Carrot Cake

Yes, another carrot cake! My mom made this one for us for our birthdays--best I have ever had! Very moist and lots of texture. Much better than my 'light' version.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 1/2-ounce) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Buttermilk Glaze (See Below)
Cream Cheese Frosting (See Below)

Line 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cakepans.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Buttermilk Glaze

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Source: Southern Living

Cowboy Caviar

Okay, so I admit I haven't actually made this one, but there is no way this tastes bad. I'll let you know what I think once we give it a taste test.

15 1/2 oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
11 oz. can corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 green onions, minced
1 large or 2 small avocado , diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup prepared salsa
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve on a bed of greens or as a dip with tortilla chips.

Source: delish.com

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

I make a big batch at the beginning of the week so that there are easy, go-to lunches in the fridge. This would also be a good pot-luck dish. Great for hot summer days. Add other veggies and seasonings to make it your own.

1 box (16oz) whole wheat rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 chopped red onion
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Cook pasta according to directions on the box. When there are two minutes left on the pasta, add the frozen peas to the boiling water. Once pasta and peas are cooked, strain and rinse with cold water to cool the pasta down.

Dump pasta and pea mixture into a large bowl (preferably one that can be sealed for refrigerator storage). Add onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. I would guess I use ¼ cup vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 t salt, 1 T pepper, and 1 T garlic powder, but we really like our seasonings!

Cream Cheese Clouds

Quick Note: These are not nutritious in the least, but they are a hit! I got this recipe from Nicole (thanks, Nicole!)

1 can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 pkg (80z) 1/3 fat cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Separate biscuits and press or roll into 1/4 inch thickness. Mix sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish. Dip cream cheese cubes in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon mixture.

Place 1 cream cheese cube in the center of each dough circle; gather up the sides of the dough to enclose the filling and place in one cup of a lightly greased muffing tin. Drizzle with remaining butter, cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Colorful Vegetable Lasagna

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped onion
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced cremini mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
5 cups marinara sauce
12 precooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and mushroom liquid evaporates. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and egg, stirring well.

Spread 1 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 cup Basic Marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining 1 cup Basic Marinara. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.

Steak and Cheese Sandwiches with Mushrooms

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups presliced onion
2 cups green bell pepper strips
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 cup presliced mushrooms
3/4 pound top round steak, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 (0.6-ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese, cut in half
4 (2 1/2-ounce) hoagie rolls with sesame seeds

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Sprinkle beef with salt and black pepper. Add beef to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in Worcestershire sauce; cook 1 minute.

Place 1 cheese slice half on bottom half of each roll, and top each serving with one-fourth of beef mixture. Top with remaining cheese slice halves and tops of rolls.

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

1 1/2 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 T honey
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T chile paste with garlic
2 T canola oil
1 T minced peeled ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onion

Place shrimp in a medium bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 minutes seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Source: Cooking Light Magazine