Carrot Cake Short Cut

Lately I've been craving something sweet. It seems like whenever I get a moment, I'm diving into the chocolate leftover from the holidays or combing the circulars for gelato. Of course, neither of those wonderful sweets ever ended the thirst for my favorite sweet treat, carrot cake.

Ever sine I was little girl I've loved carrot cake. I'm not sure why. If you think about all of the different types of super sweet treats you've been given as a child, there are those that are far more sweet and even more indulgent than carrot cake. But I can remember falling into a nice big slice of carrot cake at the bakery around the corner from my elementary school. It wasn't too sweet and the spice combination is warming.
Maybe my affinity for carrot cake is rooted in really not being allowed to have sweets when I was young. It's the perfect balance between sweet and spicy and it was always a special treat when I did. That might also explain why I don't really like sweet desserts. But I digress, this recipe is just enough sweet and just enough spice to make your tongue tingle.

This carrot cake is a bit different than the one I usually make (carrots, raisins and walnuts) but I haven't been happy with my last couple of cakes so I'm starting with box mix and adding pineapple and coconut. You can do the same if you already have a mix at home. My girlfriend has a gluten free cake mix, so this is perfect for her to just add here and there to make carrot cake. I can't wait for her to make this recipe.

Carrot Cake Short Cut
12 servings

Ingredients
Cake Mix (If you are using a spice cake mix, make recipe with out spices)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded carrot (remove as much water as possible)
1 cup crushed pineapple (remove juice)
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Tools: Hand mixer, plastic spatula, whisk and Bundt Pan

Directions
Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Pat carrots with paper towel to remove excess water and place in a large bowl.

Remove excess juice from 1 cup of crushed pineapple.
(place crushed pineapple in a coffee filter and gently squeeze to remove excess juice)

Add pineapple to shredded carrots.

Add 1 cup of shredded coconut to carrots and coconut.

Add spices to cake mix. Blend well.

Mix oil and eggs.

Mix carrots, coconut and pineapple
(I combine everything separately as to not over mix the cake batter.

Add oil and egg to flour mix blending gently with hand mixer.

Increase mixer speed to medium and slowly add orange juice.
(The whole process should not take more than 1 1/2 minutes)

Using a plastic spatula, fold in carrot, pineapple, coconut mixture and walnuts.

Spray bundt pan with oil and dust gently with flour.

Bake bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees (325 instead of 350 for a cake with a flatter bottom).

The cake is very moist, allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the bundt pan.

Place cake in the refrigerator for a another 30 minutes.

This cake is covered in a cream cheese frosting. I used a pre-made frosting.

Warm frosting for 20 seconds in microwave.

Separate frosting into several small bowls (based on the number of colors you're adding.

Then add your favorite food coloring to each bowl.

Using the back of a spoon or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped, drizzle frosting over cake one color at a time.

Adding frosting was one of my favorite parts of making this dish. When you make it, let me know in the comment section what type of cake mix you used? Pineapple maybe?

Mediterranean Meatballs

All this week I've been moody. Luckily, one thing that always makes me feel better is some good comfort food. What better than food that reminds me of a time when I had few responsibilities, more money and more time. So this week I've been plying myself with Mediterranean food.

For me it reminds me of fun times with my friends, hanging out in the city to all times in the morning. Stopping at the falafel place on the way home back in Jersey. Boy did those  sandwiches hit the spot. We didn't have anything to do. So we ate our sandwiches and talked about the shenanigans we got into. There's nothing better than good food and great stories. It's what most good weekends are made of. That and not rolling out of bed until noon the next day. Nothing like my life now.

So tonight's meatball is inspired by the mediterranean and my hopes of one day sleeping in until noon again. It's your typical meatball with a little Mediterranean spin. I added green onion because I was wanted something colorful. The flavor of the nutmeg, mint and lemon is great, especially, with the cranberry balsamic drizzle.

Mediterranean Meatball

Makes 4 servings

Meatball Ingredients
1/2 pound of ground beef (you can substitute, ground turkey or lamb)
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper

Cranberry Balsamic Drizzle Ingredients
1 tablespoon of Cranberry Balsamic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 drop of regular balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

Tools: large frying pan/ cast iron pan

Meatball Directions:

In a bowl mix ground beef, mint, parsley, green onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, nutmeg  and salt and pepper.

Make sure all ingredients are mixed into the meat well.

Add egg and lemon juice to the meat mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Mix in bread crumbs.

Roll meat mixture into balls a little smaller than the size golf balls (if you like a crunchy meatball you can roll it in flour or oat bran).

Place pan over medium heat and add olive oil to pan.

Once oil is hot (It will sizzle when a little water hits it) place meatballs in pan.

Turn meatball on all sides until completely brown.

Remove from oil and allow oil to drain off onto a paper towel.

Drizzle Directions:

Add cranberry balsamic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Whisk together thoroughly.

Drizzle on top of meatballs, quinoa & cucumber salad.

You can serve this dish over couscous with a cucumber, tomato and feta salad. I served it over quinoa for added protein. The salty feta also goes well with the cranberry drizzle.

Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

I'm not sure exactly when I decided I really liked this dish. Though this is not a dish of my childhood it's one that over the years I've grown more and more found of. Though living in New York provided the opportunity to eat lots of different foods, I don't remember eating dishes like corned beef or shepherd's pie. Those were definitely dishes I was introduced to in Jersey. Of course, as an adult I've never met a holiday I wouldn't cook a dish for. So for St. Patrick's Day it's Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes.

What I do know is that I started making it "right" just a couple of years ago. Now when I say right I don't mean the way it's traditionally done, I mean the way the majority of my friends and family like it. Knowing I made this dish and that I absolutely love food, my colleague was wonderful enough to share a little tip she learned from her mother... beer. I was floored. I had never thought of putting beer in with my corned beef. I remember hubby putting beer in our chili one time and I was not happy.


Of course, she's a food lover like me and you know you can never go wrong with a recipe from mom, so I had to try it. Now I never make corned beef with out making sure there's a bottle set aside to add to the pot. It's a truly comforting meal and a one pot wonder which makes it even better. I make my corned beef in the slow cooker. I actually have been dying for St. Patrick's Day so I could make corned beef in my brand new slow cooker.


Corned Beef and Cabbage
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds of corned beef
4 red potatoes
2 large carrots
1 head of cabbage
1 bottle/can of beer
1/2 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Tools Needed: Slow Cooker

Cut potatoes into quarters and slice carrots.

Cut cabbage into strips and place to the side.

Put corned beef into slow cooker and place the carrot and potatoes on the side of the corned beef.

Sprinkle the spice packet on top of the beef potatoes and carrots.

Pour beer over the ingredients, then pour the 1/2 cup of water over everything.

Lastly, place cabbage on top of the corned beef, potatoes and carrots and sprinkle with salt.

Cook, covered for 4 to 5 hours on high (or 7 to 8 hours on low).

Simple, easy and tasty .... what more could you ask for. What dish do you make for St. Patrick's Day?

Sausage w/ White Beans & Spinach

The creation of this dish is actually pretty funny. Several years ago we decided we were going to try to work out and eat healthier. One of the first dishes I tried to make healthier was my sausage a peppers over penne. I'm not sure what it is that I love about that dish but I absolutely love it. It's super comforting, probably the carbs & pork but probably also because it reminds me of hanging out at my friends' houses. In hind site, it was probably a smart move on the parents to feed us pasta. Many times there were at least 3 of us if not more. Pasta is filling and affordable. But I digress.

One of the first "healthy" changes to the dish was to add spinach and remove the tomato sauce and replace it with real tomatoes and olive oil. I was excited to present the dish to hubby. Of course, he turns to me a says just because you removed the tomato sauce doesn't make it healthy. So back to the drawing board. To be honest, I not sure how many combinations I tried before I go to this recipe but it eventually happened.

This recipe in particular is really good if you are trying to increase your protein. I switched pasta for white kidney beans and finally had a winner. For this particular recipe I dropped the peppers but feel free to add it. Additionally, after a bit of research I learned the Vitamin C in tomatoes and red peppers helps the body absorb iron better. Especially, iron from plants. So, if you decided to make this dish without the sausage you still get reap the protein benefits.

Sausage w/White Beans and Spinach
Makes 6 servings


Ingredients
1 pound of Italian Sausage
12 ounces spinach
4 Roma tomatoes (sliced)
2 cans of white kidney beans
1/2 white onion (sliced)
4 cloves of garlic(minced)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Directions
Fill a large pot with water and place it over medium high heat. Place sausage in pot and allow sausage to cook for about 15 minutes.

Place a stew pot/ dutch oven over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Place sliced onions in pan and allow to cook until slightly translucent.

Add minced garlic and allow ingredients to cook for 30 seconds to a minute.

Add spinach to garlic and onions. Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove sausage from water allow to cool then slice diagonally.

Place a cast iron pan over medium heat.

Once pan is hot, place sausage in pan. Allow sausage to cook about 3 minutes until crisp and brown.

Add browned sausage, sliced tomatoes, red pepper flakes and beans to spinach, onions & garlic.

Gently stir and allow to cook or another 5 minutes.

Now your protein rich dinner is done... Mangia!!

Crêpes w/ Nutella Cannoli Filling

We recently got a crêpe place in the mall. I've loved crêpes ever since college. Of course, I was excited but it soon wore off. One long weekend the International Club planned a trip up to Quebec and I think I had a crêpe at every place that would sell it to me. I've eaten more crepes in Quebec in three days than I have in the United States over the course of a few decades.

There's just something about that sweet, buttery combination that makes me reminisce about good times and the love I have for Quebec. My little one also likes crepes. While I can't wait to take him to Quebec so he can have that experience for himself, I will be his official crêpier.

I first decided I was going to make this recipe when I saw Chef Anne Burrell make them on the show The Kitchen. It looked so easy I wasn't sure why I haven't been making them at home. Then I remembered the last time I tried. It turned out a hot mess, but I was much more confident this time around. So confident I decided to create my own special filling.

Cannoli filling is something else I've been meaning to make. Our friends brought a cannoli dip to the house once and I've been in love ever since. Actually many of our friends were in love that day especially since you can't get it everywhere. I made this filling with cream cheese and Mascarpone not ricotta because that's what we had in our house. Hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I hope you like it.

Crêpes with Nutella Cannoli Filling
Makes 18 crêpes

Crêpe Ingredients

1 cup of flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of club soda
1/2 cup  of milk
3 tablespoons of butter
Additional butter for cooking crêpes

Nutella & "Cannoli Filling"
8 ounces of mascarpone
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cup of powered sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips.
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Tools: mixing bowl, ladle, cast iron pan, whisk & hand mixer

Filling Directions
Place mascarpone and cream cheese in a bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat items together until combined.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time using electric mixer to blend ingredients together.

Lastly, fold chocolate chips in with a spatula.

Crêpe Directions
Place flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center of the bowl.

Place eggs, milk, club soda and butter in the well in the center.

Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

If mixture seems thick (more like pancake batter than cake batter) whisk in a little more milk.

Allow the mixture to set for 30 minutes.

Place cast iron pan on medium heat.

Melt a small amount of butter in the pan (I actually just take a stick of butter and gently glide it over the bottom of the pan making sure all parts of the pan a coated).

Fill a ladle with crêpe mixture, and starting from the center pour the mixture in the center of the pan.

Gently tip the pan from side to side to roll the crêpe mixture around the pan.

When the edges of the crêpe begin to pull away and the bottom starts to brown (1 1/2   to 2 minutes) it's time to flip the crêpe.

Cook on the other side for an additional minute.

Place crêpe on a plate and make the next.

Separate crêpes with parchment paper. You can also keep them warm by heating the oven to 200 degrees and placing the plate of crêpes in the oven covered by a damp towel.

The best part of this whole process is eating it. Take a small spoonful of Nutella and spread across the crêpe. Then take a tablespoon of the cannoli filling and spread it across.

You can fill this crêpe with flambéed bananas or chocolate. You might even want to put a scope of ice cream on top. The world is your with this one.

Beef Empanadas

I asked my husband the other day whether he packed our mini me the empanadas I made him for a snack. He turns to me and says, No. Empanadas are not a snack. I'm sure his response was partially fueled by the fact that I used the larger empanada disc when I made them. Of course, for some reason his retort just seemed ridiculous to me. Not a snack? I only eat these as appetizers or snacks. So, I had to consult some of my friends. The responses were half and half.

Then I started thinking about it.  I guess technically you can make an empanada a complete meal. Add some vegetables to your meat mixture. Serve it with a salad or on a bed of lettuce. Or some maduros? Sweet plantains are a great addition to any cuban dish.

It doesn't take much for me to want empanadas. Who doesn't like a hand held meat pocket? Luckily, I made picadillo earlier this week, so I decided to use the picadillo mixture to stuff the empanadas. If you know you are planning on using picadillo to fill the empanada dough, you should use olives stuffed with pimentos. I would also suggest slicing the olives. That is if you even decide to put olives in your empanadas.

Despite our disagreement, when I set up the labels for this post I put it under both appetizer and dinner. See compromise... isn't it grand.

Beef Empanadas
Makes 10

Ingredients
1 package La Fey dough for pastries (thawed)
2 1/2 cups of picadillo
1/4 quart of vegetable oil
1egg (if baking)

Empanada Directions

Place un-opened empanada dough and picadillo on counter.

Once you've opened the empanada dough, place a wet paper towel over the dough you are not using.

Remove one disc of dough and in the center place 1/4 cup of picadillo.

Lightly wet the edges of the dough.

Fold the dough in half and gently press the edge of the dough together with a fork.

Repeat the above for all 10 discs of dough.

Frying Directions
In a cast iron frying pan, heat of oil to 375 degrees.

Fry empanadas two at a time (over crowding the pan will decrease the heat of your oil).

Fry until each side is golden brown. Approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Place fried empanadas on a baking sheet covered with paper towels to allow excess oil to drain.

Baking Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray baking sheet with oil.

Gently brush completed empanadas with beaten egg and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Flip empanada over after 8 to 10 minutes.

Continue baking until empanadas have gently browned.

Remove from oven
.

I love hot sauce on my empanadas, but that's probably because I eat it like an appetizer. Depending on whether you considering this dish an appetizer or dinner will dictate how you eat your empanadas.  This dish is also a great way to make use of leftovers. Whether that be picadillo or rotisserie chicken. Add some tomatoes or potatoes and put it in a pocket. Whatever way you make it, I hope you enjoy.

Picadillo

I've been dying to make this dish for some time. I'm not sure why it has taken so long. It feels like it's been over a month since I asked my colleague to help me translate some traditional Cuban recipes. Growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I was always lucky enough to have access to great Puerto Rican and Cuban food. I've always been able to go to a friend's house or find a restaurant that made what I like just right. But now that we are in the suburbs, it's just not the same.

Years ago, I would buy the seasoning mix or the pre-made yellow rice, but within the last couple of years it's really been my mission to cut out a lot of the pre-made artificial stuff and really figure out how to make the dishes I love. I've been lucky enough to have friends and family that are more than willing to help me refine the flavors of my favorites dishes. I left out raisins which are traditional in both the Cuban and Puerto Rican versions of this dish.


Initially, I was going to try to make this in the slow cooker but my friends convinced me to make it stove top. It makes sense especially since most of the ingredients need to be started stove top. So here's the dish I've been waiting for. Thank goodness it came out the way I wanted or I don't know what I would have done.

Picadillo
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion diced
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 red pepper diced
4 small potatoes diced
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 sazon packet
3/4 cup of alcaparrado (olive & caper mixture)
16 ounces of crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup of dry white wine
1 ounce of cilantro (or culantro)
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup of alcaparrado juice

*Note: If you get the olives stuffed with pimentos you don't have to worry about pits.

Directions:
In a casserole pot/dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and diced onion over medium heat.

Once the onion is translucent approximately 3 to 5 minutes, add red peppers then garlic.

Remove vegetables from heat.

Take half of the cooked vegetables and cilantro and place in a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds. If you do not have a food processor, mince well.

Season ground beef with 1 tablespoon of cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and mixture from food processor. Combine all ingredients well.

Add ground beef to pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove beef from heat and drain excess oil.

Add olive oil to pot then add diced potatoes.

Cook potatoes for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. (You should easily be able to stick a fork through the potato)

 Add cooked vegetables, ground beef and white wine. Stir gently.

 Cook for 5 more minutes then add alcaparrado.

Continue cooking over medium heat and stir occasionally.

Add crushed tomatoes, alcaparrado juice, cumin and sazon.

Allow mixture to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add any additional salt, pepper, cumin and/or alcaparrado.

Allow meat to simmer for an additional 15 to 20  minutes. This will allow the sauce to thicken.

Serve with rice and an avocado salad.