"Un" Cheesecake

Hello Everyone!

Last week we celebrated Father's Day and Jason's Birthday. One of his favorite desserts is cheesecake. I can eat some good cheesecake, also, but for him, it is the best dessert ever! Most cheesecake recipes have a lot of fat and sugar in them, so they don't fit into the ideal of what Jason needs to eat, but because there are two special days so close together, I wanted to make him something special. I wondered if there is some way to up the protein content of cheesecake. I found it!! I was so thrilled! Instead of using cream cheese, this cheesecake uses plain greek yogurt. It calls for sugar, but I substituted sucanat. Sucanat is unrefined crystallized cane juice. It doesn't bother Jason's blood-sugar levels like regular white or even brown sugars do.

I used this recipe from A Baking Girl. (I will include it below with the nutritional information) I think I may have whipped it too long in the food processor so it had a texture more like a custard than creamy cheese cake, but the flavor was amazing! It wasn't tart or too "greek" tasting. I want to try it again and see if I can make it creamier.

For on top, we had some fresh strawberries we purchased a couple weeks ago. Strawberries go out of season here just about 2 weeks before Jason's birthday, so I froze some. I simply washed them, sliced them and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. The day before, I took them out of the freezer and set them in the fridge to thaw. They created their own juice and were tender and sweet tasting on top of our cheesecake! Mmmm.... So very good! And no sugar added! Woo hoo!


Un-Cheesecake Recipe
(Thanks to A Baking Girl! Slightly adapted for our needs.)

**Please note that this is the exact recipe as found at A Baking Girl. I have made notes in italics that have helped me and I thought might help others. The changes I made to the recipe have been noted in italics**


2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt1/2 cup sugar (I used sucanat instead....1:1 ratio)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out)
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch
optional: sliced strawberries for garnish (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Blend until smooth, then add cornstarch and pinch of salt and blend again. Pour filling into a 10 inch springform pan, and bake for 35 minutes. (I used a pie plate with some non-stick aluminum foil shaped to the pan. It worked just fine. I chose not to include a crust, though I am working on finding another crust that would work.)

When the cheesecake is done, it will still be jiggly in the center but will have a “done” look to it. The edges of the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Make sure you don’t overbake. It will continue to set up as it cools.

Let cool then chill for 2-3 hours in the fridge before releasing springform. (At this point, I turned the pie plate over and let the aluminum foil and cheesecake fall gently onto a plate. I then gently removed the foil. It stuck a few places, but generally came out beautifully!)

Arrange the sliced strawberries over top of the cooled cheesecake and serve. It will easily serve 8-10 people. This is a rather thin cheesecake at only about 1/2", but it is delicious and I didn't miss the extra thickness.

ENJOY!! :-) 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 95.3

• Total Fat: 1.2 g
• Cholesterol: 46.5 mg
• Sodium: 44.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 7.3 g

Alfredo, Healthy-fied (is that a word?) :-)

Welcome! Here is another of my Foodie Friday entries just for my own records. I hope you are enjoying seeing some of these as much as I am enjoying sharing them with other people!

One of my favorite dishes of all time is Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. I think of it as comfort food! The only problem is that Jason's body can't handle Alfredo sauces that I would get out of the store or in restaurants. So I was searching for another way to use spaghetti one day and I found this recipe. I knew that some of the original ingredients might not work for Jason, but that I could tweak it to meet our needs. I was thrilled!

This is my variation of Rocco's Alfredo Sauce:

Prep. Time:  3 minutes      Cook Time: 20 minutes    Serves: 4 meal-sized portions

Ingredients:
1/2 pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. corn starch (or 2 Tbsp. flour, if you don't have corn starch)
1/2 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth 
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves fresh crushed garlic (more if needed. I also substitute 1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder, and it tastes just as good!)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; plus more for on top
6-oz. plain greek yogurt

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the thin spaghetti. Boil until desired tenderness is reached, then drain the water off.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil and the corn starch in a pan over low heat. Stir continuously while adding the broth a little bit at a time, until a nice sauce consistency has been reached. (You can use more or less broth, as you need to.) Stir in the spices (add any others that you like! Sometimes I add diced onion. It just tastes great!) Add the cheese and mix until completely incorporated and melted. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fold in the yogurt until well incorporated. Dish up the spaghetti and spoon the alfredo sauce over top. Serve and enjoy!

What is your favorite pasta recipe?

According to the Spark People Recipe Calculator, this recipe has:

Calories		546.0
Total Fat		10.9 g
	Saturated Fat	5.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.7 g
Cholesterol		19.8 mg
Sodium		557.1 mg
Potassium		26.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		6.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.0 g
	Sugars	1.9 g
Protein		15.3 g

Vitamin A	3.5 %
Vitamin B-12	5.8 %
Vitamin B-6	1.3 %
Vitamin C	0.0 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	3.1 %
Calcium	39.4 %
Copper	0.5 %
Folate	0.5 %
Iron	1.5 %
Magnesium	3.2 %
Manganese	0.3 %
Niacin	0.4 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.3 %
Phosphorus	20.2 %
Riboflavin	5.7 %
Selenium	9.4 %
Thiamin	0.8 %
Zinc	5.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Jason's Breakfast

Good Morning Everyone!!

I thought I would share Jason's filling breakfast with you. I know that many people have heard that oatmeal is a fabulous breakfast, but it is one of the best breakfasts for my husband. It gives him sustained energy to accomplish what he needs to during the morning hours. He eats it every morning.

Jason's Oatmeal

1 1/2 serving of oatmeal, cooked according to the directions (this could be quick oats, old-fashioned oats or steel-cut oats)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (we use smucker's natural because it is sugar free and only has peanuts and less than 1% salt)
2-3 teaspoons raw honey, to taste (we prefer an all-natural, raw honey sourced from local keepers if we can get it.)
dash of milk (to cool everything off and make it not quite so thick.)

He stirs everything in as soon as the oatmeal comes off the stove, so that it doesn't thicken too much, then eats it with fruit or applesauce. It is filling!

If I am eating of a morning, he will make 2 servings and just heap the peanut butter on the spoon. On active, busy mornings, it will keep me going for a good 4 hours or so before I start feeling hungry again!

Favorite Breakfast... Whole Grain Pancakes!!

Hello all!

I am going to try to share my favorite recipes on Fridays.This will provide others with an idea of how we eat, but it may also help others who struggle with hypoglycemia to find options that work for them. This pancake recipe is not mine. I found it in a Reader's Digest cook book called Magic Foods For Better Blood Sugar and have adapted it for our family's tastes and needs. I like to make 1-2 batches at a time and put the extras in the freezer to pull out for a quick, easy breakfast. Jianna really enjoys these, also. So, without further comment, here is the recipe for our favorite breakfast.

Prep. Time: 20 minutes           Cook Time: 15-20 minutes         Makes: 8 servings of 2 pancakes each

Ingredients:
2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (When I make this for Jason, we omit the cinnamon. It drops bloodsugar levels.)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer to use Sucanat 1:1 ratio, if at all possible. It is crystalized sugar cane juice. It doesn't interact with Jason's bloodsugar. Another option is to half the amount and use that much honey. Here, it would be 2 Tablespoons.)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside 15 minutes to soften the oats.
2. Whisk the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Add the buttermilk mix and stir to incorporate. Add a little bit at a time to the flour mixture and whisk so that no lumps form. Add the rest of the liquids and mix the batter together well.
4. Heat up a lightly greased skillet or waffle iron over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated surface. Cook until it looks dry around the edges (it will look wet in the center still, but dull around the edges) and bubbles have burst on the surface of the pancake. Turn over and cook until lightly browned on other side. Remove from heat and either serve imediately or cool to freeze.

Served with pancake syrup, fruit and maybe yogurt or sausage, this is an amazing breakfast!

Nutritional information:
292 calories
8 g. protein
60 g. carbohydrates
3 g. fiber
3 g. total fat
     1 g. saturated fat
56 mg. cholesterol
331 mg. sodium

Like they say in Romania, "Pofta buna!" (translation: Enjoy your meal!)

The tastiest recipe yet!

This recipe actually originated in Italy, but is made by Romanians, as well! It is soooo easy! It looks like you spent hours slaving, when, in less than 1 hour (first time ever trying it) it was ready to put in the oven! Awesome recipe!

It is called, "Pollo Italiano" (Italian chicken, I think is the way it translates)

You will need-
Chicken:
2 lbs. Chicken breast (de-boned and no skin)
1-1 1/2 c. mushrooms
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. soy sauce
pepper and any other spices you want to use (I used oregano, dill and parsley), all to taste
1 c. water

1. Cut the chicken in 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices, horizontally, across the largest part of the breast. You almost want to filet the chicken.
2. Put it in a container to marinate it in the soy sauce while you are preparing the filling.
3. Chop up the mushrooms.
4. Add the cheese and spices and mix well.
5. Spread out foil, and place the chicken pieces on it, one right after the other. This will look like you have one super long piece of chicken. (You might need to use two foot-long sections of foil... that's OK. It makes it easier to handle)
6. Spread the filling evenly down the center of the pieces of chicken.
7. Fold the edges of the chicken up over the filling.
8. Pull the edges of the foil up and fold them together over the chicken, snugly (you don't want the chicken flopping around, but neither do you want to break the foil).
9. Put the rolls of foil-wrapped chicken in a 9x13 pan.
10. Add about 1 cup of water to the pan.
11. Bake at about 350*F for 30 minutes.
12. Serve hot, with sauce (if you like it) spread over it.

Sauce:
1/4-1/2 c. sourcream
1/4-1/2 c. mayonaise
2 pieces of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper, to taste

1. mix everything together well.
2. When the chicken is ready, spread some over each piece of chicken.

This goes great with:
potatoes-mashed, boiled, baked, etc.
salad
corn, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked spinach, etc!

Try it! And Pofta Buna! :D

Romanian Gulash

Hey everyone!

Here is the newest recipe that I have tried out! It is super easy! It would probably also work well in a crock-pot. Since we don't have one, we use the stove-top and that works just fine.

This dish is very similar to beef tips, just Romanian style! :D

Ingredients:

2-3 onions, diced

2 pieces of garlic, crushed

4-5 Tbsp. oil

1 lb. beef (not ground)
1 med. sized can of tomatoes (I used diced, but you can use whichever kind you have already, or prefer)
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground chili peppers
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. flour (I used plain flour, not self-rising)
2 Tbsp. sourcream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the beef in 1 inch cubes, approximately
2. In a 3 liter pot, pour in the oil and slightly sautee the onion and garlic.
3. Add the meat to the pot and cook for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, add the paprika, salt, vinegar and tomatoes (in their juice).
5. Cover the meat with water. Stir.
6. Put a lid on the pot and let this simmer over low heat for about 2 hours.
7. When the meatis well boiled, mix the flour and sourcream together.
8. Add this mix to the pot. Stir well.
9. Let it simmer just a few more minutes, to let the sauce thicken.
10. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste.
** This dish traditionally has a pleasantly spicy taste to it. But you can spice it to fit your personal tastes**

This is served over polenta (I'll find a recipe for that and post it sometime), noodles (bowtie, twisty-looking ones, etc.), and even rice. Pofta buna! :D

Stuffed Roast

Well, here is another recipe I just tried out this week! This one is a bit more complicated, but not very. It is actually called a meat roll, but in English, it makes more sense to call it stuffed roast. This is a super flavorful dish! Enjoy! :D

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Roast Beef, uncooked
2 c. mushrooms (you can use a can of mushrooms, cuts out a step :D)
2 c. lunch meat, ham, cut in squares
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
2 c. mozzarella, grated
1 sm-md onion, chopped
salt
pepper
parsley
soy sauce
bag for baking (like sometimes is used for turkeys)
several toothpicks

1. Cut the roast through the middle horizontally, but don't cut it all the way through. You want to make a type of pocket that will be folded over when the stuffing is put into it.
2. Pour the soy sauce over that and let it marinate several hours in the fridge.
3.Just before you're ready to stuff the meat and put it in the oven, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Add salt, pepper and parsley to taste.
4. Spread out the meat. Spread the stuffing mix on one half of the meat and pull the other half of the meat over on top of it. Secure with the toothpicks.
5. Place the meat in the baking bag. Pour just a tad of olive oil over the meat. Seal up the bag.
6. Bake for 1 hour at 350* (depending on your oven)
7. You can serve it with sour crout, pickles, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, etc.

Romanian Dessert

Well, this is the most recent recipe that I experimented with. It is great! And, for those of you who are short on time, money or a stove, this is awesome! All you need is a microwave and a refrigerator!

Chocolate Log Cookies

Ingredients:
5/8 c. water or milk, 1 c. sugar, 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, 2 1/2 c. + 2 3/4 c. crushed animal crackers or graham crackers, 1/2 c. coconut shavings, 1/2 c. raisins, 2 Tbsp. cocoa

1. Boil the water and sugar until it turns to syrup.
2. Add the butter and let it melt.
3. Pour this mix into a medium to large sized bowl.
4. Add the 2 1/2 c. animal crackers and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
5. Add the last 1/2 of the animal crackers.
6. Spread 1/2 the mix on 14-18 inches of cellophane.
7. Fold the cellophane so that you can roll the mix long ways. Smoosh it firmly into a log.
8. Repeat with the other 1/2 of the mix.
9. Put it into the refrigerator 3-4 hours, or until ready to serve.
10. Cut into 1/4 inch slices (like cookies) and serve.

These are so good you won't be able to stop with just one! Pofta buna!

Taste of Romania, Stuffed Peppers

We thought we would give those interested a chance to try some new things. Get a bit of a taste of Romania without ever leaving home. Every once in a while we'll add some recipes to our blog. They will be things that we've cooked and tried. The new dish that we tried just today was stuffed bell peppers. Try it! You just might like it! :D And, as we say here, "Pofta buna!" (Enjoy!)



Ingredients:

6-8 med. bell peppers, any color
1 sm. onion, diced
oil, for frying the onion
1 lb. ground meat (I used chicken, but you can use pork, beef, deer, whatever you have on hand)
1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
parsley, to taste
dill, to taste
1 sm. can tomato paste
water, to make the paste thinner
salt to taste for the sauce

1. Wash and clean the peppers of their seeds by cutting a hole in the top and scraping out the seeds and insides..
2. Saute the onion in the oil until the color becomes almost transparent.
3. Mix the meat, onion, rice, salt, pepper, parsley, dill and water well.
4. Fill the peppers with the meat mix.
5. Place the filled peppers in a 9x13 pan.
6. Mix the water and tomato paste together.
7. Pour over the stuffed peppers until the peppers have about 1/2 - 1 inch sticking out above the water.
8. Cover well with aluminum foil.
9. Bake 40-50 minutes at 300-350* F. (Or until meat is cooked through)
10. Serve hot with sour cream, bread, as a tomato soup with the peppers as a side, etc.

Serves: 3-4