UB Cookin'

[Amigoo]

Pumpkin Spice Cake

A Plan B recipe (avoids all the butter by converting Mix to a cake)
The brands mentioned are just for Plan B reference.
LOL: Inspired by post-Thanksgiving package discount.

Ingredients:

17oz pkg Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Cookie Mix
2/3 cup light oat bran*
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 xlg egg
1/4 cup egg whites
1/3 cup half & half
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp light olive oil

* try Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Oat Bran

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F; lightly oil 8" x 10" baking dish,
then dust with flour (tap sides to remove excess flour).

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, then whisk in remaining liquids.

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture, stir well to combine,
pour into baking dish, reduce oven to 350F, bake 35-40 min.

Tips: Very tasty, served with a dollop or two!
Batter should pour like thick pancake batter -
add water if oat bran absorbs too much.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: Pumpkin Spice Cake

Try with a rounded cup of raw sunflower seeds, briefly rinsed in hot water,
and skip the added olive oil since the seeds contain oil.

Tip: 2/3 cup water (not 1/2 cup) seems best to make batter pour,
but try 1/2 cup first until the recipe is first tested. If necessary,
stir in any extra water before folding in sunflower seeds.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: Pumpkin Spice Cake

Try with Almost-Whipped Cream:

Round plastic containers just small enough to be hand held, half full of whipping cream,
can be shaken to "almost whip" whipping cream (or whip more if you keep shaking it).
Remove cap occasionally to let in fresh air and add any desired amount of sugar
when cream thickens noticeably.

You might prefer almost-whipped cream as a topping for some desserts ...
even to pour into hot chocolate or other hot drinks!

Rod

[Sandy]

Thank you for posting your Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe just in time for the holidays, Rod. Yum!
xxSandy

[Amigoo]

A diabetes discovery journey ...

Re: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/25/health/i ... index.html

"Abstaining from food for 16 to 18 hours a day could be key to treating a variety of health conditions --
even if you've got to train yourself to push past the hunger."

However, this study may relate to a pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes condition
where not eating more carbohydrates than your body can complement with its natural insulin
before the next meal. And an 8-hour bedtime fast seems typical for the time required
to digest all carbohydrates consumed the previous day.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake

A bit more oat bran than in the Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe.
Voted "Good Stuff!" at the family's Christmas morning brunch.

Ingredients:

17oz pkg Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Cookie Mix
3/4 cup light oat bran
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 xlg egg
1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup half & half
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp light olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F; lightly oil 8" x 10" baking dish,
then dust with flour (tap sides to remove excess flour).

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, then whisk in remaining liquids.

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture, stir well to combine,
spoon into baking dish, reduce oven to 350F, bake 40-45 min.

Tip: If not for breakfast, serve with a dollop or two!

Rod

[Sandy]

Anything pumpkin sounds good to me, Rod, especially around the holidays. Thank you for this latest tempting recipe.
Hope you enjoyed your Christmas.
xxSandy

[Amigoo]

Red Butter Pudding (a 2020 "Say What?!" recipe)
(brands mentioned only for reference)

Eat with a spoon with bites of plain multigrain toast
(try Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain bread).

Ingredients:

13oz container Land O'Lakes "Butter with Olive Oil"
1 tsp turmeric extract powder*
3 tbsp golden flax meal
1/2 tsp garlic granules
3 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp paprika

* empty 4 600mg capsules Solaray Turmeric Extract

Directions:

Stir the ingredients in a chilled bowl,
then return to 13oz container.

Generous serving size: 2 tbsp

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... utter.html

"Brazilian entrepreneur becomes a MILLIONAIRE by selling healthy 'ghee' butter that is a key part of the popular diet"

However: https://time.com/5571810/is-ghee-healthy/

"There’s not much hard evidence to suggest that ghee is healthier than other forms of butter.
Claims of special health-giving properties of ghee are unsubstantiated"

However, having stable shelf life might be a benefit where refrigeration is limited.

Rod

[happyrain]

ghee is wonderful, i'm learning, is considered dairy free by some and a good MCT... it's great for the heart... certainly there are, 'healthy fats' although knowledge from particular cultures like Ayruveda have been OVERRULED by the FDA and Wikepedia...
I love your, "! however" comments... Thanks for all the humor.

[Amigoo]

A less-biased review of ghee vs butter:

Re: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes ... -vs-butter

"most brands of ghee that are sold in commercial grocery stores and cooked at home
are not made with cultures, therefore decreasing its health benefits."

Quick analysis: Ghee is a good (and tasty) butter but with extra cost and slightly higher fat.
Its health benefits are sometimes overstated, depending on brand and advertising ... apparently.
Best guess: Try some in 2020 if only for new experience with an alternative cooking fat ...
butt watch the calories.

Rod

[Sandy]

Thanks Rod and Eric,

I had always wondered what Ghee was. (Obviously I live in a food bubble here.) I would like to try it sometime. but maybe not right now with Christmas flab still in need of a "new home." sigh

xxSandy

[Amigoo]

The prebiotic nature of fresh apples is mentioned in
The Psychobiotic Revolution, 2017, by Scott C. Anderson,
very informative book about microbiota (beneficial bacteria).

Suddenly, "An apple a day ..." has new meaning for daily diets!
... and emphasizes the benefit of prebiotics from fresh food,
even hinting prebiotics might be more important than probiotics
(as supplements) once a good microbiota exists.

Typical prebiotics: artichokes, lentils, asparagus, beans,
onions, garlic, leeks, bananas, beets, broccoli.

Rod

[Sandy]

Hi Rod,
I am determined to reintroduce apples into our diet again...along with the prebiotic cousins after reading your post. Thank you!
xxSandy

[Amigoo]

Beluga Lentil Loaf (second test)

Serve hot as a lentil loaf or cool then refrigerate overnight.
Serve cold or slice into patties and fry in light olive oil to heat.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups beluga lentils, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup golden flax meal
1/4 cup dried chives
3 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp beet powder
3/4 tsp garlic granules
3/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp sea salt

1/3 rounded cup light oat bran
1/2 cup very hot water
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
1/4 cup egg whites

Directions:

Lightly oil medium loaf pan; preheat oven to 350F.

In a large sauce pan, simmer lentils and water
until most of the water is absorbed (about 30 min.).

Create mixture of dry ingredients except oat bran.

In a small bowl, whisk oat bran and hot water,
let rest 5 min.; stir in egg whites, olive oil.

Remove pan from heat, stir in moistened oat bran,
then sprinkle on herb/spice mixture and stir well.

Spoon into prepared loaf pan, creating slight mound,
then cover with foil and bake 1 hr. 10 min.

Tasty Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

6oz can tomato paste
6oz can cold water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground sage

Directions:

Combine liquid ingredients, then stir in remainder.
Refrigerate until used.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: Beluga Lentil Loaf

Since it would require more (or other) filler to create a firm lentil loaf (and then patties),
my belugas will not be loafing much this year. The cooked lentils* have great versatility
for many dishes, cold or hot (add to soups and stews just long enough to heat).

* simmer 1 1/2 cups rinsed black beluga lentils in 2 1/3 cups water
until most of the water is absorbed, then let rest in covered pan 20 min.
If desired, stir in spices and/or herbs when pan is removed from heat.

Rod

[Sandy]

Thanks Rod,

Looks like a good one. I think my grandmother would have appreciated this recipe.

xxSandy

[Amigoo]

Sandy,

For a third test, I would have added 1 1/2 cups diced onions and 1 cup diced celery tops
instead of "filler" to create a spoonable casserole. This is when I decided to skip the loaf
and just have cooked-then-refrigerated belugas available for various dishes.

These could then be made into patties by adding complementary ingredients ...
but this popular "burger" fixation seems related to a meat substitute.

... or add chili ingredients to the simmering belugas!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Komato Sauce

Kancel the ketchup and try this EZ tomato sauce

Ingredients:

6oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cans cold water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tsp sugar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, and vinegar,
then stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until used.

Create two recipes of this "free spirit" ketchup, then try
with dried herbs like parsley, cilantro, or Italian Seasoning.

For an easy pizza or pasta sauce, stir in virgin olive oil
after adding Italian Seasoning and/or dried oregano.
(refrigerate overnight for herbs to moisten)

Rod

[Amigoo]

Fr. O'brice 9P Biscuits (makes 9 small biscuits)

A slightly dry biscuit, meant to be accompanied by jam, jelly, and/or butter.
According to Fr. O'brice , '9P' refers not to '9 biscuits' or to 'Protein'
or to 'Pumpkin' but to '9:00 PM' when this snack was first created.

Ingredients:

1 cup light oat bran
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup whey powder
3 tsp white sugar
3/4 tsp salt

1 xlg egg
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup half & half
1 tbsp virgin olive oil

Directions:

Lightly oil a baking sheet and dust with flour;
pre-heat oven to 400F degrees.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs,
then whisk in remaining ingredients
except olive oil.

Pour into dry mixture, stir to combine,
then vigorously stir in olive oil.

Spoon batter onto prepared baking sheet,
reduce oven to 375F and bake 35 min.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-healt ... ctive.html

"the authors stress, vitamins or nutrients that might be helpful in preserving brain health should be consumed as food."

Who knew
Good food, minimally processed (and not over-cooked), is often the better source of nutrients.

Rod

[Sandy]

Thanks Rod,

I've been thinking a lot about brain health these days.

xxSandy

[Amigoo]

Many people know that flaxmeal is good dietary fiber,
but did you know that bread could be made only with flaxmeal?
See: https://nutritionrefined.com/flaxseed-bread/

Using only 3/4 cup flaxmeal and the rest grain flour(s)
should produce a quickbread loaf with similar flax benefit.
(amount of water required may be different)

Not bakin' today?
Mix 3 tbsp golden flaxmeal with 7oz container Butter with Olive Oil
and apply to a toasted slice of your favorite wholegrain bread.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... vated.html

"The fastest way to beat Type 2 diabetes:
Mouth-watering family feast recipes to keep you all trim, confident and motivated"

Notice that grains (and flour made from grains) is rare in these recipes?

Rod

[Sandy]

There are some good looking and sounding recipes in that URL, Rod. Thanks!
Yep, sadly it seems that getting rid of most or even all the bread (grains) is a must to reversing your diabetes.
That is hard to do at first. (from my experience on a low carb diet.)
But you've got to admit, those healthy dishes in this article sure look delicious.

xxSandy