Mar 17, 2013 - Posts    No Comments

Skillet Almond Cake

In general, I’m much better at making savory foods than I am sweets. But I occasionally get a wild hair and decide to try my luck at making sweets. Most of the time, it’s because I know the Husband will appreciate it – when he doesn’t complain that I’m ruining his health kick.

Cakes aren’t really my thing. Last year, I tried to bake the Husband a birthday cake and all went well until I started frosting it and started completely falling apart. Needless to say, it was a major fail and I ended up buying a cake and sticking a candle in it. But this Almond cake is fool-proof.

Adapted From Bella Eats

 

Almond Cake_2

Ingredients

1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
Additional Butter to grease pan
1 cup Sugar
Powdered Sugar for sprinkling
Zest from 1 lemon
2 Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Raw Sliced Almonds 
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9” cast iron skillet, or baking pan.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to work the zest into the sugar until it becomes moist and fragrant.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the salt and vanilla/almond extracts continue whisking to combine.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour and then the melted butter.
Pour the mixture into your pan and smooth with the spatula.
Sprinkle the almonds onto the top, then sprinkle the powdered sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden around the edges.
Allow to cool before serving.
 
Serve with coffee or tea
 

 

Servings: 8

Nutrition Information: Cals 251. Carbs 27g. Fat 15g. Sugar 15g.

Mar 5, 2013 - Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts    No Comments

Kubbeh Bel Sineyeh

Arabic food is tough. It may partially be because I psych myself out before cooking. I know there’s rarely such thing as a 30-minute meal and so I reserve cooking it to the weekends – if that.

My parents have instituted a once a week rule. That is, that the husband and I are required to see them, preferably at a mealtime, one day each week at our convenience. In theory, it’s a brilliant idea! In practice, it’s a bit more tricky. This last weekend, I changed it up a bit and suggested that my parents come over for Sunday lunch. I refused to discuss the menu with my mom ahead of time and decided to consult my sisters-in-law instead. Small tidbit, we have a going group chat on What’sApp so even though one of us is in a different time zone, we can have meaningful discussions about everything from their kids, to dinner menus, to our distaste for cold weather.

So among other menu items, I tried my luck at Kubbeh Bel Sineyeh. It’s actually really easy to make once you get the hang of it. The most time-consuming part is laying out and flattening the kubbeh dough.

 

 kubbeh_2

 

Kubbeh Bel Sineyeh

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef (85/15)
2 lbs Kubbeh Dough (you can find this at your local Lebanese or Halal Middle Eastern Butcher. As for Kubbeh dough)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Salt, to taste
1 cup Water
Olive Oil, for brushing
¼ cup Pine Nuts
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until translucent.
Add ground beef and cook until browned, making sure to break the meat up into small pieces.
In a separate pan, fry pine nuts in vegetable oil until lightly browned (be careful because pine nuts brown quickly)
Once browned, add pine nuts, seven spice, salt and cinnamon.
Continue to cook for 5 minutes to seal in the flavor.
Grease the bottom of a large baking dish.
Cut the kubbeh dough into two large halves. Use one half for the bottom and the other for the top.
Begin to make small ½ inch thick rounds of dough and flatten into the bottom of the pan. Have a small bowl with water readily available to wet hands as you mold the dough.
Using your hands, make sure that you have covered the bottom of the pan.
Spread the meat mixture evenly on top of the dough.
Then begin to work the second half of the kubbeh dough like you did the first half.
Using a table knife, cut into diamond shapes.
Brush olive oil over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned
 
Serve with plain nonfat yogurt. 
 
photo-30

The full lunch spread

Mar 1, 2013 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    No Comments

Caprese Salad

 

The Italians know what they’re doing when it comes to food. For them, it isn’t about throwing together tons of ingredients. It’s about simplicity and flavor. That’s why I love Caprese Salad. It has the simplest ingredients and yet is packed with so much flavor. Be sure to choose only the freshest ingredients – I go for organic or veggies from Whole Foods. For Italians it’s also all about presentation. I’m all about presentation of food. It makes it so much more appetizing.

 

Caprese Salad 

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

Fresh Basil Leaves
4oz Fresh Mozzarella
2 Whole Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
 

Directions

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into ½ inch thick slices.
On a large serving plate, arrange horizontally by layering one basil leaf, one mozzarella slice and one tomato slice.
Continue until you have arranged all the ingredients across the plate.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
 
Feb 16, 2013 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    No Comments

Mom’s Fruit Salad

My mom makes an amazing fruit salad, and that’s because of her secret ingredients (namely the sauce). I’ve only made her fruit salad on two occasions – one, during year one of our marriage when I invited my family over for brunch, and two this past Valentine’s Day. It’s not complicated but it packs in a lot more calories than you’d suspect. So don’t be fooled by the word “fruit.” Although I’ve measured out the amount of condensed milk and orange juice, you may have to adjust to your taste. I will warn you, however that you don’t need to add more than 1/2 tsp of orange blossom water. Too much will be flavor overload on your senses.

 

Fruit Salad

 

Ingredients

1 Apple, diced
1 Orange, peeled and diced
1 Pear, diced
½ cup Grapes, halved
½ cup Strawberries, sliced
½ medium Banana, diced
¼ cup Shredded Coconut
¼ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
¼ cup Orange Juice
1/2 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
 

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix all the fruit (except coconut) together.
Add condensed milk, orange juice and orange blossom water.
Serve chilled.
Garnish with shredded coconut.
 

 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 291. Carbs 55g. Fat 6g. 6. Sodium 84mg. Sugar 48g.

Feb 13, 2013 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    2 Comments

Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops

Weeknight meals can get extremely boring, especially when you’re trying to whip things up really fast.

The husband has totally caught onto my love notes. He was pleasantly surprised last week when he found a pair of oversized glasses staring back at him from his rearview mirror with wobbly eyes and the words “I’ll Always Watch Your Back.” I left him a Key to my Heart, and a SweetHearts love letter, among other surprises. I think I enjoy the surprises a lot more than he does. But it’s all in good fun! Tomorrow is the last day, and I’ll be whipping up a delicious dinner for two – candle light, optional.

 

Bacon Wrapped Scallops_2

Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops

Ingredients

10 slices Turkey Bacon, not cooked
10 Sea Scallops
Lemon Pepper, to taste
Sea Salt, to taste
Toothpicks
Cooking Spray
 

Directions

Turn your oven onto the broil setting (I set mine for 500 degrees).
Carefully wrap each sea scallop with one slice of turkey bacon and use a toothpick to keep it together.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the wrapped scallops on the sheet.
Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper and Sea Salt (I’d used the sea salt very liberally).
Broil for 6 minutes, then flip the wrapped scallops over and broil for an additional 6 minutes.
Remove toothpicks before serving.

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 241. Carbs 2g. Fat 16g. Protein 23g. Sodium 811mg.

Feb 6, 2013 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    1 Comment

Sunny-Side Up Eggs in Toast

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I know, I’m a total sucker for all these Hallmark holidays. It gives me something to look forward to. As I was doing some research into how I would get creative this Valentine’s Day, I noticed a 14 Days of Love trend. Basically, every day from Feb 1-14 you do/make/say/send something to let your other half know how much you love them. Why not celebrate your love for 14 whole days, as opposed to one. Brilliant! I have been planning this since January, and spent an entire weekend crafting away. So I’m very excited to reveal my crafts. Throughout the month, I’ll be leaving little love notes around the house, car, etc. with ridiculously cheesy lines on them (it’s all the more fun that way). It may take him a few days to catch onto what’s going on …

Crafts aren’t the only way to show Holiday Love. We all know that the best way to a man’s heart, is through his stomach. Ah, I couldn’t have said it better myself. So in addition to my little crafts, I’ll be incorporating heart-shaped food to the menu.

 

Sunny Side Up Egg in Toast

Sunny-Side Up Eggs in Toast

Ingredients

1 large egg
1 slice White/or Wheat Toast Bread
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Cooking Spray
 

Directions

Toast the bread until browned to your liking
In the middle of the slice, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make a heart-shaped hole. Keep all parts of the bread.
Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat.
Spray with cooking spray and place the bread in the center.
Crack the egg and gently place it into the heart shaped hole.
Cook egg until the whites are cooked through, and Until the yolk is done. (I like my yolk a little loose). If you want the yolk cooked all the way through, flip the toast over and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with Heart-shaped cutout on the side.
 

 

Servings: 1

Nutrition Information: Cals 150. Carbs 16g. Fat 1g. Protein 9g. Sodium 300mg.

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