The Easiest Tiramisu Ever

Not Traditional, but So What!

If you have ever made tiramisu before than you know it is a little time consuming. It involves making a zabalione which requires a bit of time beating the eggs over low heat in order to ensure that they are safe to eat (no salmonella!). The traditional way to prepare it also requires fresh whipped cream made from scratch- which takes time and not to mention adds more calories. So when I came across this quick, easy and light recipe from Supreme Dairy Farms (located right here in RI!), I knew I had to try it.

The Supreme recipe uses ricotta cheese in place of the mascarpone and no eggs which is not traditional at all for a tiramisu. I would have tried the recipe just as written, but I happened to get a great deal on mascarpone cheese at Whole Foods and it was sitting in the fridge just waiting for a reason to be used! So I obliged.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it can be made ahead and can even be frozen. I actually made this 2 weeks ago and popped it in the freezer. So I am all set to bring it over my brothers house for Thanksgiving, and he is none the wiser. He doesn't need to know that I didn't slave over it like I usually do... (Unless he reads this post, Hi Bro!)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone ;)

The Easiest Tiramisu Ever
adapted from Supreme Ricotta Cheese

24 ladyfingers
3⁄4 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 -8 3/4 oz container mascarpone cheese
1 cup fat-free or part skim ricotta cheese, well drained
1 -6 oz. container fat-free vanilla yogurt, well drained
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons amaretto liquor or brandy or coffee liquor
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder or 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange rind

Preheat oven to 375°, arrange ladyfingers on baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 5 mins. Mix the teaspoon of sugar with the espresso and dip ladyfingers in it quickly turning to coat each side.

Arrange half of the ladyfingers in a 2 or 2 1⁄2 quart oval or rectangular serving dish.
In a small bowl, mix mascarpone, ricotta, yogurt, sugar and liquor; beat thoroughly until smooth. Spread half of the mixture on the ladyfingers in the serving dish. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate. Repeat layers of ladyfingers, dipped in espresso, mascarpone mixture and chocolate. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Dust with cocoa powder or fresh grated orange rind before serving.

Lentils & Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers were a staple in my house growing up. We would have them at least twice a month. I always liked them. Although as a kid you don't realize how much you like something until you don't have it anymore. I miss eating them because I really don't make them that often myself, mostly due to the fact that they take a while to prepare. Also, I don't really eat much ground beef anymore either.

So I got to thinking... Why not come up with a quicker version and lighten it up a bit. I decided to use my usual substitute for ground beef - ground turkey of course. Plus I cut the amount in half and added some healthy fiber filled lentils in its place. And instead of using white rice which is not all that healthy, I used brown rice which has more nutrients and fiber.

With all these healthy changes, I had to consider flavor. So I added lots of garlic... But don't worry because I could barely even taste it. Remember, the brown rice is really bland and the turkey is also so lean that it really needs a flavor boost. I think I would even add more next time. :)

Ok now, let me tell the best part of all. The time savers and my two new best friends... Joe and Ben.
That's Trader Joe's lentils and Uncle Ben's ready rice. By using these pre-cooked ingredients, I saved so much time. And they are just as healthy as if I cooked them myself.

So I hope you give these healthier stuffed peppers a try, they won't take all day and you will be happy that you ate such a nutrient rich and satisfying meal.

Also, just a note on pepper shape and size. When I bought the red bell peppers, I wasn't thinking about making stuffed peppers because I would have bought short, wide ones if I had thought about it. Because they were so tall and thin, I had a problem standing them up in my usual baking dish. So I improvised and put them in a oven safe pyrex bowl and placed it on a pizza sheet pan just in case anything dripped or oozed over and out of the peppers. It worked out just fine and it looked kind of cool too!
Turkey and Lentil Stuffed Peppers
by Mixed Salad Annie

4 large green or red bell peppers (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 bag Uncle Ben's Ready Brown Rice
1/2 bag Trader Joe's fully cooked Black Beluga Lentils, heated according to package instructions
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large chopped shallots or 1 small chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for top and passing
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or chicken seasoning (such as McCormick Grill Mates Salt-Free Chicken)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce, divided use
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut tops off bell peppers; discard tops, seeds, and membranes. Steam peppers in a steam basket in a large pot of boiling water for about 7 minutes (until crisp tender) or cook in boiling water 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Add olive oil, shallot and garlic to a dutch oven or large skillet, sprinkle with a little salt and cook over low heat until softened. Raise heat to medium high and add turkey, stirring to crumble. Cook until liquid evaporates and turkey begins to brown and the bottom of the pan has developed a brown film. Stir in brown rice, lentils, olives, chicken seasoning, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, worcestershire and 1 can tomato sauce. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and cook around 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat and add Romano cheese; stir to combine.

Divide turkey mixture evenly between peppers, and place them in an 8-inch square baking dish or oven safe round bowl; top with remaining can of sauce. Sprinkle each pepper with a little extra grated Romano cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with extra Romano cheese.

Roasted Chicken with Dried Plums and Shallots

Something Different for a Change...

When I read this recipe I thought, oooh that sounds different. And it certainly was different from my usual chicken dishes. I'm sure some of you are cringing right now at the thought of dried plums (better known as prunes) in a chicken dinner. But I'm telling you, it was pretty good. The dried plums gave just a slight sweet note to the vegetable sauce along with a mellow bite from the garlic... And the caramelized fennel, what can I say except, YUM. If you have never tried caramelized fennel, it is time. If you want to try it for the first time I recommend Roasted Fennel with Parmesan from Giada DeLaurentiis. You will become a fennel-ite, like me! :)

Roasted Chicken with Dried Plums and Shallots
adapted from Cooking Light

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 -2 lb whole chicken breast (about 2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 large shallots, peeled and halved (about 8 ounces)
2 thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges
16 pitted dried plums
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon gravy master

Preheat oven to 400o.

Drizzle oil in a small roasting pan or the bottom of a broiler pan. Place pan in oven 5 minutes or until oil is hot. Sprinkle chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, in pan. Arrange garlic, shallots, thyme sprigs, and fennel around chicken; drizzle remaining 2 teaspoons oil over vegetables and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 400o for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Turn chicken over; stir vegetables. Add plums to pan. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until chicken is done (160-165o). Remove chicken and vegetable mixture from pan; discard thyme sprigs. Discard skin. Loosely cover chicken and vegetable mixture; keep warm.

Place pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup broth and wine, stirring to loosen browned bits. Combine flour and remaining 1/4 cup broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; stir until well blended. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in gravy master, chopped thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve sauce with the chicken and vegetable mixture.

Christmas Dessert...

Cherry Cheesecake for the Holiday...
So Apropos!

In keeping with my "healthier eating theme", I decided to go with a light New York style cheesecake. And who would know how to make the "best" light NY style cheesecake? America's Test Kitchen of course!
I do not own the America's Test Kitchens Best Light Recipe cookbook, but I did see this recipe on their tv show on PBS. I usually save the shows that I like on my DVR so that I can go back and watch them over when I want to make something, but this time no such luck. I had to search the internet for the recipe and finally found it.
I don't feel right to post the original recipe since I don't own the cookbook (even though you can find it just like I did) but I will tell you about some revisions that I made.
If you are a fan of America's Test Kitchen, you are probably wondering why I would make revisions to a very well tested recipe.

Well there were 3 simple reasons...

1. I do not own a 9" springform pan which the recipe calls for. I have a 10" pan and I was afraid that if I followed the recipe exactly and used the wrong size pan, something was bound to go wrong.
2. I decided to make this at the last minute and didn't have time to make their version of yogurt cheese which takes 10-12 hours.
3. I wanted to flavor the cheesecake with my own personal touches.

So here are my revisions:

1. Since I was using a 10" springform pan, I increased the amounts in the ingredients for the crust. I used...
11 1/4 whole graham crackers (and I used honey graham)
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Also the size of the pan affected the cooking time. It was done in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2. For the yogurt cheese I used...
12 ounces Greek yogurt and strained it for 3 1/2 - 4 hours
and then measured out 8 ounces or 1 cup

3. For the flavorings I used...
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 can cherry pie topping~ to which I added 2 tablespoons amaretto liquor and 2 teaspoons almond extract

By the way, the cheesecake turned out really well, everyone loved it and I will definately use this recipe again!
P.S. I could email the recipe if it was an emergency ;P