Month: November 2020

Buttermilk Apple Cake

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Buttermilk Apple Cake

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Easy
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This is a recipe that I didn’t even alter. Thank you to Anne Lindsay on this one. This is a coffeecake-type cake that stays moist and is great for brunches, packed lunches or just plain dessert. I didn’t peel the apples because the skin is added fiber.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup soft light margarine
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 cup of buttermilk (light)
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
  • 1 cup of whole-wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 2-3 medium apples, cored and finely chopped (about 2.5 cups)

Topping

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Lightly grease and flour an 8″ or 9″ square cake pan
  3. In a large bowl, beat together margarine and sugar until combined; beat in buttermilk
  4. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and apples; mix until combined
  5. Spread batter evenly in pan
  6. Topping: combine sugar, cinnamon and coconut; sprinkle over batter
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
  8. Let cool in pan

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 192
  • Sugar 21 g
  • Carbohydrates 35 g
  • Protein 3.9 g
  • Fiber 2.9 g
  • Fat 5 g

This is a nice moist cake. Serves great with coffee, fresh fruit, or just plain as is. Enjoy this and remember to make it your own.

Szechuan Orange-Ginger Chicken

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Szechuan Orange-Ginger Chicken

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
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This is much easier and faster to make than it sounds. Chinese dishes from Szechuan region of China usually have a spicy flavour. If you prefer milder, use less chili paste, and if you are like me and like it hot, use a little more. Even as is, this is delicious either way. I served with plain white rice as to not take away from the flavour of this meal.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs of boneless chicken breast
  • 1 large sweet green pepper coarsely chopped
  • 1 large sweet red pepper coarsely chopped
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 orange
  • 1 tsp of bottled chili paste
  • 2 tbsp of sherry or bourbon
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp of cornstarch
  • 1 tsp of minced garlic (or more to taste)
  • 1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger root

Directions

  1. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, set aside
  2. Chop green pepper and red pepper in about 1 inch cubes
  3. Chop onion coarsely
  4. Peel orange, remove rind and cut into thin julienne strips about 1.5 inches long, set aside. Squeeze orange and reserve 1/4 cup of juice
  5. In a small bowl, combine juice, paste, sherry, sugar and cornstarch, stir until smooth
  6. In wok, heat oil, add chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove chicken. Add orange rind, garlic and ginger root and stir-fry to 10 seconds. Add peppers and onion and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes
  7. Add chili paste mixture and bring to a boil
  8. Return chicken to wok and stir until heated through

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calorie 264
  • Fat 12.3g
  • Carb 6g
  • Sugar 0g
  • Fiber 0g
  • Protein 41.4g

I served this with plain rice but if you want to be carb conscious then I would suggest pasta as per 1/2 cup of white rice compared to 1/2 cup of vermicelli is 10 grams of carbs less. Good option for diabetics.

Now for spicy, well you can use chili paste or dried chili peppers or hot chili sauce. If you use dried peppers, make sure to watch the quantity of the seeds you put in. The more seeds, the hotter it gets. If you want a little more orange flavour to it, just add more zest. Remember most of all to have fun and make it your own.

Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole

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Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole

  • Difficulty: Easy
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I take recipes and modify them for personal tastes, dietary demands and such. Sometimes it’s just ‘cause I want to have fun with the recipe. That is why I encourage you to modify to your tastes, and remember to try something new.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 garlic clove minced
  • 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
  • 2 large sweet green peppers chopped
  • 1 large sweet red pepper chopped
  • 1.5 cups of white rice
  • 2 cups of cooked red kidney beans (I prepare my own ahead of time and freeze them, if you use canned make sure to rinse and it would be approximately 1.5 cans of 28 oz/796 ml)
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes 28 oz/796 ml
  • 2 tbsp of chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp of cumin
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (oh, i really added 2 but shush)
  • 1 cup of low-fat shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and peppers. Stir often until onion is tender about 10 minutes.
  2. Add rice, beans, tomatoes, spices and water, cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
  3. During that time preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Sprinkle cheese and bake for 15 minutes or so until the cheese melts.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calorie 380
  • Fat 6.5 g
  • Carb 64.2 g
  • Sugar 7.3 g
  • Fiber 9.0 g
  • Protein 17.1g

As you see I prefer to cook my own kidney beans, you can soak them overnight and cook them for approximately 90 minutes. I don’t add salt. I rinse them thus giving less gas.

If you are diabetic, this is not a recommended recipe as is, as your carb intake should be 45-60 so this is a little high. But if you interested, I can supply a lower glycemic version with less rice and more kidney beans. Kidney beans can be of help to reduce your sugar spike due to its low carb and high fibre. Just let me know.

Now you have to have a few more veggies with this, I would recommend a nice salad to go with this. I like spicy so I am very generous with cayenne. You can spice it up or down. That’s up to you. Remember to have fun and make it your own.