Yummy Protein Popsicles

So we're back on the wagon after the Smores Pie detour, yet I'm still on an ice-cream kick. Ice-cream is one of my food addictions, and I actually forgot about this recipe until my mother-in-law reminded me of it tonight. It's one of her faves! At this point you may have noticed that I don't like recipes with lots of ingredients or steps. This recipe has 3 ingredients. At work they call it 'cost-effective and efficient'. At home I call it 'cheap and lazy.' In any case, I think that's what makes it so pleasantly surprising when they taste awesome.

I got this gem from the Body For Life cookbook, by Bill Philips. I find these suckers taste yummier and fudgier than store-bought fudgesickles, which taste a little like wood chips.

Yummy Protein Popsicles

1 ½ cups fat free cottage cheese (you don't taste it at all once it's done)
½ cup evaporated skim milk - you buy this in tins in any grocery store
1 pkg chocolate (or any flavor) fat free jello pudding powder**

Put all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth. Put in popsicle molds and freeze.

** If you're lucky to live in the US, you can use sugar-free pudding powder. We don't have that in Canada, so unfortunately our pudding mixes do have sugar, which ups the calorie and carb content somewhat. I stock up on a few puddings when I'm south of the border just for this recipe.

Frozen Smores Pie - The Quintessential Toronto Dessert

I believe that I have created the official dessert of Toronto. It is the perfect mix of the Canadian camping heritage, and with the cool edge of city living. This pie has been pieced (pardon the pun) together in my mind over months...and when I finally got down to making it, it was easier and the taste blew my mind. The magic ingredient, that can only be found in Toronto, is Greg's Roasted Marshmallow Ice cream. If you are a Gregs virgin....let's just say...once you meet Greg, there's no going back! The Roasted Marshmallow is the most popular flavour by far. You can find the ice cream at Greg's store on the corner of Bloor and Spadina. The Village Chill in the Forest Hill Village (Spadina and Lonsdale) also carries the Roasted Marshmallow flavour. For this recipe, you will need to pick up a pint.

Micki's Frozen Smores Pie
1 graham cracker crust (you could make one yourself, but it's a bit of a hassle, when you can buy prepared ones from the grocery store)
1 small bag milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup condensed milk
1 Pint Gregs Roasted Marshmallow Ice cream

In the microwave OR over a double boiler, melt chocolate chips, adding enough condensed milk to make the chocolate fudgy and pliable. Press into crust. Freeze. Then take out of the freezer and Spread with ice cream. Freeze again. Take pie out 20 mins before serving.

Chandeliers in Vegas

In the city of grandiose excess, I became mesmorized by chandeliers. Each hotel, mall and casino had put an inordinate amount of planning into the chandeliers and the overall design. What I found more intriguing were the shapes created by staring at a chandelier from underneath. I started photographing every beautiful chanelier I saw, figuring that I'd do something with the pics once I got home. This also gave me something to do while hubby played slots. Slots are boring. This photo montage is the result of the most interesting ceilings in Vegas. I'm going to create a large framed poster for my house, I think.

Black Bean Brownies

People on diets eat some f**ed-up sh*t!

Black Bean Brownies

Serves 16.

1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt

1 1/2 cup Splenda

6 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 tablespoons instant coffee

4 eggs

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 350F; coat baking pan with cooking spray.

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until everything is pureed.

Pour into baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Refrigerate Leftovers.

Stats:

Per serving: 45.4 calories; 37% calories from fat; 1.9g total fat; 61.8mg cholesterol; 51.6mg sodium; 112.3mg potassium; 4.4g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 0.1g sugar; 2.8g net carbs; 3.6g protein.

Got Beer? You got bread!

Over the past few months, my creative outlet has been Gastronomic Alchemy, so you may notice that many of my coming posts will be cooking/food related. My expanding wasteline sent me a text today, imploring me to find a new creative outlet. Soon. I'm hoping that blogging will satisfy some of the urges to create, and that I focus less on food. Only time will tell, all I know is that I've been having lots of fun in the kitchen.

Here's a recipe that most of my friends will recognize. I found this gem in a low-fat cookbook, in a cellar under a pool table, in Miami. I ripped the page right out of the book (shame on me) so I don't know the name of the book, or the author. I do know it was written in the 70's. Retro-diet recipes rock! I always keep a batch of beer bread ingredients in case of dinner party emergencies...and they happen more often than you think!

Beer Bread

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
a bottle of beer at room temperature (you can experiment with different kinds of beer. I find that pilsners make the bread sweeter, whereas lager makes a more hearty loaf).

Preheat oven to 375, and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add beer. Stir until foam subsides and all ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes.

* It's KEY that the beer is at room temperature so that the bread will rise. If you use a cold beer out of the fridge, it will not work!

Hey look....I even have nutritionals!
Makes 12 servings
99 calories a serving, 3g protein, trace fat, 20g carbs, 184mg sodium 0mg cholesterol, 2g fibre