Category Archives: Foodies

The Perfect Little Spring Pasta Salad Recipe

I so love Orzo pasta and am constantly looking for different ways to use it. This afternoon I am headed to a cookout so I thought it would be a great opportunity to make my Spring Pasta Salad with it added in. The finished product is light, yummy, and really healthy.

Makes enough for 8
Diced fresh veggies- I included 2 fresh squash, 2 zucchini, 1 orange bell pepper, 3 small broccoli crowns, and 1 medium cucumber.
10 Diced Strawberries
1/3 cup Raisins

Mix all that together, salt and pepper to taste, (I add Ms. Dash seasoning)
Add in the cooked Orzo pasta ( I used 3/4 pound, a bit of olive oil, and then 1/4 cup dressing.
I use Raspberry Vinaigrette because it isn't high in calories and mixes well with the fruit without overpowering the salad with sweetness. I am also trying to eat healthy so the heavier dressings were not an option for me.

You can mix up this salad in just about any variety, in fact, I might add sunflowers seeds next time.
If you try it, let me know what you think.
Happy Spring friends!

Google+: View post on Google+

Bake Some, Give Some, Bless Some With Cupcakes

Trying new recipes is something I love to do but I can’t always enjoy the fruits of my labor because some of the recipes just aren’t on my food list. These cupcakes fit that bill, Dark Chocolate with Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Icing. There were two reasons I wanted to make them.

1. I had some cream cheese I needed to use and wanted to try out the Meyer Lemon with it.

2. I wanted to try the Diet Soda cake recipe with chocolate cake this time, like I did with my angel food.

After I made them, my family loved the recipe but doesn’t eat a ton of sweets so I decided I would bless somebody today and gift them the 9 cupcakes that I made. Gifting food is something I don’t do as much as I should, but when I do, it feels really good to share. Below is the recipe. I might challenge you to gift some food as well. It doesn’t have to be cupcakes, it can be anything, but I just know somebody would be blessed to receive a blessing of food! Hope your day is filled with beauty friends!

Diet Soda Chocolate Cupcakes – All you do is mix one store bought box cake mix with one can diet soda….I kid you not. I used diet cream soda for mine. Makes the moistest cake ever. It also knocks the cake calories back to 140 instead of 270 if you mix it the traditional way.

Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

2 8oz packs of cream cheese at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cups fresh squeeze Meyer Lemon Juice

Cream the cheese and liquid ingredients then slowly begin to incorporate the sugar. Add/take away as you see fit. This icing stays wet to touch, but is quite yummy!

by Ardith Goodwin

Epic (Delicious) Fail, Tupelo Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

The steaks were sizzling and I had wanted to try my hand at making a spicy honey mustard vinaigrette dressing to go with our fresh tomatoes for a long time…so tonight was the night. I looked up a version to follow, decided how I would ‘tweak’ my own version, and started grabbing my ingredients.

3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Tupelo Honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons brown mustard
5 dashes hot sauce
dash of salt, pepper, and I added some Mrs. Dash as well for seasoning.

Mixed all of that with an immersion blender and tasted it….made my eyes roll in the back of my head. It was just yummy.
There was a tang, a mild sweetness, and a savory texture that was unexpected and it went well with the tomatoes, fresh green beans, and even made wonderful dipping sauce for the sourdough bread.
My only complaint, which is an EPIC FAIL one since I didn’t notice this ahead of time, is that is has about 168 calories per serving. Holy Freakin Cow….168 calories in one ounce of this dressing! I just hung my head with disgust. Why does the most delicious recipes in life always have to have so many calories?

Anywhoo…if you aren’t counting calories you might want to try this, by far it was some of the best tasting dressing I have ever eaten.
Spicy Tupelo Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing by Ardith Goodwin

Google+: View post on Google+

Viviane over at the Chocolate Chilli Mango Website shares here recipes for some delicious…

Viviane over at the Chocolate Chilli Mango Website shares here recipes for some delicious food and this little jewel of a dessert caught my eye, (Protein) Cherry Bombs! For one thing, they are low in sugar and another they are high in protein, so if I am going to go for a sweet treat, especially one that won't spike my blood sugar much, these yummy looking bombs may be just the thing to make and try. I have never used Whey or Coconut Sugar in a recipe as well, so this concoction will hold many firsts. Can't wait to try these for myself.
You can find the recipe here:
http://chocolatechillimango.com/2011/12/11/ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry-bombs-protein/

Google+: View post on Google+

Orange Creamsicle “light” Popsicles

After tinkering with the recipe for the Pina Colada Popsicles yesterday I decided to change up the recipe for those who weren’t big banana fans. What I came up with was an Orange Creamsicle variety of the same, and I must say, it turned out delicious!

This recipe makes 8, 6 oz. popsicles, and as popsicles go those are actually really large servings, at around 130 calories depending on the size of the oranges and the type of coconut milk you choose to use. I poured mine into 3oz popsicle sticks so my treats, like the one in the photo, are only 65 calories. A traditional Creamsicle that you would purchase is 2.75 oz runs 100 calories, so this is a good alternative for me and it is yummy!

Recipe:

15oz. can of coconut milk

13.5 oz can of mandarin oranges (with liquid)

The juice of one medium size Cara Cara Red Navel Orange

1/2 tsp. orange extract

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Crushed Ice

Optional: (I added 2 tbls. Splenda and a drop of yellow/red food coloring for color)

I added all my ingredients in a pitcher and blended with an immersion blender. Then I poured it into 3oz ice cream molds which is the perfect size for me. This recipe can be adapted in lots of ways, such as using all navel oranges instead of mandarins to cut down on the sugar but not the taste. You could also add a bit of cream or sugar, but just be mindful what you add changes the sugar/calorie content of each one.

* For me, coconut milk is a much better alternative than heavy cream. Yes, it is high in calories and saturated fat, but it is not stored in the body as fat but is converted to energy and helps maintain blood sugar levels. Here are two links that explain the benefits of it, but I would suggest that if you are concerned about the saturated fat to consult your doctor.

http://coconutoilbenefits.biz/coconut-milk-health-benefits/

http://www.drgranny.com/2011/05/05/benefits-of-coconut-milk/

Pina Colada Ice Pops Healthy Recipe

I am on a mission to find ice cream and popsicles that I can eat and still maintain a low sugar/low calorie diet. These popsicles only have 117 calories and are made with coconut milk. I plan on making these as well as blueberry and strawberry ones too. Found the recipe at allrecipes.com and http://therealityofskinny.tumblr.com/foodrecipes, wooohoooo!

Blend and freeze the following ingredients (don’t forget the sticks!): (Makes 6 servings)

1 can pineapple chunks, in juice
1 banana
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Calories: 117 per pop

Google+: View post on Google+ Text by Ardith Goodwin

No Guilt Blueberry Whip Dessert

I have been working hard to find recipes that I can share with my hubs who loves blueberries but aren’t filled with sugar that I can’t enjoy as well. This dessert is simple. Make sugar free French Vanilla Instant Pudding and add two tablespoons No Sugar Added Blueberry Pie Filling, then chill. It ends up being about 100 calories and is sinfully delicious. You could add fresh blueberries or fruit, but he loves the filling so I indulge him on that. I also make this and fold in light whipped cream, pour in a pie shell and freeze. Makes a wonderful frozen pie too!

By Ardith Goodwin

Google+: View post on Google+

Diet Cream Soda Angel Food Cake

(If you are a food purist or not a fan of diet soda look away,
This cake is simply scrumptious! All I did was mix one box of angel food cake mix with one can diet cream soda and bake. It makes the yummiest, fluffiest cake when one doesn’t have the time to bake from scratch. At only 140 calories per serving it is also a much better alternative to regular cake which have on average about 100 more calories per serving. Made my whole house smell like cotton candy, nom, nom, nom!

By Ardith Goodwin

Google+: View post on Google+

What's For Dinner?

Baby Burgers and White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Tart
Here in lower Alabama the weather has been in the low 80's and sunny for the past week, which is weird but wonderful. It has given us all the itch for summer and to celebrate I decided to try my hand at two new things….making lemon curd and whipping heavy cream. I chose Meyer Lemons since I had a White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Tart recipe and it called for both. After whipping the curd and whipping the cream then folding the two together I was quite proud of myself and the pie was pretty much to die for. In fact, it was so good I made two more today. Tonight, we are having one of my favorite meals….Baby Burgers, which are tiny burgers cooked to fit on tiny buns along with a concoction of delectable sauces and trimmings. Kids love them because they are…tiny, and adults love them because they are… delicious. In the deep South we love to eat, we love to be outdoors, and two things, lemons and burgers pretty much scream….."Bring On Summer!" What are you having for dinner tonight on this gorgeous Sunday?

Meyer Lemon Tart Recipe
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 Culinary Harvest Meyer Lemons, Juiced
4 ounces white chocolate, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 9″ baked pie or tart shell

Directions:

In a medium stainless steel bowl, beat the eggs until blended.
Stir in sugar and then Meyer lemon juice.
Cook over boiling water, stirring continuously with a wire whisk until mixture thickens; resembling pudding.
Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate until melted and completely incorporated. Set aside and cool at room temperature.
Cover and chill.
Whip the cream to firm peaks.Fold the cool Meyer lemon mixture into the cream and spoon into baked pie or tart shell.
Chill 2 hours or until firm before serving. If desired, garnish with extra whipped cream before serving.

Google+: View post on Google+

Cara Cara Oranges and Meyer Lemons

How in the world did I go all these years without tasting a Meyer Lemon or Cara Cara Orange (red navel orange)? I now feel totally sheltered and wonder what all I have missed to entertain my taste buds with! I found both at our local Sam’s and as I understand it the Cara Cara oranges are only available from Dec. – April. They were cheaper than the Cuties for kid oranges and the taste….oh….my….word! Here is a link to Sunkist which shares a video of these oranges cooked with halibut. I will be making gelato with both! Can’t wait! Have you had these? Got a favorite recipe to share?

Text by Ardith Goodwin
http://www.sunkist.com/products/cara-cara-oranges.aspx

Google+: View post on Google+