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!