Reduced Fat Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This decadent looking double chocolate zucchini bread is reduced fat for your waistline's pleasure, but tastes so right making your mouth VERY happy!

2 zucchini recipes in one week, that's what you get with a zucchini that size, like the one I showed you in my last post. What's more they're both zucchini bread. Well I fell in love with it so much I had to chocolify it... (totally a word or should be).

So for the longest time guys I hesitated to write that my recipes were healthy or lower in fat or whatever. I thought oh people know this food blog has a healthy focus... but really unless you read all the time you don't. So I gotta call it out. But I hesitate because most people will dismiss it thinking this... "Ughhhh reduced fat, low fat, healthy... BORING!" I used to think that way too before I embarked upon a new healthy lifestyle.

Half the Fat Zucchini Bread

I took the highest rated zucchini bread recipe and reduced the fat by half and the sugar by a third! My zucchini bread keeps it healthy, but has the same great texture and taste!

You may be rolling your eyes at me, you're thinking "Ewwwww it's gonna taste like crap with half the fat, why did you do that?" Come on now... do I look like a chick that would eat crappy food?! I founded NY Foodgasm for the purpose of creating healthy recipes for those of us that reeeeallllly love food. Good food, not "diet food".

Piña Colada Bread Pudding

An accidental Foodgasm for Mother's Day. Why? Well this happened the day before...

Citrus IPA Poundcake #beermonth

What is an IPA you may say? (That is what my mom said to me anyways) IPA stands for India Pale Ale. IPA's belong under the larger umbrella style of Pale Ales, meaning that they use pale colored malts. The IPA is known to be a hoppy beer so you really taste the hops more than the malt. Digging deeper than that, the type of hops you use can bring out certain characteristic flavors and aromas. Many hops can bring out citrusy flavors naturally, so that is where the idea for this recipe came in...

IPA's are a hot style right now, with Double IPA's (also known as an Imperial IPA) and Triple IPA's trending I thought I would need to experiment with this style. To bring out the citrusy notes in the IPA I have wanted to make this pound cake for a WHILE now, to experiment and make something memorable with it.

It's good to have friends that brew craft beer! My friend Matt from Outer Lands Brewing Company asked me to try their Good Mojo IPA. It was the day after a beer festival, I didn't wanna look at beer or even drink it, but I took a taste. It's nicely balanced, not bitter at all with great citrus notes. Exactly what I needed for this recipe! For a non IPA drinker or someone that does not like a bitter IPA this craft  is for YOU.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Vegetables remind you of Spring right?! Spring is looooong overdue here in NY and I needed some Spring inspiration mixed with a heartier cold weather food. So this pizza is just what I needed. I am sure I have told you about the magic of roasted vegetables- they are so so sweet. Some of you may be like a 2 year old and pouting with your arms crossed and your face all scrunched up saying, "Ewwwww." Well don't be a baby and put them arms down. Have I ever really steered you wrong? The magic of roasting vegetables is the flavor it adds! As the water inside the veggies evaporates out, the flavor and sugars get concentrated- similar to how caramelizing onions makes them sweeter.

So the reason this roasted vegetable pizza was born was necessity. My husband and I are trying to eat less meat. Not necessarily become vegetarian, but just cut down on animal proteins. We all have our own reasons and I don't wanna convince you this is what you must do. We all walk our own road. But since I have been blogging about food, I have learned more about all things food. Meat in this country is mass produced, has all sorts of hormones and antibiotics and I am sure you can imagine the animals are not treated too well. I was blissfully ignorant. Ignorance is not bad, I didn't wanna know. So I want to try my best to eat farm raised meat when I can and cut back in general. I just want to share with all of you since you all read this blog. This is something I am trying out and trying on for size.

Pina Colada Pound Cake

Why is this a Foodgasm? 

Piña Colada is the stuff summer is made of and I don't know about you, but I could use a slice of summer. If you're in the part of this country where you experience the bitter cold...I know you are sooooo done with all of this. I have the answer here! A lowfat easy and delish  piña colada poundcake. 

Loaded with not only fresh pineapple and coconut milk- it also has coconut oil and is covered in toasted coconut. This dense and delish cake is a treat you don't have to feel any guilt for at all! 

What you need

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed up in microwave to become a liquid.
3/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make it

Preheat oven to 350º
1- In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream together sugar and coconut oil.
2- Add in the egg and egg white with the Greek yogurt, coconut milk and vanilla extract, be sure to scrape sides if you see the sugar and coconut oil sticking to the sides.
3- With the mixer on low, slowly add in your dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

4- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Will be very moist!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Torte and a Giveaway

This is my gratuitous Valentine's Day post. For so many years I loathed this holiday. It is the single gal's day to remember she is single. I remember in college all my friend and I didn't have a boyfriend, so we all banned together and had our own little party (under the bandstand of the college). That was one of my favorite Valentine's Days yet! So all you single ladies don't feel bad, feel empowered because V-Day is just silly even when you have a man or woman.

But still I felt compelled to make a cutesy little cake with strawberry hearts baked into it. I guess I have those two sides: the Martha Stewart and the chick that drinks craft beer and swears. Or as my husband said best: "You are like Martha Stewart, but you say fuck a lot." Yeah that sums me up. That is also why I need to start making videos for you guys! It would be loads of fun for you to meet me, like really get to know me.

But if you love or loathe this holiday- here is an incentive to at least like it. I made you a crazy delish chocolate covered strawberry torte literally with strawberry and chocolate in it and on it. But I have another surprise for you a GIVEAWAY! A really gorgeous handcrafted apron from Guate Love It.

Reduced Guilt Shortbread Cookies

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Just in time for the holidays...I know there are lots of you guys that have no idea what you are baking for the holidays, look no further! This is a simple recipe, albeit a little time consuming. But the results are beautiful and delicious!

I don't know about you, but then I was a kid my family always had those tins of Royal Dansk shortbread cookies. They were so simple yet so buttery and sweet and just melted in in your mouth! It is one of the clearest most vivid memories I have of a cookie. My favorite were the thin crispy ones in a wreath like shape and the rounded rectangular ones with the course sugar on top. The holidays tends to bring out this beautiful childhood memories, this one is so vivid and tied with food. So I have been obsessed with shortbread cookies nowadays!

I started making a standard shortbread recipe by Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa). There were no variables really. I don't think you know this about me, but I go completely balls to the wall. Like why walk when I can run. BUT I know I am not much of a baker and I am trying to change that. So my husband, more of the slow and steady type, always tells me when you try something you have never attempted before there should only be one variable. Like walk before you can run. So he has a good point. So that is why I went and made totally normal shortbread cookies and then tried to cut the fat after.

So I reduced the fat. I used 1/2 the amount of butter and replaced the other half with light butter. Knowing that light butter melts quicker, I decided to chill the dough longer. I am VERY happy with the result as they are actually softer than full fat shortbreads, but not cakey at all. In a side by side taste comparison, you can tell the difference. I will not lie to you- BUT you also have a softer cookie that is completely delicious and melts in your mouth.

This recipe is a CLASSSIC for the holidays feel free to have fun with them, dip them in chocolate, cover in colored sugar, add nuts, whatever really. They lend themselves well to almost anything!

PS- Enjoy the little gingerbread men and sweet unicorn shaped cookies!

What you need

1 1/2 sticks light butter, you can use cold since it is soft.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
fancy sugar to top with as desired.

Adapted from Ina Garten's Shortbread recipe

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the 1 1/2 stick of butter and 1 1/2 stick light butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. 

2- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 

3- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. 

4- Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour (since the light butter is softer I added more time).

5- Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with any desired cookie cutter. When you have excess roll again to 1/2 inch and repeat as necessary.

6- Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown slightly. Keep any eye on them though, if cookies are less thick they will take less time to bake and also every oven's temperature varies as does rack position. I had mine in the middle of the oven.

  Nutritional Information

The change I made to the recipe saved you 40 calories and 3 grams of fat! YAY! While preserving what makes it such a pleasure to eat!

Pumpkin Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Why is this a Foodgasm?

It is officially Autumn guys, you know what that means? PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! Let the Pumpkin obsession begin now! This month you will be treated to my many pumpkin recipes, or annoyed. My husband is SICK of pumpkin by the end of October. I do it to death every year, but, I GOTTA!

Have you ever had Tres Leches Cake? This was my first time ever making it and trying it. It means 3 milks and boy are they bad for you, full of fat and yumminess. I saw Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake originally on My Love for Cooking and I was blown away! I knew I needed this in my life!! So I made my own version of this lightened up, using only 2 eggs an egg white, other than the cake is fat free and it kinda needs to be. The Tres Leches mixture is fat-tastic but we all need some fat in our lives from time to time. I lightened it up for you guys though, while also adding the awesomely yummy flavor of coconut milk in place of cream! Removing fat and adding flavor is the best of both worlds and that is what I try and do for every dish here at NY Foodgasm!