Carb Lovers Diet Book + Recipe Peek

I've been ignoring my blog for a little while in favour of trying to get back on track eating wise. I don't like to think of it as a diet. Because, I'm still having lattes, smoothies and I'm not feeling hungry. When I start to get into blogging, I go out and look for things to make and blog about. 90% of the time, its not good for you... but its always so delicious.

So I thought I'd write a little about the book I'm following right now (String Free, I really just Love it). The name says it all - Carb Lovers Diet. And that's me! Cheese, Bread, Pasta... all at one meal? Yes please. I know a few other people that have tried this plan, they've all felt hungry during the first week (1200 Calories/day). This has never been a problem for me. Sometimes if I go for a run I'll grab an extra snack, but that's it. The biggest plus for this book is that my boyfriend loves the food. First off, he's not a small guy, so he needs more than the 1200 calories a day if he doesn't want to pass out. But an extra apple or egg, no big deal.

An average day consists of a smoothie type drink for breakfast, a solid filling plate for lunch and something that usually includes pasta for dinner. I thought I'd put up a few of the recipes in hopes of helping/converting a few people. Sometimes, I'll just do the breakfasts and lunches because (guilty) I don't eat those meals on a regular basis. I get up, have coffee and go to work and might have a snack when I get home.. apparently that's not a good thing to do. So that in it self probably makes this plan a little easier to handle for me.

If you're not a morning eater like myself, this smoothie is perfect. It tells you to add 1/2 cup of ice but I use frozen berries so I'm ok with out that. It also tells you to add honey, I add a heaping 1/3 cup of berries instead of the 1/4 cup. I also have started throwing in a spoonful of Flaxseed Meal. There are so many good things going on about it, I figured it couldn't hurt and it only adds 25 Calories or so. I also only use 1 Cup of 1% milk, makes it a little thicker.

Here's the base recipe:

1 Banana
1 1/2 Cups Milk
2 Tsp Honey
1/2 Cup Ice

Put in a blender till smooth.

Variations:

Add 2 Tsp Flaxseed meal

Add 1 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa

Add 1/4 Cup Berries (any)

So I basically do 2 variations in one with less milk, water and no honey so it pretty much balances out with the same calories. This is my breakfast every day now. I have been cutting down on the lattes but I still get them in. Since I make them at home myself they're only about 60 Calories anyways... but probably something that can be more of a "while I Blog treat".  There's a ton of other recipes but I'm the person that can eat the same thing over and over.

The lunch plate is probably my favourite lunch because its so easy and really fills you up. Sometimes I'll have a latte instead of the cheese.. but that's all.

1 Large hard boiled egg
1 oz Cheddar Cheese
1 Apple
3 Rye Crispbread Crackers (Ryvita or Wasa, both great)

I'm not a huge egg fan so I salt and pepper the crap out of that egg, but its a great little meal.

There's a few dinner recipes I love but this one was probably the most surprising because I was always the person that if I didn't have meat or pasta it probably wasn't a meal. This one has neither.

Black Bean Tacos

1 Can Black Beans
6 Corn Tortillas
6 Tbsp Shredded Cheddar
2 Cups Shredded Romaine
1 Cup Grated Carrots
1/4 Cup Salsa

Microwave beans at high for 2 minutes or until heated.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tortillas, one at a time and cook about 1 minute on each side.

Divide beans evenly among tortillas. Top with even amounts of toppings.

Serves 2.

So those are my 3 sneak peak recipes into this book. If they interest you, I totally suggest you look into purchasing the book. I love it. I think of it more as a cookbook than a diet book. If its not up your alley, its the Superbowl this weekend (Go Ravens!) so there will be plenty of the unhealthy, wonderful recipes we've come to love. Sort of waist-line friendly.

Shrimp and Feta Linguine with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

For my first recipe post of 2013 I thought I try to go a bit lighter. This is a recipe I've made several times now and its well loved and requested. I've added things, taken things out, put in extra, made less, made more, pretty much everything I could do, I've done. Since we're having it yet again tonight I thought tonight was a good night to post it.

This recipe is seriously great as is but here are the things I've done in the past and currently. I've added a roasted red pepper, but I found I liked the tomato flavour it has on its own. Tonight I used Arugula instead of Spinach and it added a bit more of a peppery taste to it. I pretty much always add extra hot pepper flakes and garlic because why not? I also recommend using a little better quality Olive Oil since it will affect the taste of the dish. I always use a Rose wine vinegar. I find that you don't need as much feta. If you have read my other posts you know I like cheese but I just don't think you will need as much. Even half a cup is good.

This recipe should serve around 6, it can be served hot or cold and you can BBQ the tomatoes and shrimp in the summer.

Here's the original recipe:

Shrimp and Feta Linguine with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
(Adapted Slightly from Best Recipes Ever)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
24 jumbo (21/25) raw shrimp, (1 lb/500 g), peeled and deveined
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
12 oz (340 g) linguine
3 cups (750 mL) packed fresh spinach
1 cup (250 mL) crumbled feta cheese

Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette:
8 plum/roma tomatoes, (about 1-1/2 lb/750 g) cored
1/3 cup (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp (18 mL) sherry vinegar, or wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
1 pinch hot pepper flakes, (optional)

Prep:

Core tomato's, just scoop out the little end on them with a small paring knife. It'll come out like a little cone.

On small rimmed baking sheet, broil tomatoes, turning every 5 minutes, until well charred, about 15 minutes. Let cool. *I always do this on low broil for about 45 minutes, only turning once. If you do it on high your tomato's will turn black - fast. Which is ok, but I also find they explode open quickly and you lose alot of the juice on the baking sheet. You can't save it because it will burn to the sheet.

Dice tomatoes and place in strainer set in bowl; let stand for 5 minutes to several hours to accumulate juice.

In the bowl, blend together tomato juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes (if using) until smooth. Return to bowl; add diced tomatoes. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before using.)

In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute shrimp, salt and pepper until pink, about 3 minutes. Add to tomato vinaigrette, tossing to coat.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but firm, about 8-10 minutes.

Drain and return to pot. Add shrimp mixture, spinach and all but 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the feta; toss to combine.

Serve sprinkled with remaining feta.

 

Just a Blog Post

This post doesn't have any recipes. I just wanted to say thanks to all of the people who have been following my blog and me on twitter. Its really great to know that even as a random night time kitchen blogger, just for fun, that I'm getting out there and (hopefully) helping people out in the kitchen.

I personally love trying new things for dinner and obviously dessert. Although most of the things I do for dessert I end up giving away and sharing, we all had a bit too much over the holidays. I'm not making a New Years Resolution to lose weight or anything unachievable or crazy. But I'm going to try to eat a little lighter and smarter. You know, half whole wheat and half white pasta, less cream and butter and more vegetables. That's probably the biggest one. I like them. But I just don't seem to get enough of them. Make yourself a little more full with almost the same amount of food. Just little substitutions. Because I'm certainly not cutting out Dairy or Pasta anytime soon!

With that being said, my "Blog" resolution is to post Double plus 5 of what I posted in 2012. Because, that's what happened from 2011 to 2012. So, 71 new posts and recipes is the goal! Which is really only a couple a week. I hope that maybe, my blog will also get twice as many views as last year. I'm going to start the year off on a bit of a cheat (Just like most people's resolutions!) since I have a few recipes from December that I didn't get a chance to do before the New Year... But those are only going to get me through January.

Thanks again for checking out my blog, hope to see you in there for this post next year! Here's to an inspired year.

Jessica

An Italian Evening (5 Recipes!)

Today was my first whole day off in longer than I can remember. No plans at all. And of course there's no way I could sit around and do nothing. I thought it would be best to put these all in one post. They are all linked to on their original sites in each recipe section. If you time it right you can do the last 3 all at once. Otherwise at least the pizza and the garlic knots. They cook at the same temperature.

These are the things I made today:

Mozza
Pizza Dough
Pizza
Garlic Knots
Tomato Soup

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I got a make your own Mozza kit for Christmas (only my boyfriend would think of that) so I decided that would be my first task of the day. The kit makes over 8 pounds of cheese but we figured One would be enough for today. I came out with three fairly good sized balls. I never knew it was so ridiculously easy to make your own cheese.

Rennet + Water
Citric Acid + 4L Milk
Boil, Mix, Let sit, Stir, Strain and heat.
You can braid it, make larger balls, bocconcini, or whatever your heart desires.
Sits in a water bath for 3 hours, tightly wrap and it will keep for 10 days or so or freeze.

You can get your own kit here:

http://www.makecheese.ca/

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Sean and I decided that after making our own mozza we should probably have pizza.

I wanted to do a thin crust but I decided on a dough recipe I already knew. This is an easy and quick recipe from Stefano Faita on CBC.

Pizza dough

2 3/4 to 3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. salt

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp. sugar

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

 

In a large bowl, combine 2 3/4 cups flour and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, add warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir to combine. Let sit until yeast starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Stir or work with your hands until dough starts to form into a ball. Transfer to work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 8 minutes, adding more flour if dough is sticky.
Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Store in a warm place until it doubles in volume, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Punch down dough. Cut in 1/2. Roll each piece into a 10-inch round.

I rolled out one half into about a 12" pizza, so it was a bit thinner. I preheated my oven and cast iron griddle to 400ºF so the crust would get a bit of a head start on cooking as soon as I put it on the hot pan. I also poked holes in the dough with a fork so it crisps a bit more on the bottom.

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We decided on a basic pizza:

Spinach
Prosciutto
Homemade Mozza
Basic Pizza Sauce (I cooked alot today, just used Eden's Organic Sauce from a tin)
Basil
Olive Oil

After crisping up the crust for 5-10 minutes in the oven, put your choice of sauce on and the cheese. Place back in the oven for 7-10 minutes until it gets a bit melty.

Take it out and sprinkle on the Spinach and Basil. Put on as much meat as desired and pour a bit of olive oil across pizza.

Put back in the oven for 2 minutes to heat through.

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With the other half of the dough I decided to make "Not your Average Garlic Knots" which made Rachael Ray's top 10 downloaded recipes of 2012. I didn't make this exactly how it goes just because it was kind of a spur of the moment decision. I also only made half.

The only ingredients I left out were the rosemary and provolone. I have no doubt it would have been 10 times better with those. But they were still great. This was a recipe that was to be made in a bundt pan, which many of us have but not many of us use. I actually don't have one so I just oiled up a little baking dish.

Since the oven is the same temperature as the pizza you can definitely make both at the same time.

Here is the original recipe:

Nonstick cooking spray

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound store-bought pizza dough, cut into 1-inch balls
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
Coarse ground sea salt
Black pepper
1 cup shredded provolone
1 cup grated Parmesan

Tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought, for dipping

 

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Prepare a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small saucepot, melt butter with garlic. Pour into a large mixing bowl and toss together with pizza dough balls, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper. Place half of the dough balls into the bundt pan, top with half of the cheeses. Top with remaining dough and finish with remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes. 

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For the final recipe I decided on a tomato soup to start off with. Since I wasn't originally planning on the garlic knots. This was another recipe from Rachael Ray's TV show. I didn't do the egg noodles although they definitely interest me for a future recipe. I used everything except the bay leaf because we couldn't find any. I also never have whole milk in my house and used 1%.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 large fresh bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart chicken stock
1 28- to 32-ounce can hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes
A few leaves basil, torn
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk


For the soup, heat oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a large soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, carrot, salt, pepper, thyme, bay and cook partially covered to soften 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and stir 2 minutes; add stock, tomatoes and basil. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, remove and discard bay leaf.

Purée soup in a blender and return to pot. (I used an immersion blender and never had to pour it out and back into the pot)
 

To make the béchamel sauce, melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, season with salt and pepper, and let thicken to coat a spoon. Stir béchamel into soup to combine.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

When I first made peppermint bark this year and found this recipe in the suggested section there was no way I couldn't make it. I love cheesecake. Its seriously my favourite dessert.

We got invited to a Christmas party/potluck. As my boyfriend takes it upon himself to brag about my baking I got sucked into bringing two things. My Jalapeno Cheese Buns as well as this. They were both well received and needless to say none came home with me. I did make sure I was first in line for one of each so I at least got to enjoy it myself. This cheesecake does take some time compared to some others I've made but it was worth it for sure.

I attempted this again in mini size and I didn't even think to adjust the cooking time - down to 35/40 minutes is recommended. It'll make 12 of the mini size. When I made it the second time I added a touch less peppermint extract. That was just my personal preference.

With all that said, here's the recipe and photo!

*If you need some extra clarification, there's some great photos at many of the steps on the original site.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
(Adapted slightly from Baked By Rachel)

Crust Ingredients:

2C chocolate cookie crumbs (or 22 regular oreos with filling – not double stuffed)
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

3 – 8oz containers or blocks cream cheese, softened
1C sugar
4oz white chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 eggs
1/2 batch peppermint bark, made thin or roughly 1 1/2C chunks

Mousse Ingredients:

1/2C cool whip, softened
4oz cream cheese, softened
2 oz white chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Decoration:

2 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Cool Whip
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Peppermint snow
Grated chocolate


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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10″ spring-form pan with two sheets of tin foil. In a food processor, blend cookies until only fine crumbs remain. Add melted butter. Give a quick blend. Transfer crumb mixture to spring-form pan. Shake to disperse crumbs. Using a flat bottom cup, press down to create an even crust. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

Cut up peppermint bark into small pieces. Set aside.

Begin melting 4oz white chocolate. Using the microwave, in a heat safe bowl microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power until fully melted. Stir well after each interval.

In stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar. Mix well. Scrape bowl well prior to each new addition and as needed. Add melted chocolate, flour, whipping cream, salt and peppermint extract. Mix well. On medium/low speed, add one egg at a time. Mix until smooth and blended well.

Add peppermint bark pieces, stir by hand.

Transfer spring-form pan and cooked crust into a larger pan, such as a large roasting pan.

Pour filling into crust. Add enough hot water to reach half way up the sides of your spring-form pan. Carefully place in center of oven. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Keeping the door shut, leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 45 minutes. Remove and allow to sit for at least 1 hour before chilling.

Chill 4 hours or overnight before adding the mousse.

In a medium bowl beat softened cream cheese, melted white chocolate, cool whip, sugar and vanilla until smooth and slightly thickened.

Carefully remove side of spring-form pan. Spread mousse mixture evenly over cheesecake. Chill for 4 hours or overnight before serving.

I also made a little topping dollop for each slice to help with division. To do this, Mix the first 4 ingredients (2 oz Cream Cheese, 1 Cup Cool Whip, 1 tsp Vanilla and 1 Tbsp Vanilla) quickly with a hand mixer or stand mixer until well combined. Mixture should still be fairly close to the consistency of cream cheese. I then piped this around the outside of the cake in even dollops. See photo.

Serve slices with chocolate shavings, crushed peppermint candies and whipped cream.
Store covered in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Pecan Caramel Candy Bars

The last of the three recipes we chose for our crazy baking day! This one has the longest name and was probably my favourite. It was a little more intense than the others to make but it will definitely be on my Christmas Baking list for next year.

To make it a bit easier to get out of the pan, we actually used Crisco to grease the foil. There was no way anything was sticking to that! The only other thing I would say with this recipe is that it would probably be easier to make it twice instead of doubling it.

Here`s the recipe and flashcard picture!

1 1/2 Cups AP Flour
1/2 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter

Topping:

6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar - Firmly packed
3 Tbsp Honey
3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Pecans or Walnuts (We chose Pecans)
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF, Line a 9x13" baking pan with foil and grease foil (we used crisco for greasing).

To make crust, combine flour, sugar, butter and mix until crumbly. You can do this in a food processor a mixer or even by hand. Pat into the bottom of the pan (on foil). Bake for 12 minutes or until set. Remove and cool the pan on a rack.

To make topping, in a sauce pan, heat butter until it melts and bubbles. Add brown sugar, honey, cream and syrup and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Let boil without stirring for 1 minute. Pour over the hot/warm crust and sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until caramel layer is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let melt, then swirl with a spatula. Let cool and peel off foil. Makes about 3dz 1 - 2 inch squares.

Ours turned out a bit thicker than the picture but they were a great consistency through out.

Swirled Peanut Butter Bars

I'll be honest, I don't like peanut butter. I mean in a classic PB&J or spiced up for a Thai sauce, I'm in. But standard peanut butter things, I'm not overly into. But this was another one of the recipes we picked for our Pre Christmas baking spree.

We doubled this one for two 9x13" pans. They turned out really good, maybe a little rich tasting for me - but every peanut butter fan I know liked them. These probably won't make my Christmas baking list, but don't let that stop you. Because if it sounds up your alley - it probably is and it turned out great and was easy.

Here's the recipe and flashcard picture!

1/2 Cup Room Temperature Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar Firmly Packed
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Cup AP Flour
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp salt

Icing

1 Cup Icing Sugar
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
3-4 Tbsp Heavy Cream (We used about 10 tbsp for a double recipe)
2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking pan. Cream together butter and sugars until light. Add egg and peanut butter and mix until blended. In another bowl mix together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until blended. Pat into prepared pan.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Icing:

Stir together sugar, peanut butter and enough heavy cream to form a runny mixture (Ours never really got "runny" but it got thinner).

Remove baked bars from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips, let melt for a couple minutes. Drizzle or spoon peanut butter mixture over the chocolate and swirl with a spoon or butter knife. Let cook on a rack. Makes about 4dz 1 - 2 inch squares.

Here's the flashcard picture - ours looked almost identical.