Sorry - No ice cream and apple pie this year!

     Dessert is definitely one of my favourite things about the holidays. But year after year attending numerous Christmas dinners, I have begun to grow tired of the usual pie and ice cream for dessert. Don't get me wrong, I love apple, blueberry, pumpkin and just about any kind of pie! However, this year I decided to take a different route by serving up a Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze. 
     This is a recipe that I had been holding onto for months, just waiting for a good excuse to try it out! I finally decided to make it as a test run for this year's family dinner, and every one who tried it loved it. 
     
You will need:
- 9x5 loaf pan


CAKE

1¼ cups flour, divided

¼ cup cornmeal

2 tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp. Salt

¾ cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup grape seed oil

2 tbsp Cointreau liqueur, optional

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

7 oz. Low fat Greek yogurt

2/3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

GLAZE

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp Cointreau liqueur, optional

Now that you have all your ingredients, let's get started!

- Preheat oven to 350F

- Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan

To make the cake:

- Sift together 1 cup plus 3 tbsp flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Beat brown sugar, oil, Cointreau and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs. Alternately add flour mixture and yogurt to egg mixture until combined.

- Toss in blueberries with remaining 1 tbsp flour and fold into batter. Pour into prepared pan, and bake 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool ten minutes.

To make the glaze:

- Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. If not using Cointreau, add 1 tsp water.

- Unmold cake and poke top all over with wooden skewer. Brush cake with glaze. Cool completely before serving

Simple right? I hope you enjoy this delicious dessert with the people who mean the most to you. Happy Holidays! 

Bon Appetit

Rekindle your love for breakfast

If you often find yourself skipping breakfast because of time constraints, this post is for you!
     We've all been told countless times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, it's true! The first meal of the day is what gives us energy and keeps our metabolisms high. Most people enjoy a big breakfast on weekends - bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes... but this is not realistic for many of us throughout the work week. Who has time to cook up a meal to sit down and eat every morning?
     Smoothies are a fast and delicious way to get your nutrition in the morning. Not only are they fast, but they are so versatile and a great way to get creative. The list of ingredients that can be put into a smoothie is virtually endless - there really is no wrong way to make it.
     Some basic components of smoothies are:
- fresh or frozen fruit (or vegetables)
- fruit juice
- milk or yogurt
- ice
     You can choose any combination of ingredients you want to try. Just combine everything in a blender and blend until your smoothie is thick, frothy and relatively smooth. There is no need to add sugar to your smoothie because the fruit is already naturally sweet! If you make a smoothie and want it to be sweeter, try adding some banana - they are great for sweetening without overpowering the other flavors you have chosen. You can also take this breakfast to go very easily.
     Over time, with experimentation you will discover your own favourite smoothie recipes. However, if you are looking for a place to start here are some of my favourites:

Something for any time - Blueberry Smoothie
- 1 pint of fresh blueberries (or 2 cups of frozen, slightly thawed)
- 1 cup of pineapple or orange juice
- 1 container (8oz.) of low fat vanilla yogurt
- about half of a large banana (to sweeten - this may vary by personal taste)
- makes 2 servings

Something more fun - Tropical Fruit Smoothie
- 1/2 mango
- 2 tbsp frozen pina coloda mix (non-alcoholic!)
- 1/2 banana
- about 4 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 6 ice cubes
- makes one serving

For the coffee lover - Banana Coffee Smoothie
- 2 small bananas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 1/2 cups low fat milk
- 1 (8oz.) container of coffee flavoured yogurt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg

Again, I cannot encourage you enough to get creative with your smoothies. Try a wide range of ingredients with different nutritional benefits (ie. soy milk, protein powders, fibre) to customize your breakfast to your nutritional needs and find out what your favourite combinations are.