Raw, Vegan "Sushi"

Welcome!

For the sake of clarity, I am neither vegan, nor vegetarian. That being said, this recipe looked too good to not try!

The Recipe:  Raw, Vegan "Sushi"

• 1 cup Cashews (or just use some cashew butter)
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 Zucchini
• 1/4 Cucumber
• 10 Baby Carrots
• 3 small slices Celery

The Process:

• Soak Cashews in water overnight (I soaked mine for a couple days because I didn't have time to make this for a while after)
• Use Magic Bullet to mix the cashews and rice vinegar into a dip-like paste (it tastes pretty good on crackers too ;D
• Clean the vegetables
• Cut the ends off the Zucchini and cut it in half. Slice as many thin pieces as you would like to eat. Chop the rest into thinner pieces. (If you don't like Zucchini, you may accomplish this with cucumber)
• Chop the carrots in half
• Chop the cucumber into thin pieces as well (You may elect to only use the seeds of the cucumber, given their differing texture from the rest of the vegetables. 
• Chop the celery into thin pieces as well
• Spread the cashew dip onto the Zucchini strips
• At one end, place a few of your thin strips of varied vegetables
• Roll the end with the veggies into the rest of the Zucchini, forming a "Sushi" roll
• Enjoy!

The Calories:

Cashews: 755 calories

Rice Vinegar: 25 calories

Zucchini: 31 calories

Cucumber: 45 calories

Carrots: 41 calories

Celery: Negative Calories 

______________________

TOTAL: 897 Calories

Before you freak out, the amount of the recipe that I used was about 1/6 the Cashews, 3/4 the zucchini, 1/2 the carrots, all the celery, and 1/4 the cucumber. So let's recalculate a little bit! 

Cashews: 126 calories

Rice Vinegar: 25 calories

Zucchini: 24 calories

Cucumber: 12 calories

Carrots: 21 calories

Celery: Negative Calories

_____________________

TOTAL: 208 calories

Now we get to divide by 13, since I made 13 rolls from what I did use. This makes each roll contain 16 calories. Doesn't that sound better to you?

What went right:

         They are super tasty, guilt free, and completely vegan. The only issue I have is with the cashew soaking, and even that isn't so big a deal...good things come to those who wait...especially since the cashew dip lasts for subsequent meals. 

What went wrong: 

         The cashew dip could use a little something so I'm probably going to be experimenting to see just what that is! 

What I would do next time:

         I might try some different nuts as the dip, or else add some spices to the cashews. I also might try adding some leaves to it, like kale or lettuce. I might also try making the dip with beans, chickpeas, or maybe even tofu. 

Will I do this in college?: 

         Oh yeah. This is a wonderful treat I hope to be making for a long time! Even beyond college, they would make fantastic appetizers.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this recipe and look forward to making (and eating) it again!

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Gluten, Dairy, and Grain Free Chocolate Loaf Cake

Hello health food fans, vegans, and gluten free folks!

This recipe was suggested to me by my little brother, Kirby. I know, shocking, right?! Turns out he saw the picture of the original trending on buzzfeed. He didn't know what was in it and I changed the recipe anyway when the consistency wasn't what I wanted. Reading the recipe, I was a little skeptical, but it was better than I expected!

The Recipe: 

Cake:

• 1/2 cup plus 7 tsp pumpkin puree
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp applesauce
• 1 egg (***Dairy free by using 1/2 cup applesauce instead of egg)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp cashew butter (almond butter or peanut butter would work as well!)
• 1 1/2 tsp nutella

Glaze: 

• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp powdered sugar

The Process: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and ground flaxseed in a small bowl. 
3. Whisk the pumpkin, almond milk, applesauce, egg, nutella, vanilla, and cashew butter in a larger bowl using a fork.
4. Add the dry to the wet bowl and mix. 
5. Grease a 1 lb loaf pan. 
6. Add batter to pan. 
7. Push chocolate chips into batter. 
8. Bake for 30 minutes. 
9. Mix glaze in a small bowl. 
10. Apply to cake while hot. 
11. Allow cake to cool. 
12. Enjoy! 

The Calories: 

Pumpkin: 53 calories

Applesauce: 2 calories

Cashew Butter: 150 calories

Egg: 70 calories (dairy free substitution has 30 calories)

Salt: 0 calories

Baking Powder: 0 calories

Baking Soda: 0 calories

Cocoa Powder: 98 calories

Vanilla Extract: 12 calories

Honey: 384 calories

Flaxseed: 365 calories

Chocolate Chips: 201 calories

Almond Milk: 10 calories

Nutella: 33 calories

Powdered Sugar: 20 calories

__________________________________________

TOTAL: 1398 calories

This genuinely surprised me! The cake was about 9 slices, which means each slice was only 155 calories of mostly healthy ingredients. The dairy free version contains 150 calories per slice, though applesauce is less protein than eggs. 

What went right:

          The cake tasted great and was gone in one night! Kirby ate three slices and my parents really liked it too. It was rich and moist with the bitterness of dark chocolate and nicely satisfying. It came out of the pan very easily and displayed well. 

What went wrong: 

          Once Kirby was told what was in the cake, he decided he was no longer a fan. We've decided he's no longer allowed to know what's in food. I think I'll make it again and tell him it's different (shhh! ;) )

What I would do next time: 

           While shopping for almond milk, I noted that there is such a thing as dark chocolate almond milk. That is something I definitely want to try, as well as adding more glaze so it covers the entire cake. I would also like to try using half as much cocoa powder and a square of melted baking chocolate (like in brownies). It would also be interesting to use almond butter or peanut butter instead of cashew butter; the consistency of using almond might make the taste more consistent. Additionally, adding pecans or walnuts on top would add some much needed texture. Finally, I would like to serve this with a frozen yogurt, sorbet, or ice cream. Something cold and fruity would go very well with this cake. 

Overall, an amazing and simple cake that I can't wait to play with!

Chicken Tofu Teriyaki Fried Rice

Hello and welcome!

Today's recipe was one of my dinners while on Spring Break in Atlanta :)   

The Recipe: 

• Rice
• Rice vinegar
• Tofu
• Chicken (pre-baked)
• Vegetable Oil

The Process:

1. Boil enough water to fill an inch and a half of a small pot. 
2. Cook about 1/2 cup jasmine rice in the pot. 
3. When the rice is about halfway done, add a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar. 
4. Saute chicken and tofu in a pan on medium heat. 
5. Add rice to the pan and continue to heat. 
6. Add teriyaki sauce to the pan and continue to heat and mix. 
7. After about 2 minutes from the time the rice was added to the pan, it should be done. Be sure everything is cooked to desired amounts. 
8. Enjoy!

Calories:

Rice- 75 calories

Rice Vinegar- 0 calories

Chicken- 100

Teriyaki- 20 calories

Vegetable Oil- 120 calories

Tofu- 100 calories

____________________________________

TOTAL: 415 calories

For under 500 calories, I got an entire pan of delicious protein and rice! 

What went right: 

         It was quite delicious and light, but also satisfying. 

What went wrong: 

         I didn't have any vegetables to add this time, but it worked out anyway. 

What I would do next time: 

          Combine the vegetable and chicken recipes. 

Would I do this again in college?: 

          For sure. I love fried rice and it's really easy to make. I can see it becoming a staple of my diet next year when Emmy and I have our own kitchen :) 

Overall, a great meal with a short cook time, perfect for college life! 

Lemon Roasted Broccoli

Hello and welcome!

This recipe is a take off of the classic Roasted Vegetables, adapted and matured for Lemon Christmas.

Lemon Christmas was a creation of my Aunt Connie and I for this year's Christmas dinner. What started as the story of Domathes being passed down through the generations of my neighborhood became a dinner of Domathes with Lemon Sauce, Lemon Chicken, Lemon Roasted Broccoli, Lemon Risotto, and Limoncello Cookies!

The Recipe: Lemon Roasted Broccoli

• Fresh cut Broccoli florets (as much as you would like to make, we had about 2 cups)
• about 3 tbsp Olive oil with Lemon (Trader Joe's)
• Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
• Lemon Zest, to taste (about 1 tbsp)

The Process: 

1. Set broiler to high, or bake to 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees C)
2. Spread broccoli out on a pan. 
3. Pour Olive Oil over broccoli. 
4. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper over broccoli. 
5. Use a spatula to "mix" broccoli, oil, salt, and pepper. 
6. Roast for about 5 minutes, or until browned. 
7. Enjoy!

The Calories:

Broccoli: 62 calories

Olive Oil: 357 calories

Salt/Pepper: 0 calories

Lemon Zest: 0 calories

____________________

TOTAL: 419 calories

Never feel guilty for roasting vegetables. This is a large portion of broccoli meant to be shared as a side dish. It's not advisable to eat broccoli and only broccoli (especially this much) as a meal, as it can have some nasty stomach effects in large quantities). 

What went right: 

         Everything! These were quite delicious and a lovely complement to the rest of dinner. The Olive Oil with Lemon is fantastic and should be in every kitchen. It gave the broccoli a nice lemon taste without being overpowering. Love. 

What went wrong: 

         It's too good. If you have a child who doesn't like broccoli, make it like this and they'll love it! 

What I would do next time: 

         If I were trying to eat it by myself rather than with family as part of a separate meal, I would combine it with other vegetables as we've done in the past. 

Would I make this in college:

         5 minute prep time, 5 minute cook time? Of course! 

Overall, a lovely addition to Lemon Christmas :) 

Lemon Chicken

Hello and welcome!

This recipe was adapted from Pinterest for Lemon Christmas...Thanks much Annie's Eats!

Lemon Christmas started with a story of Domathes passed down through the generations of my neighborhood, but became a five hour cooking spree with my Aunt Connie followed by dinner with my parents and brother, Aunt Connie, and Uncle Dick. In a single afternoon, we made Domathes, Lemon Chicken, Lemon Risotto, Lemon Broccoli, and Limoncello Cookies! It was a fantastic experience I will never forget and look forward to repeating every year with a different ingredient theme (hint hint ;) )

The only hiccup of Lemon Christmas was my wonderful little brother who absolutely will not stand for Lemon in his chicken....or so he thinks....in light of this, Lemon Chicken also contains the sister adaptation of Plain Baked Chicken for Kirby.






The Recipe: Lemon Chicken

• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
•  2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 6 chicken fillets
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

The Process: 

1. Combine the lemon zest, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and rosemary in a ziploc bag. 
2. Add fillets to the bag. 
3. Shake/rub to mix. 
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate. 
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (about 218 degrees C)
6. Put chicken fillets in an oven-safe, preferably porcelain dish to cook. Include all marinade. 
7. Brush fillets with melted butter. 
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes, watching carefully in the last 10 minutes or so based on the typical tendencies of your oven. 
9. Enjoy! 

The Picky Eater Process: 

1. Combine 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper in a ziploc bag. 
2. Add 1 chicken fillet to the bag. 
3. Shake/mix. 
4. Marinate for 2 hours. 
5. In a separate dish, place the fillet and any remaining marinade. 
6. Brush with melted butter. 
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 425 degrees (at the same time as the other chicken. 
8. Serve to your picky eater ;) 

The Calories: Lemon Chicken

Chicken (6 fillets): 684 calories

Lemon Zest: 3 calories

Lemon Juice: 20 calories

Rosemary: 2 calories

Thyme: 2 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Pepper: 0 calories

Butter: 204 calories

Garlic: 8 calories

___________________________

TOTAL: 923 calories

Remember, this was for 6 people. That means a single serving is only 154 calories! This might be the most healthy chicken recipe I've ever had for the taste. No replacements, all nutrients, all taste, and fewer calories than a cupcake. Wow. 

The Calories: Picky Eater Chicken

Chicken (1 fillet): 114 calories

Olive Oil: 119 calories

Salt: 0 Calories

Pepper: 0 Calories

___________________________

TOTAL: 233 calories

This assumes that all of the olive oil was actually eaten, but there was still marinade left in the dish when Kirby was done. Personally, I think the plain chicken has less flavor. All of the moisture and flavor in this version of the chicken came from the olive oil (aka fat), whereas a lot of the moisture and flavor in lemon chicken came from the lemon juice. 

What went right:

           We lucked into some MAGNIFICENT meats here. I mean, these chicken fillets were enormous and juicy, and the marinade complimented them perfectly. The herbs held enough flavor to equal that of the lemon, so the chicken was moist and thick, but not excessively lemony. The bake time was absolutely perfect. Some of our table was unable to finish even one fillet because they were that thick and meaty. Love! 

What went wrong: 

           This chicken was so good, I ate the table leftovers...oops ;) 

What I would do next time: 

            Absolutely nothing. This was utterly fantastic. Some other additions I might make in the absence of our Lemon Christmas sides are cherry tomatoes, some parmesan cheese, and some pasta shells or flat noodles. For a healthier adaptation, I might try baking it with some orzo and basil in the dish, or even wild rice (in honor of my dad's traditional Chicken and Wild Rice dish, one of my favorite meals of all time). 

Would I make this in college: 

             Possibly. It takes a while to marinate and if I were only cooking for me, I would end up buying a massive excess of herbs.

Overall, a wonderful main meat for Lemon Christmas, and a new favorite chicken of mine! 

Lemon Risotto (a la Giatta)

Hello and welcome!

This recipe comes from Giatta's cookbook, courtesy of my Aunt Connie, as part of our Lemon Christmas :)

Lemon Christmas began as the story of a neighborhood tradition, and grew from our love of cooking and food into Domathes with Lemon Sauce, Lemon Chicken, Lemon Risotto, Lemon Broccoli, and Limoncello Cookies. It was the best, most successful five hours of cooking I've ever experienced. This recipe is one I would love to make again, because it's fantastically addictive!


The Recipe: Lemon Risotto

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine for cooking (can be found near the olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese 
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

The Process:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and half of the lemon juice to a simmer. Cover to keep warm. 
2. In another pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. 
3. Sautee the shallots in the butter for about 3 minutes. 
4. Add rice and stir. You do not need to cook the rice beforehand. 
5. Add the white wine and remaining lemon juice and cook for about 3 minutes, continuing to stir. 
6. Add small portions of the broth and lemon juice mixture in the other pot (about 1/2 cup each time) to the pan with the rice and shallots. 
7. Once each is fully mixed, continue slowly adding and stirring until all broth is in the mixture. 
8. Add in remaining ingredients: parsley, mint, parmesean, mascarpone, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. 
9. Stir over low heat until creamy. 
10. To serve in "lemon cups": hollow out lemon halves used for juice, but not zest. Cut off tip so it is flat. Fill with risotto. 
11. We recommend only serving the first portion in a lemon cup and keeping the remainder in a bowl on the table, to save time. 
12. Try to stop eating ;)

The Calories: 

Chicken broth: 77 calories

Lemon juice: 30 calories
Butter: 306 calories
Shallots: 14 calories
Arborio rice: 363 calories
Wine: 80 calories
Parmesean: 216 calories
Mascarpone: 146 calories
Zest of lemon: 11 calories

Salt: 0 calories
Black pepper: 0 calories
Parsley: 2 calories

_______________________

TOTAL: 1245 calories

This batch made quite a bit of risotto. We had enough for 6 lemon cups, plus maybe 2 cups in a bowl. This would make about 15 servings. That means each serving is only 83 calories! 

What went right: 

          This was absolutely delicious. We really nailed the risotto. Giatta, great recipe, and Aunt Connie, thank you so much for teaching me! I think I ate the most of anyone because I just couldn't stop. Even my little brother tried it and didn't hate it :) The consistency was fantastically rich, but still light enough to not densely clump. Love. 

What went wrong: 

         It's entirely possible that I now have a risotto addiction. Just kidding! But really, nothing went wrong with this recipe. 

What I would do next time:

         Risotto is something I would definitely love to make again. Mushrooms are one of my favorite ingredients, so I would like to make a mushroom risotto. Weirdly enough, I just ate red pepper risotto at the Emory cafeteria (Dobbs University Center AKA the DUC) and it was...not terrible. I think they used white cheddar instead of mascarpone, which made it very dense, and there were no shallots (sad day!), but it was still more impressive than I expected and quite well-timed! It would also be fun to try putting squash in risotto. I've also seen caprese and saffron risottos that looked quite delicious!

Would I make this in college: 

         Given that it's essentially a single pan and single pot dish, oh yes! I would make a much smaller batch, because there's no way I could keep myself from eating it all, but it doesn't take very long to make and the marginal return on taste is enormous. 

Overall, an amazing second course to Lemon Christmas, and a simple base cooking technique that will definitely become some fun experiments in the future :) 

Ground Turkey Domathes: A Neighborhood Tradition

Hello and welcome!

This dish has an amazing story passed down through the generations of my neighborhood and was the inspiration (and appetizer) for Lemon Christmas :)

While shadowing my Aunt Connie -with whom I share a fondness for cooking and enjoying delicious, unique food- for a day, she told me the following story...

"On our block there used to live a Greek woman who was very close to Dorothy (fantastic grandmother, chef, knitting extraordinaire, and our lovely former next door neighbor, rest in peace <3). One day while I was visiting Dorothy, she brought out this recipe for Domathes (Greek traditional stuffed grape leaves) and told me about the Greek woman, who taught her how to make them. So Dorothy taught me to make them and gave me the recipe, and I would like to teach you how to make them if you'd like."

Naturally, I was very excited and honored to be a part of this tradition!

Once I learned the sauce for the domathes was lemon, I suggested that we have an entire lemon-themed dinner. Thus, Lemon Christmas was born :)

The Recipe:

Domathes:

• 1 Jar of Grape Leaves
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 cup rice
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp mint flakes
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 box chicken broth

Lemon Sauce:

• 3-4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup of "hot liquid from pan" (referring to the juice from the cooked domathes pan)

The Process:

1. Brown the ground turkey. 
2. Mix in rice, salt, pepper, parsley, and mint. 
3. Cook onion with olive oil and tomato sauce in a pan. 
4. Add to ground turkey. 
5. Add egg to ground turkey. 
6. Mix the filling for the domathes and allow to cook together on low heat. 
7. Very carefully, remove grape leaves from jar and separate, laying each leaf on a section of paper towel to air dry. 
8. If you have leaves with holes, or leaves that are very small, you will want to combine a few small leaves to make a larger leaf. 
9. With a spoon, place some of the ground turkey in the center of a grape leaf. 
10. To fold properly, fold the stem up first, covering the ground turkey mix completely. Next, fold in each side. Finally, roll the leaf tightly away from you, securely wrapping the turkey mix. 
11. Place in a deep pan in a close, circular pattern (see photo). 
12. Once you have rolled all leaves, you will likely have a very large amount of ground turkey left. We probably used 1/3 of the ground turkey recipe, so you may want to make less or buy more grape leaves. 
13. Cover the wrapped domathes in the pan with chicken broth. 
14. Bring to boil and cook for 30-40 minutes. 
15. About 10 minutes before the domathes finish cooking, begin the sauce. 
16. Separate 3 large eggs. 
17. Beat whites until they are foamy. 
18. Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice slowly to whites. (We used fresh lemons for everything, so account for juicing time based on your personal juicing comfort.)
19. Add egg yolks slowly to the whites and lemon juice. 
20. Add 1 cup of hot liquid from cooking domathes to the mix. 
21. Plate rolls as desired. 
22. Slowly pour sauce over plated rolls. You should have plenty left over to put on the side. 
23. Share and enjoy :) 

The Calories: 

Turkey: 676 calories

Grape Leaves: 13 calories

Rice: 684 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Pepper: 0 calories

Parsley: 2 calories

Mint: 1 calorie

Onion: 46 calories

Olive Oil: 119 calories

Tomato Sauce: 70 calories

Egg: 294 calories

Chicken Broth: 60 calories

Lemon Juice: 30 calories

___________________________

TOTAL: 1995 calories

This recipe makes a ridiculous amount of domathes. Using 1/3 of the filling mixture and sauce, we made at least 60 domathes. The total for this batch alone comes to 674 calories, meaning each of the 60 domathes was about 11 calories. I probably ate 10 and that was a LOT of food. 

What went right: 

         These were absolutely delicious!! They're great appetizers, especially for cold weather. Domathes have a very real, timeless, warm taste. I have absolutely no doubt that love is a flavor integrated into every step of this recipe. 

What went wrong:

         The lemon sauce makes the domathes a bit too damp to eat by hand in more than one bite. Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't seem to eat one without drops running down my hands and forearms or a squirrel cheek. I probably should have just used a fork and knife but there's gotta be a way to serve these without the runny drops. Potentially keeping the sauce on the side the whole time but having it readily available for dipping would have alleviated this issue. 

What I would do next time:

         Aunt Connie and I decided that making a smaller batch of the filling and sauce would be better, since we only had enough grape leaves for about 1/3 of the batch. (Maybe grape leaves have gotten smaller since this recipe was made?) 

         There's nothing in the recipe itself that needs to be changed, but the serving/eating should have some alterations for the sake of etiquette. For a more formal gathering it would be nice to consider cutting them in half and serving them on small spoons for bite-size pieces that don't involve actual handling. For casual get togethers like ours, maybe keeping all the sauce on the side, readily available for dipping but not on the domathes, would have made it easier to handle. If I think of any other serving techniques/test these, I'll be sure to edit! 

Would I do this in college:

         This would be very difficult to do while in school. It takes a significant amount of time and specific ingredients that aren't in most other things. I would definitely make it again at home and will be making it in my future, but making it in school isn't time-efficient. 

Overall, a great start to Lemon Christmas! Keep checking for the next courses :) 

Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Cupcakes

Hello Cupcake Lovers!!

This recipe is one of three adaptations of the Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes from New Years Eve, made on New Years Day for a dinner party with some of our close family friends, Jana, Andy, Alexander, and Larissa! 

If you have any fun cupcake-related experiences, please share them in the comments at the bottom of the page, or send me an email or google+ comment! 

The Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Cupcakes (Total Recipe makes 12 cupcakes and 6 mini cupcakes, but only 6 became this flavor and the others had additions to their filling and frosting). 

The Cake: 

• 1 cup flour
• 7/8 cup sugar
• 3/8 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2.5 tbsp shortening (aka Crisco)
• 1.5 mashed bananas
• 1.5 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 dark chocolate chip (for shavings)

The Filling/Icing: 

• 3 stick butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp hazelnut powdered creamer
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees C). 
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Cut shortening into small pieces to make it easier to mix with dry ingredients. 
4. Mash banana into another, smaller bowl. (Don't tell the kids there's banana in their cupcakes!!)
5. Add one egg to the bowl with the banana. 
6. Break other egg into a small cup or bowl and whisk so that it becomes relatively homogeneous. Pour half of this into the bowl with the banana.
7. Mix oil, milk, and vanilla extract into bowl with banana. 
8. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat. 
9. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners (or butter and flour the sides of the pan). 
10. Fill cupcake liners about halfway with batter. 
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer (or toothpick) can poke the center and come out with some moist crumbs. You will be able to see the cupcakes rise and smell when they are done. Use the pictures as a guide as each oven is different. 
12. Allow to cool with paper towel covering. 
13. Blend ingredients for filling/icing.      
14. Use cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake and replace its center.
15. Fill an icing press with remaining icing.          
16. Press into desired pattern. 
17. Shave dark chocolate on top. 
18. Enjoy! :) 

The Calories:

Flour:  455 calories

Sugar: 665 calories

Cocoa: 70 calories

Baking Powder: 0 calories

Baking Soda: 0 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Shortening: 260 calories

Banana: 150 calories

Egg: 115 calories

Oil: 482 calories

Milk: 30 calories

Vanilla: 12 calories

Hazelnut creamer: 35 calories

____________________________________

TOTAL: 2274 calories 

Granted, this recipe was for about 12.5 cupcakes. So each cupcake really only had about 182 calories :) 

What went right: 

          They were very delicious and looked prettier than the first batch. 

What went wrong:

          This batch was less moist than the last batch. Not sure why, but might have been a minute or two over cooked, comparatively.

What I would do next time:

         Technically, this batch was basically the same as the M&M batch, and the changes were made in the other cupcakes you see below (coming soon! ;) ) 

Would I do this in college: 

          Totally! In fact, I'm working on reducing this recipe for single serving cupcakes without waste so that I can easily make a quick cupcake for a friend's birthday without having to make an entire batch. One of my least favorite things about baking is that the amounts can be so arbitrary because they depend on your specific baking equipment. One of my goals for this page is to be able to have a mix for every common number of cupcakes desired. Recipes can always be doubled, but the hard part is reducing and keeping the consistency of the original. Keep watching for single serving cupcakes :)

Overall, a wonderful party treat and a great time in the kitchen. It took much longer than I planned to make all three different types of cupcakes, but they turned out fantastic so I don't even care. Everyone enjoyed and I had a blast baking them and honing my icing skills. 

Having a cupcake for 182 calories is actually quite good! A plain bagel has 260-280 calories, and a scone or muffin can have 350-430 calories. However, it's not particularly healthy, so if you'd like to ensure you wake up with your toned body in tact, be sure you've done any of the below before you indulge...

1. Run 1.5 miles
2. Walk 2 miles
3. Dance for 40 minutes
4. Rearrange furniture for 30 minutes
5. Play darts for 70 minutes
6. Play badminton for 40 minutes

Any of the above will burn about 200 calories, making your cupcake guilt-free ;)

                                                            

Fat Free Chocolate Custard Cupcakes

Hello and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Today's recipe was inspired by a combination of having a random box of pudding to get rid of before break, having a cup of Karo syrup to get rid of before break, and one of my favorite recipes, Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies. 

Thanks to Emmy for baking with me, and to Emma and Lauren for being our first tasters! 

The Recipe: 

• 1 box vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups fat free milk
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 pack hot cocoa mix
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Karo Syrup
• 3 egg whites

The Process: 

1. Boil milk on the stove and mix with pudding. 
2. Chill in the fridge for about 6 hours, or until it sets. 
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176.7 degrees C). 
4. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add karo syrup and egg whites. 
6. Bake in cupcake forms for about 8 minutes (depending on your oven). 
7. Allow to cool. 
8. Fill cookie press (with filling tip) with pudding and inject into cupcakes. 
9. Once all cupcakes have been filled, mix cocoa with pudding and ice cupcakes. 
10. Enjoy! 

The Calories:

Flour: 682 calories

Sugar: 387 calories

Cocoa: 98 calories

Baking Soda: 2 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Karo: 483 calories

Egg Whites: 36 calories

Pudding Mix: 90 calories

Hot Cocoa Mix: 30 calories

Milk: 259 calories

__________________________

TOTAL: 2067 calories

So it's not the most healthy, but it's much healthier than most other cupcakes, and fat free! The recipe makes 10 cupcakes, so each cupcake has 207 calories and is absolutely delicious. 

What went right: 

          If you're going to treat yourself to a cupcake, this is the cupcake to have! It's super delicious and satisfies the sweet tooth in the most lean way possible. 

What went wrong: 

           Nothing :) The only thing that could have worked better is the icing tip with the pudding. Pudding doesn't mold as easily as frosting, but is that really expected? 

Overall, an amazingly yummy, unbelievably healthy treat! 

The Workout: 

Still worried about eating that cupcake? 

Here's a quick and easy 200 calorie workout!