter, but you must live in the US or Canada if you pick an item with free shipping.  If you are paying the shipping costs, then it doesn't matter where you live.

The deadline for this contest is Sunday, July 25, Midnight.  Your time starts now.

LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESE TART

Woman's Day Magazine published this recipe in their April 2010 issue.  The red-white-and-blue theme would be perfect for July 4, right at the peak of blueberry season.  But the recipe seemed too sweet.  Guy & I prefer our desserts toned down a bit, and I could tell this would be over the top for us.  The crust was begging for whole wheat flour to blend with the almonds.  And, even though the red jam looked pretty, I wanted my own blueberry puree under the fresh blueberries.

These all turned out to be good changes.  The crust tastes almost like a graham cracker crust with a nutty undertone.  The lemon flavor comes through strong and complements the blueberries beautifully.  And this dessert is plenty sweet.  Because it's not over-the-top sweet (like so many of today's desserts), you can actually enjoy the taste of the blueberries.  Hubby, friend and I gave this dessert top ratings, and I’ll be making it again.  My only problem is I’m dreaming about this tart and can’t wait for another slice. 

Lemon Blueberry Cheese Tart Adapted from Woman's Day Rating:  9.5 out of 10 PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: Topping 2 pt. fresh blueberries, divided use 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. lemon juice Almond Crust 1/2 cup slivered almonds 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar 1 cup white whole wheat flour 1/4 tsp. sea salt 7 Tbsp. cold butter, cut in pieces 2-3 Tbsp. ice cold water Lemon Cheese Filling 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Neufchatel cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest 2 Tbsp. lemon juice Prepare blueberry puree.  In 1-1/2 quart heavy saucepan, combine 1 pt. blueberries and 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Cook over medium heat till mixture bubbles.  Reduce heat slightly to keep mixture to slow boil, stirring as needed for about 15-20 minutes, or till liquid is reduced and jam consistency is reached.  Stir in lemon juice.  Puree with immersion blender.  Set aside to cool.  Make almond crust.  Heat oven to 350F.  Coat a 9” tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray or oil.  Set aside.  In work bowl of food processor, combine almonds and sugar.  Pulse till nuts are finely ground.  Add flour and salt; pulse until blended.  Add butter; pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Sprinkle with water; pulse until dough comes together.  Press dough evenly onto sides and bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden.  Prepare filling.   About 5-10 minutes before crust is done, wipe work bowl and blades of food processor with damp paper towel.  Combine cheese and sugar; pulse until blended and smooth.  Scrape down sides and bottom; add egg, lemon zest and juice and pulse till well combined and smooth.  Pour mixture into hot crust; bake 20 minutes, or till edges are puffed and center is set but not puffed.  Cool completely on wire rack; cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.  Before serving, spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup blueberry puree over top of tart.  (Use more or less as desired.  Use remaining puree as jam for toast, biscuits, etc.)  Sprinkle remaining blueberries over puree.  Yield:  8 servings