February 17, 2012

Yellow Cake (with Pumpkin)

We love this easy recipe that makes a store-bought birthday cake mix just a little better for you. It’s from Deceptively Delicious. Serve with your favorite frosting - I use a homemade cream cheese one. In the book it wrongly states that you need only one cake pan—you need two. Please reference the recipe below instead. My apologies for this egregious mistake.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Makes a 9-inch layer cake

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 (18-ounce) box yellow cake mix (any brand)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
6 ounces nonfat lemon, banana, or vanilla yogurt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and flour lightly.

2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, pumpkin puree, water, oil, eggs, egg white, and yogurt. Beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Dividing evenly, pour the batter into the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Variation:
Devil’s Food Cake:
Substitute a box of devil’s food cake mix for the yellow cake mix, and beat with 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, 2 large eggs,1 large egg white, and 3/4 cup plain yogurt (preferably Greek). Bake as above.

Posted by Jessica Seinfeld
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (5)

September 26, 2011

Brownies (with Carrot and Spinach)

Lots of people have requested the brownie recipe I made on Anderson’s show last Friday. Here it is…spinach and all.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Makes: 12 brownies

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
3 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup spinach puree
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in egg whites.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Puree How-to:
For the carrots: Peel, trim the ends, and cut into 3-inch chunks. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes until smooth, adding a few teaspoons of water, if needed, for a smooth texture.

For the spinach, remove any tough stems. Steam for 30 or 40 seconds, or cook in a skillet with 1 tablespoon water for about 90 seconds until wilted. Puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Posted by Jessica Seinfeld
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (25)

May 20, 2011

No-Bake Energy Bars

Who doesn’t need an afternoon pick-me-up? These energy bars are great for an on the go snack and they’re packed with all things good: vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. Healthy snacking keeps your metabolism moving. It also helps keep crankiness at bay and controls those hunger pangs before the urge to eat all things fried and salted strikes. And don’t forget other snacks like fruit, yogurt, vegetables, cottage cheese and nuts to get you from one meal to the next.

No-bake Energy Bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 14 bars

Ingredients:
cooking spray
¾ cup raw almonds
1 ¼ cups brown rice cereal
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
¼ cup flax meal
¼ cup raw chia seeds
½ cup brown rice syrup
6 tablespoons almond butter
½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Spray an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until evenly chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the rice cereal, oats, coconut, flax meal, and chia seeds.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice syrup and almond butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until melted and creamy. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press evenly into the prepared pan and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Grab the ends of the parchment and lift onto a cutting board. Slice into bars.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (40)

April 27, 2011

Lalo’s Famous Cookies

Gwyneth has shared another recipe with us: Lalo’s Famous Cookies (which happen to be vegan)! The first one to post a picture (with you in it) on Jessica’s facebook page will receive a signed copy of Gwyneth’s new cookbook My Father’s Daughter.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: about 50 cookies

Ingredients:
4 cups barley flour
3 cups raw whole almonds crushed in a food processor (about ten 2-second pulses)
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
1 cup real Vermont maple syrup
Your favorite jam (blueberry, raspberry, and apricot are all very nice)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine all the ingredients except for the jam together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Form into tablespoonful balls and space them evenly on cookie sheets. Using your index finger, make an indent in each cookie. Fill each indent with a small spoonful of jam. Bake until the cookies are evenly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool before eating.

Tools needed:
Medium bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, wooden spoon, cookie sheets, small spoon, food processor

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (8)

April 26, 2011

Gwyneth’s Stuffed Artichokes with Bread & Tomatoes

Gwyneth has graciously shared one of her favorite side dishes with us: Stuffed Artichokes with Bread & Tomatoes!
The first one to post a photo of this recipe (with you in it) on Jessica’s facebook page will receive a signed copy of Gwyneth’s new cookbook My Father’s Daughter.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: serves 4

Ingredients:
4 artichokes, top inch and tough outer leaves cut off and discarded
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups day-old 1/2-inch bread cubes (about 1/2 stale baguette will do)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 lemon

Directions:
Steam the artichokes for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the 1/2 cup of olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bread cubes. If they’re really dry, add a spoonful of warm water. Using your hands, crush in the tomatoes and stir in the basil. Let the bread mixture sit while the artichokes are cooking.

When the artichokes are cooked through, let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes to cool. Using a soup spoon, scoop out the thistly chokes. Squeeze the lemon over the cavity of each artichoke and stuff with the bread salad. Drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Tools needed:
Large pot with lid, steamer basket, cutting board, chef’s knife, medium bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, whisk, large spoon, soup spoon

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (2)