Italian Cream Cake

Cream Cheese Icing
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light butter
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 t. butter extract
1 t. coconut extract
1 t. vanilla extract
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
Sugared kumquats(otional
Orange rind strips(optional
Kumquat leaves(optional

PREPARE cream cheese Icing: cover and chill.
COAT bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with cookig spray(do not coat sides of pans);line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray and dust with flour;set aside.
COMBINE sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda;stir well. Add flour mixture to creamedmixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and extracts.
BEAT egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter;pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 23 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.

PLACE 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 2/3 cup Cream Cheese Icing; top with another cake layer. Repeat with 2/3 cup icing and remaining layer,m ending with cake. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with Kumquats, orange rind and leaves.

Yield: 20 servings

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 T. light butter
1 (8-ounce)package Neufchatel cheese
1 (1lb.) package powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar;beat at low sped until well blended. Add vanilla.

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

1/2 c. rinsed quinoa
1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
6 scallions, thinly sliced
15 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T. ground cumin
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 T. fresh lemon juice
4 pitas(each 6 inches
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 c. water to a boil; add quinoa, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper; pulse until combined ut still slightly chunky.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice and the remaining scallions;season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce(add tahini if you like.)

Fruity Winter Salad

1/4 C. Splenda
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 T. salt
2 t. poppy seeds
1 T. olive oil

Whisk together the above ingredients and store covered in refrigerator until ready to toss with the salad greens.

1 large head romaine lettuce or mixed greens
1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. cashews, chopped

Gingered sugar snap peas

1 T. canola oil
1 T. fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. sugar snap peas
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper



Heat 1 T. canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger and 2 minced garlic cloves to pan; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add 8 ounces trimmed sugar snap peas;saute 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water;cook 1 minute or until most of water evaporates. Stir in 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. freshly ground pepper. Cook 30 seconds or until peas are crisp-tender.

Pork Sate with Peanut-Mirin Sauce

PORK

2 t. grated lime rind
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. peanut butter
2 t. sugar
2 t. fish sauce
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut
i nto 16(4-inch-long)strips

SAUCE

1 1/2 T. sugar
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. mirin(sweet rice wine)
1 t. fish sauce
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 T. dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

REMAINING INGREDIENT:

Cooking spray

1) Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2) To prepare pork, combine first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.
Add pork to bowl;toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
3) Thread 2 pork pieces lengthwise onto each of 8(12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with
cooking spray;grill 3 minutes on each side until done. Serve with sauce

(from Pam Klampe)

Banana Nut Bread

1 1/2 c. flour
1 cube butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla
3/4 cup nuts, chopped

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients that have been blended together to the wet ingredients. Blend in the nuts.

Butter and flour loaf pan and bake @350F. for 1 hour.

Best I've made yet!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake from Eloise Barry

1 (18.25 oz.)package devil's food cake mix
1 (4 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (12 oz.) semisweet choclate chips (2 cups)
1 3/4 cup water
2 large eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. butter, melted
2 to 3 T. hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. (175 C.). Grease and flour a 12 inch Bundt pan; set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix and chocolate chips. In another bowl combine water, eggs
and vanilla; mix well. Add egg mixture to dry mixture and mix by hand just until blended.
3. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake tests done when wooden pick inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool 15 to 20 minutes before removing cake from pan.
4. When completely cool drizzle cake with Chocolate Glaze.
5. For Chocolate Glaze: Combine all ingredients in bowl and beat by hand until smooth.

Makes 12 servings