CHOCOLATE SELTZER CAKE

Chocolate Seltzer Cake

Decadent and Dreamy!  It so simple, a kid can make this. My son and I made this last night. He loves cake. We left out the eggs and oil.  Added the seltzer and we were amazed with the result. We cut the calories and enjoyed this moist chocolate treat!

Chocolate Seltzer Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite cake mix

I used Betty Crocker Chocolate (pudding in the mix)

1 can of seltzer

Mix together and place in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees until done.  Enjoy!!

MATZO-ALMOND CROCCANTE

Matzo-Almond Croccante

The stores are giving free Matzo this time of year. So what do you do with them? This idea is artfully done, delicious and easy. You can make this brittle and it keeps for 2 days.



Matzo- Almond Croccante

Nonstick spray

5 sheets Matzo

1 ¾ cups sugar

¾ cup margarine

¼ cup honey

1/3 sliced almonds, lightly toasted

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

¼ cayenne Pepper

1 ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Place matzo on the sheet in a single layer, breaking as needed and overlapping slightly, leaving no gaps.

Stir sugar, margarine, honey and ¼ cup water in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides.  Cook until caramel turns a deep amber color. 13 – 15 minutes. Pour caramel evenly over matzo. Immediately sprinkle almonds over. Let cool.

Drizzle melted chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle cayenne and salt over. Let stand until chocolate sets. Break into pieces and enjoy.

ROAST BEEF ON THE GRILL

Roast Beef on the Grill

This was something I always wanted to try. The beef was juicy and delicious. It came out perfect. I roasted the vegetables outside too. The best part was there wasn’t much to clean up. I’m going to do it again soon.

Roast Beef and Veggies on the Grill

• 1 3-4 lb Rump  roast
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Brush all over with olive oil then season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Sprinkle all sides of roast with herb mixture, using hands to pat into beef. Wrap beef tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate

Place beef on the hot grill and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Move beef to aluminum roasting pan and place on indirect heat on the grill. My weber has 3 burners so I set it ( low-off-low). Cover, and cook until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the beef reads 125 for medium-rare or 130 for medium, about 40 to 60 minutes more. Remove from grill to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms

The last few recipes I posted were from the South Beach Diet. Today I have another. I roasted the vegetables in oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan. I enjoyed them and ate most of them by myself. The key is not crowd the cookie sheet. Spread the veggies out so the cook and brown evenly.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans Trimmed and cut

1 container mushrooms, sliced evenly

1 ½   tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the mushrooms and drain. While, the mushrooms are drying. Trim the ends of the beans and cut them into bite sized pieces. Cut the mushrooms into slices ½ inch thick.

Whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Coat the vegetables with the mixture and spread on the cookie sheet. Roast for 20- 30 minutes. Cook until all the water is evaporated. Season the beans to taste with salt and pepper. Add grated parmesan.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

Roasted Vegetables

Oven roasted vegetables are delicious! All you need is a hot oven, salt, pepper and olive oil. You can roast any vegetable you want. The flavors seem to come alive. This has changed my relationship with veggies forever. Give it a try…

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, cut into small pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces

1 green bell pepper, cut into pieces

1 pound asparagus, cut into small pieces

1 onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place all vegetables on a roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Get them coated well. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

VEGETABLE QUICHE CUPS

Vegetable Quiche Cups

Fast can be fabulous! Breakfast you can take with you, when you are on the go. Use them for brunch. Make a bunch, freeze and reheat when you are in the mood. I used spinach, green peppers and onions.  Change the vegetables to suit your taste.



Vegetable Quiche Cups

Ingredients:

1 package spinach 8 ounces

4 large eggs

¾ cup shredded low fat cheese ( I used cheddar)

¼ cup diced green bell pepper

¼ cup diced onions

Cook the spinach in a pan with a teaspoon olive oil until wilted. Cut into small pieces.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.

Combine the eggs, cheese, peppers, onions, and spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Divide evenly in the muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Or until a knife comes out clean.

ZUCCHINI CARROT AND FETA FRITTERS

 Zucchini Carrot and Feta Fritters

The fritters are super easy and quick to make. I love zucchini because you can use it in so many different ways. I’ll be sure to make this again in the summer when my garden is full of zucchini. They are also really good the next day when they are cold.

Zucchini Carrot and Feta Fritters

• 4  zucchini grated and then squeezed (about 1 full cup)
• 2 carrots grated
• ½ cup Feta cheese
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• thyme, mint, parsley (about 2 teaspoons of each chopped)
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 2 Tablespoons of flour
• 4 small spring onions finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of crumbs (I like to use Panko Asian crumbs because they are crispier)
• salt and pepper
• oil for frying
• Tzatziki for dipping ( I used cucumber garlic)
• lemon wedges to serve

Grate the zucchini and then place in a tea towel and ring out all the liquid, you want these to be as dry as possible. Put in a bowl and add the flour and coat the zucchini. Add all the other ingredients and mix to combine. Heat the oil in a non- stick frying pan and fry dollops of the mixture, turning when golden brown on the one side. Drain on paper towel and serve with fresh lemon wedges and Tzatziki.