Carrot Applesauce Muffins

The best muffins I’ve made so far, with healthy substitutions..
Source: Adapted from Passionate about Baking blog

Taste 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty 2 (out of 5)

Ingredients
- 200 g all-purpose flour (730 cal)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp lemon juice to activate
- 1 tsp ground orange zest
- 2 large eggs, separated (140 cal)
- 125 g canola oil (1105 cal)
- 125 g apple sauce (210 cal)
- 200 g sugar (775 cal)
- 125 g roughly chopped dried apricots (310 cal)
- 60 g chopped walnuts (390 cal)
- 150 g roughly grated carrot (60 cal)
- pinch salt
Total 12 muffins, 3720 cal, 310 cal / muffin

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 12 large muffin tins (or a 9″ loose bottomed ring baking tin).
2. Separate the eggs and lightly whisk together the two yolks. Add the oil, sugar and apple sauce and beat together with an electric mixer for about 1 minute until well combined.
3. In a small bowl pour lemon juice over baking soda and mix well, until only bubbles are left. Pour the bubbly liquid into the batter. Add the flour, the baking soda and the orange zest to the batter and mix until just combined. Add the carrots, the walnuts and the dried apricots and mix lightly. Be careful not to over mix.
4. In a separate dry bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks.
5. Next, gently fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture. Again, be careful not to over mix; it is fine to have streaks of white remaining in the mixture.
6. Using a large ice cream scoop, pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Let the muffins cool completely, then remove from the tins.
8. You can freeze the muffins at this stage, if you like. Just wrap it in a double layer of parchment paper and put it in a polythene freezer bag.

Afterthoughts
- They are probably the best muffins I’ve ever made… even for someone like me who is not a big fan of carrot cake. Moist and soft, and when they were finishing baking, the house smelled like heaven.
- I had a lot of ingredients I wanted to use up, like carrots, dried apricots and applesauce. And I also had a new square muffin tin that I wanted to inaugurate. So I went looking for carrot cake recipes, and the one on Passionate About Baking caught my eye. I made quite a few substitutions, to accommodate my ingredients, but the result really exceeded all my expectations. If this is a blog of "trial an error," this recipe is a clear “trial and success.”
- Deeba (from Passionate About Baking) also has a recipe for frosting, but I skipped that part to save calories. Check out her site for that (and her gorgeous photos).

Ina Garten's Mocha Chocolate Iceberg Cake

Softer and creamier than ice cream, a perfect, simple summer dessert

This recipe is featured on RecipeNewZ

Source
Cookies: The food we eat blog
Filling: Ina Garten's
Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips


Taste 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty 2 (out of 5)

Ingredients
For the cookies (1085 cal)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (340 cal)
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp apple vinegar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (410 cal)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (195 cal)
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar (70 cal)
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup (30 cal)
- 1 egg white (15 cal)
- 1 tbsp milk (10 cal)
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract (15 cal)
For the filling (1885 cal)
- 1 cup cold heavy cream (820 cal)
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese (765 cal)
- 1/4 cup sugar (195 cal)
- 2 tbsp Kahlua liqueur (90 cal)
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (10 cal)
- 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (5 cal)
- shaved semisweet chocolate or cocoa powder, for garnish
Total: a 6 inch cake, 8 servings, 3770 cal, 471 cal / serving

Instructions
For the cookies
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a 6 inch springform pan, trace 4 6 inch circles on the parchment paper, spacing them 2 inches apart from each other. Invert the paper so the pencil marks are facing the sheet and do not touch the dough. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer beat together the butter, sugars, and corn syrup at low speed using the paddle attachment, until blended (about 1 minute). Add egg white, milk, and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl.
4. In a small bowl, pour one tablespoon of apple vinegar over baking soda, and mix until you only see bubbles, and no baking soda grains. Add to the bowl with the dough.
5. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour. Mix until just combined.
6. Separate the batter into 4 equal parts and scoop it out onto the parchment paper, filling the 4 circles and smoothing the batter.
7. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown and flat, about 10 - 12 minutes.
8. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, transfer to wire rack and let sit until crisped and cooled.
For the filling
9. In a large bowl combine all the filling ingredients, and whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
For assembly
10. Place one giant cookie at the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan. Spread a 1/5 of the cream evenly on top of the cookie. Add the second cookie and proceed until the last cream layer is on top. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
11. Before serving, remove from the springform pan and the plastic wrap, and decorate with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder.

Afterthoughts
- It’s very hard to stop eating this cake! Absolutely delicious!
- I saw this recipe on Ina Garten’s Foodnetwork show and simply knew that I had to make it :-).
- I halved Ina's recipe.
- Ina’s recipe was calling for 18 oz thin crisp chocolate chip cookies (or 9 oz for the amount I made), but I did not have any such cookies ready, so I made my own, and skipped the chocolate chips.
- If you use store bought cookies and mascarpone this recipe is super-easy. If you’re looking for a challenge, make your own cookie and mascarpone, like I did.

Beef Stew from the Big Bowl of Love

An all-time favorite comfort food
Source
Slightly adapted from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love


Taste 4 (out of 5)

Difficulty 2 (out of 5)

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (1800 cal)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (240 cal)
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (100 cal)
- 1 medium yellow onion (50 cal)
- 2 garlic cloves (10 cal)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (110 cal)
- 1 cup chicken broth (10 cal)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 5 small new potatoes cut into eights (350 cal)
- 2 large Portobello mushrooms, cut into bite-size chunks (50 cal)
- 1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen (70 cal)
- 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (80 cal)
- 2 small carrots cut into bite-size chunks (40 cal)
- salt
- pepper
Total 4 servings, 2910 cal, 730 cal / serving

Instructions
1. For this recipe you will need a Dutch oven or another pot with a lid that can be used both on the stovetop and in the oven.
2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the Dutch oven on high heat for 2 minutes, until hot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the beef. Lower the heat to medium high and cook the beef for 2-3 minutes, turn the beef and cook for 5 more minutes. Add 1/4 cup of wine and cook for 5 more minutes until the meat sizzles. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and toss to coat.
3. Add the second tablespoon of olive oil, the onions and a pinch of salt to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic, stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining wine, the chicken broth, the bay leaf and the thyme, scrape the edges of the pan and bring the liquids to a simmer.
4. Add the meat back to the pot, and when it comes to the simmer again, cover the pot with the lid and place in an oven preheated to 375F. Cook for an hour.
5. After an hour, add the vegetables to the pot, you might need to add 1 more cup of water or broth. Taste and adjust the seasoning and place in the oven for 1 more hour to cook.

Afterthoughts
- I really loved this stew. The flavors are just great! Even veggies that I normally don’t like in stews like carrots and green peas, ended up delicious.
- The only “issue” was that some of the beef turned out a bit dry. Some was juicy and tender, but about half was a bit too dry. I don’t really know how to fix this in the future. Maybe I should add a bit more oil? Or marinate the beef before cooking? If you know the secret of unfailingly tender beef stew, please let me know :-).
- In May I won the Big Bowl of Love in a giveaway on the Chocolate Shavings blog, a beautiful blog that you MUST check out if you have not yet. I received the book right before I left on a short trip, and then I was on a detox and could not risk looking at tasty food, but now I finally got to this book. It’s really great, full of hearty comfort food recipes, with some useful tips for cooking and baking. I am so glad to have this book! Thanks so much, Jennifer, for the giveaway!

Potato Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Simple, delicious and ... green... for June 2011 Daring Cooks challenge
Source Improvised

Taste 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty 1 (out of 5)

Ingredients
- 1 lb of new potatoes, cut into quarters or eights (420 cal)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup walnuts (165 cal)
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice (15 cal)
- 2 cloves garlic (10 cal)
- 1/2 cup no-fat yogurt (70 cal)
- black pepper
- salt
Total 4 servings, 680 cal, 170 cal / serving

Instructions
1. Wash the potatoes and cut the potatoes, do not peel. In a medium pot bring water to a boil, add the potatoes and salt and cook until the potatoes are cooked, but still hold their shape, about 15-20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until well combined.
3. Drain the potatoes and toss with the pesto until coated. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Afterthoughts
I’ve been making a lot of variations of pesto recently, with parsley, cilantro, chives, different nuts, sour cream, olive oil – anything goes :-). It’s really great with pasta, potatoes, steamed foods… Adds so much fresh flavor and it’s so easy to make!

Blog-checking lines: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

Cream Cheese Brownies

Cream cheese brownies from A Bountiful Kitchen for the Secret Recipe Club
Source
Brownies from my simple brownies recipe, cream cheese layer from A Bountiful Kitchen blog

Taste 4 (out of 5)

Difficulty 1 (out of 5)

Ingredients
For the brownies, use these ingredients
For the cream cheese layer
- 8 oz. cream cheese (not low fat) softened
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour

Instructions
1. Prepare the brownies batter following these instructions. Reserve 1/4 of the batter and pour the rest into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
For the cream cheese layer
2. Beat soft cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs. Beat in sugar and flour, until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour over brownie mixture in pan.
3. Add spoonfuls of the reserved brownie mixture to create a “cow” pattern.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Afterthoughts
- For several weeks now I’ve had this obsession with cream cheese brownies – I could not understand its origin, but I had this image of scrumptious cream cheese brownies in front of my eyes. And then a week ago when it was time to choose a recipe for my Secret Club recipe assignment, I went once again to A Bountiful Kitchen blog, and here they were – the brownies that have been haunting me for several weeks :-). I must have seen the photos when they were just posted, and now I knew that I was meant to bake them!
- I did not have the Chocolate cake mix that is suggested for the brownies by A Bountiful Kitchen, so I used my own old brownie recipe. The problem was that my recipe batter is quite thick, and the cream cheese batter of A Bountiful Kitchen is pretty liquid. They are both great by themselves, but the cream cheese batter takes a bit longer to bake, so my brownies dried up by the time the cream cheese layer was ready. Next time I should use a more liquid brownie batter, and I am sure the final result will be just perfect.
- There are so many amazing recipes on A Bountiful Kitchen, you should check that blog out! And join the Secret Recipe Club, if you have not yet – it’s so much fun!

Lady's Kisses (Baci di Dama)

How much happiness can be condensed in one light and airy hazelnut cookie?
Source
Slightly adapted from Forgiving Martha blog

Taste 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty 2 (out of 5)

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts, finely ground (toasted, optional) (630 cal)
- 1 cup flour (455 cal)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 110 g/ 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (790 cal)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (10 cal)
- 1/4 cup sugar (190 cal)
- 1 large egg yolk (55 cal)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 30 g bittersweet chocolate (180 cal)
- 1 tbsp butter (100 cal)
Total: 11 (double) cookies, 2410 cal, 220 cal / cookie

Instructions
1. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. This will take 2-3 minutes. Once smooth, add the egg yolk and vanilla, and continue beating with electric mixer for 2 more minutes.
2. Add hazelnuts. Mix until well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine until dough forms.
5. Using a small cookie scoop (the size of 1 tbsp) scoop out uniform mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Do not press the cookies, let them be airy.
6. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes – the cookie should be still quite soft when taken out from the oven.
7. Remove from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool.
8. Melt chocolate, mix in one tablespoon of butter. Carefully dip the bottom of one cookie in the chocolate and sandwich with another cookie. Return to the wire rack to continue cooling.

Afterthoughts
- Ever since several months ago I laid my eyes on these perfect Baci di Dama cookies at Soma chocolate factory in Toronto, I’ve been in love. I had tried to recreate these perfect, light, crunchy clouds of hazelnuts several times, and all these trials were good, but not as good as the real thing. I am still looking, but this recipe is very-very good, the best so far. 
- Thanks to Jess from Forgiving Martha for the recipe, and for many more great recipes on her blog that I simply have to try :-)