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Tomorrow is my coworker’s last day at work, as she is moving off the island. Given my reputation at work as the “baking RD” (hello, I’m the one who baked a gazillion Red Velvet Cupcakes for every floor of the hospital on Valentine’s Day), it isn’t very surprising that for her going-away potluck, I was unanimously assigned to bring dessert. So when I asked my coworker what her favorite dessert was, she said something either chocolate or coconut, but it had to be cake. And given that I’ve never made a coconut cake before, it was my window of opportunity to make a new recipe!
After researching tons of coconut cake recipes online, I found a problem – a LOT of them had tons of butter, coconut milk, and heavy frosting. I didn’t want to send my coworkers, or myself, into food coma right after lunch, so I found an excellent recipe from Cooking Light. No need to substitute or cut anything down, just made it as is. And the cake turned out amazing! I didn’t have any light coconut milk so substituted half regular coconut milk and half water – the cake had a tender crumb and seemed to melt in your mouth - it is definitely something I’d make again. Oh, and to add color and a contrast in flavors, I made a simple raspberry sauce using some Truvia sweetener packets that I got as samples in the mail.
One problem though – the frosting. It’s a little tricky, this thing. First, you have to boil sugar and water – but using a candy thermometer that registers up to 250°F. I only have a meat thermometer that goes up to 200°F, and I don’t even use it. In fact, whenever it was Thanksgiving and my mom would make a turkey (mind you – it was always a turkey over 25 pounds because we have about 30 family members over for any holiday party), she never used a thermometer, and the turkey always came out perfectly roasted. It always made me a little nervous, but she has that instinct cooking for crowds, and there has never been an undercooked turkey!
So that’s where my feeling of “I don’t need a thermometer – I can just rely on my gut feeling!” attitude came in. Candy thermometer? Fuggetaboutit. I will just go with “about 3 minutes” boiling time for the sugar syrup and breeze on from there. And from there it was a great frosting, really light, coconut-y and tasty – but when I put it in the fridge to chill before frosting the cake, it collected a little pool of liquid on the bottom of the bowl! Ugh – this probably happened because I beat the egg whites till they were at soft peaks before streaming in the hot sugar (the recipe says to beat the egg whites till foamy, then stream in the sugar while beating, then to beat till fluffy), and then continued to beat them for another 12 minutes as the recipe stated.
Beating those egg whites to a pulp probably broke the egg proteins and caused them to liquify once settled – but good thing I didn’t totally destroy them because it didn’t all collapse into a pool of sorrow. So I just scooped the non-liquified frosting onto the cake, and it set just fine in the fridge sans any more liquification (yes, I was nervous). I really liked the flavor of the frosting (in fact, I licked my spatula when done frosting the cake), but it was a pain-in-the-woohoo to make and kind of runny (probably because of my previous said mistake). Next time I do this I’ll make sure not to overbeat the egg whites before streaming in the sugar syrup. If you don’t want to bother with the trouble, just make the cream cheese frosting from my red velvet cupcakes – that’s no-fail! 
Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting
recipe from cookinglight.com
Instead of using 3 8-inch round pans (because I don’t have 3), I used one 9-inch pan and cut it in half after baking to put the filling inside. I increased baking time to about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake came out clean.
Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
Cake:
- Cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon cake flour
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour (about 10 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup egg substitute
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup light coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
- For the frosting:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 5 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- 3 tablespoons toasted flaked sweetened coconut
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Lightly coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust pans with 1 tablespoon flour.
Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place 2 cups sugar and 6 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until well blended. Add egg substitute and eggs to sugar mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture and coconut milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon extract.
Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans. Remove wax paper; discard. Cool cakes on wire racks.
To prepare frosting, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, without stirring, or until a candy thermometer registers 250°. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; using clean, dry beaters, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; continue beating until egg white mixture cools (about 12 minutes).
Beat 1/4 cup butter until light and fluffy; stir in 1/4 teaspoon extract, if desired. Fold in 1 cup egg white mixture. Fold butter mixture into remaining egg white mixture, stirring until smooth.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Repeat twice with cake layers and 1 cup frosting, ending with cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill until set.
Nutrition Information:
- Calories: 317 (25% from fat)
- Fat: 8.8g (sat 5.5g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.2g)
- Protein: 4.4g
- Carbohydrate: 55.6g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
- Iron: 1.9mg
- Sodium: 267mg
- Calcium: 10mg
Recipe from Jan Moon, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2006
Raspberry Sauce
makes about 2 1/2 cups
1 12-oz package frozen raspberries, thawed
3-4 packets Truvia or sweetener of choice
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the raspberries and Truvia. Stir while cooking, breaking up the raspberries to form a thick sauce. Add any extra sugar to taste. Continue to stir and wait for the sauce to bubble and slightly thicken. Take off the heat; if you want to make it smooth, puree the raspberry sauce in a food processor until smooth. As for me, my brain has already checked out and it’s time to take my dog on a walk.
Mexican food is one of the things we don’t get very often here, partly because the only Mexican restaurant we like on the island requires driving up to North Shore, a big commitment for us if it’s just for a meal. But it’s one of the cuisines we crave and go for first when we visit home in California.
Here’s my knock-off version of a soft taco made with ground turkey and layered with spices like cumin, paprika, onion, garlic, and chili powder. It’s super easy – just throw everything into your saute pan and cook away. You can just lay all the fixins out, such as the cabbage slaw, tomatoes, cilantro – and your peeps can assemble on their own! I love it when Mexican food isn’t overladen with cheese and sour cream, so instead I lightly dressed the cabbage slaw and upped the veggie load (we always request more salsa when we eat Mexican food, so dice as many tomatoes as you want!). Incorporating as many veggies as you can into your diet reaps the benefits, as all of them synergistically play a unique role in maintaining the powerhouse that is your body.
Need evidence? For example, cabbage is a member of the cruciferous family of veggies (broccoli, kale, and cauliflower are its relatives). Cabbage sulphoraphanes, functional food components that can help to demolish free radicals, build up your antioxidant defenses, and delay the onset of certain cancers and chronic disease. In addition, the lycopene in tomatoes may also have a potential role in decreasing one’s risk of prostate cancer (that’s you, guys!).
And although choosing a corn tortilla is a better choice than flour (flour is generally higher in calories, lower in fiber), I like flour better. On a happy note, I discovered that Mission tortillas makes a flour tortilla called “Carb Balance,” in which the fajita size (small) has 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber in one tortilla. If you get the soft taco size (medium), you’ll also do good with only 110 calories and 11 grams of fiber per serving (REPEAT: 11 GRAMS! Adults need about 25-30 grams of fiber daily). Now, that’s a tortilla that won’t wreck your waistline!
Turkey Soft Tacos with Creamy Cabbage Slaw
Makes about 8 soft tacos (using fajita size tortillas)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 big pinch sea salt
4 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
Black pepper
2-4 plum tomatoes, diced
A handful of roughly chopped cilantro
Lime wedges, optional
1 package Mission brand Carb-balance tortillas (fajita or soft taco size) or corn tortillas
1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and the garlic, stirring occasionally until lightly caramelized.
2. Add the ground turkey, garlic and chili powders, seasoning salt, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, black pepper, ketchup, and a pinch of sea salt. Break up the turkey into small pieces and saute all ingredients, making sure the seasonings are well-incorporated into the turkey. Continue to saute until turkey is opaque and cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate.
3. To make the cabbage slaw: In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, lime juice, light sour cream, fat-free mayo, and black pepper to taste. Add in some cilantro too, if you wish.
4. To serve, top off a soft taco with some ground turkey, cabbage slaw, tomatoes, and cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice on top if desired. Now, that wasn’t too hard, was it? 
Nutrition Facts (estimated using 1 Carb Balance fajita size tortilla, 2.5 oz ground turkey, 1/2 cup cabbage slaw, and 1/4 cup tomatoes): 238 calories, 10.4 grams fat, 18 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams protein, 8.6 grams fiber
We had family come this past weekend, and when visitors come, Phong and I immediately check into vacation mode (as if we don’t take enough advantage living on an island already). We spend all day at the beach, rather than stay an hour or two to surf, and drive around the island a lot more. It’s great, and we often think while we’re kickin’ it with the friends or fam that we should devote more weekend days like this.
So this past Saturday we had a cousin reunion and were all at the beach. Phong and I were teaching my cousin’s kids how to surf, and let me tell ya, those little ones catch on quick! The two of us definitely had our workout for the weekend as we pushed the girls out on their boards, swam back to shore to get them, and then pushed them back into the ocean for another go. “Let’s do it again!” they’d say. Muscles = tired . No wonder why those surf camp instructors are so fit!
After some time, we’d head back on the sand and my cousin, who was obsessed with going to Chinatown during her vacation, would continually pop out goodies from her cooler like a true Vietnamese mom. I mean, it was the best beach eating ever! She had steamed mini char-siu pork buns, dim sum goodies (I know – at a beach, but it was great!), lychees, mangoes, tamarind candy, Vietnamese sticky rice, the list goes on. It was super hilarious. Not to mention my other cousin who brought three kinds of fresh poke (pronounced po-kay). Talk about deeelish.
So after grazing on what I’d call “vacation foods” for a weekend, I figured it was back to normal eating. I had some Japanese eggplants, a block of tofu, and some fragrant Thai basil calling my name from the fridge. The tender, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant and crisp tofu paired up perfectly with some whole-grain thin spaghetti that I tossed with some ground peanuts and my hoisin-peanut sauce. And totally satisfying – I mean, how could it not be? Save some to pack for lunch tomorrow – you’ve got the perfect meal full of protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates that will definitely not put you into a blood sugar slump mid-day.
Japanese Eggplant and Tofu with Peanut Noodles
serves about 4
4 cups cooked Barilla thin spaghetti (about 1/2 of a 14.5-ounce package)
1 package extra-firm tofu, sliced into 1″ x 4″ pieces
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced diagonally into 1/2″ slices
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
1 tsp chili paste
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3/4 cup water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Thai basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, ground finely in the food processor
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Cook the thin spaghetti according to package instructions; drain and set aside.
2. Before slicing the tofu, take the tofu out of the package and set a plate on it for about 30 minutes. This will squeeze out any excess liquid in the tofu, making it easier to cook later.
3. Place some paper towels on a large baking sheet. Arrange the eggplant over the paper towels and sprinkle salt on the eggplant. Set aside for about 15 minutes; you’ll see the eggplants start to “sweat,” getting rid of their excess moisture. Pat the tops of the eggplants dry and leave aside.
4. In a small bowl, heat the hoisin sauce and peanut butter for about 15 seconds, until easier to whisk together. Whisk in the chili paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
5. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat about 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the tofu and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Take the tofu out and place on a plate with a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
6. Add the last 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil to the saucepan, and then the slices of eggplant. Continue to saute; add the lid of the saucepan for a few minutes for faster cooking. When the eggplant is thoroughly cooked and tender, add it to the tofu on the plate.
7. Using the same pan, add the water, garlic, and the hoisin mixture you made earlier. Stir to combine all ingredients and allow to gently simmer. Add your pasta and Thai basil leaves, allowing the sauce to evenly coat the pasta. Add the tofu, eggplant, and ground peanuts. Stir to combine and add black pepper to taste.
I generally love corn on the cob by itself, whether it’s baked, boiled, or roasted over the barbeque. But once in awhile, it’s great to “dress it up” a little bit. Here, I make a cilantro-garlic butter that just melts over steaming hot corn on the cob. I use Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil to cut out 50 calories, 6 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat from regular butter. Best of all, it doesn’t come with the trans fats that you’ll find in some of the other butter/margarine “spreads.”
What is all this fuss about trans fats anyways? That artery-clogging, man-made type of fat that can increase your LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower your HDL (good cholesterol), increasing your risk of coronary heart disease. It’s made in a process called hydrogenation – chemically adding hydrogen atoms to vegetable oils to make a more solid fat and prolong the shelf life of foods. They provide zero benefit, and more harm to those who consume it. Heart disease is THE leading cause of death in the United States – it ranks higher up there than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, and strokes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, over 12.5 million people have CHD. Pretty depressing numbers, I would say.
This is why whatever little changes we can make to our diets these days will do us a world of good, not to mention buy us some time. And thankfully, our country is taking a hard look at the facts – states like New York and California (thanks Arnold!) have banned trans fat use in its restaurants, and companies like McDonald’s and The Cheesecake Factory have nixed the nasty fat from its menus as well.
Don’t be fooled if a product still says “trans fat-free” on the product package – if a product contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving, the manufacturer does not not need to list it and you’ll see a nice round “zero” on the nutrition facts label. Feel jipped now? Well, here’s a trick to figure out if your food contains any trans fats, even if the label tells you it’s “trans-fat-free.” Take a closer look at the ingredients label. If you see “partially hydrogenated oils” anywhere in there, you’ve got trans fats. Doesn’t matter if it says “partially hydrogenated cottonseed/sunflower/soybean/palm/vegetable/whatever oil,” trans fats abound. You’ll mostly find it in margarines, baked and packaged cookies, cakes, and crackers, and shortening.
Anyways, back to my corn. It’s yummy, and dressed with some cilantro and garlic, it adds a nice herby kick to sweet corn. And although I do use butter in some of my cooking (in moderation of course), I like to use this Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil for toast or spreadable uses to save up on calories, fat, and cholesterol you’ll usually find in regular butter.
Cilantro-Garlic Corn on the Cob
serves 4
2 Tbsp Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed and minced finely
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
Small pinch salt
Small pinch garlic powder
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 medium ears of corn, prepared the way you like it (I cut each ear of corn in half and serve 2 halves per person)
1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. Spread about 1/2 Tbsp of the cilantro-garlic butter onto each ear of corn.
Nutrition Facts (per 1 medium ear of corn + 1/2 Tbsp serving): 93 calories, 3.5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat), 17 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein
I’m a bread pudding convert. For years, I stayed away from it because it just didn’t sound right to me to have soggy bread as a dessert, plus it seemed to have so many unnecessary calories and fat from all the butter and whole milk. I’m not sure when the change came, but I remember going to a cafe with my friend Karen a few years ago in Old Town Orange, in which she proceeded to order the Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding for our dessert.
“Bread pudding?!” I thought, but decided it was time to try it for once. And when I tried it, I mean, wow. It wasn’t soggy at all, but custardy, rich, and totally sinful – the both of us agreed that we couldn’t have more than a few bites since it’s goodness spurred feelings of guilt. Then, when I was in San Francisco visiting my friend Meesh, we had it for dessert at this restaurant, Town, in San Carlos, where it was lusciously topped off with a generous amount of maple-brandy sauce and creme anglaise.
Okay, so that’s twice I’ve had bread pudding in my life, and now I love it, but I wouldn’t dare order it regularly and would rather do without all that extra fat and calories that could be more than the equivalent of a cheeseburger. I mean, even Whole Foods has a recipe for bread pudding, but it’s loaded with 20 grams of fat per serving! Let’s not even try to guess what was in that bread pudding I had at Old Town Orange, much less other restaurants. You should always share dessert when eating out for that reason! So today, I set out to make a bread pudding that was not skimpy on the flavor and texture, but lower on the calorie and fat ladder.
And I must say, this is some hit-the-spot bread pudding. It’s perfectly custardy and moist without being soggy. I made my custard base out of eggs, non-fat milk plus a little half-and-half for that richness. I used Oroweat Hawaiian sweet bread, which has only 100 calories and 2 grams of fat per slice. No way would I use whole-wheat or whole-grain bread here – I wanted this to taste like the real thing and have a similar texture as if I had used challah or brioche without all the fat. And look at the nutrition facts near the end of this recipe. Woohoo!!!! So minimal in fat and a fraction of the calories in regular restaurant desserts! You can top it off with a small dollop of vanilla ice cream or whatever, but I prefer mine as is, since it’s so good hot out of the oven. Just don’t burn your tongue trying to eat it so fast like I did!
Cinnamon and Raisin Bread Pudding
serves 6
6 slices (1/2-inch-thick) slices of Oroweat Hawaiian Sweet Bread, or buttermilk bread
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup (or 1.5 ounce box) seedless raisins
2 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup nonfat (skim) milk
1/4 cup half-and-half (don’t use the fat-free kind)
Nonstick cooking spray
special equipment needed: 6 4-ounce rammekins
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange 6 4-ounce rammekin cups on a baking sheet and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. With a bread knife, cut the bread into small squares, about 4 cuts crosswise and 3 cuts lengthwise (you can cut out the crust if you like, but I left mine in there because my bread had soft crusts on them). Place the bread squares into a medium bowl; toss with cinnamon and raisins. Set aside.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, nonfat milk, and half-and-half. When thoroughly combined, add the bread cube mixture, and gently fold to evenly soak the bread cubes.
4. Spoon an even amount of the bread pudding mixture into each rammekin cup. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of an individual rammekin comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes; serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts (1 serving: 1 individual bread pudding): 222 calories, 5 grams fat, 38 grams carbohydrates, 7.3 grams protein
