Food Friday - Have Your Veggies and Eat Your Cake Too!

from Tracey G. 

This time of year gets me thinking carrot cake, lol. It's not something I've always liked - as a kid it wasn't my cup of tea, I didn't like spiced cakes etc. It wasn't that I minded veggies in my treats, not at all, I love vegetables in any form, but it was the fact of the cake being too "busy" with spices and potentially nuts in it too. (It's also a recent thing that I like nuts in my baked goods, but still don't like them in my cookies, lol) But then one day, it was like a switch flipped and I decided I liked carrot cake, lol.

I'd never made it myself, always just had it out or whatever but a few years ago, when I was trying to lose the weight that came along with having Harry, I decided I wanted to make one. Well, I was appalled at the amount of fat that went into the average carrot cake recipe! Wow - I think one recipe I ran across had a full cup of oil in it, no thanks. Those recipes gave me sticker shock in the calorie information department, lol. And I didn't have any canned pineapple around  - every recipe I ran across had pineapple in it. Then, I found this one. Now, I've modified it, of course, because while I may like nuts these days in my baked goods - I still don't like raisins, lol. But I thought this sounded like just what I was looking for - a lighter version with no pineapple involved ;-)

So, I made my first carrot cake. A light one at that too - and it was super yummy!! I was so happy with it, I could have my cake and eat it too! LOL Since then, I've made it into cupcakes and followed the recipe and made it in a 9x13" pan. I like to do the cupcakes because then they are portion controlled that way, I am not temped to cut a bigger piece which would throw off my per serving numbers. I can make the perfect 18 servings by making 18 cupcakes :-) I didn't care for the cream cheese frosting recipe that came along with it, so I just used my favorite one, and lightened it up a little bit, best I could without losing its integrity.

First, you combine the first 5 ingredients - the sugar, eggs, egg whites, oil and applesauce, in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. 

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients - the flour,  spices, salt and baking soda (if using nuts, those will get stirred in later when carrots are added). 

I like to use a whisk whenever I need to combine dry ingredients when I am baking, it's easy and works well.

Next,  get your carrots ready - I use my mini food processor to shred up the 3 cups needed.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl, then stir in your carrots and nuts if using.

Pour into a 13x9" baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray or line cupcake pans with liners and divide batter amongst them to make 18 cupcakes. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Whether it be in a 13x9" pan or cupcakes, allow them to cool completely before frosting them.

Lighter Carrot Cake

preheat oven to 350°

1 1/3 c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1/3 c canola oil

2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 c shredded carrots

1 c chopped walnuts, optional

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices; add to the egg mixture and mix well.

Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into a 13x9" baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Frost as desired.  Makes 18 servings.

The Cream Cheese Frosting recipe I used for this batch is as follows:

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened (I usually use Neufchatel, but of course the store didn't have any today, so it was the full calorie/fat deal today)

2-3 tbsp butter, softened

4 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tsp milk

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and butter, mix until well blended. Add the vanilla; then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add 2-3 tsp milk to get it to the desired consistency for frosting the cake/cupcakes. Makes enough to frost about  24 cupcakes.

All that's left to do is enjoy! :-) 

from Kris B.

One of this things that happens when you are trying to be intentional about what you eat is that you scrutinize everything that goes in your mouth; I don't mean in an obsessive or unhealthy way, but in a thoughtful and positive way.  For me this means making choices not only in the moment, but also giving consideration to my whole day or even week.  For example, I have plans to go out for dinner with friends on Friday night.  I am not going as far as to say that all bets are off as far as being faithful to my WW point counting, but I don't want to be so consumed with what I can and can't or should and shouldn't eat that it keeps me from being truly present and enjoying the evening out.  Rather, I'll have a lighter breakfast and lunch, an extra piece of fruit with these meals rather than something more calorie laden.   The same balancing act comes into play for me when I am making snack choices.

I am a snacker, always have been and always will be.  I'm not going to change that fact so I just need to learn to live with it.  What that means is that I need to eat snacks that are both satisfying and, if not 100% healthy,  they should at least have some redeeming nutritional value.  As is the case with most things, I want the most bang for my buck, the most tasty goodness for my caloric intake.  

I have mentioned before that I am a bread lover.  That love extends beyond yeast breads to quick breads as well.  Though pumpkin bread is probably my all-time favorite quick bread, zucchini bread is the one I make most often because, as those of you with gardens know, zucchini is quite the prolific crop in any summer garden!  And what better way to eat it than in bread!

The recipe that I am sharing here has evolved over time.  I have tried various versions that cut some fat, and some sugar, and some cholesterol; this is its current incarnation.  

It contains many of those things that often scare people away (sugar, oil, and eggs), but unless you eat a whole loaf, which admittedly I probably could but won't, the amounts of these things that you get in a realistic single serving are well within reason.

Back to that idea of the most bang for your buck... This recipe contains several of my favorite things...zucchini, apple, and chocolate.  

It's missing coffee as an ingredient, but who's to say you can't enjoy it with a mug of fresh joe!  Since this has all this ingredients that make my tastebuds happy, I am willing to splurge a little and truly enjoy my slice of zucchini bread as a snack or for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup white sugar

1 Cup Brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 TBS vanilla

2 Cups peeled and grated zucchini (1 1/2 -2 zucchini depending on size)

1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  

In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.  Once combined, add the shredded zucchini to the wet ingredients.   

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones mixing until they are all well incorporated.

Pour into to two loaf pans that have been coated with non-stick spray. 

 Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

These can also be made as 20-24 regular sized muffins.  Adjust cooking time accordingly.  Mine take about 25 minutes, but my oven generally takes the long extreme on the cook time continuum.

Though the zucchini bread is perfectly good as is, topping it with cream cheese or peanut butter adds a special touch to this treat.  Speaking of peanut butter, well actually nuts...you can add chopped nuts to the bread itself if you'd like.  I am one of those that is picky about where I like to find nuts and where I don't.  In my zucchini bread is one of the places where I'd rather not encounter them.  That is why, if I want a little protein, I'll spread some peanut butter on top...another of my favorite ingredients!

I hope that you are all thinking about planting your gardens so that you have lots of zucchini with which to make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread this summer.