EZ Blueberry Cake

Guess what time it is! Yup! It's blueberry season! And I couldn't be happier!!! I love blueberries......in my cereal....in pancakes.....frozen in Yonanas.....in pie....in cake....alone....every way you can think of to use blueberries!!! I already have a gallon of them neatly tucked away in 2 cup freezer bags.....and will be getting another gallon (or 2) before the season is over.  Yup.....I love blueberries!!!  This cake is so easy and so tasty.....and not a lot of ingredients. In fact, you probably have them all on hand....except for (maybe) the blueberries!

EZ BLUEBERRY CAKE

Makes 9 Servings

1 Serving = 3 PointsPlus™

 

 

CAKE:
1/4 cup light butter
1 cup Splenda granulated
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

TOPPING:

1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP Splenda granulated
2 TBSP melted light butter

 

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spray an 8 x 8 inch baking pan; set aside.

Cream together the butter and Splenda in a large bowl; add egg substitute and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the milk and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and then the milk mixture alternately into the creamed butter mixture. Fold in the blueberries.

Put the cake batter in the sprayed pan.

Mix together the topping ingredients and drizzle over the cake.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

MY SPIN: I like cinnamon so mine was a heaping 1/2 tsp.

Even Jami, my yoga instructor, liked it!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life!
Jan

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

This is a recipe that I found on a website......and then all of a sudden it's all over Facebook! I intended to make it last week.......went camping instead.  If you like Carrot Cake and Cheesecake, this is a marriage made in heaven!!  These are truly 2 of my favorite things. I just wish there was a way I could get the P+ lower <sigh>. But......it is SO worth every P+.  And please......don't be an 'ingredientaphobe'....don't be afraid of this recipe because it looks like a lot of ingredients!!!

CARROT CAKE CHEESECAKE

Makes 12 Servings @ 7 PointsPlus™

Makes 14 Servings @ 6 PointsPlus™

Makes 16 Servings @ 5 PointsPlus™

 

 

CHEESECAKE:

18 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese (at room temperature)
3/4 cup Splenda granulated
1 TBSP all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla

CARROT CAKE:
3/4 unsweetened applesauce
1 cup Splenda granulated
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 (8 oz.) can of crushed pineapple, well drained, reserve juice
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts – OPTIONAL

FROSTING:

4 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 TBSP light butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP pineapple juice
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9” springform pan; set aside.

CHEESECAKE:

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and Splenda until smooth. Beat in the flour, egg substitute and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

 

CARROT CAKE:

In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, Splenda, egg substitute and vanilla; blend thoroughly. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in the pineapple, carrots and coconut (and walnuts if you choose to use them).

 

 

TO 'ASSEMBLE' THE CAKE:

Spread 1 1/2 cups of the carrot cake batter over the bottom of the springform pan. Drop large spoonfuls of the cream cheese batter over this. Top with large spoonfuls of the remaining carrot cake batter. top with large spoonfuls of the cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife, being careful that you do NOT marble the cream cheese.

Bake 50 – 60 minutes until the cake is 'set'. Cool on a rack to room temperature and then refrigerate.

When the cake is completely cooled, prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, mix all the frosting ingredients until smooth and of a spreading consistency. Frost the top of the cake. 

 

Refrigerate 3 – 4 hours before serving.

 

 

MY SPIN: I think the only thing I would change would be to use only 1 TBSP of the pineapple juice in the frosting to make it a thicker consistency.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life!
Jan

Peach Berry 'Tart'

I just love this time of the year when peaches and other fruit are in season and plentiful!  Peaches and blueberries are probably one of my all-time favorite combinations.  I'm so glad it's low in P+ because I want some for breakfast in the morning.....sometimes it's just so much fun being an 'adult'!

PEACH BERRY 'TART'

Makes 12 Servings

1 Serving Without Brown Sugar = 2 PointsPlus™

1 Serving With Brown Sugar = 3 PointsPlus™

1/3 cup light butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup Splenda granulated
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
3 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
2 cups blueberries
1/3 cup brown sugar – OPTIONAL

Put the butter in a 9 x 13- inch baking pan. While the oven is preheating to 375º, put the baking pan in the oven to melt the butter.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the milk. At first, the mixture will appear very 'watery'......continue stirring and a thin batter will form.

Pour batter over the melted butter. DO NOT STIR.

Evenly distribute the peaches and blueberries over the batter. If you choose to, sprinkle the brown sugar over the fruit.

Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

MY SPIN: To know me is to know I love cinnamon, so I used a heaping 1/2 teaspoon.....probably closer to a full teaspoon. I think this would be good served 'as is' (which is what I did) or with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping (which wouldn't add a P+ value) or a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream (and you'd have to figure up the P+ for that).

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life!
Jan

Low Boil

Remind me why we sold the boat? It rained.....and rained.....and rained some more on the Fourth of July! When I saw the forecast, I knew that grilling Shrimp Skewers was out of the question, so I dug out this awesome recipe. I haven't made this in literally years!!! So glad I didn't throw the email from December 1999! We 'almost' thought it wouldn't have been so bad if the bag DID break to give it more of a kick, but it would've really been a KICK!  As long as you're careful putting the ingredients in, this is an easy recipe......with little clean-up!

LOW BOIL

AKA Low Country Boil

Makes A Lot!!!

PointsPlus™ = see below

2 packages turkey sausage (or kielbasa), cut into bite-sized pieces

8 – 10 medium(ish) new red potatoes
8 pieces of corn on the cob
8 – 16 oz. mushrooms (OPTIONAL)
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (UNPEELED)
1 box Low Boil Spices (aka Crab Boil)

 

Fill a LARGE pot about half full of water; bring to a boil. CAREFULLY put the bag of spices in the boiling water.

ADD THESE INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY SO YOU DON'T BREAK THE BAG OF SPICES!!!

Add the sausage (or kielbasa) and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the corn (and mushrooms) and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook for 15 minutes.

These are some of the yummy shrimp we brought back from Destin, FL.

Here's what I do next. I put a HUGE colander in the kitchen sink and carefully spoon out the ingredients until I can safely get the bag of spices out.....and then I 'dump' the rest of the ingredients into the colander. IF you break the bag of spices, this will be REALLY spicey......and you'll have to rinse the ingredients off with hot water as best as you can unless you like super-spicey food. Put some on your plate, grab a fork if you want to and lots of napkins or paper towels. Put a bowl or plate in the center of the table for the shrimp shells & corn cobs.

IF you can find Old Bay seasonings, use those instead of the Zatarain's......it has more flavor.....or at least we think so. The mushrooms are optional.....the original recipe I have doesn't call for them.....but we like them.

I didn't bother with figuring up the P+ on this. Your particular P+ value would depend on how many of each ingredient you opt to eat. This is just one of those recipes where I just throw caution to the wind! It's just that good!!! And so......I don't have to put the disclaimer on this one!

Later!

Jan

Lemon Cream Bars

What do YOU do on a day that is non-stop raining? I do some Kitchen Therapy. And the KT I did today is light and bright and full of flavor. And easy to make! I have another Lemon Bar recipe on here.....but I honestly like this one better.

LEMON CREAM BARS

Makes 16 servings

1 Serving = 3 PointsPlus™



20 Reduced fat Nilla Wafers, finely crushed (@ 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light butter, cold
1 (8 oz.) package Neufchatel cream cheese
1 cup Splenda granulated
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp powdered sugar – OPTIONAL

 

Preheat oven to 350º. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the Nilla Wafers, 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in the light butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.

In another medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and splenda with a mixer until creamy. Add the egg substitute and 2 TBSP flour; mix well. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and baking powder. Pour over crust.

Bake 25 – 28 minutes or until the center is set.

Cool completely on a cooling rack and then refrigerate for 2 hours. OPTIONAL: sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving (I didn't do this).

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!!   *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Jan