Recipe: Key Lime Cheesecake Pie

I had this key lime cheesecake pie during my trip to Michigan over Labor Day weekend. Barbara Kallman (mom and baker extradordinaire) challenged my will power and strengthened my sweet tooth repeatedly for three glorious days! Barb generously gave me this recipe, which she obtained from a bakery in East Lansing, Michigan.

The recipe is really easy and takes minutes to make. The ingredients can be modified to cut down on the calories and fat. Try substituting low fast graham crackers and light cream cheese. I'm not sure if sweetened condensed milk comes in a light version but if this ingredient could be subbed out, that would cut down on a lot of the calories.



Ingredients:

1 pkg of graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 Tablespoons of butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (Nellie & Joe's) - can adjust amount for tartness

Instructions:

For the pie crust, crush the graham crackers in a baggie, add the sugar and shake. Add melted butter, pour into spring form pan or pie dish and press to the sides and bottom. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes (I put it in for 10 minutes because I love it when the crust is a little bit more caramelized and crispy)

For the filling, mix cheese with sweetened condensed milk, add key lime juice until blended. Pour into baked crust and chill in the fridge.

You can add anything to the top you think will taste good. Barb's version had fresh made whipped cream and sliced kiwi. I made this dessert for a dinner party this past Saturday and it was very well received. Mine had raspberries and blueberries.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

OUT: Sacramento Taco Truck Party!

My dear friends, Jineui and Joshua, got the most awesomest taco truck to park in their driveway and cater a joint birthday party on Saturday, August 8th! There were four kinds of tacos on the menu - Carne Asada, Pollo, Carnitas and Lengua. First, I tried the chicken and pork tacos, with cilantro, lime and guacamole. YUM! I was kind of full but my friend Sherry kept raving about the lengua. I'm not a huge fan of beef tongue but was willing to give it a try. It was pretty good once I got over the idea of chewing on tongue - it was very tender and had a nice flavor.

After the belly was full of three tacos...someone else started going on and on about how good the carne asada was. I had to draw the line - nothing else would fit in the container! Especially since there were cupcakes and these wonderful little pretzel/marshmellow/chocolate balls from Freeport Bakery...and I, ahem, had partaken in the temptation earlier.


Thanks to J+J for hosting a great party and feeding me taco delishousness!!


Here are some pics

OUT: On the Road to Sacramento

I have been fortunate enough to be invited to a joint birthday party in Sacramento tonight where there will be taco truck awesomeness parked outside the house at our disposal! I'm so excited! There will be much to report (and photos to post) when I return. Have a great weekend!

OUT: Vamos a Contigo Kitchen + Cava

This blog will now feature brief reviews of our food outings in San Francisco, hope you don't think they suck!

I am so happy that we decided to re-start our monthly supper club. On July 30th we ventured down to Contigo Kitchen + Cava located in Noe Valley. There were six of us so we were able to make a reservation, which was key to starting the evening off right. We all are impatient and get cranky when we have to wait and watch other people eat!! I've heard that Contigo is so popular that waits on a Friday night for a two top are over an hour. Unfortunately, they only accept reservations for 6+

As for ambiance, it was nice and comfortable inside. The decor is kind of modern industrial but not cold and dull in the slightest. As for food, we decided to eat the tapas family style. My favorites were the calamari dish and the octopus salad. They were both perfectly seasoned and very flavorful. I liked the less flavorful flatbread large plate (with manchego and sausage) as a balance to the other dishes. I also had the sardines and eggplant small plate, which I'd recommend skipping and ended with butter cake. The butter cake was great and reminded me of the ginger cake at Chow for some reason (even though they don't taste similar, maybe because I group any non-chocolate cakes all in the same category!).

We all had a great time - the service was good and attentive (wine list recs worked out great). The six of us ended up paying about $60 each for two bottles of wine and enough food to roll out of there full and happy. I'd defintely go back to Contigo, maybe with the boyfriend since the place has a good date night kind of feel to it.

Enjoy!

Contigo Kitchen + Cava
1320 Castro Street(between 24th St & Jersey St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 285-0250
www.contigosf.com

Thanks to Melissa for Hosting!

As you can see from this yummy looking
spread, Melissa did a great job hosting Cooking Club!! The halibut came out very moist and flavorful and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for having us over...and we were all very happy to have Kate join us for the night. We all had a great time. Can't wait to see what Lisa's going to cook us for dinner in August!

Here are some photos from Cooking Club hosted by Melissa:

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Serves 8

1/4 cup olive oil
a little less than 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
salt to taste
1 large bin of baby spinach
1.5 pints of strawberries
slivered almonds - approximately 1/4-1/3 cup

Slice strawberries
Mix olive oil, champagne vinegar and salt
Pour dressing mixture on salad and toss - note that I did not use anywhere near the whole amount, so don't pour the whole thing on at once, just do it to taste.
Add almonds and strawberries and toss again

Halibut en Papillote

I based this recipe on one I saw in the Sonoma Diet cookbook but I made a few additions and deletions.



Serves 8

24 ounces of yellow summer squash, sliced
24 ounces of zucchini, sliced
2 cartons of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1.5 cups kalamata olives, chopped into apprximately sixths
2 fresh lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons white wine (approximately...this was one of my additions and I just used two "splashes")
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh chopped basil (optional, I forgot this when I was doing it)
4 large cloves of garlic (or 6 average size cloves), chopped
8 halibut fillets, approximately 4-5 oz each

Take summer squash, zucchini, and grape tomatoes and mix with hands in bowl with lemon juice, wine and olive oil. Add kalamatas. Let sit while preparing other ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Tear 8 15x15 squares of parchment paper and fold in half diagonally.

Rinse and pat dry halibut.

Place each halibut fillet on the bottom side of the parchment paper, so it is up against the crease. Top with 1/8 of the squash mixture.

Drizzle any remaining juice from the squash bowl over the mixture.

Seal packets. Use oil or butter to wet the edges and then roll them over each other and crinkle.

Cook for 17 minutes. Let sit for a minute or two and then remove from parchment. Serve with baguette or whatever else you'd like.

Melon with Salt and Mint

For a simple summer dessert, take one melon and cut into chunks. Top with fresh chopped mint and a sprinkling of salt.

thanks for coming over!

I am stoked the Otsu went over so well... it was definitely the "healthy" contribution to the meal. Next time I will have a more unified theme. :)

Recipe: Apricot Crisp

Ingredients
2-1/2 lbs apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
7 T sugar
pinch of nutmeg

Topping
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Quaker oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the fruit, sugar, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Toss until the fruit is coated with sugar. Set aside.

To make the topping: Put the butter and sugar in a food processor; process until combined. Mix together the oatmeal, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and process until crumbly.

Spoon the fruit into a buttered 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool.

Notes: this recipe came from several sources and is supremely adaptable. You may need more or less sugar depending on your fruit. I used half the butter called for (that counts as lightening up a recipe, right?). I also recommend turning the oven up to 400 degrees.

Recipe: Otsu

From Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking

Ingredients

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.

While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side.

Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about ⅔ cup of the dressing.

Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Note: shrimp works equally well next to or in lieu of the tofu!

Recipe: White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

from Giada De Laurentiis's Everyday Italian

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed


• 2 cloves garlic


• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons


• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves


• Salt


• Freshly ground black pepper


• 6 pitas
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

Thanks from the Hostess

Thanks to everyone for coming to our first cooking club dinner last night. I can't believe I fit seven people in my tiny studio, hope it wasn't too cramped for all of you. Photos from last night are posted. Please feel free to leave comments about the dishes.

And a special thanks to Tory for helping me cook the chicken to perfection and washing all the dishes! I look forward to passing the spatula to Aviva, the hostess for our next cooking club dinner on June 21st.

Cheers, Tabatha

Recipe: Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients for cupcakes

cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. potato starch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter (softened)
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2/3 cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp. flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for frosting

3 Tbsp. butter (softened)
1 tsp. half and half
1/2 tsp. grated lime rind
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare cupcakes, place 2 muffin cup liners in each of 12 muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Combine flour and next ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (will look like damp sand). Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in coconut and vanilla.

Spoon batter evently into muffin cups. Place in oven and bake for 18 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center . Cool in pan 2 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine butter and next 3 ingredients (through juice) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until just smooth. Spread on cupcakes. Sprinkle some coconut flakes on top.



Yield 12 cupcakes. 196 calories; 2.5g protein; 34.8g carb; 0.3g fiber.

Recipe: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Caramelized Spring Onions, Goat Cheese & Thyme

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced spring onions (about 1 pound)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fat-free milk
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to pan; cook 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Combine onion mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheese, parsley, milk, and thyme in a small bowl, stirring with a fork.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket; stuff 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes; turn chicken over. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced by half (about 2 minutes). Add broth, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 9 minutes). Serve with chicken.

Stuff the chicken and refrigerate up to one day ahead. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cooking.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 teaspoons sauce) 274 calories; 9.5g (sat 4.3g, mono 3.2g,poly 1.2g) fat; 39.3g protein; 6.6g carb; 2.2g fiber

Recipe: Edamame Hummus with Toasted Flatbread

Ingredients

12-16 oz. bag of frozen edamame in pods

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 minced garlic clove

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup chicken stock (or 1/4 cup water instead)

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook a 12-16 oz. bag of frozen edamame in their pods as directed on the package, then rinse the pods to cool them. Shell the soybeans and remove transparent skins on the soybeans.

Puree the shelled and skinned edamame in a food processor with all other ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Use more liquid to thin the hummus to desired consistency.

Serve the edamame hummus in a large bowl as a dip with chips or toasted flatbread.

Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1 cauliflower (I used a bag of frozen and a cup of broccoli too)
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (oops, forgot the nutmeg)
salt and pepper to taste
4 drops truffle oil (I didn't use this)
Smoked Spanish paprika, to garnish (I didn't do this)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Cut the cauliflower (and/or broccoli) into florets and place them into a large baking dish sprayed with oil. Lightly spray the top of the cauliflower with oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the onion wedges and garlic on top of the cauliflower, spray lightly with olive oil, and return to the oven. Cook for 20-25 more minutes, stirring once halfway through. While the vegetables are roasting, heat the vegetable broth and add the chopped potato.

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook covered on very low until cauliflower is ready. Add the cauliflower mixture to the broth. Puree it, in batches, in the blender until very smooth.

Return it to the pot and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in a few drops of truffle oil, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve, sprinkled with smoked Spanish paprika.



Makes 4 large servings. Per serving: 45 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 11mg Sodium; 2g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core / 1 Flex Point

Menu for May 17, 2009

Starters:
Roasted Cauliflower soup + Edamame hummus (inspired by Umami)

Main:
Chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, caramelized spring onions & thyme (Cooking Light recipe)

Dessert:
Coconut cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting (Cooking Light recipe)

Greetings

Hello there. This Sunday, May 17th is the first meeting of our cooking club. We are a group of girls who LOVE to eat, drink and laugh. This will be a great opportunity for us to try out new recipes on each other that are lighter and healthier versions of our favorites. I am a firm believer of the pizza and diet coke way of eating...the more we cut calories some places, the more we can enjoy them in other ways!

That said, I am very excited to host the first cooking club meeting. As designated photographer of dishes and consumption at each gathering, I will diligently post photos and recipes here. I hope the other pretty piggy cooking club members will contribute their comments here, as well.

Cheers, ladies and oink oink!