Grape Salad

4 servings


70 calories per serving



¼ c low fat vanilla yogurt
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t cardamom
1 c seedless green grapes halved lengthwise
1 c seedless red grapes halved lengthwise

Combine yogurt, cinnamon and cardamom – then mix in grapes and toss to coat. Cover and chill

Source

Lemony Green Beans (Green Beans with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest)

Source

Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Calories: 302

• 2 skinless chicken breast halves, diced in 1 inch cubes
• cooking spray
• 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dries basil
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz spaghetti (high fiber or low carb) I used Ronzoni Smart Taste
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
• Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.
• Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
• While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat.
• Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn).
• Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 4-5 minutes.
• When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
• Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well.
• Serve and top with good grated cheese

Source

Strawberries Wild Smoothie

■1/2 cup apple juice


■2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, whole

■1 banana, sliced

■1 cup nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt

■1/2 cup ice, crushed

Throw all the ingredients together in your blende

Source

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Serves 8


For the mousse:

10 ounces dark (65% or higher) chocolate
2.5 ounces water
5 egg yolks
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 egg whites
2 ounces sugar
pinch cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup cream



For the cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons water



Begin by preparing the mousse.

• In a double boiler melt the chocolate with the water until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl combine the egg yolks with the liqueur and vanilla. Pour this into the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until they begin to foam. Gradually add the sugar and whip until they form medium peaks. Move to a clean bowl and set aside.
• In the same bowl you whipped the egg whites in add the cream and whip until the cream holds medium peaks.
• Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and fold in to lighten. Continue adding egg whites, 1/3 at a time, until they are completely folded in. Add the whipped cream in two additions and fold into the chocolate mixture. Cover the mixture and chill for at least two hours.
• while the mixture chills prepare the cake.
• Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8″ pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt until well mixed. In a separate bowl whisk together the butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and water. Pour the wet into the dry and whisk until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Cool ten minutes in the pan before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To assemble the cake begin by cutting the cake in half. Place one half of the cake, cut side up, on a cake board or plate. Use parchment paper, or wax paper, to form a ring around the cake. Secure with tape. Pipe the chilled mousse into the cake, making sure to pipe it in an even layer. Top with the second half of the cake cut side down.
• Chill the cake for two hours before removing the parchment paper ring. Allow to sit at room temperature for thirty minutes before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Source

Mini-Vegetable Quiche

Makes 6

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and kept cold
1/4 cup buttermilk, cold


For the filling:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

• In a medium bowl mix together the flour and salt. Add the butter and with your fingers rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles very coarse sand. Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for twenty minutes while you prepare the filling.
• In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter until it foams. Add the mushrooms, garlic, jalapeno, onions and bell pepper. Saute, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Once tender allow the vegetables to cool slightly.
• In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the chives. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oven to 400 F and spray a six-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.
• Once chilled roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is 1/8″ thick. With a large biscuit cutter, at least 4″, cut six circles with the dough. Press the dough into the prepared muffin tins. Line each crust with a small piece of foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional ten minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 F.
• Divide the cheese among the six crusts, top with the vegetable mixture, then pour over the eggs until they just cover the vegetables. Return to the oven and bake until puffed all over, about 20 minutes. Allow the quiche to rest for five minutes before serving.

Source

Potato Frittata

5 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
7 large eggs
2 Tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2 Tablespoons minced chives
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

• Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium high heat and drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of the canola oil.
•  Add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of water, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
• Cook until the water evaporates and the onions take on a uniform brown color, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the onions to the roasting pan and toss with the raw sliced potatoes.
• Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil. Toss with your hands.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
• Set the potatoes aside to cool for 15 minutes.
• Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, herbs and cream together. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium high heat.
• Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the skillet, making sure that melted butter greases the side of the cast iron as well.
• Add the cooked potatoes to the pan. Top with the egg mixture.
• Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
• Slice and serve directly from the skillet, warm or at room temperature

Source

The Best Chocolate Sauce Recipe

About 2 1/2 cups



1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/2 cup (160 g) light corn syrup, agave nectar, or glucose
3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
2 ounces (55 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

-

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, corn syrup (or agave or glucose), and cocoa powder.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it's just begun to simmer and boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.


Serving:
You should let the Chocolate Sauce stand for a few hours before serving, which will give it time to thicken a bit.


Storage:
Store the chocolate sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Rewarm before serving.

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serving Size:

About 25 big cookies



Ingredients:
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
•4 large eggs, at room temperature
•1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
•1 cup canola or corn oil
•4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
•2 cups sugar
•2 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
•2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats (not instant)
•2 teaspoons salt
•2 teaspoons baking soda
•2 1/2 cups Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (for best results, stick to this brand)
•1 (12-ounce) bag miniature semisweet chocolate chips



Method:
Before you begin

Position 1 oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and 1 oven rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with the parchment paper.

Mix the dough

Put the butter, eggs, and vanilla in 1 of the large bowls and stir with the wooden spoon until blended. Add the oil and beat well until combined. It will look like a mess, but that’s okay.

Put the flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, salt, and baking soda in the other large bowl and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir well with the spoon. You can even use your hands to squish all the ingredients together. Sometimes your hands are the best tools.

Put the corn flakes into the resealable plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the top. Squeeze the bag until the flakes are broken into tiny pieces (do not use a food processor; it grinds the flakes too small). Add the crushed flakes and the chocolate chips to the dough and stir until evenly blended.


Shape the cookies

Use the large (3 tablespoon) or small (1 tablespoon) ice-cream scoop to shape the dough into cookies. You can also shape the dough by measuring out level tablespoons — 3 for each big cookie, 1 for each smaller cookie — and then rolling the dough between your palms into balls.

If you are making large cookies, bake only 6 at a time on each baking sheet, spacing the balls about 4 inches apart. These cookies spread when they bake, and if you put too many on the pan, they will run together. If you are making the smaller cookies, you can fit 12 cookies on each pan. Space them about 2 inches apart into 4 rows with 3 cookies in each row. Press down on each ball with your palm to flatten slightly.



Bake the cookies

Place 1 baking sheet on each oven rack. Bake the large cookies for 7 minutes or the smaller cookies for 6 minutes. Using the oven mitts, switch the pans between the oven racks. Bake until light golden brown, another 7 to 8 minutes for the large cookies, or 6 to 7 minutes for the smaller cookies.

Using the oven mitts, transfer the pans to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely (if you can wait that long). You may need to reuse the pans to finish baking all the cookies. Let the pans cool before you put more dough on them for baking. Store the cookies in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week.


Thinking Ahead:

You can bake some of the cookies today, and freeze the rest of the dough balls for another day. Put the balls close together on a pan and freeze for 30 minutes, or until hard. Transfer the frozen balls to a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, take out as many cookies as you need, and space them on parchment-lined baking sheets as directed. Let them thaw for 15 minutes, then press down on them to flatten slightly, and bake as directed.

Source

Basic Egg Salad Recipe

Makes 4 servings

Calories 110

basic egg salad for sandwiches or crackers

Ingredients

4 eggs, hard boiled

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp mustard

2 tsp cider vinegar

11/2 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stalk celery, minced

2 tsp pickle relish

1/8 tsp paprika

Directions

1.Place eggs in a bowl and smash with fork until well chopped. Add all ingredients, including salt, to taste. Mix well and chill for at least 15 minutes.

2.Serve on bread, toast, lettuce leaves, or crackers

Source

Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe

Makes 12 servings

Calories 31

Low-fat, summer salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions

Ingredients

1 cup low-fat yogurt

2 tbsp vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

4 tomatoes, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1.Stir together yogurt, vinegar, sugar and dill.

2.Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

3.Add cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and onions. Toss to coat.

4.Cover and chill for 2 to 48 hours, stirring often. Stir before serving

Source

No Fat, Low Cal Banana Muffins Recipe

Low-Cal Banana Muffins

Makes 12 servings

Calories 75

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup bananas, mashed (about 3)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup applesauce

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2.Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together banana, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in the applesauce and vanilla. Stir banana mixture into flour until just combined. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

For best flavor, place in an airtight container or bag overnight

Source

No Fat, Low Cal Banana Muffins Recipe

Makes 12 servings

Calories 58

Delicious, moist muffins with no fat, no sugar, and few calories.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 365 degrees (farenheit).

2.Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.

3.In a seperate bowl mash bananas and egg whites thoroughly.

4.Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until blended
5.Pour mixture into 12 paper cupcake liners in muffin tin.

6.Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

7.Remove from oven when toothpick can be inserted into centre of muffin and comes out clean

Source

Aloo Parathas

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/11/aloo-parathas/

Malted Chocolate Mousse Cakes

Makes about 8

Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (45 g) cocoa powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (125 g) sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 up (50 g) vegetable or canola oil
3 tablespoons buttermilk


Malted Chocolate Mousse
3/4 cup (168 g) whole milk
1/2 cup (98 g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (37 g) malted milk powder
6 large egg yolks
1 1/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
5 ounces (150 g) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (226 g) whipping cream


To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11 x 17 baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. If you can find a pan with a rim at least 1" high, that's probably best - some jelly roll pans might a little too shallow.

Sift the cocoa, flour, and cornstarch into a bowl and set aside.

In stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks star to form. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking medium-soft peaks have formed. Do not overwhip the whites. Scrape the whites into a bowl, and clean the mixer bowl and whisk.

Place all 9 egg yolks in the clean mixer bowl and whisk on medium until they are combined. Add the salt and remaining sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until the mixture is pale yellow and very thick.

Whisk about half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture by hand to lighten it up. Fold in the dry ingredients carefully until almost fully incorporated. Fold in the rest of the egg whites carefully.

Whisk the oil and buttermilk together in a bowl. Fold into the batter until fully incorporated.

Spread the batter into the pan and even out the surface with an offset spatula. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. The surface should be just dry and springy to the touch. Let cake cool on rack.

To make the mousse,
combine the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on stove over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and bubbles are starting to form around the edges. Whisk in the malted milk powder and cook until fully dissolved. Remove mixture from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks together in a large bowl. Pour in about half of the malted milk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the egg yolks from cooking. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and return to the stove. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove saucepan from heat and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Add in the chocolate and stir until fully melted and incorporated. Let mixture sit and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold gently into the chocolate mixture. The mixture may look very liquidy now but it will firm up as it cools and the gelatin sets.

When the mousse seems thick enough to spread, you can assemble the cakes. Place 8 cake rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Use a 2 1/2" round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the cake. You want to have 3 circles of cake for each cake ring. Place a circle of cake into the bottom of a cake ring. Spoon some mousse in. Top with another circle of cake, some more mousse, and the final circle of cake. If you have room you can spoon some mousse on top, but depending on how soft your mousse is it might make it trickier for the cake to hold its shape.

Chill cakes in the refrigerator overnight.

Unmold cakes shortly before serving them. Dust a little cocoa powder on top if desired.
Source

Banana Cream Tarts

makes (6) 5" tarts



Banana Pastry Cream
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small banana, ripe (you can use from 1/2 to all of the banana, depending on size and how much banana flavor you want)
1 tablespoon lemon juice


Pate Sablee
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg yolk

Chocolate Ganache
4 ounces dark (62%-70%) chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 bananas, ripe
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


For the banana pastry cream:
Combine 3/4 cup milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a saucepan. Heat just until the milk starts to bubble at the edges.
Meanwhille, whisk the remaining sugar and the egg yolks together in a medium bowl. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining milk together in another bowl and add to the egg yolk mixture.
When the milk has started to bubble, pour it in a steady stream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the stove, cooking over medium heat and whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat.
Let pastry cream cool while you cut up the banana. Puree with the lemon juice in a food processor until smooth.
Fold the banana puree into the pastry cream. You can now press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of the cream and place in the refrigerator to chill.

For the tart shells:
Combine flour, confectioner's sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor and combine.
Add in cold butter and process until pea-sized lumps of dough form - do not overprocess into a ball of dough. It should be loose and crumbly.
Add in egg yolk and process until dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a work surface and lightly press together into a ball - if it's too loose, you can process a little more, but don't do too much - you want to work this dough as little as possible to have a light and crumbly texture.
Butter one 9-inch tart pan or six 5-inch tart pans - ones with removable bottoms work best. Carefully press the dough into the pans, working it over the bottom and up the sides. Again, try not to overwork the dough - press gently and work as quickly as possible.
Chill shells in freezer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Usually recipes for these tart doughs involve lining the shells with pie weights. If you like doing this or have fears of burning your shells, go ahead. However, I've never had issues with just baking the shells as is - I check them halfway through and if the shells are puffing up too much I just press them down with a dough tamper or wooden spoon.
Bake shells for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake another 10-18 minutes until they are golden brown and fully baked.
Let cool on wire rack before filling.

For the ganache:
Place chocolate in a medium bowl.
Heat cream in saucepan on stove over medium heat until the edges start to bubble.
Pour cream over chocolate and let stand for a minute. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the two into a smooth mixture.
Spread a layer of ganache on the bottom of each tart shell and let cool and set. It doesn't have to set all the way, but it should be slightly firm to avoid mixing with the pastry cream.
Cut the bananas into thin slices, about 1/4" thick, and spread in a layer over the ganache.
Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and beat or stir with a spoon to loosen it up.
Whip the cream in a stand mixer until soft peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream gently into the pastry cream until fully incorporated.
Spread the banana pastry cream into the shells and smooth the surfaces with an offset spatula.
Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set before serving. You can decorate the top with chocolate curls if you like.

Source

Rich Chocolate Goodness

Makes about 6 regular muffin sized fondants

Ingredients:

150 gr bitersweet chocolate
150 gr butter
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
4 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp flour (Passover version: substitue with 3/4 Tbsp Matzos flour and the rest potatoes flour or corn flour)

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a Bain-Marie or in the microwave. Stir well until a uniform mixture is formed.
2. Add in the 2 eggs and the pinch of salt and whisk well until incorporated.
3. Add in the egg yolks and whisk well until inpcorporated.
4. Add in the sugar and stir well, so that in the next step, when adding the flour in, only a minimal stir will be needed.
5. Add the flour and stir only until incorporated.
6. Pour into greased ramekins or muffins pan, and bake in an oven preheated to 356F (180 C). As mentioned in the final paragraph of the post, keep a close eye on your fondants and take them out when their margins have firmed but the center hasn’t yet.

http://www.room-4-dessert.com/2008/05/03/seriously-rich-chocolate-goodness/

Chocolate Pie

http://www.room-4-dessert.com/2008/10/17/chocolatey-secrets/

For Indian Food Recipes

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/

المسخن من وصفات كتاب منال العالم

Country Potato Soup

1/8 cup unsalted butter

2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 1/2 qt. chicken stock
4 large peeled potatoes, sliced evenly in 1/4 inch slides
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bacon cooked and diced
salt to taste



In a large saucepan, add butter, leeks and onions, and cook. (Do not brown vegetables.) Add chicken stock, potatoes, salt and fresh thyme. Cook for 40 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Add cream, bring to a boil and serve hot. Garnish with Cheddar cheese and diced bacon.





link

Gina Weight Watcher Recipes

http://www.skinnytaste.com/