Monthly Archives: April 2012

Cakes

Carrot Cake

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I went to make a Carrot Cake this morning and do you think I could find my faded, tattered recipe in the recipe box? NO! So the search began: Did I tuck it into a cookbook? Is it by my computer in the stack of “To Be Entered” recipes? Did a search on my site, plus a search on my old site to no avail. Now I am pulling my hair out because Carrot Cake is one of the family favourites and we are celebrating three birthdays this weekend! Dejected I went down to the kitchen prepared to pull out my Better Crocker cookbook (though I suspect Carrot Cake is missing from there too as I think I tore it out and gave it to someone O.o) and lo and behold! Seems I made a Carrot Cake not too long ago because the tattered old recipe card was just chillin’ in the recipe holder my oldest daughter made for me a gazillion years ago!
Catastrophe averted but I think I am going to enter that recipe right NOW so I don’t have to go through this again!

4 Eggs, well beaten
2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 cups Carrots, raw, grated
1 cup Raisins (optional)
1 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup soft butter
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 1/2 – 2 cups Icing Sugar, to right consistency
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray a 9X13 (4l pan) with vegetable oil spray and line bottom only with baking paper.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a mixing bowl.
In large mixing bowl beat egg and sugar on low speed until combined then increase speed to medium and beat for a couple of minutes until smooth and foamy.
Stir in dry ingredients on low speed until all flour is incorporated then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
On low speed, stir in grated carrots, vanilla and, if using, raisins and chopped walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in 350F oven for 30 – 40 minutes, until golden and a pick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit, in pan, on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Turn out onto wire rack, peel off baking paper and cool completely.

While cake is cooling prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and butter; beat on medium speed until smooth.
Stir in icing sugar a cup at a time, adding vanilla and lemon juice after the first addition, then adding enough icing sugar to preferred consistency.

Frost Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting when cake is completely cooled.

*I split my cake in two, add a layer of custard or icing in the middle the frost all over and add a piped border.

 

 

Atkins Diet Meals, Salads

Low Carb Greek Salad

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Low Carb Greek Salad
Low Carb Greek Salad

I don’t usually measure this stuff…

1/2 cup  Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced (why did I give away my Garlic Press? Oh yea, coz I want a    Pampered Chef one!
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
a splash of Brine from the Kalamata Olives
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Basil

3 cups Spinach Leaves, washed and spun
1 Long English Cucumber, cut into chunks
1 each, Red Pepper, Orange, Yellow and Green Pepper, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, diced
4 ounces Feta, crumbled
Kalamata Olives
Grape Tomatoes, garnish

Measure all of the ingredients together in a resealable jar, screw on the lid and give it a good shake.

Toss together in a large bowl the spinach, cucumber, peppers and onion.

If serving all of it immediately, go ahead and toss in the feta, dressing and Kalamata olives.
If not serving all of it immediately, I like to just put a serving of the “Greens” in a large pasta bowl, top with a bit of crumbled feta, a few (lot) Kalamata olives and a generous drizzle of dressing.

Greek Salad doesn’t hold well which is why I don’t add the feta and dressing to a big bowl of prepared “Greens” thereby avoiding the soggy cucumber syndrome!

 

Atkins Diet Meals, Just Pics of Easy to throw together Stuff

Stir Fry Veg and Beef Strips

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Stir Fry Veg and Beef Strips
Stir Fry Veg and Beef Strips

Oh man, so very tired when I came in from work and so did NOT want to cook last night! Alas the grocery store didn’t have a cooked chicken ready for at least 20 minutes and I sure wasn’t going to hang around the store waiting….oh, I could have hung out in the Book/Mag aisle and got all caught up on my mag browsing! Then again, like I said, I was fading fast and one of the purchases in my basket was coffee beans and I had a real fanging for a cup of coffee!

Anyway, I probably did my family a favour by leaving the store without the chicken but now I had to cook! My husband is trying to shed a few so we can no longer rely on the old, “Oh, we can just have a bowl of cereal, throw in some fruit and nuts and call Dinner done.” Sadness, I know. Another standby fave was Eggs, Hashers and Veggie “Bacon” or “Sausages” with Toast but, well, we don’t do that anymore either.

So, coffee now in hand, I chopped a few things, sliced a few others, threw them in a deep frying pan and made stir fry veggies. Normally I would have thrown in some Teriyaki sauce but apparently that is off limits now too O.o I threw in a few Tablespoons of H2O and crumbled in a McCormicks Vegetable Stock cube. It was pretty tasty!

For the Beef Strips? I had some Sliced Steak in the freezer from a couple of weeks ago that cooked up nicely in a Tablespoon of Hoisin Sauce combined with 1/2 cup of water; I just chucked the liquids on top of the still thawing steak strips, stuck a lid on the pan for a few minutes, removed the lid to reduce liquid.

Don’t call me Late for Dinner!

(Disclaimer…I didn’t actually eat that stuff aside from a taste of the veggies. Before, while and after that was cooking I made a great big bowl of salad which I hope will last through today 😉

Side Dishes

Frosted Cauliflower

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The tangy sauce that blankets the cauliflower is to die for!

Frosted Cauliflower
Frosted Cauliflower

1 head Cauliflower, whole
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Mustard or Dijon Mustard
3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Remove leaves and some of the core of the cauliflower but leaving it intact.
Cook cauliflower in a few Tablespoons of water in a covered casserole dish on HIGH in the microwave for about 8 minutes.
(Conversely, you can also steam the whole head on the stovetop, if you prefer)
Drain and let sit, covered for a few minutes.
While cauliflower is sitting, in a large pyrex measuring cup combine the mayo and mustard.
Microwave for a minute.
Frost the surface of the cauliflower with the mayo mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese.
Return to the microwave and cook just until the cheese melts, 1 – 2 minutes.

Muffins in a Minute (MIMs)

Savoury Muffin in a Minute

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A nice bread replacement to toast and have alongside Bacon and Eggs in the morning or stuffed with delicious Pulled Pork!

Savoury MIM
A low carb savoury bread to go with your meals.

1 teaspoon Butter, just melted
1 large Egg
1/4 cup Golden Flaxseed Meal
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Lightly spray a 4″ Ramekin with vegetable oil spray.
In large measuring cup melt the butter.
Add egg to melted butter and stir well.
Add flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt and pepper.
Pour into prepared Ramekin.
Microwave on HIGH for 1 – 2 minutes depending on the strength of your machine.
Remove from microwave oven, run a small metal spatula around the edge and turn out onto plate.
Serve with a pat of butter or a dollop of cream cheese.
Can also pop into the toaster on a light setting.

Making a MIM - Muffin in a Minute
Making a MIM - Muffin in a Minute

Notice the Butter? I pre-measured a bunch of butter and keep them handy in the fridge to make it even easier to whip up a MIM!
* Note – I did not create this recipe but have no idea who did so I cannot properly credit them. Whoever created it? Genius! Pure genius!