So, the husband bought a mini German Chocolate cake from Wegman's and of course I can't eat any of it since it is filled with carbs. The coconut filling looked so good, I decided to come up with my own version! I found that just a spoonful satisfies my craving, and leaves me with enough for the week.
For the Almond Joy Filling:
1 c Ricotta cheese - I use the low fat Sorrento and I think that FF would work too
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c shredded coconut
1 tsp coconut extract
1/4 c Splenda
possibly a splash of dairy
In a dry skillet, heat the pecans and coconut over medium high heat. You want to the coconut to turn a nice toasty brown, but not burn. Stir almost constantly and as soon as it is a nice light brown, turn the heat off and pour onto a plate or into a bowl so it doesn't keep cooking. Place the ricotta cheese in a food processor and whir for 30 sec. Add the Splenda and extract and whir again to that you have a smooth creamy filling. You might need to add a splash of dairy, depending on how wet the ricotta is. Add the toasted pecans and coconut and give a few quick pulses just to combine. Taste and try not to eat all of it right out the bowl!
Showing posts with label ricotta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ricotta. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Goat Cheese Stuffed Baguette
This looks so pretty sliced and arranged on a platter. You can mix up the herbs in the filling to go with whatever else you are serving. I tried two types of filling - a goat cheese vs. a ricotta cheese filling. I like the taste of the goat cheese and the fluffiness of the ricotta filling. Make both of you can't decide!
I made these the night before my fiesta, and the bread wasn't soggy the next day.
1 baguette - cut the ends off, then cut in half. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut out the squishy center, leaving a thin layer attached to the crust. I cut from both ends, pulled out what bread I could reach, then used a chopstick to push out what I couldn't get to.
Goat Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
4 oz goat cheese, room temp.
4 oz cream, room temp.
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
2-3 green onions, both white and green parts finely minced
1-2 Tbsp. milk or other dairy liquid for thinning
salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in bowl and mash together with a fork. Add very small amounts of the dairy liquid at a time - just enough to help the ingredients combine. I used an off set icing spatula to get the filling as far in the baguette as possible, again going from both ends. Another idea would be to put the cheese mixture into a pastry bag/ziplock bag, cut a largish piece off the corner and fill the bread that way. Once filled, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use a very sharp serrated knife to slice the bread so filling doesn't squish out and the bread isn't mangled.
Ricotta Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
1/2 cup FF ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
Possibly some dairy liquid, depending on how moist the ricotta is
salt and pepper
Follow directions above under goat cheese filling. Only use dairy liquid if the mixture is difficult to combine. You don't want to end up with soggy bread.
Other filling ideas:
Rosemary and raisin
Basil, diced pepperoni or salami and Parmesan cheese
Blue cheese and chive - would go great with buffalo wings!
Caramelized onions and thyme
Kalamata olive and feta cheese with oregano or marjoram
Comment with your filling ideas! If you don't want to make it, I will and report back to you ;)
I made these the night before my fiesta, and the bread wasn't soggy the next day.
1 baguette - cut the ends off, then cut in half. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut out the squishy center, leaving a thin layer attached to the crust. I cut from both ends, pulled out what bread I could reach, then used a chopstick to push out what I couldn't get to.
Goat Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
4 oz goat cheese, room temp.
4 oz cream, room temp.
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
2-3 green onions, both white and green parts finely minced
1-2 Tbsp. milk or other dairy liquid for thinning
salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in bowl and mash together with a fork. Add very small amounts of the dairy liquid at a time - just enough to help the ingredients combine. I used an off set icing spatula to get the filling as far in the baguette as possible, again going from both ends. Another idea would be to put the cheese mixture into a pastry bag/ziplock bag, cut a largish piece off the corner and fill the bread that way. Once filled, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use a very sharp serrated knife to slice the bread so filling doesn't squish out and the bread isn't mangled.
Ricotta Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
1/2 cup FF ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
Possibly some dairy liquid, depending on how moist the ricotta is
salt and pepper
Follow directions above under goat cheese filling. Only use dairy liquid if the mixture is difficult to combine. You don't want to end up with soggy bread.
Other filling ideas:
Rosemary and raisin
Basil, diced pepperoni or salami and Parmesan cheese
Blue cheese and chive - would go great with buffalo wings!
Caramelized onions and thyme
Kalamata olive and feta cheese with oregano or marjoram
Comment with your filling ideas! If you don't want to make it, I will and report back to you ;)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Garlic Ricotta Cream
Tonight was laid back since it was a pure protein day for me. I did rosemary panko crusted pork tenderloin medallions with a Dijon mustard sauce for the hubby, along with baked beans and scallion mashed. I had pork tenderloin slices dusted with rotisserie chicken seasoning, then topped with garlic ricotta cream.
Garlic Ricotta Cream
1 garlic clove
~8oz FF or low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
pepper
assorted herbs, if on hand
Place all ingredients in the food processor and whiz until thoroughly combined. If you don't have cottage cheese on had, use FF half and half to thin the mixture a little. I did this with basil and it was delicious and a pretty shade of green on top of the pork. This would make a great dip for crudites (cut up veggies) for a healthy alternative to traditional spinach and artichoke dip. A thawed and squeezed dry package of chopped spinach would be great mixed in at the end by hand.
Leave your variations in a comment!
Garlic Ricotta Cream
1 garlic clove
~8oz FF or low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
pepper
assorted herbs, if on hand
Place all ingredients in the food processor and whiz until thoroughly combined. If you don't have cottage cheese on had, use FF half and half to thin the mixture a little. I did this with basil and it was delicious and a pretty shade of green on top of the pork. This would make a great dip for crudites (cut up veggies) for a healthy alternative to traditional spinach and artichoke dip. A thawed and squeezed dry package of chopped spinach would be great mixed in at the end by hand.
Leave your variations in a comment!
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