May 15, 2012 | blog, From my Kitchen
Yep I am a chocoholic, a big fan of warm chocolate in particular,and chocolate crepes happen to be one of my favorite desserts. I have a policy of “prioritizing” calories, in other words I would eat a high calorie meal with the condition that it’s “worth it”. Since I only like crepes filled with Nutella, I thought why not have low calorie crepes to make up for the filling. It’s sort of a compromise, less guilt for me.
This is one of the easiest recipes with only 60 calories per crepe (remember Nutella has around 100 cals per TBS, so you do the math when indulging).
For the crepes you will need:
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups fat free Milk
Just use a whisk and mix them altogether, try not to have any lumps. As you notice there is no source of fat in this recipe, no oil or butter which is unusual, this is why in addition to using a non-stick pan you will need to use non-stick cooking spray, brand doesn’t matter. Put 1/4 cup of batter in the pan, swirl it around then flip to the other side when done.
You can use any filling you want since you won’t feel guilty eating the crepe itself 😉
Enjoy!
Jan 18, 2012 | From my Kitchen
I tried several recipes before I stuck to this one, these waffles are lightly crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, just the way waffles are supposed to be. Look no further, use this ideal recipe next time. You do need a waffle iron though. I got mine of the daily deals website sheeel.com for KD 7.5, which is actually an amazing deal!
For the waffles you will need:
1 3/4 Cups flour
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS Baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups Milk (I used fat-free milk)
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp Vanilla
Turn on the waffle iron.
In a bowl combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat all the wet ingredients then add them to the dry ones stirring until moistened.
And that’s basically it! Very easy batter with incredible results.
You can have you waffles with maple syrup, Nutella, berries and cream, powdered sugar, be creative, kids will love it as well and it takes minutes to make.
Bon Appétit !
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Dec 12, 2011 | blog, From my Kitchen
Although red velvet cakes have been popular for so long in the U.S. and Canada, only recently have we started to experience the rage here, everywhere I go I hear people talking about the latest red velvet cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. This is what got me to give it a try. After checking many recipes, I thought I’d combine different tips, and I guess it worked out well. Try it out , I’d love to know the results!
Red Velvet Cake
* 2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons (15 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup (110 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk prepare 1 TBS vinegar and 1 cup of Milk, will explain below)
* 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
* 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
* Preheat oven to 175 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. Butter two (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper or use cooking spray like I did. Set aside.
* In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
* In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
* In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. If you don’t have buttermilk combine 1 TBS of white vinegar with 1 cup of milk and let it rest 5-10 minutes, use that mixture to combine with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, ending with the flour.
* In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
* Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour to make it easier to apply the frosting.
And now for the cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese
* 3- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
I used light Philadelphia cheese and light butter because this is how I am used to shopping, you can definitely use the regular ones, the frosting might turn out a little bit more in tact if you do. There are also many recipes where you can add white chocolate or Mascarpone cheese to the basic frosting mixture.
Apply a thick layer in the middle between the two cakes, and then drizzle the rest on top.
Bon Appétit !
Jun 24, 2011 | blog, From my Kitchen
Well it is summer season already, not only do we not have time to cook, as most of us are vacationing, we need to eat something light, healthy, easy to make, and most probably have its ingredients lying in our kitchen anyway.
This linguine is one of my favorites it literally takes 10 minutes to prepare and that’s just due to the time cooking the pasta takes.
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Mar 19, 2011 | From my Kitchen
It is known that Lebanese and the Middle Eastern cuisines in general use lentils in many of their recipes. Variations of soups, salads, and dips can be made with this wonder food. My personal favorite is the Lentil soup (flat greenish one) with added pasta to make it a full meal that is healthy, light, and extremely tasty. All members of the family will love it.
For this recipe you will need:
2 cups lentils/ the flat greenish kind picked and washed
1 onion finely chopped
Water (try to fill the pot to 3 quarters, you might need to add more later on)
3/4 cup small pasta, here I used Conchigliette a small shell like pasta
3 Chicken stock cubes (this will replace salt)
1 TBS ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp 7 spices
1 lemon squeezed on the side to add optionally to individual bowls
Instructions
As a first step boil the lentils and combine with the onions, wait until lentils are soft. The good thing about this specific type of lentils is that it cooks quickly. Add the spices, the chicken cubes, and the pasta which will need around 8 minutes to cook. You might need to increase hot water since the pasta will be absorbing a large amount. Make sure the water you add is already hot, in case there are any undone lentils, cold water will halt their cooking.
Stir and taste, you might want to add some salt according to taste. Serve in individual bowls hot, you can a dash of squeezed lemon depending on preference.
The lemon will serve as a flavor booster and a source of vitamin C that will further aid the absorption of iron in the lentils.
Enjoy !!
