Saturday, August 29, 2009

Low-carb Pastry Pizza

This delicious treat adds only 1.9 grams of carb for a Superb Roll of any size. Just add a glaze to the rolls once they are baked. While the rolls are baking, make ½ or ¼ of the below mentioned glaze. Apply the glaze thinly with a pastry brush to the tops of the hot rolls. It will set within minutes. The rolls will freeze well, even with the glaze. Thaw at room temperature or follow directions for heating in the oven.

Glaze

SERVING SIZE, icing for 1 cookie. Carbs per serving 0.5 gram of carb.
Number of servings: 28
Ingredients:
1 egg white (or 3 Tablesps sterilized egg white)
1 cup powdered sugar (unsifted)
3 Teasps vanilla extract

Put the egg white and powdered sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on high speed until the sugar is absorbed and the mixture thickens a bit: scrape sides of bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla extract. Apply icing with the tip of a knife or a small brush. The icing dries quickly, particularly over freshly baked cookies, rolls, and so forth. Store unused frosting, covered, in the fridge. Always stir well before using.

Ingredients:
A. ¾ cup cold water plus 2 Tablesps (very important)
B.
C. 6 Tablesps butter (¾ stick)
D.
E. ¾ cup vital wheat gluten flour
F.
G. 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose wheat (white) flour
H.
I. Trace of salt (two light shakes or to taste)
J.
K. 3 eggs *
L.
M. 1 egg white

Preheat oven to 420F. Have ready one large, nonstick, heavy-gauge metal cookie sheet. Put the water and the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, preferably with a rounded bottom, over medium heat. Occasionally stir the mixture while you wait for the butter to melt. Meanwhile, thoroughly combine the two flours, and a pinch of salt in a medium-mixing bowl.


As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture begins to simmer, add the dry mix all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Within just a few seconds, the dough will become smooth and leave the bottom and sides of the pan. Keep stirring until no flour shows. Cook for about 10 seconds longer and remove from heat.

Put the hot saucepan on a cold burner or other safe surface. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. At first the dough will appear lumpy. When the whole eggs have been added, the dough will be smooth. It should be creamy and hold peaks with almost no settling. Work in the egg white. Now the dough will be just right; it will still hold its shape, but in softer peaks. It should form mounds that do not spread on the cookie sheet, but sink back and broaden out slightly. Occasionally, you may need to make a judgment call. Depending on the size of the eggs, the dough may be sufficiently soft even before you add the final egg white. The right consistency makes the best rolls. Dough that is too stiff results in smaller rolls; dough that is too soft (i.e., spreads out wide on the cookie sheet) may result in flat rolls.

If you like, use your electric mixer to work in the eggs. Simply transfer the hot dough from the saucepan to the mixer bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Do not over beat because if you do, the rolls may develop large air pockets. Use a flat beater if you have one. Put spoonfuls of dough on the cookie sheet, choosing the size you prefer. Use large Teacups or even soupspoons to drop the dough. Place them fairly close together.


Bake the rolls for about 25 to 28 minutes or until they are golden brown and crusty on top. Promptly freeze rolls that you do not plan to use the day they are baked. Take them out of the bag to thaw at room temperature. You can also put the frozen rolls in the oven, set at 350F (no need to pre-heat), and bake for 5 minutes. You can toast rolls (slice in half), but you need a wide-slot toaster or toaster oven. The rolls toast rapidly, so use the lowest setting. Save unused rolls in a dry place until rock hard. They will be used for Magnificent Bread. By Dave Clark

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Create Your Personal Colon Cleanse Recipe

As people become more conscious of the effects of an unclean colon and decide on getting their colon cleansed, the demand for colon cleanses recipes is also on the rise.

The trouble is not getting hold of a recipe, but to choose one from the innumerable recipes that are doing the rounds. Of course the internet has a big role to play in this. With it being so easily accessible these days, anyone and everyone can publish on the net. Hence there is no dearth of recipes. But the problem is also there. Since the internet is available to everyone, a lot of the content can't be taken at face value. There are many who have little idea as to what they are writing. If you fall for the information provided in those articles then you are the one who stands to lose out. So be skeptical about the information that you get on the net.

The best way to judge the authenticity of a recipe is to check the credentials of the writer. If the writer is a trained professional having practiced alternative medicine for some time then it is much more assuring to follow that recipe. However, there are a few ingredients of a colon cleanse recipe which have proven their worth over a period of time. Having passed the test of time, these ingredients can be trusted to be integral parts of any colon cleansing recipe. One such ingredient would be phylum husks or seeds.

They are very effective in cleaning your colon of the stored waste materials. In fact they are so effective that most colon cleansers available at stores and sold as over the counter drugs contain it. Then there are the probiotics which are again used in many home made recipes of colon cleansers and also in several store-bought colons cleanse recipes. The probiotics help in increasing the good bacteria which reside in our digestive system. The probiotics have been used for quite some time now and this shows the effectiveness of the ingredient. Most colon cleansing recipes available on the net come for free.

But many of them have a catch. Among the various ingredients mentioned, one or more are required to be bought from a particular vendor. You must be careful about such recipes. It might be a genuine ingredient which would help to clean your colon better. But it can also be something which the vendor just has concocted to do business without any medical logic. By Shilpa Singh

Monday, August 24, 2009

Five Easy Holiday Fudge Recipes

I love baking for the holidays. There are always so many new recipes to try. One of my favorite holiday treats is homemade fudge (without nuts, of course). If your family loves fudge as much as mine does, make them the kind you know they like, and then have them try one of these recipes too. You might find a new family favorite! Our family indulges in a little Peanut Butter Fudge every holiday season.

Candy Store Fudge

1/2 lb. butter, softened
18 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. mini-marshmallows
3 tsp. vanilla
2 c. chopped nuts
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 can evaporated milk

Place the following ingredients in a large bowl: butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts and set aside. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly the sugar and evaporated milk and stir for exactly 6 minutes. (Start timing at the rolling boil stage). Mixture scorches easily. Pour this mixture over the ingredients in the bowl and mix with electric mixer until well blended, pour into buttered 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate for 12 hours.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 c. melted butter or margarine
7 oz. marshmallow creme
18 oz. jar of peanut butter

Into large, heavy pan place sugar, butter or margarine and evaporated milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until ingredients melt. Continue cooking to soft ball stage, 235 degrees on candy thermometer. Remove, quickly stirring in marshmallow creme, peanut butter. Pour into 2 (8x8x2) greased pans. Cut into squares when cool.

Butterscotch Fudge

12 oz. bag butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
2/3 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped peanuts
dash of salt

Mix butterscotch chips, milk and marshmallows in saucepan; melt on stove. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Stir in peanuts. Pour into 9" square pan. When completely cooled, cut into small squares. Store fudge in refrigerator.

Almond Cherry Fudge

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2 c. chopped red candied cherries
1 tsp. almond extract

In microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and milk. Cover and microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until chips are melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in the almonds, cherries, and almond extract. Spread mixture into an 8x8 pan lined with foil that has been greased. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until set. Using the foil, lift fudge out of pan. Discard foil and cut fudge into 1-inch squares. Store in refrigerator.

Peppermint Fudge

2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 2/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. mini-marshmallows
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a sauce pan. Bring to a full boil, then boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows, chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and walnuts. Stir vigorously until marshmallows are melted and thoroughly blended. Pour into 8-inch square pan. Chill. By Rachel Paxton