Stuffed Peppers

It has been a LOOOONG time since I've updated. I've actually been busy working on launching a new site to show off my cakes & cookies. Check it out at www.centerstagesweets.com. However, eating all those sweets has helped me pack on some pounds, so it's definitely time to start making some healthy recipes again!

Stuffed peppers have always been one of my favorite meals, and using low fat ground beef and brown rice makes it a great healthy meal. I used a combination of about 5 recipes to come up with this one, and it was great! I loved the little kick of spice the tobacsco sauce adds to the topping. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 4 green or red bell peppers
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of tabasco sauce

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Slice peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds & stems. Boil peppers 5 minutes to soften. Remove from water and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Sautee beef, onions and garlic in a large frying pan until beef is browned. Drain excess fat.
• Season beef mixture with salt and pepper, then add diced tomatoes and cooked rice.
• Place peppers open side up in a baking dish and stuff with meat and rice mixture.
• Bake peppers for 25-30 minutes.
  
  

Almond Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake

I'm such a bad blogger that I'm just now posting a dessert that I made for Fourth of July. I feel guilty for keeping this one from you for so long, because it is super healthy (127 calories per slice and NO fat) and delicious.

I was terrified to try an angel food cake. I've never had to beat egg whites into any sort of peaks before, and know that it can turn into a disaster if beaten too long. So before I attempted to make this, I read up on "the egg foam method" in Alton Brown's baking book, "I'm Just Here For More Food" (an EXCELLENT read, by the way). I knew that Alton would explain everything I needed to know in order to make the cake great, and I was not disappointed. Me + Alton + BFFs.

I topped it with cool whip light and some strawberries that I sliced and refrigerated with a little splenda overnight. The original recipe was lemon-poppy seed, but since I'm not a big fan of lemon desserts, I substituted almond extract for the 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract that the original recipe called for (now you can turn it back into lemon if you really want to, but the almond was awesome).

Almond Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake

Source: The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cake flour
• ¾ cup Splenda
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 12 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour, Splenda, and cornstarch. Stir in poppy seeds and set aside.
• Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until foamy. Beat in almond extract.
• Beat in sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Spoon flour mixture over the egg white mixture in four additions, gently folding in after each addition. Pour batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
• Invert cake pan and cool cake completely.
• Loosen cake from sides of pan with a thin metal spatula. Invert cake onto a serving platter.

Sugar Free Carrot Cake

For every family holiday gathering, my job is to make dessert. I'm the only one in my family who really enjoys baking, so it's a good fit. For Easter, I wanted to make something a little on the light side. When I found this carrot cake recipe at Splenda.com, I knew I had to give it a try. Carrot cake is one of my mother's favorite desserts. I have to say this lighter version was great. It was really moist, and since I upped the spices a bit from the original recipe, it had lots of flavor. I made a frosting with 8 ounces of fat free cream cheese, 1/3 cup splenda, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I would not reccommend using fat free cream cheese, stick to light. The texture of the frosting was off using the fat free. Overall, though, the cake was great, and I would make it again if I was looking for a lighter dessert.

Sugar Free Carrot Cake
Source: Splenda.com

Ingredients:

• 7/8 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (my addition to the original recipe)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup eggbeaters
• 3/8 cup splenda
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat margarine
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (my addition to the original recipe)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In small bowl whisk together egg whites and eggbeaters. Set aside.
• In large bowl beat SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, margarine, honey, vanilla, applesauce, and canola oil. Mix in egg mixture, stir until well mixed. Stir in flour mixture, then carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
• Pour into greased 8 cup loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool, ice if desired. (I used 2 round pans, and baked for 30 minutes).