Friday, July 15, 2011

Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

My last two posts have been healthy recipes and so i thought it would be nice for a change! ;p

I took me a while to find the perfect recipe for red velvet because you always want it to be very moist and flavourful. 
 
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour or cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 stick of butter at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.  Make sure to sift all the dry ingredients.

On meduim speed of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each egg. 

In another small bowl add the baking soda and apple cider vinegar and mix. Then add it to the butter and sugar mixture with the eggs. Then also add in the milk. Mix it in on a slow speed until all of the mixture is mixed in well together.

Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well on a slow speed until all fully mixed together. Then add the second half of the dry ingredients and continue mixing slow until all the ingredients are mixed in together. Then add in the vanilla and food coloring. Then move up to meduim speed until the whole mixture gets coated in the food colouring and turn off the mixer.

Fill lined cupcake pans 1/2 full of red velvet batter.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make sure to cool the cupcakes before frosting them or else the frosting with just melt.


*To make the cream cheese frosting:

In a large bowl, beat together 100g of butter and 100g cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla essence.



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Healthy Recipe: Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

I was looking through my flash drive and i found this recipe that i had typed up for school as an essay for one of my classes last year and it had to be a healthy recipe and i remember my teacher telling me i had the one of the best ones from the whole class and i thought why not share it with everyone. It's actually very easy to make because i tried making it before i handed it in and it was delicious! I think i now know what im having for lunch today!! :D  Enjoy..

Healthy Recipe:

Recipe: Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup 
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 ounces dried soba noodles                 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped                                          
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup plain soy milk (soya milk) *optional
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
Directions
Bring a saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside until needed.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger and carrot and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; don't let the garlic brown. Add the stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked for about 4 minutes. Add the soba noodles and soy milk and cook until heated through; don't let boil.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Place into individual bowls and serve immediately.
Per Bowl:
Calories    185
Total Fat   5 grams                                                       

-Noura

Healthy Recipe: Grilled Teryaki Chicken With Light Salad

I wanted a lunch that was light yet still taste good and thats why i came up with this recipe! I first made the grilled teryaki chicken and then added it to the salad!


To make the chicken:-

The type of chicken i was using was boneless and skinless chicken breast which to me is the easiest! It was frozen and i left it to defrost for a couple of hours before i used it then soaked it in warm water to make sure that i got rid of any access dirt.


In a very hot pan i drizzled a little bit of olive oil and i while i waited for the olive oil to heat up, in a bowl i added a tablespoon of each of the following ingredients:
  • Soy Sauce
  • Maggi Food Seasoning Sauce
  • Sweet Soy Sauce (the brand is called indofood)
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper
I mixed the ingredients together with a wisk and took the chicken out of the water and into the bowl with the sauces.
















Let the chicken in the sauce until each piece is fully coated in the sauce.
















Slowly add the chicken pieces in to the pan and because of how hot it should be, you should hear a sizzling sound so be careful when puting them in. It should cook pretty quickly so make sure you turn them so that they dont burn on one side!
















Once they have browned from the outside make sure you cut in to one of them just to make sure its ready! Then carefully take it off the heat but keep them in the hot pan so that they don't get cold while your making the salad to go with the chicken.


To make the salad:-
















I cut up a little bit of lettuce (i used the long lettuce instead of the round because i like them better) and i added a light dressing that has (#) tablespoons of:
  • 2 Tbls Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbls Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tbls Light Plain Yogurt
















After you mixed the dressing with the salad, cut the chicken slices into small cubes and add them to the top of the salad and Enjoy!


I hope you try it out and please let me know how it goes in the comment below!
I haven't cooked chicken in a very long time and i was pretty proud of myself because this dish tasted really good! ;p


Thank You For Reading! :D

-Noura