Applesauce Honey Cake

Here's a recipe I made for MOMs Club Coffee and Chat. It was a big hit and best of all it was free of all of our family's allergens! The cake was sweet and moist and perfect with a cup of coffee! I adapted the recipe (loosely) from the Incredible Honey Applesauce Cake recipe from the back of the Pioneer Brand Pancake box.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (I used homemade)

1 cup Honey

1 1/2 cups Applesauce (I used unsweetened)

2 1/2 cups Pioneer No-Fat Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Topping:

4 Tbl. Cold Butter

1/3 cup AP Flour

1/3 cup Oatmeal

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup White Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 11"x7" pan. Mix all cake ingredients and pour into prepared pan. In separate bowl, combine Topping ingredients, being sure to cut in butter until the butter is small and crumbly. Sprinkle topping onto cake and bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy the cake warm.

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Copy Cat Recipe

My hubby LOVES the Chicken and Gnocchi soup from Olive Garden .He tells me that he had never had gnocchi until he met me- oh, the food horizons I have opened him up to! :-) Because of my daughter's allergies to eggs, nuts and soy and because of my personal allergies to BOP and other things, I felt it was worth exploring trying a copy-cat recipe to recreate the creamy, steamy goodness at home.

SOO..... here goes...!

Adapted from: http://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-style-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup-348802

Ingredients:

3 -4 chicken breasts , cooked and diced
4 cups chicken stock (I used water)
2 cups half-and-half (I used fat free half and half)
1 stalk celery , diced (I used 2 stalks)
1 garlic clove , chopped
½ carrot , shredded (I used a whole carrot and cut into matchsticks)
½ onion , diced (I used a whole)
1 cup fresh spinach , chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
16 ounces potato gnocchi (pre-made)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional) (I only had flour on hand so I used 2 Tblsp.flour)

Directions:

-Saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
-Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. ( Heat to boiling and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 Tbsp water at this point if you want a thicker soup)
-Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
-Ladle into bowls and serve!

Verdict:

Hubby gives the soup two slurpy spoons up! He says that the Olive Garden one is a bit saltier and a tad bit thicker in consistency. So, next time, add more salt and/or use homemade chicken stock (that I know is soy-free). Also, double the roux to add thickness. Personally, I liked the fact that I could add *some* nutritional boost to this usually-diet-disaster by bumping up the veggies. Lil' Miss ate a whole bowl by herself so I'd say that it was win-win all around! Yummy!

Papa John's Pizza

Did you know that you can order pizza at Papa John's without sauce? If you go onto their new online ordering tool, they give you and option to have extra, regular, light or no sauce! How cool is that?!

Blueberry Bundt Cake

We are getting ready for vacation and I'm trying to whittle away the contents of our fridge so we don't come home to any moldy, science-project-worthy "surprise" when we get back. I had some blueberries left over and decided to make this Blueberry Bundt Cake. I modified the original recipe slightly by using milk (since we're not vegan) and real butter. After mixing up all of the ingredients, the batter was really thick- cookie dough thick- and I was concerned about the end results. However, after putting it into the pan (with some persuasion) and baking it, a nice, fluffy, golden brown cake appeared. Delicious!

(Another) Steel Cut Oatmeal with Apples

After a Valentine's Day weekend binge of all things NOT BOP-safe, I thought I'd share a recipe that IS BOP free AND tasty and healthy to boot! The addition of flax seed and the hearty fiber of steel cut oats, makes this dish warming, filling and full of nutrients. I love that this dish can be thrown into the crock pot the night before and then, when you wake up, you have a hearty breakfast waiting for you.

I've tried a variety of steel cut oatmeal recipes for the crock pot and this one succeeds in not being too mushy and just the right consistency.

Ingredients

• 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, additional milk or butter

Directions

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot.

Recipe can be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour.

Banana Bread (that I actually like!)

• I do not like bananas- never have. Yet, while trying to avoid BOP and dealing with my daughter's allergies to eggs, nuts and soy, I've been forced to incorporate more bananas in my baking. We had some nanners that were going to go bad so I decided to make some bread with it. I combined a couple of recipes and come up with this and guess what? I actually liked it! The taste was not overly banana-y and I can appreciate the fact that it has whole wheat flour (and no eggs, nuts or soy) in it. I like to eat this bread with honey spread on top- yum!
• Ingredients:
• 1 cup milk
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup butter , softened
• 1/8 cup agave
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. 1
   Blend first five ingredients in large bowl.
2. 2
   Add soda and salt; mix well.
3. 3
   Stir in flour and nuts.
4. 4
   Pour into well-greased 9" or 10" bread pan.
5. 5
   Cover loosely with tin foil, shiny side up, and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot!
   
   

Halushki Lasagna

I grew up with a Polish dish from Northeast PA called Halushki. It is this combination of cabbage and onions sauteed in butter along with noodles and kielbasa- good, hearty peasant food. I've decided to switch it up a little and turn it into a lasagna- yummy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. kielbasa, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 head cabbage, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked according to box
1 stick butter
8 potatoes, mashed with butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste

Slowly melt butter in pan. Add onions and saute cabbage until soft and tender. Add kielbasa and cook until warmed throughout. Layer cooked noodles, mashed potatoes and cabbage mixture until you end with noodles. Top with cheddar cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.