Carrot Cake - bake it again!

~This Year's Holiday Carrot Cake ~

Ah, this is the season for baking. I love carrot cakes. Carrot cake can be a delicious addition to the usual holiday treats. The glycemic index of carrots goes up when used in baked cake recipes, because fresh carrots tend to have a lower glycemic index than cooked carrots. The effect of this phenomena can be reduced by using a high fiber flour formulated for cakes.

Ingredients:
An oven
(mix this group of ingredients together first as listed below)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of organic apple sauce
1/3 cup of grape seed oil
4 tablespoons of Plugrá butter
1 tablespoons of cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp of ginger powder
Mix the above ingredients together thoroughly.
(buy organic, and prepare a mixture of dry ingredients below)
1/2 cup of high fiber whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of Swans Down Enriched cake flour
1 cup of grated organic carrots (yes, organic)
1/4 cup chopped almonds and/or walnuts
1 teaspoon of baking soda (optional)
1 teaspoon of baking powder (mandatory)
1/2 cup of chopped peeled pears or 1/2 cup of chopped pineapples
Directions:
Preheat oven to 365°F (degrees Fahrenheit), which is 185°C (degrees Celsius).
Prepare a 9"x9" pan by spraying the dried pan with a little oil (use a canola cooking spray) and sprinkle flour on it, in order to create a non-stick cake pan.
Combine the "wet" mixed ingredients with the "dry" mixed ingredients. Bake in a steel baking pan for about 40 minutes to 45 minutes at 365°F (degrees Fahrenheit). That's all you have to do! Enjoy the new year -- it is year 2015. Eat your veggies!

Parsley Pistachio Pesto

Pesto goes well with all types of pastas, and it can also serve as a topping for meat dishes.

There is a blender-free version of making pesto, but I will post the version where you must use a blender (or a food processor).

Ingredients:
A big bunch of parsley (buy organic)
A clove of garlic
Olive Oil
Pistachio nuts (or raw cashews, or raw almonds)
Blender (or food processor)

Directions:

A) Wash and rinse the parsley, and carefully pick out the wilted leaves to throw out. Remove thick stems.
B) Peel garlic and chop off unwanted parts connected to roots
C) Shell pistachio nuts (*You can also buy shelled pistachio nuts that are unsalted from Trader Joe's)
D) Clean blender. Pour about 1/2 cup of olive oil to prime the blender to be somewhat non-sticky to the nuts.
E) Pour in the nuts. Start blender and add enough olive oil (about 1/4 cup) to emulsify. Blend for 15 seconds. Stop blender.
F) Place into blender the garlic, the fresh parsley, and if more flavor needed a pinch of salt.
G) Blend this mixture until it is well blended into a paste.
Now all you need is to cook the pasta (anything else you would like to accompany the pesto). This pesto is easy to make, and helpful in creating some great tasting fresh food. When it comes to pesto, it is all about freshness! Enjoy!

*the blender-free version of pesto is to hand-mix frozen finely chopped basil, finely processed garlic from a jar, and olive oil. Who would want to do that? This pesto is ready in a jiffy.

Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup (with Tuna and Rice)

It's only February, on a Friday night. Plus, it is not yet summer! Being in California, the weather is completely alright for a picnic themed lunch or dinner.  Here is a delicious recipe for a Cucumber Yogurt Soup that goes with tuna and rice on the side.

Ingredients:
A blender
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 individual-size tube of Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons of dill (or chop about 1/4 cup of fresh dill)
1 pinch of basil
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
3 firm large cucumbers (washed and peeled)
1 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1 quart of buttermilk

3 chopped green granny smith apples to make a chunky textured soup
1 chopped cucumber to add to the soup for a chunky textured soup

Step One: Cut the 3 cucumbers in half and remove seeds. Place into blender. Add to blender, lemon juice, greek yogurt, dill, basil, garlic powder, lemon pepper and buttermilk.

Step Two: Put on earplugs and blend the mixture (it should take about 8 seconds for it to be blended). 

Step Three: Pour mixture into a large serving bowl (like a mixing bowl). Add in the 3 chopped up green apple chunks, and the cucumber chunks.

Step Four: Chill in refrigerator for about half-an-hour.

Step Five: Prepare tuna and rice to serve on the side. This soup also goes well with tuna sandwiches. 

*What I love about this soup is that it has a lot of probiotics, and tons of unique flavonoids from the lemons. The soup is hydrating, easy to make, and refreshing.

 Try it! Hope you enjoy the soup!

Delicious Yet Fiberful Cookies

I stopped cooking because I have been busy. However, that does not mean that I haven't been thinking of recipes to try.

Recently, I figured out how to make high fiber chocolate chip cookies that will literally *move* you. ;-) It's healthful and fun to make for a picnic, a hike, or a much needed study break.

High Fiber Chocolate Chip and Trail Mix Cookies:

2 1/4 cups Organic High Fiber Pancake Mix (Bob's Red Mill Brand)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1 teaspoon Stevia
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup package of trail-mix
3 teaspoons of Benefiber
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Bake cookie dough made from the above at 375° F for 8 to 10 minutes on aluminum pan.
For steel pans, bake cookies for 17 to 19 minutes.

If you have grandparents, then bake them some for your next visit.
They'll love you for it. Enjoy! ~~ :o)

Fried Rice - My Style

Here is a great recipe for fried rice.

Ingredients:
3 to 5 TBS olive oil
1 clove of garlic
half an onion

1 TBS sesame seed oil
1 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS hoisin sauce (seafood, "hai-xian" or "Hoisin")
6 cups of cooked rice (cooled cooked rice, measured after cooking into 6 cups)

1 bag of frozen peas
1 tsp of white pepper
3 eggs
1 cup of diced cooked carrots
(and whatever else you have in the fridge, like diced ham, shrimp/pawns, diced mushrooms, and such)

~ garnish ~
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions

Over high heat, cook onions in hot olive oil until translucent; add garlic and stir fry until garlic looks crispy cooked. Add the eggs and stir fry. Set aside the eggs. Defrost frozen peas by blanching in hot water, then drain. Heat rice in the wok lined with a tiny bit of peanut oil or olive oil. Add all the rest of the ingredients, like the hoisin sauce and other favorings into the wok and stir fry until the fried rice looks golden and everything is heated. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

There you have it. Enjoy!

Brain Blueberries

I discovered that blueberries are magically healthy for your body; my brain really loves blueberries, and so will yours!

The following is a recipe on how to eat frozen blueberries with yogurt:

Ingredients:
a) A cup of vanilla flavored plain non-fat yogurt (with no artificial sweetners).
b) A cup of blueberries
c) A dash of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a small cereal bowl.
2. Enjoy every morning with a slice of toast!

Have a great week! Remember to prioritize your to do list.

You don't have to be number #1 all the time, but you should do your best, have faith, and think smart.

Cookie Break

Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookie:

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons of creamed salt-free butter
-- I like Plugrá because it's a really creamy butter --
half a cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of organic apple sauce
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 and 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ginger powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
14 ounces of dark hazel nut chocolate chunks (buy a bar of this stuff and chop it to chunks)
1 cup of toasted / roasted walnuts

DIRECTIONS

A) Mix all of the above in a large dough mixing bowl, then refrigerate for one hour
B) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 662 degrees Celsius)
C) Line baking sheets with parchment paper
D) Put spoonfuls of dough on to parchment lined baking sheets and bake these cookies for 18 minutes or until it looks slightly browned
E) Enjoy these cookies.

Brush your teeth afterwards with a Xylitol containing toothpaste to prevent cavities.
Have a great week!
If you own a chihuahua, don't feed the dog chocolate!