Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread

After a failed attempt with a recipe using pumpkin, I, naturally, had canned pumpkin left over. While the weather certainly isn’t indicating fall here in south Texas (but it’s almost October! Why, why, why?!), I was bored and decided to make pumpkin bread. I also decided to not try to make it “healthy.” I was really surprised how good the bread turned out—I ended up eating way too many slices when it was still warm. The next morning it was still good, too, surprisingly. Freeze leftovers and reheat when needed. Recipe adapted from Pamela’s Baking Mix website—http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipe_frames.html. I used dark brown sugar (because I had it) and added some nutmeg, just to go along with the other spices.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of canned pumpkin

1-1/3 cups Pamela's Baking & PancakeMix

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and pumpkin. Add remaining bread ingredients and mix together. Pour into a greased bread loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or when toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

Serves 12
Nutritional Value per serving: 135 Cal, 5.7g Fat, 2.8g Sat Fat, 168mg Sod, 18.7g Carb, 9.7g Sug, 1.3g Fib, 2.7g Protein

~Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe comes from Simply Recipes. I have liked every recipes I’ve used from her blog so far (a total of two are three, ha!). I changed a few things about the original recipe, including using a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh, dried instead of fresh herbs, and a different amount of zucchini each time! Here’s the original recipe http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005289stuffed_zucchini_with_turkey_sausage.php My brother may move out soon and has requested I give him this recipe. While it's not hard, I don't call this is a fast recipe (because it isn't!). However, anything that's requested again must be good!

Ingredients:
About 6 medium size zucchinis
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion (about ½ a good sized one chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ c chopped mushrooms (I like mine finely chopped, and I really like mushrooms, so I used about six)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 pound ground turkey
1 14 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
About ¼ teaspoons dried rosemary
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
About 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick. Reserve all the insides.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides, and sauté another 2 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Heat a Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the ground turkey. Cook until the ground turkey is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the onion and mushroom mixture. Add the wine. Stir in tomato, basil and rosemary and cook 1 minute longer. You can add the tomato juice from the can or not. I think I’ve done this recipe both ways and there’s not too big of a difference. Remove mixture from heat and set it aside.

When mixture has cooled a little, add cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water. Place filled zucchini halves in pan and bake at 375° degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove zucchini from pan and serve while hot.

Serves 4.
Nutritional Value per serving: 460 Cal, 35g Fat, 10.8g Sat Fat, 1515mg Sod, 5.5g Carb, 3.5g Sug, 1.75g Fib, 31g Protein

~Enjoy!

Lisa's Chocolate Cake

Yesterday was my last day at my work. I'm happy because I can concentrate on school now, but I'm sad because I'm going to miss the money and the people. This week I really had no time to do any cooking, plus we had leftovers after dinner quests on Tuesday. I really, really, really had cooking withdraws. It was crazy. I didn't make this cake this week, but I felt like I needed to post something. This cake is my brother's (and maybe dad's?) favorite chocolate cake. The recipe was given to us by a friend of my mother after she made this cake for me on my brother's birthday, some fifteen-odd years ago. While this cake is good, my goal is to someday make a chocolate bundt cake that taste the same but doesn't use all of the boxed mixes.

Ingredients:
1 Duncan Hines Deluxe Devil Food Cake Mix (be careful with substitutes–they will cook differently)
6 ounce chocolate pudding mix (just the dry mix–the box I use is a 5.7 oz box)
1 1/4 cups of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups of chocolate chips

Glaze:1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of whipping cream
1 handful of powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix water, oil, and eggs together. Add in cake and pudding mix until there are no lumps. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Pour on 1 cup of chocolate chips, pour on the rest of the mix, and pour on another cup of chocolate chips. Lightly swirl with a spoon or spatula. Cook for 50-60 minutes.

Cool 35 minutes. Remove from pan and cool an additional 35 minutes; start on glaze. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with whipping cream in medium saucepan on low-medium heat, stirring steadily. Cool glaze for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Drizzle or spoon onto cake after cake has cooled for about an hour. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you want. Serves 16.


Nutritional Value per serving: 420 Cal, 21.4g Fat, 9.3g S Fat, 454mg Sod, 57.5g Carbs, 29g Sug, <3g Protein

~Enjoy!

Egg Muffins

I’m usually not brave enough to invent new recipes. I don’t feel that I have a complete grasp of foods and the science of cooking yet. I still consider myself a student, even though I am my own teacher. However, I take pride in these egg muffins I created! I’ve noticed that recipes for egg muffins, or mini-quiches, are becoming popular because they’re considered a good “to-go” food or one that can be frozen and re-heated later. While they are, and can be, that doesn’t mean you should rush to eat these. Please try the recipe as-is first, but then I highly encourage you to put your own twist on these. Just start with the base—an egg—and add whatever else you want to! What I like about these is they’re low in calories and fat, but certainly not in taste! If you’re looking to make the calories even less, they work well with egg whites only or with fake eggs, but they won’t look nearly as pretty or as big.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tbl crumbled feta cheese (I usually use reduced fat, but regular works fine, too)
1 tbl frozen corn
1 tbl corn and black bean salsa (I think this really adds to the flavor of the muffins because of the spices in the salsa. I use Ariba’s, but you can use whatever salsa you have on hand. If your salsa doesn't have any spices added, you might want to add a little onion and garlic powder)
1 piece cooked turkey bacon, crumbled (I use Butterball brand, because it crumbles easily)Optional: 1 mushroom, diced

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease muffin tins. Cook bacon until crisp. Whisk eggs and then add all the other ingredients. Stir and pour into muffin tins. Bake 24 minutes or until set.

Makes 2 servings.
Nutritional Value per serving: 105 Cal, 6.5g Fat, 2.5g Sat. Fat, 226mg Sod, 2g Carbs, 0g Sug, .5g Fiber, 7,7g Protein

Who doesn't love food that doesn't require a fork?


Yesterday I went to Macy's and got two table sets of Fiesta Ware--an orange and red (my favorite color!) They have these really awesome limited edition bowls, too, but they were only in purple and evergreen (not the colors my kitchen will be). What else is on my cooking wish list? A new spatula, a hand immersion blender mixer thing, and silicon muffin pans (because I hear whatever you cook doesn't stick as much to them). However, my last day at work is next Saturday, so I'll be income-less. And without an income, how can I outcome?

~Enjoy!

Castleberry's Beans

I didn't get around to posting yesterday because I got busy wasting time on researching for an English paper that I haven't even decided a topic for yet.

This bean casserole—perfect for 4th of July, potlucks, and family dinners with grilled hamburgers (or brisket this time!)—was passed down to me by my mother and mimi. The name Castleberry comes from the brand of canned beef I use, which isn’t available here in Texas. Every trip we make to Tennessee we make sure to stock up on Castleberry Beef. If you can’t find the brand, use whatever kind of barbecue chopped beef you’d like. Lots of stores have a barbecue chopped beef available; you just may have to look around in the refrigerated section, too. The recipe says you can also used pulled pork, which we have never tried but that would probably be good, too. There is really no way to make these healthier. I’ve tried. Rinsing off the beans makes them a little less salty and using organic ketchup will cut back on the high fructose corn syrup. Just enjoy this casserole, as the flavors are excellent. If you’re adventurous, leftovers are good for bean sandwiches! Remember, everything in moderation!

Ingredients:

1 large can of pork and beans (32 oz), rinsed and drained

1 10 oz can of Castleberry Beef or Pork (about 2-2½ cups of compacted chopped beef, or a little over half a pound)

3 tbl pickle relish

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar (not packed)

1 tbl mustard

1/4-1/2 c. water

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/12 quart casserole dish. Rinse beans in colander, drain, and put in dish. Add beef, relish, ketchup, sugar, and mustard. Add enough water to thin to desired consistency. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. To prevent the top from burning, stir after thirty minutes and watch the dish closely when it’s almost done. Or, after thirty minutes you can stir the beans and then cover for the last thirty minutes. Your choice! Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Value per serving (about 1/2 cup): 221 Cal, 5.8g Fat, 1.7g Sat. Fat, 765mg Sod, 36g Carb, 22g Sug, 5.8g Fib, 11g Protein

~Enjoy!

Potato Salad

For Labor Day today we had the ultimate summer meal. A Texan meal. It's fitting, since I put in my two weeks notice at work today. I've worked at a Bar-B-Q place for over a year and have been around lots of brisket, beans, and potato salads. Tonight we had brisket from our local HEB (didn't even need ketchup, which means it's good!), Castleberry Beans (recipe to come tomorrow), corn on the cop, and potato salad. Now, being the health freak that I am, I hardly ever eat potato salad. However, everything in moderation! For dessert? What else do you have in the summer? (Actually, I can't decide between peaches or ice cream.)

Ingredients:

3 boiled eggs

3 tbl white vinegar

1 tbl oil (I used olive oil)

2 tbl mustard

1 tbl Dijon mustard

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 lb red new potatoes (was 8 for me)

2 tbl pickle relish

Seasoning salt

Pepper

Poke and wash the potatoes. Place in a pot full of water and boil for about 10 minutes, or until soft all the way through. Drain and let cool a little. Place the eggs through onion in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Cut the potatoes into desired size (mom likes chunks, I like mush) and place in a serving bowl. Add the mustard mixture and pickle relish. Season with pepper and seasoning salt until desired taste (I probably used 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt). Cool until ready to serve. Serves 8.

Nutritional Value per serving (minus Sodium, because it's different each time!): 175 Cal, 5g Fat, 1.4g Sat Fat, 22.6g Carb, 5g Sugar, 2.5g Fiber, 5.8g Protein

~Enjoy!

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

I'm house sitting for some friends this weekend. No, it's not one of those nice houses that you can run up down the stairs in or invite your friends over to watch a movie on a big screen TV in or splash around in a huge pool complete with a water slide. No, this house is old, for sale, and occupied by a mean, annoying cat, two old dogs, one's blind and deaf and the other one is scared all the time and has hip problems, and on occasion, me! Basically, I haven't gotten much sleep this weekend, which is prohibiting my ability to study for school. I also haven't done much cooking, which is dampening my spirits. I was so depressed Friday night, my first night at the house, that I ate a ton of chocolate chips that were kept in the refrigerator . Then I got over my sadness when I realized I was in a house by myself. That's just awesome. Since mom and I were being busy and lazy this weekend, we just did some tilapia with slaw and other veggies one night. This tilapia is fast and easy and the recipe is pretty much made up. I love recipes like this--just do whatever!

Ingredients:

1 tbl + 1 teaspoon low-fat mayonnaise, or 1 teaspoon per fillet

1-2 tbl melter butter

1 tbl lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Few grinds of pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound or 4 tilapia fillets

Preheat the oven broiler. Move your flat rack to the top. Grease a boiling pan or line a baking pan with aluminum foil and then spray. Mix all the ingredients together except the fish. Put fillets on pan, broil 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes. Flip one last time, topping with sauce mixture, and broil 2 minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish is done.

Be careful when cooking this if it's your first time using the broiler. That hot oven is tricky sometimes and burns the fish, even if you think you've done everything the same!

Serves 4

Nutritional Value per serving: 210 Cal, 11g Fat, 5.8g Sat Fat, 512mg Sod, 0g Carb, 0g Sugar, 0g Fiber, 31.7g Protein

~Enjoy!