Veggie Cream Cheese

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Recipe from 100 Days of Real Food Fast & Fabulous by LisaLeake

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I recently had the honor of receiving Lisa’s latest book, 100 Days of Real Food Fast & Fabulous for recipe testing and to review the cookbook.  I’ve long been a fan of Lisa’s blog and have her first cookbook, 100 Days of RealFood (How We did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes YourFamily Will Love.)  I have also tested several of her other recipes.  The true test of a good recipe is that it’s a recipe that you prepare again and again. Some of my favorites from Lisa are Whole-WheatCarrot Applesauce Muffins, EasyPeasy Applesauce, Whole-WheatCinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread, PecanMaple Breakfast Cookies, and Whole-GrainCornbread, among others. 

Veggie Cream Cheese is a tasty spread/dip that is so easy to make.  It can also be made in advance for a party, for weekday lunches or after-school snacks.  It’s gluten-free, nut-free, and vegetarian.      

1 carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

¼ cucumber, skin on, cut into large chunks

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 green onion (scallion), white and green parts, roughly chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (I used 1 teaspoon dried dill.)

½ teaspoon salt

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

In a food processor, combine everything but the cream cheese.  Pulse until finely chopped.

Drop the cream cheese into the veggie mixture and pulse until well combined. 

Serve or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You only need a few real food ingredients to make this delicious spread.

Here's Lisa's newest cookbook and the Veggie Cream Cheese
spread on whole-wheat toast with sliced cucumber, radishes
and fresh pea shoots.

Hot Mexican Street Corn Dip

Recipe by Becky Hardin of The Cookie Rookie

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Yields 8 servings

We were invited to attend a double birthday party where everyone was to bring an appetizer.  It was the height of the summer season and so there was a lot of lovely produce to choose from.  At the party, the appetizer buffet was filled with wonderful dishes featuring blueberries, eggplant, tomatoes, blackberries, peaches, etc. I chose to make this yummy dip using sweet corn.  It got rave reviews.  This dish can be prepared a day in advance and then popped in the oven for a short time just before the guests arrive.  The sour cream and cheeses help to tame the heat of this dish.  We all thought it had just the right amount.

16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened

½ cup sour cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons hot sauce (or your favorite wing sauce)

Juice from one lime (about 2 Tablespoons)

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided

2 fresh sweet corn kernels

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (leave the seeds in for extra spice, or remove the seeds for a milder flavor)

2 Tablespoons red onion, chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Tortilla chips for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a 1½-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a high-powered blender, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, hot sauce, lime juice, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Blend until fully combined.  (Because the mixture is quite thick at this point, you may need to stop the blender and stir the mixture several times.)

Scoop the cream cheese mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining one-cup cheese, the corn, feta, pepper, onion, and cilantro. Stir to combine.

Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Garnish with more cilantro, feta, lime slices and/or hot sauce, if desired.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Moist Mocha Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
16 servings (1 serving equals 1 square)

If you are looking for a moist, scrumptious cake that’s not too sweet, this is the ticket.  The cake itself is good enough to eat on its own or with a little whipping cream or a dip of ice cream or with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. The frosting is quite nice, but if you are looking for a really sweet frosting, this is not it. When I first made this cake, we had a couple workmen at the house.  One said that he needed another piece to make sure he liked it J The other loved the cake, but thought I should’ve put a thicker layer of the frosting.  In a nutshell, this cake is a winner and I will definitely make it again.   

Cake

Cooking spray
¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1½ cups low-fat yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (I used bittersweet.)
Frosting

1 (8-ounce) bar Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese) or cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur or vanilla
1 small square dark chocolate

Arrange rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together flours, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl, then sift ingredients through a fine mesh strainer.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and oil. Add eggs and egg whites and whisk to incorporate. Fold in yogurt, vanilla, sugar and dissolved espresso powder. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds or over a double boiler. Fold chocolate into batter.
Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated; do not overbeat. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake has risen nicely and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.  While cake is cooling, make the frosting.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until soft and creamy. Spread frosting evenly over cake and cut into squares. Finely grate one small square of chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the cake.

Nutritional Information per Serving:  195 calories; 11 grams fat (4 grams saturated fat); 42 mg. cholesterol; 237 mg. sodium; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.5 grams fiber

Chutney Cheese Ball (or Log)

Recipe from Rick Brown, The Broadmoor 

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Your guests will ask you for the recipe when you serve this delicious appetizer at your next party. This can be made a day or two in advance, so it's great to make when you have lots to do on the day of your party. This cheese ball tastes especially good when you serve it with sliced apples. Lost River Market & Deli has not only a great selection of apples, but also has many choices of crackers. When you have finished making your cheese ball, use the remaining chutney in the jar for Chutney Chicken Salad or Curried Rice Salad.  There's information about chutney at the end of this recipe. (Once you've opened the jar of chutney, keep it in the frigde. It keeps a long time.)

Ingredients

2  (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (I've also made this with just one package of cream cheese and it turned out great.)

½ cup Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse Chutney or Major Grey's Chutney

¼ cup green onion - diced

1 clove garlic - crushed

dash of salt

dash of pepper

½ cup Colby cheese, shredded

½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

Mix together the cream cheese, Old Farmhouse Chutney, scallion, garlic, salt and pepper.

Fold in the Colby and Monterey jack cheeses.

Form the mixture into a ball and roll it into the chopped pecans.

Chutney: From the East Indian word chatni , this spicy condiment contains fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices. It can range in texture from chunky to smooth and in degrees of spiciness from mild to hot. Chutney is a delicious accompaniment to curried dishes. The sweeter chutneys also make interesting bread spreads and are delicious served with cheese.