Acai Sorbet

For all of my vegan peeps out there I have a great spring time dessert that you must try! This sorbet is very easy to make. The hardest part is finding the ingredients although I found everything I needed at my trusty Whole Foods. There is a limited amount of work that is needed so I am going to keep my post short and sweet :)

Although if you would like some more information on Acai berries and how they are taking over the news lately feel free to learn more about this crazy new trend!

Ingredients:
Serves 8
4 pure acai pulp smoothie packs (4 oz. each), thawed
3/4 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions:

• Whisk together all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to 9-inch-square metal baking pan, and place in freezer. Stir with fork every half hour, scraping frozen bits from sides, to keep from freezing into a block. Scoop into bowls, and serve, or store in airtight container up to 1 week.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:
Calories 132, Protein 1g, Total fat 2.5g, Saturated fat 0.5g, Carbs 27g, Sodium 5mg, Fiber 2g, Sugars 24g

Mango-Wrapped Bananas

It has been toooo long my friends! I can't believe I haven't posted since August. That is what happens when you move to a new city with a new job and have to get situated I guess. Anywhos I promise that won't happen again!

A little update on me: I am now working at a PR firm that specializes in books. I am living in Brooklyn and loving the city! Work is a little stressful and can be daunting but everyday is a new challenge and I welcome it with open arms. How have all of you been? Anything exciting to report?

Now about this recipe! It is from my favorite website Vegetarian Times and oh my goodness is it tasty! They call it a sushi dessert but I call it perfect! I love mangoes and raspberries and when they combine...perfect! Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
1 large mango, peeled
3 bananas, peeled
1/2 cup fresh raspberries


Directions

• Whisk together yogurt, orange juice, and honey in small bowl. Set aside.
• Cut mango from top to base into 16 4½- x 1-inch strips using vegetable peeler. Cut bananas into 16 1-inch pieces. Wrap 1 mango strip around each banana piece. Arrange on plates cut-side up.
• Mash raspberries in separate bowl until slightly liquid, but still chunky. Spoon mashed raspberries atop center of each mango-wrapped banana piece. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Nutritional Information:

Per Serving:
Calories 169, Protein 3g, Total fat 1g, Saturated fat 0.5g, Carbs 42g, Sodium 17mg, Fiber 4g, Sugars 30g

Vanilla Fruit Salad

With the holiday weekend coming I decided to do something easy yet delicious. This recipe is a new twist on the old idea of a fruit salad. The unique apple-vanilla syrup adds an amazing flavor that is unexpected. I know that with the weather heating up you don't want to use the oven or spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing something for your guests and this is the perfect solution! 

As for me this weekend it will be low-key with hopefully some new recipes for my friends. I just got off a 5 hour bus ride to New York and tomorrow I am going to what I have heard is an amazing vegetarian restaurant called Counter. I have looked at their menu online and it looks amazing! I will let you all know how it goes. What are you doing for the long weekend? 

Ingredients:

serves 6

For the Vanilla-Apple Syrup:
2 cups apple juice
2 2-inch strips lemon zest
1/4 vanilla bean

For the Fruit Salad:
2 medium mangoes, peeled and diced
1 pint strawberries, quartered (about 2 cups)
1 pint blueberries (about 2 cups)

Directions:

• To make Vanilla-Apple Syrup: Place apple juice and lemon zest in pot. Slice vanilla bean in half and scrape seeds into juice. Add bean to pot as well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until mixture is syrup-like and reduced to 1/3 cup. 
• Remove lemon zest and vanilla bean, and cool to room temperature.
• To make Fruit Salad: Toss mangoes, strawberries and blueberries with Vanilla-Apple Syrup, and serve.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving: Calories 129, Protein 1g, Total fat 5g, Carbs 32g, Sodium 4mg, Fiber 3g, Sugars 18g

Peppermint Cookies n’ Cream Brownies

Everyone loves a good brownie when they are stressed and this is the ultimate one! I am sorry but I don't have the nutritional information for this recipe but you need to live every now and then and forget about counting calories right? I made these and took them to a party and people couldn't get enough of them! It is best to make these before going to a social gathering because they do make a lot and you don't want these tempting you!
Oreo's, peppermint and chocolate....could I ask for a better treat after finishing a semester?

Ingredients:

Makes 36 brownies

1 cup butter

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups roughly chopped peppermint oreo-type cookies (approx 18)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease lightly.In a medium-large saucepan over low heat, melt together butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar, salt and vanilla, then turn off heat.
• Whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is uniform. Stir in peppermint oreo cookies and pour batter into prepared pan.
• Crush 3-4 additional cookies finely and sprinkle on top of batter, if desired.Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not coated with batter.
• Cool brownies in pan for about 20 minutes, then lift brownies in the foil out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Once again I am sorry I don't have the nutritional information but after finals and papers I just wanted something sinful and chocolaty and this hit the spot!

ENJOY!!!

Apple Cobbler

Another amazing low-calorie recipe from Hungry-Girl! I am all about desserts and sweets so any time I can find something as amazing as this that only has 126 calories for 1 cup I will try it no matter what! Luckily this turned out to taste as good as it looks! Apples and cinnamon, I don't think there is a better combination especially for dessert. I love chocolate, don't get me wrong but every now and then I want something that is a little lighter and I don't have to feel as guilty about after I finish. Try this recipe the next time you are craving something sweet and it will definitely not disappoint!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

3 cups peeled apple chunks (any sweet, not tart, variety)

1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)

2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers

2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute

2 tbsp. no-sugar-added applesauce

3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated), divided

2 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2/3 cup of cold water with brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tbsp. of the Splenda. Stir well.
• In a medium-sized pot, combine apple chunks with this mixture. Heat the apple mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once liquid thickens to a syrupy consistency and begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, and then transfer mixture to a medium-sized round baking dish. Set aside.
• Next, break graham crackers into small pieces. Place graham pieces and Fiber One in a blender or food processor, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a microwave-safe dish, and add egg substitute, applesauce, 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and the remaining 2 tbsp. of Splenda. Stir well.
• Microwave graham mixture for 1 minute. Use a fork to break up the toughened mixture as much as possible, and then allow it to cool for a few minutes. Transfer graham mixture to a food processor or blender, and pulse until crumbly and uniform.
• Evenly distribute graham topping over apple mixture. Place the dish in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool slightly before serving.

Nutritional Information:
Serving Size: 1/4th of cobbler (about 1 cup) Calories: 126 Fat: 1g Sodium: 236mg Carbs: 33g Fiber: 5.5g Sugars: 16g Protein: 2g

What is your favorite dessert food combination?

Angel Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Swirl

I love angel food cake and when I came across this recipe from Food and Wine Magazine I knew I stumbled across something amazing! Raspberries have always been my favorite type of berry or food for that matter. When I was younger everything I got would be raspberry flavored which looking back was good because fresh raspberries are high in antioxidants and rich in vitamin C, folate, iron and potassium. Now that I have a more refined pallet (or just looking for more creative ways to enjoy my favorite pastime) I decided to try these cupcakes out and they truly are as amazing as they look! This recipe is not on the low-calorie side as the rest of them are but you have to splurge every now and then right?


Ingredients:

Serves 18
Filling
3 cups raspberries (3/4 pound)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 teaspoons of water

Cupcakes
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
10 large egg whites (1 1/4 cups), at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 plump vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Pinch of salt

Directions:

• MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups of the raspberries with the granulated sugar and cook over moderately high heat, crushing the berries, until very soft and broken down, about 5 minutes. Strain the raspberry puree into a small bowl and discard the seeds. Return the puree to the saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of raspberries and the dissolved cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook, gently crushing the berries, until the filling is glossy and thickened, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• MEANWHILE, MAKE THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 325°. Set 18 foil muffin cups on a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the cake flour with the confectioners' sugar. In a large bowl, combine the egg whites with the salt, vanilla seeds and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
• Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the whites are firm and glossy. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites in 2 additions, folding gently until incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, shifting the pan from front to back, until the cupcakes are springy and golden. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool.
• Using a wooden skewer, poke a 1/4-inch-wide hole in the top of each of the cupcakes.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4-inch tip (or for those of you who don't have one cut a corner off a plastic zip-lock bag and it will work just as fine), pipe about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each cupcake.
• MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Spoon a small bit of the glaze over the raspberry hole and let set, about 5 minutes. Drizzle and spread the remaining glaze over the cupcakes and let set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a platter and serve.

Nutritional Information:

One Serving 153 cal, 1 gm fat, 0.6 gm saturated fat, 34 gm carb, 2 gm fiber.

If that is to calorie heavy for you try this cherry pie it is more diet friendly!