Yogurt Semifreddo

Yogurt Semifreddo

It is still summer out there. Hot, humid, and beach season. You want something sweet, but you also don't want something heavy. I got the solution for you, Yogurt Semifreddo! Semifreddo is a mixture of a frozen dairy product such as ice cream or gelato, and meringue. I found a great recipe that uses greek yogurt instead of ice cream. Did I mention this recipe is gluten free? Find the recipe here: http://gourmandeinthekitchen.com/2013/honey-yogurt-semifreddo-recipe/#ixzz2eUSkODFS

1. Separate 4 egg whites from 4 whole eggs while the eggs are cold. It is easier to separate yolks from whites when the eggs are cold. Use the yolks for something else. Leave the egg whites out and bring them to room temperature. They whip better warm. 

2. Start getting a pot with about an inch of water to a simmer. Make sure your stand mixer bowl can fit on top of the pot without touching the water. 

3. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Make sure there is overhang.

4. Measure out about 140 grams or raspberries. They can be frozen because they will be frozen for the recipes anyways.

5. Measure out 2 cups of greek yogurt. I used non-fat. Squeeze juice from half a lemon and whisk the juice in. I added a little bit of lemon zest for an additional dose of citrus. Don't go crazy with the zest.

6.  Put 4 warm egg whites, 1/4 a teaspoon of cream of tarter, 1/8 a teaspoon of salt, and 150 grams of honey in a stand mixer bowl. Put the bowl on top of the pot with simmering water and whisk for 2-3 minutes.

7. After the egg mixture starts getting foamy, put the bowl in your mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the eggs for 5-7 minutes by which point the meringue will form with stiff peaks. See a pic from my first blog post for how stiff peaks should look like. 

 

8. Mix in a little of the meringue into the yogurt lemon mixture in a large bowl to loosen up the yogurt. Gently fold in the rest of the meringue into the yogurt mixture.

9. Add about a third of the mixture into the loaf pan.

10. Add half the raspberries.

11. Repeat steps 9, 10, then 9 again.

12. Wrap tight with some plastic wrap and put the pan in the freezer for 4 hours or more.

13. When you serve the dish, the recipe recommended having 62 grams of crushed pistachios and 170 grams of fresh raspberries available for garnish. To prepare the semifreddo for serving, simply dip the pan in warm water to help the semifreddo release from the pan. You can pull the semifreddo out of the pan by the parchment paper flaps.

Enjoy!

  

Zucchini Alfredo

Zucchini Alfredo

I know it doesn't look like the most appetizing dish (the sauce cooked off a little more than it should of), but this dish is delicious and a good way to enjoy Alfredo without all the fats and carbs. This recipe inspired this dish: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/lower-carb-chicken-alfredo-recipe 

1. First start by taking out a wedge of light laughing cow swiss so it can come to room temperature

  

2. My roommate gave me a Veggetti (a zoodler) for my birthday. It turns zucchini and other vegetables into spaghetti strands. Thank you roomie!!! Whatever device you use, turn a zucchini into noodles.

 Add salt and pepper.

3. Heat up a pan and spray it with non-stick spray. Cook the zucchini for 5 minutes until it shrinks and browns slightly.

In the mean time, mince 1-3 raw garlic cloves. I love garlic so I used 3, but you might want to use less if you aren't a garlic lover like me.

4. Place the cooked zoodles in a strainer in the sink to cool.

5. Clean the pan that you cooked the zoodles in and melt half a tablespoon of butter.

6. Once the butter is mostly melted, add in the garlic and brown it.

7.  Add in the laughing cow cheese and break it apart.

8. Add in 1/4 of a cup of yogurt (what ever you have), two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. I also had some ricotta cheese so I added that for the heck of it. Stir vigorously, and salt and pepper. I added some red pepper flakes for the heck of it.

9. Add back the zoodles and any other mix ins you have. I added some smoked tofu. Mix and warm everything together.

Enjoy this vampire repellent dish.

Fun with Powdered Peanut Butter

Fun with Powdered Peanut Butter

 

One of my favorite ingredients to use is powdered peanut butter. I believe peanut butter flour works as well. You get all the taste of peanut butter without all the calories. Each two tablespoon serving has 45 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrates of which 2 grams are dietary fiber, and 1 gram is sugar. There is also 5 grams of protein. You'll need about double the powdered stuff to get the spreadable stuff. I've read powdered peanut butter is the leftover solids from pressing peanuts into peanut oil. Whatever it is, it is delicious. I have two quick ideas of how to use it.

Peanut Sauce

1. Put some powdered peanut butter and sriracha in a small bowl.

 

2. Add some water, mixing after each addition to make sure you don't overdo it on the water. You can add some more powder if you do add too much water. I like to put enough water to make it so it resembles a thick sauce. You can also add some rice vinegar instead of water for additional flavor.

 

3. To fill the wrap, I bought some baked tofu. Baked tofu is ready to eat without being cooked and does not need to be marinaded since it has its own flavor. I know a lot of you don't like tofu, but it is good stuff.

 

4. Chop the tofu up and place it on a wrap. The wrap pictured above is the same wrap used for the flat bread pizza recipe.

 

5. Add a bunch of kale and drizzle the sauce on top.

6. Enjoy!

Dessert Peanut Butter Spread

1. Add powdered peanut butter, sweetener (I used splenda), and a little bit of cocoa powder. I usually use a 4 : 2 :1 ratio.

2. Slowly add water just like you did for the peanut sauce. You'll want to add less than before since you want a peanut butter like consistency.

Dip whatever you'd like. I love celery, but graham crackers work too.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Chocolate Lava Cake

Want to cook a decadent dessert that is ready after half an hour. Look to the chocolate lava cake. The method of getting a solid outside and a liquid interior lies with the combination of baking temperature and time. Traditionally, cakes are baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for over half an hour. To get a lava cake, you bake it at a higher temperature for less time. This cooks the exterior much faster than the interior resulting in oozy liquidy goodness. 

See http://www.chef-in-training.com/2015/03/chocolate-molten-lava-cake/ for the original recipe.

1. Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.Prepare 4 small ramekins.(6-8 ounces) by spraying them with non-stick spray, coating them with a little flour, and placing them on top of a baking sheet. 

3. The recipe said to use the microwave to melt 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (you can use chocolate chips) and 1/2 a cup of butter (1 stick together). I melted them in a double boiler. I also used unsalted butter, so I added a little bit of salt to compensate.

Before

                                                                                  After




4.  While the chocolate is melting, crack 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks in a bowl.

5. Once the chocolate is melted, add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix. The mixture's consistency will resemble frosting... because that is pretty much what the mixture is at this point.

6. Mix the eggs, then mix in 6 tablespoons of all purpose flour.

7. Pour in an equal amount of batter into each ramekin

8. Place the ramekins in the oven for 12-13 minutes. The middle of each cake should be soft, but not too soft, and the edges should be solid.

9.Let the cakes cool for 2 minutes. If you try taking the cake out too soon, they will fall apart. The additional cooling time will help the exterior of the cakes hold their shape. To help get the cakes out, run a knife along the edge. Place a plate on top, then invert the ramekin and plate. You might need to juggle the ramekin a bit and you will need oven mitts.

Here is lava cake with caramel gelato on top.

Without gelato and without giving it enough time to cool

Without gelato, with enough time to cool

Enjoy!!




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