Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hazelnuts & Fresh Lime Juice AND The Chinet Bakeware Giveaway Winners!

FIRST, THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Thank you all for your wonderful meal suggestions. They all sounded so good! I hope you like these pans as much as I did. 

The winners were as follows and I'll be emailing the winners...CONGRATULATIONS!

Winner 1: One 2-pack 8"x8" Chinet Bakeware^®


COMMENT #19: Kristine

Rice-A-Roni Casserole to tak to Pot Luck! Thanks a Bunch! 

Winner 2: One 2-pack Oval 7 1/4" x 9 1/4"Chinet Bakeware^®

COMMENT #3: Janine

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Butter Breadcrumbs on top!

Winner 3: One 2-pack Oval 7"x11" Chinet Bakeware^® 

COMMENT #9: SHEENA

I would make lasagna or some type of dessert! What a great product!

And now for today's recipe...


Just because something sounds and looks healthy doesn't mean it has to taste dull and boring. This salad, for example, made a perfect, tasty lunch for me this week. My doc told me my cholesterol is 250 (YIKES!!!) and though no need for medication, which I was grateful for, I do need to start watching my fats and carb intake. I really didn't miss a thing by not adding in the oil to this salad and it was light and refreshing. 

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hazelnuts and Fresh Lime Juice
2 c. Fresh Baby Spinach, rinsed and stems removed
4-5 Strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2 tbsp. Chopped Hazelnuts
1 Lime, juice only
1/4 tsp. Fresh Black Pepper


Tear spinach into bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl. Slice the strawberries and add to the spinach along with the nuts, lime juice and pepper. Toss all ingredients together. Serves 2. 


*Nutritional Information: Calories 67, Carbs 6g, Fat 4g, Protein 3g


Enjoy!


*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Cheesecake

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hosted Easter this year and I was dying to try out a new cheesecake recipe. I had originally started off thinking I was just going to do a Chocolate Hazelnut version but I thought that raspberries would also give this a nice flavor. I used the same base as the Limoncello Cheesecake I made several months ago, but changed it up a bit. It was INCREDIBLE!!! I just love the flavor combination of chocolate, raspberries and hazelnuts and it was so creamy, not dense like other cheesecakes I've had. I will definitely be making this cheesecake again. I does taste best if you make it a day before you are ready to serve so that the cheesecake has time to properly set (get firm) so plan accordingly. It will also freeze well as long as you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then cover it in foil. 

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Cheesecake

Crust

16 Chocolate Graham Crackers

½ c. Hazelnuts

¼ c. Granulated Sugar

1 Stick of Salted Butter, melted 

1 tsp. Butter

Pulse the graham crackers, hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor until they are chopped fine. Gradually pour in the butter until it is mixed well and crumbly. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 10”  round spring form pan using approximately 1 tsp. of butter. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan and come up about ½" on the sides. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes then remove and let cool. 

Cheesecake filling

2 lb. Cream Cheese

1 c. Granulated Sugar

4 Eggs

1 c. Chambord (Raspberry Liquor)

1/2 c. Nutella

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 oz. Dark Chocolate, chopped fine

1 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped fine

1 oz. White Chocolate, chopped fine

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Next, add the eggs, Chambord and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Fold in the Nutella and three types of chocolate, then pour filling into the cooled crust. Place pan on top of a sheet pan and add 2 c. water to the bottom; creating a water bath. Bake 350°F for approximately 1 hour or until the edges puff up and the center is set. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until the cheesecake has fully cooled then cut into 12 slices. 

Enjoy!

Shared on Sweet As Sugar Cookies Sweets for a Saturday 5/5/12
Shared on Carole's Chatter 5/31/13

Holiday Baking #1: Hazelnut Truffles

How is everyone doing today? I have been busy, busy. busy with some of my holiday baking. I still have a few more cookies to make but I'll be creating separate posts for each item that I've made so far so you too can get a jump on what you might need to get at the store today if baking was on your agenda this weekend. 

Many years ago I found a recipe for Bailey's Irish Cream Truffles from Chef Judy Contino from Ambria Restaurant in Chicago, IL. The paper is so tattered and barely readable at this point because I have to make these every year for my niece, who absolutely adores them. I love this basic recipe because the texture is wonderful no matter what you add to it. So this year, I will be making the Bailey's Irish Cream Truffles (and I also made some Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream!) but I also wanted to try a few different variations. I also decided to make them smaller, as they are so rich and found these cute petit four paper cups at my local party store but you can certainly make them larger. So here is my Holiday Baking Experiment #1. 

Hazelnut Truffles
Adapted from Chef Judy Contino, Ambria Restaurant
12oz. Dark Chocloate
1/2 c. Nutella (Hazelnut spread)
1/2 c. Heavy Cream
2 Egg Yolks
1 tbsp. Butter
4 oz. Finely Chopped Hazelnuts

Add the chocolate, Nutella and heavy cream to a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until all of the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks (I save the whites to use for my breakfast). Next, whisk in the butter until melted. Pour in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until firm. Using a spoon, mold the mixture into 1/2" balls. (If it starts to soften, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen while you work). Roll the balls in chopped hazelnuts. Keep refrigerated. Makes 3 1/2 dz.-1oz. truffles.  

Enjoy!