guilt free carrot cake bites

I had a undeniable craving for carrot cake but as if I was about to bake up a double layer cake with rich cream cheese frosting and pretend to "give most of it away". The real story would be that I would have baked a cake, my husband would have had a sliver of it, and then for 5 or 6 consecutive days after (for breakfast and dinner), I would likely pick at it until very little was left, and then I would have put it in the garbage, disgusted in myself. Many would admit to retrieving cake out of the garbage but that's just going too far (even for me). So, I decided to bake up these little guilt free carrot cake bites which are just...scrumptious. They smell and taste like carrot cake without the guilt and you could totally make a little glaze to pour on top of them if you're absolutely nuts.

I adapted from this recipe by one of my favourite healthy blogs (not for the indulgent): Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies. The only change I made was to use spelt flour for the whole wheat and it worked totally great. You can smell the maple syrup and coconut oil as the cookie balls are baking - enjoy!

d'you want smore?

Inviting friends over for dinner is basically telling myself it's okay to bake a really out of this world cupcake. No diet, no low fat, no chia seeds, just a heaping cup of dough, creamy icing and topping of choice. This weekend was no exception. I dreamt up this cupcake about a year ago and have made it a few times - every time I try my first bite, I wonder why I don't make them more often.....then I put on jeans, and then I remember why. Doh.

This is a delicious winter smores cupcake which is totally perfect to end any meal. My favourite chocolate cupcake recipe which isn't too sweet at all, but moist and spongy. I top it with my favourite buttercream frosting which I have mixed with graham cracker crumbs. Finally, I toast some big marshmallows (don't try this with the small ones...nightmare) under the broiler or with a kitchen torch and press them into the icing. And there you have it, a campfire worthy smore cupcake.

Chocolate Cupcake (i've used this recipe for cake too which is great)

makes 12 cupcakes

4 T unsalted butter

1/4 C vegetable oil

1/2 C water

1 C all purpose flour

1 C granulated sugar

1/4 C plus 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/8 t salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup buttermilk (or you can substitute regular milk with 1 t lemon juice in it - let stand 5 mins)

1 t pure vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the vegetable oil over low heat. In a large bowl, sift the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt. Add the melted butter mixture and beat with a handheld mixer at low speed until smooth. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, then add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full. Bake until springy and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean about 20 - 25 mins. Do not overbake! Transfer to a rack and cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream with a graham surprise!

makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

6 T unsalted butter, softened

2 C icing sugar, sifted

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2 T milk or heavy cream

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (or chocolate oreo crumbs if you prefer!)

in a medium bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat the mixture at low speed just until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the milk or cream and beat until light and fluffy (important!) about 2 full minutes. The frosting will change to a more white colour and be easier to spread.

Top with 3 or 4 large marshmallows that have been broiled (watch them closely!) in the oven or by kitchen torch. Enjoy as much as a cottage campfire!

Ultimate Granola for '11

I know, i've been M.I.A. I assure you though, I'm alive and kicking. I am totally holiday-ed out. No more lindt chocolates, no more cookies in shapes of...whatever and please no more holiday music in the mall!

I am back fresh with a killer quinoa granola recipe. I cannot take credit for locating this delicious piece of scrumptiousness - my good friend Talia stumbled across this and made it last week and I just had to whip up my own batch.

Did she say quinoa in granola? Sure did. I was feeling even more wild this week after I whipped up a batch of this granola that I made some greek yogurt to have with it. Very easily, I put regular plain 2% yogurt in a paper coffee filter and sat it on top of a bowl. Almost immediately about 1/4 cup of water drained from it and after about an hour, the yogurt was delicious and thick. I enjoyed it with my granola and a few dark chocolate chips on top. Practically Guiltless!

It made a big batch which I assumed would last about 6 years but unfortunately it's only lasted a few days. Doh.

Here is the granola recipe which was adapted from the cookbook: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood

Ultimate Granola

2.5 cups oats (I used Old Fashioned but you could use Quick Oats)

3/4 cup whole unsalted almonds

1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds (I found brown ones! Eureka!)

1/3 quinoa uncooked (yes, uncooked)

1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup walnut pieces

1 cup maple syrup (I cut this down to ½ Cup and it still tasted sweet)

1 t vanilla extract

2 t cinnamon

1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used a mixture of dried cranberries & dried cherries – my favourite)

1/3 chopped dried apples

 Measure the oats, almonds,  pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, quinoa, coconut and walnuts in a large bowl.  Mix well.

 Combine the maple syrup and vanilla in other bowl.  Add the syrup mixture to the oat mixture and stir. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the mixture and blend well.

 Spread on a baking sheet (I did mine on 2 baking sheets) and bake at 225 degrees for an hour.

 Remove and toss in dried cranberries/cherries and dried apples.

Totally Baked.

Watch out. All I can say is that there are small pieces of flour, pie dough, chocolate chunks everywhere in this kitchen. I even found pieces of whipped butter from the stand mixer in my hair a few nights ago. (Considered eating it).

You guessed it - i'm baking for my in-law's christmas celebrations and this is a huge event (well, that's because I make it one). A normal person would bake a cake, or bring a pie and maybe bring some regifted chocolates to act in a supporting role on the table. Not I. Back in October, I start making my short list of recipes - I scour the internet, blogs, newspaper clippings (my mom famous for ripping all the recipes out of the toronto star anywhere she saw them - restaurants, hairdressers - watch out for her), cookbooks (old school) and pick out my top 15 - 20 recipes that i'd be interested in whipping up. Some old favourites mixed in with new experiments is how I roll. The first year I offered to make dessert, I  basically took a month off work to make about 5 desserts. Never again I tell you. 3 is where I draw the line - well, plus a cookie plate for decoration.

This year I have decided on three delicious choices - some risky decisions in here but I am confident everyone will find something, well, scrumptious. Here goes: for the chocolate lover - a gingerbread cheesecake with a chocolate ganache topping. For the fruit seeker - a from scratch, oh brother, homestyle apple pie, and, for the person who just wants the best experience ever on a fork, my bestest sticky toffee pudding. It's sensational.

My cookie selection includes two kinds of biscotti (a secret family recipe), soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies and two new additions this year, peppermint sandwich cookies (which, I need to go pipe now) and a delicious new ultrathin chocolate chip cookie with walnuts in it.

 My mixer is running, my oven is blasting, the cream cheese is coming to room temperature - that's my cue. See you after the holidays with photos & recipes.

cobb-le/cobb-le

I always get excited when I see a cobb salad on a menu at a restaurant and then, when it comes, i'm deflated. My husband says it's because no one makes a cobb salad like I do and, I must admit, he's right (only about that though...).

I start with roasting some chicken breasts (usually on the bone) until fully cooked. Let cool. Then, not for the home cook in a rush, chop up all the toppings: romaine, tomatoes (I love grape ones), cucumber (diced not sliced!) & ripe avocado. In the summer I use fresh corn done on the bbq but in mid-December, I guess peaches and cream canned corn will sadly have to do. To add to the protein factor, I add roasted chick peas which I roast at 400~ for approx 20 mins with olive oil and salt and pepper. They are spectacular if you've never made these - do it, you'll never eat a plain chick pea ever again! I also add a perfectly hard boiled egg (boil salted water, turn to the lowest setting possible, place egg in water, cover and set timer for exactly 12 minutes. Drain and rinse well in cold water). Then I roast some turkey bacon which adds a lovely crunch! (you can roast the chick peas and turkey bacon in the same oven as they both roast for about the same time -easy!). Add a crumble of blue cheese (or you could substitute goat or feta if you don't care for blue but just a little goes a long way and it really pumps up the flavour).

I have played around with this dressing recipe for what seems like forever, but tonight, I think I finally nailed it down! It was...well, scrumptious.

Cobb Salad Dressing

2.5 T red wine vinegar

1.5 T fresh lemon juice
1 t dijon mustard

1 t dry mustard

1/2 T honey

1 t worcestershire sauce
1 crushed garlic clove

Shake that up really really well

Then, in a slow stream, add 1/4 C oil

(I really love a combination of canola oil & olive oil)

Add fresh pepper to taste and remove the garlic clove.

Toss on the salad and enjoy! You'll never love a restaurant cobb again (sorry).

chicken pot pie - just hear me out.

I know some of you are probably saying ew. ew. I don't eat pot pie. Pot pie is gross/nasty/sick. I was one of those people but I have fought through, and I love it. Firstly, you should eat it out of a bowl which obviously makes it a winner right off the bat. Secondly, it's warm, filling, comforting and makes a nice big amount so that you don't need to make lunch for your husband the next day (hurray!). Another reason I love it is that it can really be a blank canvas for delicious culinary adventures.

I start with Martha Stewart's lighter chicken pot pie recipe and revise a bit: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-chicken-pot-pie.

Firstly, I roast 2 chicken breasts (usually bone in, skin on because they are more flavourful) until fully cooked. I do not enjoy rotisserie chicken because I have zero idea what is actually in it. Scary stuff. Let the breasts rest and shred them up with two forks (wayyyy more better than diced chicken or strips here). I also experiment with adding new vegetables into it to kick it up in the flavour and nutrition departments. In this one, I have added mixed wild mushrooms and zucchini discs (which, my husband so beautifully cut - I bet he even measured the width of each one as he was cutting). I also use thyme instead of the tarragon and add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice at the same time as I stir in the peas.  Makes it perky. The great pea debate comes up when I'm making this dish when my husband is around. He would have twice the amount of peas but me, I enjoy it on the lighter pea side. So, after a lengthy argument, we usually settle for about 1/2 a cup. Moving on?


The topping of the pot pie is where things got wild. I am trying to follow a low-gluten lifestyle as much as possible lately so I am experimenting with substitutions for the phyllo (which is lovely especially when very crispy). I saw a wild rice topped chicken pot pie on the Whole Foods website and took it a bit further here. I used a combination of 1/2 C Quinoa (cooked) and 1/4 C black wild rice (cooked) mixed together and sprinkled on as the topping. Right before baking, I used my most favourite microplane to grate some good quality parmesan cheese all around. A quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and it was time for 30 minutes in the oven. Crunchy topping, creamy and light inside - pot-pie-umptious!

I served my pot pie with a winter salad of spinach, arugula, thinly sliced apples, 2 year old aged white cheddar and walnuts. For a simple dressing, I reduced some balsamic vinegar on the stove and then whisked in about 1t dijon, 1t maple syrup and 2T olive oil. Add salt & pepper and toss with the salad. Dare I say scrumptious.

I had to bite (eat?) the bullet.

Welcome. hi. hi. I was a bundle of nerves & sweating determining what to post first. See, I felt the intense pressure to post something so incredibly spectacular and well, frankly, insanely scrumptious for my virgin post - actually no, my virgin blog. I have never typed into the black hole of the internet (I don't count email, instant messaging and facebook as blogging) and it feels a bit strange to talk/type to myself but since it's about food, well, i'll get over it. I decided to just bite the bullet and post what I made tonight for dinner, no pressure. Phew - that felt good to admit.

I think about food all the time - really, it's true. As i'm devouring the first bite of my lunch, I've already considered what's for dinner and perhaps, what's for lunch the next day. I love food, I love recipes and I love the internet. Voila - Scrumptious. I love simple things when it comes to my meals - i love bowls, i love colour, i love vegetables, i love bowls. I also love eating things that take a long time (weird?) - like big, huge salads - I guess this flows quite nicely to my first dinner post no? I think so.

This meal satisfies my every food desire. Vegetables, colour and served in bowls! Bingo!
This is my most favouritest ever asian slaw adapted from a few recipes but mostly made up and the dressing is a variation on Guy Fieri's Asian Slaw: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/asian-slaw-recipe/index.html

In my slaw, I have julienned:

• red cabbage
• savoy (green) cabbage
• scallions
• carrots
• yellow pepper
• orange pepper
• LOTS of fresh mint
• LOTS of fresh cilantro
• soft, delicious and buttery avocado slices
• crunchy toasted cashews (my ultimate fave nut)
• white & black sesame seeds

The only changes I made to Guy's dressing was to add 1/2 T natural peanut butter and omit the brown sugar. Oh, I also used Tamari in place of soy as I like it better.  I tossed all the veggies with the dressing and added the avocado, nuts and seeds on top to finish it off. It was like an art project that I was actually proud to show. My husband's slaw received a juicy chicken breast on top but I have also topped it with an oven roasted salmon filet which is pretty tasty.

Hmmm. I guess I didn't consider that writing about food, posting photos about my food and generally considering my next post would make me (even more!) so hungry. I need to figure this one out. I'll be back, maybe tomorrow. Thanks for stopping in - Lesley.