sugar.salt.spice

Hazelnut Tiramisu for Non-Coffee Lovers

My mom made this wonderful alternative to the traditional Italian tiramisu. Definitely a must-try to for those that don’t like coffee flavor. Original recipe courtesy of Giada from the Food Network.

Ingredients

Lemon Syrup:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

Tiramisu:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 tablespoons sugar

1 (15-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup hazelnut liqueur (recommended: Frangelico)

48 soft or hard ladyfinger cookies

1 1/4 cups lightly chopped (about 5 ounces) toasted and skinned hazelnuts

1 lemon, zested

For the Lemon Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

For the Tiramisu:

Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick. Add the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue to whip until the cream holds soft peaks. In another bowl, cream together remaining sugar and mascarpone cheese for 30 seconds. Mix 1/4 of the cream into the mascarpone. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream. Set aside.

Place the hazelnut liqueur in a small shallow bowl. Dip 16 of the ladyfinger cookies in the hazelnut liqueur and line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch serving dish or other decorative serving dish. Spoon any remaining hazelnut liqueur over the dipped cookies. Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies. Top with 1/3 of the hazelnuts.

Place the lemon syrup in a small shallow bowl. Dip 16 of the ladyfinger cookies in the syrup and place on top of the hazelnuts. Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies. Top with 1/3 hazelnuts. Dip remaining cookies in remaining syrup and place on top. Spoon any remaining syrup over the dipped cookies. Spread with remaining mascarpone and top with remaining hazelnuts and lemon zest.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. Remove the tiramisu from the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

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Sultry Beef Stroganoff with a Twist

This twist on a classic recipe is divine. I took mom’s everyday meat and pasta dish and added a little goat cheese and fresh parsley to make a sultry beef stroganoff.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

1lb cubed beef (tenderloin is best, but any cut will do)
15oz package No Yolk Egg Noodles
2 - 8oz cans cream of mushroom
80z lite sour cream
2oz goat cheese
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
1T olive oil
1/8 cup fresh chopped parsley

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (approximately 10 min).

Heat the skillet to medium, add olive oil and chopped garlic. Season beef tips with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook to preferred wellness (5 minutes for medium). When beef has reached preferred wellness, add cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, goat cheese and parsley. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add pasta to beef mixture and stir until coated. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. Serves 5.

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Poppin’ Pasta Salad

This easy dish was created for my sister’s baby shower. Simple, yet delicious. Takes less than 30 minutes to make.

Cook mixed pasta until soft. Drain pasta. Run cold water over pasta to cool it. Set aside.

Chop red peppers and olives. Put in a large bowl. Add cooled pasta to bowl. Stir mixture while adding Italian dressing. Lastly, add parmesean cheese. Chill until ready to serve.

Ingredients

1 medium bag mixed pasta
8 oz can chopped black olives
2 red peppers, chopped
1/8 cup parmesean cheese
1 cup Italian dressing of choice

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Guiltless Brunch: Frittata Muffins & Cream Cheese Crepes

Due to the spring forward hour change last night, my breakfast idea ended up being more of a late late brunch. Nevertheless, it turned out scrumptous. This take on the Italian Frittata is a breakfast idea I once saw on Everyday Italian on the FOOD network. I’ve tailored it to fit a low fat/low carb diet plan. For 313 calories, you can enjoy this yummy meal!

Frittata Muffins

Boil pasta over medium heat until al dente. Drain pasta. Mix cooked pasta, Egg Beaters, ham, cheese and milk in large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper and chives. Scoop 1/3 cup pasta mixture into muffin tins coated with olive oil. Baked at 350° F for 15 minutes or until tops are slightly brown. Serve hot.

*Lessons Learned: While calculating the nutritional content of this dish, I realized that Deli Select Ham has more sodium than I would like. Substitute with fresh deli ham to reduce sodium; turkey also works well.

Ingredients

No Yolks Egg White Pasta - 4oz
Egg Beaters - 3 cups
Deli Fresh Ham - 12 slices chopped
Weight Watchers Shredded Cheese - 2/3 cup
Milk 1% - 1 cup
Chopped Chives to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cream Cheese Crepes

Cheese Filling - Blend cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Works best if cream cheese is softened.

Crepe Mixture - Blend egg, flour, milk and vanilla until smooth. For those without a crepe cooker, heat skillet to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Pour 1/4 cup crepe mixture into skillet. Flip crepe when sides start to bubble; about 30 seconds. CAREFUL: crepes are fragile and will break with too much force.

Putting it all together - Scoop 2 Tablespoons cream cheese mixture into crepe. Roll crepe like a fajita. Place in a 9×13in pan. Cook crepes at 350° F for 15 minutes. Serve with butter, syrup or jelly of your choice.

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1/3 Fat - 8oz
Vanilla Extract - 1T
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup

Crepes

Flour - 2/3 cup
Egg Beaters - 3/4 cup
Vanilla - 1T
Milk - 1 cup

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Categories

Hazelnut Tiramisu for Non-Coffee Lovers

Sultry Beef Stroganoff with a Twist

Poppin’ Pasta Salad

Guiltless Brunch: Frittata Muffins & Cream Cheese Crepes