27
Feb
Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Cauliflower Frosting
I awoke this morning feeling just wonderful, got dressed and thought “wow I should make the girls’ waffles that would be nice.” I turned on my comp and decided to check my classes first while they were getting dressed for the day. I take online classes at the local college -which has worked out great for me because I am here daily for my girls’. Well I log on and that was it–my day was completely ruined…I swear…I’ve about had it with my Spanish teacher..she must have it out for me or just decides to torture me daily. Every Monday she puts out the assignment and we have until 11:59 Wednesday night to submit. Well I always receive my assignment and submit the next morning. This works for me one because I have other classes and two I want to BLOG!! Well it never fails- the next day she will add or change something on the assignment- kick back my submission and tell me I did it wrong. What??? My god this lady give me fits of rage mixed with anxiety!! Also this is not a beginner’s Spanish class- this is a Spanish class for Spanish speakers- hey I can speak your ear off in Spanish I can read anything in Spanish…but what exactly does this lady want from me??? Is she trying to totally freak me out?? Does she want to me begin speaking to her in Tex-Mex cause I will!! So she completely ruined my morning I had to redo my assignment and re submit it- then I began to feel worse because I did not make my girls’ their waffles. So I decided that we should make cupcakes together- one to include them in the fun and man I needed comfort badly. This cupcake is a little different the base has a puree of avocado and the frosting has a puree of cauliflower which might sound off to you, but trust me they were tasty!!
After I sat down with my girls’ and munched on our cupcakes I really felt better- so Mrs. Spanish teacher were stuck with each other until the end of the semester so give me all you got….try to torture me..try to ruin my perfect GPA I work my big booty off for…just try me….trust me I’ll win!! Sweetlife always wins!! Enjoy!!
I almost stopped the recipe and grabbed a bag of tortilla chip…but I held it together!
I’m not gonna lie… I was worried about the taste of the frosting and was I ever surprised..uber delish!!
Chocolate Cupcakes
by Jessica Seinfeld
Deceptively Delicious
(with avocado and cauliflower)
makes 12
batter
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup avocado puree
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup nonfat milk (skim)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 large egg whites
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
frosting
1– 8oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cauliflower puree
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt.
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer beat the avocado puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth. Beat in the egg whites one at a time just until incorporated.
3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are lightly browned and spring back to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting them.
4 For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cauliflower puree, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Spread over the cooled cupcakes.
5. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month.
**Her note** The taste of the avocado is still slightly detectable when the cupcakes are warm, so be sure they’re completely cool before you serve.
I made only half of the frosting…I didn’t want a mound of frosting.
I did cool my completely so I didn’t taste the avocado, but I love avocado so i really wouldn’t have mind.
puree to make this you get two avocados and whiz them in your food processor until smooth- the cauliflower puree steam the cauliflower and the also process until smooth.
24
Feb
A Conversation with my Rick Bayless Cookbook
Sweet Life passes through the hall ” Oh hello cookbook,”
Rick Bayless Cookbook – “oh wow your holding me – I thought you had forgottten about me!”
Sweet Life – “Never Rick Never - your may “main man”- Rick Bayless- I could never forget about your cookbooks,”
RBCookbook- “Really – wow you lie - you never cook from me anymore! I’m slightly dusty!!”
Sweet Life -” But Rick I may not cook from your cookbooks everyday but, your with me always, when I use limes, when I add cilantro to my dishes, when I use queso fresco and crema mexicana–your with me.”
RBCookbook- “Ya whatever– tell those lies to Tyler or Sara Moulton or Nigella lying over there in the corner – they have dust too!”
Sweet Life – “Okay Rick I’m cooking from you today– You want me to shower you with love??? Well strap in buddy…here we go….!”
I bring you the following recipe full of guilt.. I felt even horribly worse after my first bite- I knew at that moment I had negectled him… and….. ”Nobody puts Rick in a corner!”
***Yes it’s scary that I had intimate conversation with my cookbook- but my insanity keeps me going people… and my kids think it’s just hilarious!! Enjoy!!
Corn Flake-Crusted Fish Fillets with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce and Fried Corn
Rick Bayless
mexico one plate at a time
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt
2 large eggs
one 7oz box corn flakes
six 5-6 ounces skinless fish fillets (choose snapper, grouper, halibut, striped bass, mahimahi, or other medium-flake light flavored fish) about 3/4 inch thick
1 pound (10-12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 3 serranos or 1 jalapeno), stemmed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion sliced
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chooped
2 cups light fish or chicken broth
2/3 cups loosley packed cliantro, plu a few sprigs for garnish
2 cups fresh corn kernels (you’ll need about 3 ears of sweet corn, or for the most traditonal Mexican flavor, 2 ears of field corn at the “milk” stage-what we called roasting ears when I was a kid)
vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch for panfrying
1 “Breading” the Fish. Spread the flour on a deep plate (or pie plates), then stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Break the eggs onto another deep plate and add 3 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat with a fork until completely liquid. Spread the corn flakes on a third plate, then use the back of a measuring cup to gently break them into 1/4 inch pieces. Dredge all side of 1 fish fillet in the flour, then lay it in the egg mixture. Use a large fork to flip it over, then carefully transfer the drippy piece of fish to the plate of corn flakes. sprinkle flakes from the dish over the top of the fish and press them in firmly; the fish should be thoroughly coated with flakes Transfer to another plate or baking sheet, then “bread” the remaining fillets. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour, or up to 6 hours.
2. The Sauce- Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast on the other side-4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles that are soft and cooked through. Cool, then transfer everything to a food processor or blender, being careful to scrape up all the delicious juice that has run out onto the baking sheet. Process until smoothly pureed.
Set a heavy medium (4quart) saucepan over medium heat and measure in 1 tbsp of olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until richly golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Raise the heat to medium-high, and when the oil is really sizzling, add the tomatillo puree all at once. Stir until noticeably darker and very thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth and 1/3 cup of the cilantro. Stri everything thoroughly. Simmer, stirring often, over medium low heat until the flavors mellow and the consistency thickens enough to coat a spoon(but not to heavily) about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 tsp. Keep warm over low heat.
3 Finishing the Dish. In a medium skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium. When hot, add the corn and stir frequently until nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. sweet corn will be a little chewy, field corn will be quite chewy meaning you might want to dribble a little water in the pan to steam the kernels to a bit more tenderness. Set aside in the pan.
Turn on the oven to the lowest setting. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil i a large heavy skillet over medium to medium-high. When the oil is hot enough to make and edge of a ”breaded” fillet really sizzle, fry the fillets in two batches. (they shouldn’t be crowded in the pan, or they won’t crust and brown nicely.) They’ll need to cook about 2 minutes per side to brown and be done enough to flake under pressure- it takes a little practice to check this without breaking the crust very much. Carefully transfer the first batch of cooked fillets to a paper-towel lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while your’re frying the second batch.
sppon over the warm sauce (thin it with a little water if it has thickened) onto a deep warm platter and arrange the crusty fish fillets slightly overlapping down the center. sprinkle the whole affair with the corn (reheat if necessary) and the remaining 1/3 cup cilantro. Garnish with the cilantro sprigs and you’re ready to make your triumphant entrance to the dining room.
**whispering—I did not use corn flakes I used my special K cereal and it was wonderful, I bet you could use panko and it would be lovely also, I’m whispering I don’t Rick to hear me…he seems sensitive today…**
22
Feb
Motivating Myself…..
I woke up this morning with motivation that could move mountains.
So I put on my workout shoes and grabbed my dumbells…
I began to work out in such a intense pace….. I began to imagine I smelled chocolate.. or was it honey..
Am I going mad? I smell raisins soaked in brandy…
So I sacrificed my dumbells and went for a walk…all while stuffing these cookies into my mouth!!
Enjoy!!
Martha Stewart Living
December 2009
22
Feb
Sweet Life Shoots– Sweet Life Scores!!
How excited am I?? To have won a contest hosted by Savor The Thyme and The Naptime Chef - all about food is love. Click on over there to see all the entries and their wonderful blogs!!
Also check this out- Sweetlife featured on Glamour health and fitness website Vitamin-g
Too Cool!!! I’m so honored that my quirky pics have been selected!!
19
Feb
Sweet Life Loves Pasta – Lentil – Tomato- Sauce
This one’s for my beaners out there. At Sweet Life’s we love our beans- they are so versatile and offer loads of protein and vitamins all necessary to get through your day. See I care for you, I want the best you, so I offer you Lentil with tomatoes on whole wheat spinach pasta. The lentils are cooked slowly with onions, garlic and carrots and thyme. Add a little yogurt at the end to make it oh so creamy and your done. Happy belly Happy heart like my grandpa used to say and he’s right- but then again grandpa’s are always right. Enjoy!!
Looks tasty and it made quite a bunch- so don’t add the yogurt and freeze or save for a yummy lunch!
I ate two bowls one with pasta-one with just the sauce. Yummy!
from Martha Stewart
Body and Soul Magazine
Sept 2006
17
Feb
Sweet Life Loves Pasta – Long Ziti with Sweet Potato Sauce
Well Valentine’s day has come and gone- but this is no reason to stop the loving people!! So I am posting you another of my loves!! I love pasta ya… pasta for lunch- pasta for dinner- mmm the only thing is I don’t particularly like heavy sauces laden with cream and cheese. Yes I do eat these, but I feel so much better about my booty when I make a lighter sauce with ingredients you would not always think to use. Pasta is also a wonderful option when Lenten season begins- our family cuts back considerably on meat and adds extra veggie plates, pasta and beans- oh how I love my beans. I can’t help it I’m a beaner! So to keep my girl’s excited about their meals I kick up the sauces. Today I bring you pasta sauce made from sweet potatoes- ya lovely right? The color, the taste was marvelous baby! I found long ziti at a nearby grocery store and my girls’ thought it looked cool so we bought it and sauced it up!! Another thing pasta comes in so many healthier versions now- so feel free to use what you like. Enjoy!!
Isn’t the color just fab? I love the LONG noodle, but they were so hard to plate for pics and messy. But my girls’ like messy so this was right up their alley!!
As we sat down to eat my girl looked at her plate and said “They look like intestines,” They kill me!!
14
Feb
Sweet Life Loves Citrus- Grapefruit Cake- Lemon Buttermilk Fresh Cheese and a Sweet Drink
Happy Valentine’s Day!! I hope you and your loved ones celebrate with lots of LOVE and KISSES!!
Sending out Love from our kitchen to yours!!
Love Sweet Life and family!!
I’m finally back from out of town- just in time to spend Valentine Day with you. Have you ever had a Grapefruit cake? If you haven’t you should really try it. Oatmeal soaked in grapefruit juice then baked into a cake great with your morning coffee. I made a quick yogurt sauce with grapefruit juice, by straining the yogurt until thick then I added freshly squeezed grapefruit juice to reconstitute. Wow lovely, and topped it with little hearts. Enjoy!!
Grapefruit Morning Cake
South Texas Organics
Mission, Texas
2 Texas Red Grapefruits
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
vanilla or fruit flavored whipping cream (optional)
Peel and section grapefruit over bowl, reserving juice. Set sections aside. Measure grapefruit juice and add water to equal 1 1/4 cups liquid. Bring liquid to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in oats and butter; let stand 20 minutes covered. combine remaining ingredients except yogurt in a mixing bowl. Stir in oats mixture, blending well. Pour into greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve warm or cool, topped with yogurt or whipped cream and grapefruit sections. Makes 10-12 servings.
How about fresh buttermilk cheese with Lemon zest and cracked black pepper- Trust me you’ll get kisses for this one!! Enjoy!!
Martha Stewart Living
TV Show
1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 cups whole or low fat buttermilk
2 tsp coarse salt plus more for serving
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
french bread for serving
extra virgin oil for drizzling
I added link – they have a video posted to walk you through!
My kids loved freshly squeezed juice, so for that extra special touch I made berry ice cube. Just defrost a pkg of frozen berries puree in blender and freeze in heart shapes. Enjoy!!
** Quick update–I’m submitting this for a great contest at Savor The Thyme and The Nap Time Chef**
Good luck for all who enter!!
Sweet Life
11
Feb
Sweet Life Love Citrus – Citrus Vinaigrette
Hello my loves I had to make a quick unexpected out of town trip and I have been unable to post- not having my pic files and not great internet access- it’s torture!! So I am dropping you a quick post from pics that I had on my camera. I am in love with this dressing and always make double batches to add a punch of citrus on my daily salads. Where are the hearts you ask??? I know I know- I carved hearts out of grapefruit and they were spectacular, but I have no pics(AGHH!!!) Please enjoy and I will return home soon and continue my citrus week. Sending out “ kisses” Sweet Life.
Citrus Vinaigrette
makes 3/4 cup
Marth Stewart Magazine
March 2009
1/4 tsp finely grated grapefruit zest
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tbsp extra- virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
Whisk all the ingredients together in a nonreactive medium bowl until combined. Use immediately, or refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days.
8
Feb
Sweet Life Loves Citrus – Orange Sesame Couscous
I am totally diggin on this whole menu of heart shaped plates for the silly fact that my children will try anything that is molded into a heart. When I presented this to my girls, my older quickly dug in – my little one hesitated “How cute, it’s a little orange heart,” I said and that’s all it took. I wonder if I can keep this going all year? Well I am very lucky to live here in the Rio Grande Valley where the citrus is plentiful. I live down the road from a small grove and the smell is just heavenly. We have enjoyed fresh squeezed o.j every morning and I myself have eaten countless grapefruit taking advantage of the local produce. Couscous is a great side dish which comes together very quickly served along fish, chicken, or simply with roasted veggies. The possibilities are endless when it comes to flavoring couscous- dried fruit, fresh juices, nuts or seed. Enjoy!!
Orange Sesame Couscous
Sunkist website, recipes
serves 3
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup chopped red or green bell peppers
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup couscous
1 orange peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
3 tbsp chopped green onions
In a medium saucepan combine orange juice, red pepper, sesame oil and salt. Bring just to a boil; stir in couscous.
Cover and remove from heat. Let stand five minutes. Stir with a fork to fluff up mixture. Stir in orange pieces and green onions.
**I used Iraseli couscous which is larger in size.***
6
Feb
Chocolate Strawberry Waffle Ball on a Stick
Okay people - first I just want to say that I only made four of these one for each of us to taste. Why? moderation and insanity- yes I knowing I could inhale a dozen of these all while making me insane of guilt and pleasure. Has your chocolate covered strawberry ever fallen into waffle batter then fried itself quickly only to be dusted with confectioner sugar? Well mine did and baby it was LOVE, yes sweet love that only The State Fair in Dallas Texas could invent. These won last year’s Big Tex Choice Award and I totally agree in one bite you get the sweetness from the strawberry the ooziness from the chocolate topped off by the outer layer of fried goodness. Try something different this year sharing with people you truly love, they will adore you!!
Chocolate Strawberry Waffle Ball on a Stick
State Fair of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Foodnetwork Magazine
Aug-Sept 2009
12 large strawberries, hulled
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 cups dry pancake and waffle mix (plus additional ingredients as directed on package)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1. Thread each strawberry onto a wooden skewer; place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for about 30 minutes.
2. Put the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high at 15 second intervels, stirring after each intervel, until chocolate is almost melted; remove and stir until smooth. Dip the strawberries in the melted chocolate; return to the parchment – lined baking sheet and freeze until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
3. Heat 4 to 6 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot until a deep fry thermometer registers 330 degrees. While the oil heats, prepare the pancake and waffle mix as the label directs.
4. Dip the chocolate – covered strawberries in the batter, turning to coat; let any excess drip off. (If the batter is to thin, add 1 to 3 more tbsp dry mix.) Carefully place the berries in the hot oil (skewers and all); fry, turning as needed, until the batter is golden and just cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels or a rack. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to re-harden. dust with confectioners’ sugar.
**These brown quickly- watch them carefully.****