Back on the Pumpkin Wagon: Healthy Hearty Pumpkin Bread

I'm celebrating the holidays some lightened-up pumpkin bread. I subbed most of the oil for low-fat plain yogurt, whole wheat flour for most of the AP, and reduced the sugar (because I don't like it too sweet). With all the holiday junk floating around, I might as well cut corners where I can, right? I made this recipe a while ago and wrote a post, but totally forgot about it!!! Anyways, I took some nice pics for this, so enjoy!

RECIPE: (adapted from food.com) makes two 9-inch loaves
*2 cups canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
*1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
*1 cup water
*1/4 cup vegetable oil
*3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
*4 eggs
*1 1/3 cups AP flour
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons baking soda
*2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

PREPERATION:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.) Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a bowl
3.) Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, water, oil, yogurt, and eggs in a seperate bowl
4.) Combine wet and dry ingredients
5.) Grease and flour two 9-inch pans
6.) Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until pick comes clean

Super Simple Fool-proof Dark Chocolate Cake

I spent Saturday afternoon baking, frosting, and decorating this delectable chocolate cake for my parents to take to some random asian poker party.
Not gonna lie- Sharing this recipe with y'all is a way of soothing my conscience about not being able to post as often.
Yes, it is slightly malformed, but it has not only provided me with the experience of making a layer cake; I've also discovered one of the best and easiest chocolate cake recipes ever! I mean, it's TSAC-proof. That itself should speak worlds for this recipe. The Espresso Chocolate frosting is a recipe I've been using forever, and it's just a basic chocolate buttercream with espresso powder thrown in. you can omit the espresso, but I find that coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor well. Almost tastes a bit like tiramisu! Which, I guess, is up next on my baking list for fall, after everything pumpkin-related of course.

I kind of screwed up flipping the layers (it's my first ever layer cake!) but only because I accidentally ripped a corner with my spatula. Better luck next time. Let's just say that my first try at making a layer cake ended in an ecstatic yet exhausted orgy of chocolate frosting and cake crumbs.

CAKE RECIPE: food.com (Serves 20-24 making 2 layers of cake, or maybe just two if I'm there ;p )
*2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup because I loaded it with frosting)
*1 3/4 cups flour*3/4 cup cocoa powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
*1 teaspoon salt
*2 eggs
*1 cup milk
*1/2 cup vegetable oil
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*3/4 cup boiling water 

FROSTING RECIPE:food.com, makes about one to two cups
*1/2 cup butter, softened
*2 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
*1/3 cup half-and-half, or sub. un-whipped cream
*1 to 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

For a:light frosting- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
medium frosting- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
very rich frosting- 3/4 cup cocoa powder

*Mix all together and store in refridgerator 

PREPERATION:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.) Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13 x 9 inch pan
3.) In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients
4.) Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla
5.) Stir in boiling water
6.) Pour into prepared pan(s)
7.) Bake 30-35 minutes in two round 9-inch pans, 35-40 minutes for retangular pan, or until pick comes out clean
8.) Let completely cool, then run pick along the side of the cake to loosen it.
9.) Put plate on top of a pan and flip upside down so the plate is on the bottom. Tap the pan if the cake does not come out, or carefully insert a thin spatula under cake to help it come out.
10.) IF MAKING A LAYER CAKE: Frost top of first layer
11.) Flip the other layer out, and place on top (with help of a spatula) of frosted layer
12.) Decorate as you like! I covered the entire thing with frosting to hide the damage, and then topped it with some chocolate shavings. Suggestions-

• Cover with chocolate ganache (one cup of cream + 8 ounces of finely chopped and melted chocolate)
• Pipe with frosting
• Add strawberries or raspberries on top

super duper light cake recipe

My friend O shared with me a fantastically easy and light cake recipe. Originally we made it in the rice cooker, which didn't work very well since my rice cooker has various issues, but I recreated it today in the oven and it came out awesomely.
It's an extremely light cake- the kind that serves more like a vehicle for frosting than anything else...
This is sure to be a hit with asian grown-ups, since sweets are generally not super sugary in Asia.
The only catch is that you have to whip the egg whites until your hands fall off. There's probably a way to incorporate cream of tartar for an easier way to make it rise, but I'll have to play with that in the future. Oh well, at least you're getting a good bicep workout in; all the more reason to treat yourself!

RECIPE:
*4 eggs, yolks and whites seperated
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 cup flour
*about 1-2 tablespoons milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*pinch of salt
*You can serve/garnish it any way you'd like; with strawberries and whipped cream, frosting, dusted with powdered sugar, etc. I spread it with some chocolate ganache (melted semi-sweet chocolate chips) and sprinkled some chopped almonds, which is great too.

PREPERATION:
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees (unless you're using a rice cooker.)
1.) Seperate egg yolks and whites into different bowls
2.) Add 1/4 cup of sugar into each bowl
3.) Whip egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form

4.) Whip egg yolks and sugar until they are a very pale yellow color.

5.) Mix both together and add in flour until incorporated
6.) Add milk until mixture ribbons, however little/much needed.

7.) Add vanilla and salt
8.) If you have a rice cooker, heat it up and then cook the cake at "heat" for 10 minutes and "cook" for 10 minutes. Resist the urge to open the lid and check it because it will deflate if lid is opened too early! If you're using an oven, bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees and 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees. It's ready when it has risen and a toothpick comes out clean.

Decorate as you see fit. I melted some chocolate chips with the microwave and smeared it on, along with sprinkling sliced almonds on top. I would recommend a really light and fluffy frosting to go along with this cake.

Easy savory vegetarian tarts (super simple shortening-free pie dough recipe!)

Went fishing on Saturday with some family friends. It was actually pretty fun, and I caught four or five sunnies. We all returned with worm blood cheerfully staining our hands.
We rented a boat, and since it was  potluck-picnic sort of deal, I decided to use the opportunity to overcome the intimidation of pie/tart crust and make some tarts. I made a batch with peach pie filling and a batch with savory vegetarian filling. I didn't get to take a pic of the peach pie tarts before we had to go, so I guess I'll post that recipe another time. You can choose to make little tarts like I did (due to the lack of a pie tin) or make a pie. Either way, the dough is super easy to work with!

(different lighting)

RECIPE:

Tart/pie Dough (from allrecipes.com, makes 12 standard muffin-cup-sized tarts, 1 9-inch pie)
*1 1/4 cups flour
*1/2 cup butter
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/4 cup cold water

Savory veggie filling  (from allrecipes.com, fills 24 dough shells, or 1 9-inch pie crust)
*2 tablespoons buter
*1 onion, minced
*1 teaspoon minced garlic
*2 cups chopped fresh broccoli or any vegetables of your choice
*1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
*4 eggs, well beaten
*1 1/2 cups milk
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*1 teaspoon oregano
*1 tablespoon butter, melted

PREPERATION:

Tart/Pie Dough
1.) In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2.) Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.
3.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
4.) Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate or muffin pan. Place crust in pie plate or each individual tart case. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate or tart case.
5.) Put back in fridge until the filling is ready to go

Savory veggie filling
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.) Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
3.) Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
4.) Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

P.S Anybody have thoughts on how the Olympics are going? Aren't y'all proud of all the Olympians the U.S has, ahem, erected?

Source

Cherry mini-cakes + WWS

These are NOT muffins.
They are miniature cakes made to celebrate the day on which my younger sibling was born.
Yes, they are may look like muffins with the top sawed off but it is a subject like that of chick flicks. According to my English teacher, somebody has to die a tragic death with lots of female tears + desperation for a movie to be called a chick flick (a.k.a a movie no self-respecting heterosexual man would ever pick out on his own), a definition I disagree with. I wouldn't call a guy who voluntarily picks out Mean Girls for a date night/cuddle session self-respecting, or heterosexual. What do y'all think?

But onto the muffin cake-baking. The original recipe was for a strawberry yogurt bundt cake, which I pretty much stuck with except to swap cherries for the strawberries, plain yogurt for the greek, and to halve it (though I posted the full version) and bake it in muffin cups instead of a bundt pan.

This cake is pretty phenomenal, and was a hit with my family. It's super buttery and the salt balances out the tartness of the cherries perfectly. Definitely recommended for tea time... or anytime, really.

I used cherries because we happened to have a bunch on hand, and because my little brother loves them.

RECIPE (adapted from organicglory.wordpress.com)
*1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
*2 cups sugar
*3 eggs
*3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided use
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*2 and 1/2 cups flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*8 ounces plain yogurt (or greek)
*12 ounces fresh cherries (or strawberries) pitted and halved
*1 cup confectioner's sugar

PREPERATION (copied from organicglory.worpress.com)

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2.) Sift together 2-1/4 cups of flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3.) With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4.) Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and vanilla extract.

5.) In thirds, alternate beating in flour mixture and yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

6.) Toss strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Gently mix them into batter.

7.) Scrape the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

8.) Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

9.) Once cooled, combine confectioners’ sugar and reserved 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake. (MAKE SURE THE CAKE IS COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE DRIZZLING- that's where I got too impatient and the sugar melted all over, making a dent on the visual effect.

The glaze looks like... (ahem)

After that delicious carb-bomb, I'm sure we're all itching to check out the latest in workouts: I'm workin' on week 2 of the Iron Body 700 workout from SOA.

BTW: the Cardio kickboxing link in the schedule



Healthy White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Fruit

Yes, I know, I know. I'm officially obsessed with oats. I absolutely adore the combination of oats and chocolate. If only I could find Dark Chocolate Cherry Kashi bars at my local Costco! I swear I would live off them.
But in the meantime, here's a recipe for oatmeal cookies I found on the back of a bag of Craisins. I figured if people are getting paid to come up with these recipes for these food companies, they probably don't taste horrible, right?
The cookies came out really good. Like I-can't-believe-this-is-healthy good. They're almost like little snack-cakes and were super moist, but with the oaty flavor still there. Definitely going to be a hit with my family, even with my processed-sugary-food addicted little bro!

I subbed half the butter for yogurt, ditched the craisins since they were expired, and chopped up some dried mangoes and dates instead.
These dried dates are packed with anti-oxidants, free from any preservatives or added sugar, and are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth, plus they're gluten and nut allergen free!

I chopped up some white chocolate since we didn't have any chips, and had a bit left over. Wonder where that's gonna go... ;p





TIP: When buying white chocolate, look for cocoa butter in the ingredient label. Really good quality white chocolate should have cocoa butter listed as the very first or second ingredient.

White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies


RECIPE:
*1/3 cup butter
*1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
*1/3 cup brown sugar (my family isn't into really sweet things so I halved the amount of sugar because the original recipe called for 2/3 cup. Even with half the sugar they came out just sweet enough thanks to the dried fruit and chocolate.)
*2 eggs
*1-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
*1/2 cup regular All Purpose flour
*1 cup whole wheat flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips (regular chocolate works fine too)

*1/3 cup chopped dried dates and mangoes, or any other dried fruit works fine too

PREPERATION:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2.)Mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt

3.) In a seperate bowl, cream together the butter, yogurt, and sugar, beating in the eggs

4.) Stir wet and dry ingredients together, adding in the chocolate and dried fruit

5.) Drop onto cookie sheet by rounded teaspoonfuls and bake for about 6 minutes.

The original recipe with all the butter called for 10-12 minutes, but I think because I used yogurt it only took 6 minutes for them to bake.

6.) Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!


I enjoyed the (six, lol) cookies with a mug of green tea after my workout.

Say hello to my mug, Steve! I picked him up at Goodwill for 99 cents. Too cute!

I came back around 1:30 today from my group tennis lesson and was itching for a run, so I went for a quick 2 mile run with my dog. Though the tennis lesson was one and half hours, it was a group lesson so only got me sweating a little bit and not very exerted, so the run burned off my remaining energy.