Banana Double Chocolate Cake

June 20th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)


This is the most moist, chocolatey banana cake recipe I have ever made! I assure you it’s the easiest as well…..not to mention it doesn’t require any fat! Yes- I said NO FAT, which means no butter or oil. 

Recipe Yields: 9 or 12 servings depending on how you want to cut the cake. 

Note: for 9 servings, it’s 280 calories per square (with white chocolate drizzle); 260 calories without drizzle. 

For 12 servings, it’s 210 calories with white chocolate drizzle; 195 calories without the drizzle. 

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium ripe Bananas, mashed

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup white whole wheat flour (may use all purpose as well)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp Mini Dark or semi sweet chocolate chips-optional

1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted for drizzle (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. Have an 8×8 baking pan greased with cooking spray. 

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix mashed bananas with brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add egg, vanilla and applesauce and continue mixing on medium speed. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Scraping the walls of the bowl in between. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared baking pan and spread evenly into all corners. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top and bake for 25-35 min. Check the center with a toothpick to determine whether it’s completely baked through. Let cool for about 30 min before drizzling. 

Original recipe adapted from Dessert Now Dinner Later. 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Salmon Cakes

May 26th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Lunch/Dinner | Recipes - (0 Comments)


I cannot believe how long it took me to actually post this recipe. I have been using this recipe since 2010 when I saw it on Ellie Krieger’s show Healthy Appetite on Food Network. I been hooked since then. It’s probably one of the easiest recipes to cook up on a busy weeknight. The cakes are so moist and packed full of flavor. I usually pair it a veggie and a side of just about any starch such as rice, pasta, quinoa, etc. These cakes would also serve well as sliders with a remoulade sauce or avocado aioli. Try this recipe and let me know how you like it! Enjoy. 

INGREDIENTS:

3-6oz. Cans of Wild Salmon (drained, skinned and deboned)

6 whole wheat slices of soft sandwich bread

2 large eggs, beaten

5 scallions or 1 small sweet onion, chopped finely

1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Avocado Oil for searing cakes

DIRECTIONS:

Break bread into pieces, and process in a food processor until you get a fine bread crumb, set aside. In a large bowl, flake apart the salmon with a fork until it becomes mashed. Add the eggs and mix well. Finely chop scallions and add to the bowl. Add the chopped parsley, pepper, and the bread crumbs and mix well. Using a retractable ice cream scoop.  Shape the mixture into even patties.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add 6 patties and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil to the pan, and cook the rest of the salmon cakes. Serve with any  side of favorite veggies and starch. 

Recipe adapted from Food Network. 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

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BANG BANG TOFU

May 10th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Lunch/Dinner | Recipes - (0 Comments)


INGREDIENTS:

1 package Extra Firm Organic Tofu (drained, pressed to get as much water out as possible..directions follow)

1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot (for coating tofu)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Avocado oil (for pan frying) or any high heat oil
1 zucchini, unpeeled & julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1-1/2 cups snow peas, washed and dried
1 tsp Fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Sauce:
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
 + 1 TBS
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (you may add more if you like your food spicier)

3 TBS honey + 1 TBS
2 tsp Oyster sauce (look for vegetarian oyster sauce if you want to keep this vegetarian)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp corn starch
Garnish:
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 scallions (green onions), chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Tofu: 

Place a folded clean kitchen towel on the counter. Place the tofu on top of the towel. Top tofu with another clean folded kitchen towel. 

Place something heavy on top of the towel – a cast iron skillet, a heavy cutting board with skillet on top, a bunch of books
Allow to press/drain for at LEAST 20 minutes, the longer the better

After it’s drained for at least 20 minutes, you are ready to get cooking!

Cut the tofu into 1″ cubes and lightly roll coat them in corn starch. Dust off excess and place them on a plate. So the same with the rest of the cubes. 

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a pan. Drop half of your cubes and fry for about a min on each side or until golden. With a slotted spoon take out the tofu and put them on a platter lined with paper towel to soak up the grease. Fry the rest of the batch. 
Sauce:
Whisk all sauce ingredients and set aside. 
Stir Fry:
Using a woke or a deep skillet. Heat oil and stir fry your veggies for about 2 minutes on high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute. Add sauce and stir for another 2 minutes until it comes to a boil and starts to thicken for about 2-3 min. Stir in your tofu to coat with the sauce and veggies. 
Serve over steamed brown or white rice garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Enjoy!

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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Mini Yogurt Banana Muffins

May 10th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Breakfast/Brunch | Dessert - (0 Comments)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Organic Low Fat Plain Yogurt

½ cup Organic 1% Milk

½ cup Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 large Organic egg, beaten

1 large Organic banana, mashed

1- ¼ cups White Whole Wheat flour

¼ cup unpacked brown sugar

2 tsp  baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp table salt

½ cup dark mini chocolate chips, divided

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF and coat 36 mini muffin pan with cooking spray (use three 12 mini muffin pans).

In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla extract and egg. Set aside 5 minutes for oats to soften and then stir in banana.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into yogurt mixture to moisten ingredients (do not beat – the dough will be very thick). Save 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips for muffin tops, and stir in the rest.
Spoon batter by heaping tablespoons or use a small cookie scoop (1 oz)  into prepared muffin pans; sprinkle each with a few reserved chocolate chips. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean (about 15 minutes).

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Mushrooms

May 10th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Lunch/Dinner | Recipes - (0 Comments)


INGREDIENTS:

1 box Jumbo Shells, boiled to al dente and set aside

1 -15oz container Ricotta Cheese

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp fresh Basil, chopped finely or 1 tsp dried

1- 10 oz. bag/box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture pressed out as much as possible or 2 cups fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1-1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, ( I use organic)

3/4 Trader Joe’s Mushroom Umami seasoning

1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper 

1-1/2 Tbsp Avocado Or Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 (10 oz) container baby Bella Mushrooms, diced to a 1/4″

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried parsley

Gallon size ziploc bag

2-1/2 cups Muir Glen Organic No Sugar Added, Italian Herb Pasta Sauce

Cooking Spray (I use Coconut Oil)

9×13 Casserole dish

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350°F. 

In a large skillet, heat oil, add mushrooms and Sauté for about 4 minutes stirring every min. Add garlic and sautéed for another min on medium heat. Add 1/4 tsp Umami seasoning, basil, and oregano and sauté for another min. Add another 1/4 tsp Umami. Stir until spinach wilts and shrinks in size. Cool mixture until warm. 

In the meantime, in a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, egg, Parmesan, 1/4 tsp Umami, parsley and pepper. Stir in your mushroom and onion mixture. Transfer mixture into Ziploc bag and cut one corner.

Have a 9×13 casserole dish greased with cooking spray. Pour about 1-1/2 cups of the sauce into the casserole dish so it can evenly spread out and cover the whole bottom. 

Stuff each shell with a generous amount of mixture and place them into the casserole dish. Pour more sauce around and on top of the shells. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan and then the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with a side of salad…Enjoy!

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Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

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Homemade Low Fat Cannoli

May 10th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)



INGREDIENTS:

20 Pizzelle Vanilla wafer cookies

3/4 cups Fat Free Ricotta (you may use whole milk or part skim)

6 oz. Mascarpone Cheese

3/4 cup Skinny or Regular True Whip (sold at Whole Foods)

2-3 Tbsp Evaporated Cane Sugar or any sweetener of choice

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup Mini Dark Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

First, make the shells: place a wafer directly on to the microwave dish and heat it up for 23 seconds (I have tested all numbers and 23 seems to be the perfect temperature to form into the shells) immediately take the wafer and quickly but gently shape the wafer into a cannoli she’ll with your fingers (becareful it is quite hot). Set aside to cool. Do the same with the rest of the shells. I am sure this can be accomplished by using a dry skillet but I have not tried this yet. If you do, let me know how it turns out. 

For the filling:In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed to combine well. Gently fold in the True Whip and chocolate chips, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

Filling the cannoli: Before serving, once the cannoli shells are cool, remove the filling from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Transfer it to a piping bag and pipe the filling into each cooled shell, piping from both ends toward the center of the shell. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve with some strawberries or raspberries on the side. Serve only the amount you know will be consumed since the filling will soften the shells within an hour after filling them. Unfilled shells can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Filling can be frozen for up to a month and refrigerated for 3 days. 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Organic Baked Strawberry White Chocolate Donuts

April 5th, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Dessert - (0 Comments)

Catered these homemade baked donuts for my Niece’s First Birthday Party! They were delicious! 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

Organic Strawberry Cupcakes w/ Organic Vanilla Almond Buttercream

April 3rd, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Dessert - (0 Comments)

Catering Order for my Niece’s First Birthday Party! Huge Success! Link to recipe for cupcakes follows…
  

Strawberry Cupcakes w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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No Bake Honey Cake with Pistachios

April 2nd, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

  

Needed a last minute pot -luck dessert, but without enough time to bake one. Thought of what I can put together that I had on hand and to my surprise this deliciousness was created! At first I thought it would taste close to a Teramisu since I used some of the ingredients that a Traditional Teramisu recipe requires. However, after a few taste tests, we all agreed that it mimics the Traditional Armenian Honey Cake instead. I was very pleased because that’s actually my FAVORITE cake ever!!!!! Give this easy dessert a try and I promise you’ll be making it over and over again!

Yields: 1-8×8. Serves: about 9-10 people depending how big/small you cut the squares. 

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

1 container of True Whip ( healthier version of Cool Whip, sold at Whole Foods or Fairway)or So Delicious Frozen Whipped Topping, Thawed in the Fridge

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (find it in the artisan cheese section)

3 Tbsp Organic Evaporated Cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake:

1 box whole grain Honey graham crackers (sold at Whole Foods or Trader Joes)

1 cup instant or brewed coffee, cooled (I used decaf)

1/2 cup of finely chopped Pistachios

Coconut cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Line an 8×8-inch deep-sided baking or casserole pan with parchment paper or grease it lightly with coconut cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl on low speed beat the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until fluffy about 2 minutes.

Add your Frozen Whipped Topping and gently fold it together. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for the top.

Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of graham crackers, breaking them to fit. Use a pastry brush and brush them generously with the coffee.

Repeat with another layer of graham crackers and coffee.

Spoon half the mascarpone into the pan and spread it evenly from edge to edge.

Top with a layer of graham crackers and brush with coffee then repeat with a second layer of crackers and coffee.

Spoon the remaining mascarpone into the pan and spread it evenly from edge to edge.

Top with another layer of graham crackers, brush with coffee, then repeat with a second layer of crackers and coffee.

Spoon the cup of cream you set aside over that and spread it out evenly. Top with chopped pistachios. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Enjoy!

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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The BEST Chicken Marinade

March 1st, 2016 | Posted by Milana in Lunch/Dinner | Recipes - (2 Comments)


I have used many different chicken marinades over the years and just recently came across a delicious marinade that I know will have every person asking what’s in it after they taste it! The inspiration came from Bella Davy, a self acclaimed chef and creator of  group, Cooking Kosher with Bella. I have adjusted certain ingredients and their amounts as well as added an ingredient or two to make it my own.  Finally found the Holy Grail chicken marinades!

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole Chicken, Butterflied

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Organic Dried Parsley

1/2 tsp Organic Ground Turmeric

1-1/2 tsp Organic Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp zatar spice

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 lemon, juiced

1 sweet onion, chopped coarsely

1 roasting bag

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients except for onion in a small bowl. Using a 9×13 foil pan or baking dish, place the roasting bag inside. Add the onions inside the bag. In a separate large bowl, add your chicken and marinade mixture. Massage it evenly to all areas of the chicken and put it in the refrigerator up to an hour (if short on time can be baked immediately). Finally add the chicken to your roasting bag. Seal tightly with string. Make 4-6 small cuts with scissors on top of the plastic for steam to escape. Roast at 400F for about an hour and 15-20 minutes depending on how big your chicken is.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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