Lazy Lil's Easy Mango Salsa

Now that it is almost summertime and getting oh-so-hot outside  I start to crave foods that are light and refreshing like this Easy Mango Salsa.  It is the perfect blend of spicyness and sweetness.  One of the ladies in my bible study brought this to a meeting and I just loved it. I love mango and it is especially yummy and refreshing in this salsa. Paired with baked tortilla chips or gluten free corn chips this makes for a healthy, delicious addition to your next Mexican menu or BBQ. This recipe makes a ton so it is great for crowd!

Lazy Lil's Easy Mango Salsa

Yields: 16 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

calories: 133

fat g: <1

 INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chopped mango
2 cans stewed tomatoes, diced
1 small white/red onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 limes,juiced
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned diced green chiles or
2-5 fresh green chiles, chopped finely
6 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
8 cups of mild/medium store bought salsa

DIRECTIONS:  Makes 16 cups approximately.
1.  Combine all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2.  You can substitute the chopped mango with canned crushed pineapple, fresh chopped peaches or diced avocados, corn, black beans.

Buon Appetito!

Light Strawberry Flower Cake

In the words of Hannibal Smith, "I just love it when a plan comes together!"  About a week ago my friend Ginny and I were working out and discussing that our friend Leah's 30th birthday is today.  We knew that she wasn't thrilled about turning the big 3-0 so we decided to throw her a small surprise party.  We only had 5 days to plan the party since she will be out of town the weekend of her birthday and we wanted to do it before she left.  We brainstormed some ideas and came up with a plan.  We divided up the tasks and one of my jobs was to bake the cake.  Since strawberries are in season it was an easy decision to do a strawberry cake.

The hard part was deciding which strawberry cake recipe to choose.  I wanted to find an easy, light recipe.  I searched through some of my favorite sites and found Sweetheart Strawberry Cupcakes recipe at www.dashingdish.com.   Dashing Dish is one of my favorite food blogs.  The author truly has a heart for the Lord and she is so stinkin' adorable too!  All the recipes are her own creation and healthy.  So far, all the recipes I have tried have been great!


Her strawberry cupcake recipe couldn't be simpler.  It is just a strawberry box cake mix and red soda (diet or regular).  That's it! I had my doubts, but it was surprisingly good and really moist.


Instead of cupcakes, I planned to make a 2 layer cake, but I didn't let one of the layers cool completely after baking and when I tried to remove it from the cake pan it broke apart.  So I had to bake another cake mix and ended up using all 3 layers for the cake.  It was a yummy mistake since we got to eat the messed up layer, and it worked out for the best since three layers is really the perfect height for this cake.


After deciding on the cake recipe, I had to decide how to decorate it.  I am not a cake decorator.  So I needed a really simple design.  I searched through www.pinterest.com for ideas and came across a cake with a flower made from strawberries from Lick the Bowl Good  food blog.  She showed a step by step tutorial on how to make the flower.  It looked so easy I knew even I could do it.  Here's how.

Place sliced strawberries in a circle along the outer edge of the top of the cake.

Add another layer of sliced strawberries inside the outer layer of strawberries.

Repeat layering until cake is covered. Place a whole strawberry in the center to finish.

I added the white sprinkles by throwing them at the cake allowing them to stick where they landed. There were lots of little white balls all over my kitchen floor :) I also added strawberry halves along the base of the cake.

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I was so pleased with the final result!

The party turned out great and everything came together in just a few days.  I feel extremely blessed to have such good friends to share life's milestones.  Happy 30th Birthday Leah!!

Light Strawberry Cake 

adapted from: www.dashingdish.com

yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 strawberry box cake mixes

2 (12 oz.) cans or 3 cups diet or regular red soda

Icing:

12 oz. light Cool Whip

2 (1.4 oz.) sugar free vanilla pudding mixes

1 1/2 cup skim milk

Red or pink food coloring

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pans. Beat cake mix and soda together until smooth and creamy.
• Divide the batter into four 8 or 9 inch cake pans. If you don't have four cake pans, divide the batter in half setting aside one half of the batter. Pour divided cake batter into two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
• Bake according to instructions on box.
• While cake is baking, mix together pudding mix, milk, Cool Whip, and food coloring. Slowly beat or whisk whipped topping until all of the ingredients are just combined. (Be careful not to over mix). Add as much food coloring you need in order to get the color you desire. Chill in fridge until ready to use.
• Allow the cakes to completely cool before removing from pan or you may end up with a yummy mistake like I did! Once cooled, dump onto cooling rack.
• Regrease and flour pans and bake the rest of the batter dividing it into the 2 pans. Since this is a three layer cake you will have one layer left over. One option is to make cupcakes instead of the fourth layer or make a four layer cake. You may need to prepare more icing than the recipe calls for.
• Bake layers/cupcakes according to box instructions. Allow to cool. Once the layers are completely cooled begin assembling the cake.
• Spread a layer of icing on top of the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer. Spread a layer of icing on the second layer and place the third layer on top. Cover the cake with icing. The nice thing about whipped icing is that unlike buttercream it doesn't need to be smooth to look good. The messier, the better. Decorate with strawberries and sprinkles.

Tips:

• I baked the layers the day before and wrapped them individually in plastic wrap until I was ready to assemble the cake. This made the cake even moister than it would have been if I had served it the same day it was baked.
•  I placed a piece of wax paper under the cake and used the paper to turn the cake while icing it.  This made it much easier to decorate and maneuver the cake.  After decorating the cake I tore the wax paper so that it couldn't be seen.

Per Serving:

Calories: approx. 325 using regular soda 300 using diet soda

Fat: 5 grams

Buon Appetito!

Strawberry Pudding Trifle

I couldn't let another strawberry season pass without sharing this recipe.  This is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  This recipe was created by my sister's mother-in-law who is a fantastic cook.  She served this at my sister's bridal shower, and it was truly love at first bite.  I think I asked her 3 times before the shower was over if I could PLEASE have the recipe.  I am sure she thought I was crazy, but I could not help myself.  I HAD to have the recipe.


Here in Italy we don't have access to all the varieties of food products that are available in the states.  It forces me to be creative or at least attempt to be creative.  This recipe calls for strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.  Neither of which are available at my local Commissary so I had to tweak this recipe a bit.  I made homemade strawberry glaze and chocolate cookies to substitute for the store bought strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.  I also used low fat ingredients for a more figure friendly version. It still turned out great!  These changes are a little time consuming so if you are short on time and the ingredients are available, I would definitely suggest using store bought strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.

Strawberry Pudding Trifle ~ Original Version

Prep time: 30 minutes                                                                             Serving Size 12

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5 ounce) package instant white chocolate pudding mix (or cheese cake flavor pudding)

3 cups cold milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (16 ounce) containers of frozen sweetened strawberries

1 carton (16 ounce) strawberry glaze

2 T. cornstarch

Chocolate Graham Crackers, crumbled

1.       In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in ½ of the whipped topping.

2.     Place frozen strawberries in a saucepan. Gradually moisten 2 T. cornstarch with water until it forms a paste. Add enough water to thin this paste to the consistency of buttermilk, stir into berries. Cook and stir until thick. Cool and mix in glaze.

3.      Layer trifle bowl with crumbled chocolate graham crackers, strawberry mixture, and pudding mixture. Repeat twice and top with remaining whipped topping. Chill. Garnish with crumbled crackers and/or strawberries before serving.

Strawberry Pudding Trifle ~ Joy's Version

Prep time: I have no idea                                           Serving Size 12

1 (8 ounce) 1/3 less fat package cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 1/3 package instant sugar free white chocolate pudding mix

3 cups cold 1 % milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) container frozen light whipped topping, thawed (I think I used a little more than the recipe calls for)

32 ounces fresh strawberries

16 ounce strawberry glaze (see recipe below)

2 T. cornstarch

Mom's Famous Chocolate Cookies, crumbled (see recipe below)

1.   In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in ½ of the whipped topping.

2.   Place strawberries in a saucepan. Gradually moisten 2 T. cornstarch with water until it forms a paste. Add enough water to thin this paste to the consistency of buttermilk, stir into berries. Cook and stir until thick. Cool and mix in glaze.

3. Bake cookies and allow to cool.

4.   Layer trifle bowl with crumbled chocolate cookies, strawberry mixture, and pudding mixture. Repeat twice and top with remaining whipped topping. Chill. If desired, garnish with crumbled cookies and strawberries.

Strawberry Glaze

adapted from www.recipes.com

2 cups chopped strawberries, washed and hulled

2/3 cup honey

2 T. cornstarch

2 T. water

1. In a saucepan place strawberries and honey. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and heated through. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water stirring to combine. Add cornstarch mixture to strawberry mixture. Return to stove top and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Mom's Famous Chocolate Cookies

Yield: about 5 dozen

adapted from Southern Living All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

  

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

 2 large eggs

 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 Parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, beating until blended.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 14 minutes (I bake them 12 minutes) or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 15 minutes).

Buon Appetito!

Coconutty Orange Salad

Last week I baked some delicious $100,000 Cinnamon Rolls. The recipe calls for orange zest which left me with four zested oranges. I hate to waste food and try to either eat as leftovers, freeze, or use in another dish. I started thinking about what I could do with those oranges. In Sicily, they have an amazing orange salad that consists of blood oranges, green onion, and olive oil. I know it might not sound too appealing, but I can assure you it is wonderful. These simple ingredients go perfectly together. I didn't have any green onions but the thought of the Sicilian blood orange salad gave me inspiration to create a different type of orange salad.

Having just made the cinnamon rolls, I had some leftover pecans. I found some shredded coconut and golden raisins in the pantry and added them to the oranges. I drizzled some honey on top and sprinkled with cinnamon then stirred well. I was very pleased with the results and really enjoyed the light, tropical flavor the coconut added. My hubby really enjoyed it too, which is always a good sign. Topped with whipped cream or light cool whip this Coconutty Orange Salad would make a nice figure friendly dessert.

Coconutty Orange Salad

yield: 4 servings

4 medium oranges

1/4 cup golden raisins (or regular)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 shakes of cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of honey

Mix ingredients together. It can be eaten immediately or allowed to chill then eaten.

Buon Appetito!

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain Part 2 ~ featuring Registered Dietician, Jenny Cooper (including idea for figure friendly fruit dip)

        2. Don’t Drink Your Calories

Calories consumed from beverages can add up quickly and cause unwanted weight gain. Most beverages provide little to no fiber or protein (other than milk) so they do not keep you feeling full for very long. An 8 fl oz. glass of apple juice has an average of 120 calories and 0 grams of fiber, whereas a medium sized 5.5 oz. apple has 70 calories and about 3.5 grams of fiber. The whole apple would keep you full longer and have fewer calories and, therefore, would be a better choice than the glass of apple juice.  If you choose to have juice in the mornings, limit yourself to a 6-8 fl oz. serving of 100% fruit juice. Low fat dairy milk, soy milk or almond milk are acceptable caloric beverages to consume in moderation as these provide good sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein for not too many calories. Limit consumption of dairy including milk, yogurt and cheese to three fat-free or low-fat servings per day.

Rich hot chocolate and specialty coffee drinks can be a major source of excess calories during the colder winter months. The key to cutting calories on your specialty coffee favorites is to ask for a small serving size made with skim milk, no whipped cream and sugar-free syrup, if available. A 12 fl oz. tall Starbucks Gingerbread Latte made with 2% milk and topped with whipped cream has 260 calories. You can save 110 calories by order the “skinny” version of this drink made with skim milk and leaving out the whipped cream. Those small savings in calories can go a long way!  

Alcoholic beverages consumed in excess can also cause unwanted weight gain due to their high caloric content. One gram of alcohol contains 7 calories, whereas 1 gram of carbohydrates or 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories. One alcoholic beverage is equivalent to 5 fl oz. wine, 12 fl oz. beer, or 1.5 fl oz. (1 shot) of 80 proof liquor. This means a 12 fl oz. can of Bud Light with 12 grams of alcohol and 6.6 grams of carbs has 110 calories (12 grams alcohol x 7 calories per gram and 6.6 grams carbs x 4 calories per gram), a 5 fl oz. glass of red cabernet wine with 5.5 grams carbs and 15.2 grams alcohol has 127 calories, and 1 shot of vodka (minus the sugary mixer) with 14.9 grams alcohol has 103 calories. An 8 fl oz. serving of alcoholic Holiday egg nog can have as much as 400 calories!  As you can imagine, calories will add up fast if you’re consuming a few alcoholic beverages plus the food at that holiday meal.  The recommended limits for alcoholic are no more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day for men and no more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day for women.

Try to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Most people need 64 fl oz. of water per day. Try meeting your fluid needs through water by keeping a reusable bottle of water on hand to remind you to drink enough water throughout the day, or by placing four individual 16 fl oz. disposable water bottles in your refrigerator each day and drink all four by the end of the day. Be sure to drink water before, during and after exercise.  If you exercise strenuously for 1 hour or longer or exercise in extreme heat like Bikram yoga, you may need to replace the electrolytes lost through sweat by consuming sports drinks during your winter workout.

Stay tuned for part 3...

Jenny Cooper, RD, LDN

                                                                               

Hi! It's Joy!

About 8 years ago I realized that I was consuming a lot of extra calories in my drinks.  I used to love soda (approximately 120 calories in a can) and who doesn't love a cherry slush from Sonic Drive-In (170-620 calories depending on size) or limeade (110-370 calories) or better yet a cream slush (390-600 calories). This realization caused me to change my ways and I began drinking only water and coffee, of course.  When I have coffee I use fat free creamer and a small amount of sugar which has anywhere from 50 to 100 calories depending on the amount. This is my daily indulgence that I do not have to feel guilty about since I am drinking water the rest of the day. Now since moving to Italy I do have wine with dinner on many evenings, but even then try to limit it to one 4 oz. glass. 

Jenny mentioned glorious Starbucks, which I do miss dearly, where my drink of choice is a tall (12 oz.) skinny vanilla latte (90 calories). You can even order drinks in a short size (8 oz.). It is actually the perfect amount for me. It gives me that little boost I need for the day or the afternoon :) You can see a list of Starbucks drinks that are under 200 calories here.

Unfortunately there are no Starbucks here in Italy, but we do have awesome Italian espresso and cappuccinos. The Italians do not do large drinks so I do not feel guilty when ordering a cappuccino which is only about 8 oz. They are really good too and definitely better than Starbucks'.  They do not do flavored coffees though so I will just dream of the day I can once again enjoy my yummy skinny vanilla latte.

Fruit juices are another way that we often consume too many calories and by choosing fruit instead we stay fuller longer and with fewer calories. My sister-in-law introduced me to the most delicious fruit dip ~ low fat vanilla yogurt! That's it, nothing else. Just yogurt and fruit. I like to make fruit salad with chopped fruit of my choice and mix in some low fat vanilla yogurt. It is really good and healthy. Jenny recommends that we get 3 servings of dairy a day and low fat yogurt is a great source. I really like the Yoglait French Vanilla flavor. 

Figure Friendly Fruit Dip/Salad

fruit of your choice

low fat vanilla yogurt (a little goes a long way)

you can also add some granola to give it a nice crunch

If you prefer organic, Stonyfield is a good choice as well.

I hope these tips will help you to avoid weight gain during the holidays. I don't know about you, but extra pounds and debt are two things that I do not want following me into 2012!

Buon Appetito!

Green Grape Salad

I don't have an interesting story to go with this recipe, but just wanted to share this easy delicious salad. It makes a great dessert too! Use light cream cheese and sour cream for a low fat treat!

Green Grape Salad 

prep: 15 minutes

servings 8

4 pounds seedless green grapes

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces chopped pecans

2 tablespoon brown sugar

Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate until serving.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Caramel Apple Crepes

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I had often heard of crepes before coming to Italy, but didn't know what they were. They sounded to me like a fancy fru fru pastry. Crepes are actually a very thin pancake that are really simple to make. For a delicious dessert, fill them with fruit, or any dessert filling. Italians love them with Nutella, which is really simple, but oh so good! While in France, we enjoyed a crepe filled with honey and coconut. For a savory flavor, fill them with meat, cheese, or vegetables. At the Italian cooking school, we made spinach and ricotta filled crepes topped with a white cream sauce. Talk about delizioso!

A few months ago, I was browsing one of my favorite sources for recipes (http://www.food.com/) and came across this crepe recipe. It is quite sinful, but occasional culinary indulgences are okay every once in a while. Right?

The recipe calls for apple brandy or rum. I didn't add the alcohol and it was still yummy.

Caramel Apple Crepes

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

nonstick cooking spray

Filling:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup whipping cream (unwhipped)

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups tart apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup raisins

2 tablespoons apple brandy or 2 tablespoons rum

1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted

1/4 cup powdered sugar

vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

 Place 1/4 cup raisins in small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of rum or brandy. Set aside.

 Crepes:

 Combine flour, milk, eggs, oil and salt; beat until smooth and lump free.

 Heat a small skillet or crepe pan, spray with non-stick oil and remove from heat.

 Spoon in 2 Tbsp batter; tilt skillet to spread evenly.

 Return to heat; brown on one side.

 Invert pan over paper towel to remove.

 Repeat with remaining batter.

 Apple Filling:

 In a heavy small saucepan melt butter, add brown sugar; cook and stir over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved and creamy. Remove from heat. Slowly and carefully stir in whipping cream (mixture will bubble up).  Set aside.

 Toss apple slices with lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

 Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add apple slices; cook, uncovered, for 4 to 6 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Add raisins and 1/4 of the caramel sauce.

 Top crepes (browned side down) with apple mixture and fold (browned side is now showing). Place 2-3 crepes on individual serving dishes; top with pecans and dust with powdered sugar.

 Serve with ice cream with caramel sauce drizzled over top.