Blue Cayenne

Zucchini Soup

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 T. Olive oil
• 1 Medium yellow onion
• 2 Garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 Medium zucchini (chopped)
• 2 Medium fresh tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 Quart water or vegetable broth (or more depending upon the amount of vegetables you have in your pot)
• 1/4 to 1/2 C. Spaghetti broken into small pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish with parsley leaves, shaved Parmesan, chopped tomato

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Saute yellow onion until it is soft (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and saute for a minute. Add chopped zucchini and saute for a few minutes. Add chopped tomato and cook for a couple of minutes until the tomato begins to break down. Add water (or broth) and broken spaghetti pieces. Simmer soup for 30 minutes.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve garnished with chopped tomato, shaved Parmesan and parsley leaves.

Nutrition

Calories

314 cal

Fat

28 g

Carbs

14 g

Protein

5 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Five Spice Cake

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 250 ml. cider (choose a dry not a sweet one)
• 175 ml. grapeseed oil (a neutral oil without a lot of flavor)
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 300 grams unsulfured molasses
• 3 large eggs
• 3 inch piece of peeled and grated fresh ginger root (about 2 t.)
• 300 grams plain flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. freshly-grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 t. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• Nonstick spray or oil to grease your bundt pan.
• Garnish with powdered sugar, Ranier cherries, caramel sauce or French vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Before starting your cake, uncap the cider and let it sit for a while to go flat.
2. Prepare your pan by greasing it carefully. This bundt pan needs very careful oiling to ensure that your cake won't stick. You can also use non-stick cooking spray.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Use a large bowl (I used the bowl of my KitchenAid mixer) to mix oil, brown sugar, and molasses. Add the cider, eggs, and ginger and beat until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, 5-spice powder, and cinnamon. Add this dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix until you have a smooth batter. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you are mixing. The batter will be runny.
6. Pour your batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake on the center rack of your oven for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs adhering to the tester.
7. Cool cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the cake from the pan. (I carefully ran a knife around the funnel of the bundt pan.) Cool completely. This cake is better on day two when it has had time for the spices to marry. Wrap it and let it sit on your counter until the next day.
8. I served this with powdered sugar. It is also very good with caramel sauce. It is pretty served with Ranier cherries in the center.

Nutrition

Calories

4362 cal

Fat

168 g

Carbs

748 g

Protein

25 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Banana Snacking Cake With Salted Caramel Glaze

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Cake
• 1/2 C. unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 C. granulated sugar
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. fine salt
• 1 C. mashed bananas
• 1/4 C. sour cream
• 2 T. dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
For The Glaze
• 4 T. unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
• 1/3 C. dark brown sugar (packed in the cup)
• 1/4 C. heavy cream
• Large pinch of fine sea salt
• 1/4 C. powdered sugar
• Flaky sea salt (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 9-by-9 inch pan by greasing the pan and lining it with parchment. (If you allow two sides of the parchment to hang over the sides of the pan, you will have created a convenient sling to help you get the cake out of the pan.)
3. Prepare cake batter by combining flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk these ingredients together. Then, add mashed bananas, melted butter, room temperature sour cream, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix and then spoon this batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
4. To make the glaze, combine butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt in a large saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil and maintain the boil for a minute. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. (Be sure to use a large saucepan for this step because the butter mixture will expand and bubble up as it heats.) After the glaze has cooled for five minutes, whisk in powdered sugar, Whisk the glaze until it is smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled banana cake and garnish with flaky sea salt at the time of serving. (I used Maldon salt.) I removed the cake from the pan and drizzled the glaze over it but this could also be done leaving the cake in the pan. Put the cake into the refrigerator for a few minutes to set the glaze. Be aware that the salt will dissolve if you sprinkle it over the glazed cake in advance. If you want your guests to see the salt, sprinkle it on at the very last minute.
5. Store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (or briefly warm the cake) before serving.