Diabetic Friendly Chocolate Trifle

It was my grandma’s birthday and I decided to prepare a sweet treat for her. She is diabetic, but who says not to consume chocolate while we are watching our sugar intake. She is very fond of desserts just like me. Last time I prepared Diabetic-friendly Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe to cheer her up on this special day. I have something yet special for her this time. She loves cake recipes. Enjoy making rich and moist trifle for your loved ones and bring a huge smile on their face. Whatever ingredients I am using are diabetic friendly. Chocolate lowers cholesterol level. It prevents memory decline. It reduces heart disease risk and also prevents stroke. Cherries on the other hand is booster of Vitamin C and antioxidants. It also helps in reducing bad cholesterol. So let’s bake the cake.

Yummy Chocolate Trifle Cups

Ingredients:-

3/4 cup Water;

2 cups fat-free Milk;

1 package pitted Cherries;

2 drops of Red Food Coloring;

Sugar-free Chocolate curls to taste;

2 cups thawed Fat-free frozen Whipped Topping;

1 package Chocolate Sugar-free, Low-fat Cake Mix;

1 package Chocolate Sugar-free, Fat-free Instant Pudding Mix.

Preparation Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 375 D.F.

2. Mix cake mix using 3/4 cup water. Bake till cake is done, use knife to check this.

3. The cake mixture should not stick to the knife. Let the cake cool in pan. Remove from pan. Cut into small cubes.

4. Prepare pudding mix using 2 cups of fat-free milk. Chill for at least 40 minutes.

5. Thaw cherries reserving 1/4 cup juice. Mix cherries, food coloring and juice together.

6. Place half of cake cubes in a 3-quart trifle bowl. Spoon half of cherries over cake. Spread 1 cup pudding over cherries, and top with half of whipped topping.

7. Repeat layers. Garnish with chocolate curls. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. You can also serve in glasses as I have, in the same manner with feasible proportion. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Celebrate the chocolate treat!

Healthy Recipes for Kids Birthday Party

Angela is my neighbor and we spend a lot of quality time together, especially on weekends. Yesterday was her son’s birthday party. Kids await for their birthday party throughout the year. The joy on their face for this special day, makes us forget all the pain and stress in life. Tom turned 11 this year and just as all the birthdays, Angela wanted to make it special for him and so I. Since on weekdays we hardly have anytime, we have to go for quick and easy recipes keeping health into consideration as we all love our children.

Yummy Burrito!

Burrito – Kids love to pick this Mexican and Tex-Mex food. Whole wheat rolls with tempting filling such as diced grilled chicken, tomatoes, grated carrots and greens make an excellent healthy snack loved by people of all age groups. You can also stir-fry these veggies. Serve it with your favorite sauce. I usually pair burrito with my fav dip recipe, Vegan Walnut and Red Pepper Dip. You must give it a try as well.

Ice Cream Salad

Fruit Salad with Ice cream – Fruit salad with Ice cream is a good way to make your kids eat seasonal fruits. The recipe is quite flexible. Add in diced fruits (seasonal fruits) like watermelon, mango, grapes, bananas, cantaloupe etc. Take scoops of ice-cream and top on the salad. I usually use strawberry and butterscotch flavor. Serve in ice-cream bowls as shown. The bowls will be empty in no time. Kids will go bonkers over it!

Baked Meatball Curry!

Sweet and sour Meatballs – Ah! Here it comes. I love meat recipes. Do not make this recipe too spicy. You can prepare the meatballs in advance. Prefer baking the balls rather than deep frying them. Also you can fry the paste a day before birthday party. I prefer Italian style of preparing the sauce for meatballs. It consists of onions, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, basil, black pepper. Enjoy the yummzz!

Vanilla Strawberry Cake!

Strawberry Cake – The classic combination of plain vanilla cake, fresh strawberry and smooth cream never fails. I love bakery products, especially when they are homemade. The aroma of the bake is simply irresistible. Nevertheless, cake can be prepared a day before the birthday to save time, it all depends on our resisting power that we don’t eat it the moment it is cool. Kids love it.

Vegetable Rice Noodles!

Vegetable Rice Noodles – Rice noodles is a good way to treat yourself instead of the refined flour noodles. It’s an excellent meal for birthday party. It is gluten-free recipe as well. Mix in the seasonal veggies with bit of Vinegar, soya sauce, sweet chili sauce (kids will avoid chili sauce) and tomato sauce. The bowl of noodles will be over in no time for sure.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday!

Chill with 6 Grills

Here are some unique food which you never thought could be grilled.

1. Cake– This even surprised me when i first heard of it from a friend of mine. Grilling cake may sound odd but it gives a toasty texture. Pound cake orpolenta cakeare the best options. Enjoy the warm cake with your favorite ice-cream or maple syrup.

Grilled Pound Cake!!

2. Eggs – We boil eggs, fry them, bake them but grilling eggs? Yes, we can certainly grill eggs. There are two methods to do this:-

a. If you are grilling eggs in the shell, place them over a hot grill. Cook until the shell is browned, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes and there you are.

Grilled Eggs

b. Another method is to grill the eggs inside something else that will go on the grill. Crack the eggs into a halved bell pepper, portobello mushroom or a small muffin aluminium cup, then place it on a hot grill. Cook.

3. Octopus – You love grilled fish isn’t it? Have you thought of grilled octopus? The smoky flavor of a charcoal is what gives grilled octopus the real flavor. The time to grill depends on the thickness of octopus meat, you can check with knife.

Grilled Octopus

Grilling creates crispy exterior bits while the inner portion of the amazing seafood remains tender. Cut tentacles when ready. Serve with with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.

4. Watermelon – You may be a bit leery about grilling a watermelon, but trust me it is a must try for summer. Make a mixture of lime juice, honey, cayenne pepper and salt. Remove the seeds from watermelon. Cut into triangular pieces. Baste the mixture on the melons and grill 3 minutes per side. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Similarly you can grill peachesandstrawberries.

Grilled Watermelon

5. 

Potatoes– Potatoes are everyone’s favorite. We love potato fries, stir-fry, potato hash etc. Potato grill? It might sound strange but it’s true. There are 3 methods to do this.

Grilled Potatoes

a.Parboil the potatoes. Add coating of mustard plus mayonnaise of your choice to keep the potatoes moist. Grill and serve.

b.Take raw potatoes. Prepare the grill in such a manner, that it serves as heating agent from medium to high heat. Arrange the charcoals within the griller in such a manner. Cut slices of potatoes, neither too thin, nor too thick and grill. Enjoy the unique grilling experience.

c.One of best ways to cook potato on the grill is wrap them tightly in foil. Cover the grill. Your dish is ready within 40 minutes. Enjoy with lemon and pepper!

6. Cocktails– It is very common to add herbs like mint, citrusy bergamot or lavender. Grilling the herbs for a few seconds will bring out the herb’s floral quality. Wow, aromatherapy in a glass.

Rosemary Grilled Cocktails

Enjoy the summer with grilled food!

Peach Cake – Mother’s Day Special

My mom prepared yummy ‘Upside-Down Peach Cake’ as a token of her love for me. It was simple and simply delicious. Mom knows that peaches are my all time favorite. Peaches are good for eyes as they contain Beta carotene. They also contain Vitamin C, that is good for skin. Peaches contain good amount of fiber and potassium that reduce kidney related problems. They help in controlling weight as well. Just note down my quick and simple cake recipe. Prepare it for your loving mom on Mother’s day.

Peach Cake – Mother’s Day Special

Ingredients:-

1 egg,

1/2 cup milk,

1/4 teaspoon salt,

3/4 cup butter,

1/2 cup brown sugar,

3/4 cup sugar,

1 teaspoon vanilla extract,

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour,

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder,

2 cups sliced peeled fresh peaches.

Slice of Heavenly Peach Cake

Preparation Method:-

1. Melt 1/4 cup butter; pour into an non-greased 9-inches round baking pan.

2. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange peach slices in single layer over sugar.

3. In a large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

4. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

5. Spoon over peaches. Bake at 350 D. F for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

6. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Modern Microwave Oven and Ancient Baking

Oven is the heart and soul of baking process. The best way to judge the quality of oven is the cake it bakes. Initially cakes were crude in texture, not very soft or spongy. Time management had been a problem. Hygiene was a problem as well. Modern cakes have crisp base and are creamy and mushy from inside.

Ancient ovens

Egyptians were the first people to manufacture oven, the portable one. It consisted of beehive or barrel-shaped container made up of baked clay. It was divided into two parts with central horizontal partition. The upper part was called the baking chamber. The lower section consisted of fire box. Animal dung or dried wooden sticks or chopped logs are burnt to carry on the baking process.

Ancient oven

Jewish used the same oven but it was made up of hollowed stones. Instead of placing the baking mixture at the bottom, like the Egyptians, Jewish stuck it on the walls of oven with damp sticky edible material till the dough was totally cooked (baked). Still these ovens are found in rural areas used for making delectable recipes.

Dutch ovens

These ovens were used in early 90’s. After ancient ovens, with the advent of gas, cast iron dutch ovens and aluminum dutch ovens, the two oven varieties, gained popularity.

Property	Cast Iron Oven	Aluminum Oven
Weight	Very heavy	Very light
Heating	Heats evenly and slowly	Heats and cools fast
Cooking	Slow and even cooking	Quick cooking but may burn quickly as well
Melting	Does not melt on fire	Melts on fire
Seasoning	Season to prevent rusting	Does not rust
Cleaning	Don’t use soap water	Use soap water

During the middle age, instead of earth and ceramic ovens, people used fire places along with large cauldrons.

Dutch oven

They were similar to the Dutch oven. During middle age, ovens underwent number of changes with time from wood, iron, coal, gas, and even electricity.

Modern ovens

Modern oven

With the help of engineers, the microwave oven was patented. The microwave oven uses microwave radiation. This excites the molecules in food causing friction, and therefore it produces heat. So make and bake the trendy way!

Diabetic-friendly Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

It is often said that health is wealth. But that doesn’t mean you’ll stop having savory treat. For a diabetic patient, life does not end at boring porridge or bland salads. Just follow a dietary chart with a bunch of new recipes and ideas. Recipe can be varied and dogged in an all new exciting way. Whether you watch your sugar level or calories, you can have as much Diabetic-friendly Chocolate Cheesecake as you want. The main component being sugar free allows us to enjoy cake to the fullest. With the festive season coming ahead and keeping the health of your dear ones in mind, here we present the Diabetic-friendly Chocolate Cheesecake.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 package sugar-free crushed chocolate graham crackers,

1/3 cup melted margarine,

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon,

1 envelope unflavored gelatin,

1 cup fat-free milk,

2 1/2 packages softened fat cream cheese,

2 teaspoon vanilla extract,

14 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute,

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa,

5 sugar-free chocolate wafer bars finely chopped,

Cooking spray

Preparation method:

1. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Coat pan with cooking spray.

2. Bake at 350 Degree for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

3. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan. Allow it to stand for a minute.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add vanilla, beating well. Add gelatin mixture, beating until smooth.

6. Add sugar substitute and cocoa; beat just until blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or until set.

7. Before serving, top with chopped wafers.

Merry Christmas with Cheesecake!!

One of the main desserts for Christmas is definitely ready.