Lemon Basil Olive Oil Cake- Guest Post from Hall Nesting

This lemon basil olive oil cake is perfect for spring and summer bursting with fresh lemon and basil, it tastes just like summer!

Hey yall I’m Lauren and I write the blog Hall Nesting. Obviously from the yall you can tell I am not from Sophia’s neck of the woods but am a true Georgia peach now living in the Heart of Dixie! I am so excited to be visiting as a guest at Sophia’s blog today. I write mainly about the food I love to cook for my family which is growing every day – we got my husband, 1 year old son, a little girl that will be here in 4 months, 3 dogs and a partridge and a pear tree basically!

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".

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.

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.

So a brownie and a pound cake walk into a brewery....

So you're probably seeing and expecting lots of wing recipes, nachos and all those other classic Super Bowl Snacks this week. That was the plan until I was snowed in and decided to experiment with some brown ale and developed my first ever scratch cake recipe. The results and response to the pictures were so amazing that I couldn't make you guys wait. It was delicious, fudgy madness! It also happened to be low in fat.

Well..... actually I made it that way. When I cook and bake I NEVER EVER add all the fat. My conscience just cannot allow me to do it. 3 sticks of butter?? 4??? Ouch! Unless of course I just need to learn how a recipe works in order to then find my own way to reduce the fat, LOL. 

Technically this is not a superbowl meal, but ummm who makes those rules as to what goes with football? If it were up to me, football would be a cake occasion and it DOES have beer in it after all, specifically some local Brooklyn Brown Ale. You need beer for your party and doesn't every party need cake?!

But if you don't want cake for your party (perish the thought!), fret not, I gotcha covered with some great healthy super bowl snacks from Peanut Butter and Peppers!! She has a TONS of recipes you are gonna LOVE! Check out more info at the bottom of the post!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This is like a fudgy brownie and a pound cake walked into a brewery, had a threesome with some brown ale and they had a baby. Yeah that is totally what happened here. Totally fudgy while still holding the pound cake shape and could be cut into slices. But if that were already not good enough for you I decided to make a brown ale glaze to top it with. In this case the pics, totally speak of this magical texture!

I am proud of these photos, all the drippy deliciousness and really fudgey texture smack you in the mouth and say "Eat me". Yeah no caption needed. Just instant desire for putting it in your mouth!

How did I do it?

I used pumpkin puree to take the place of most of the fat, adding only a little coconut oil for some fat so it had a better texture overall. If you dont have coconut oil feel free to sub with some canola oil. It will work just as well. This also has 1 egg, but if you want to make this vegan you can try it without it, I am sure it would work, but may change the texture slightly.

What you need

1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling- this has added spiced and sugar)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown ale
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the brown ale glaze

3 tablespoons brown ale
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

How to make it

Preheat oven to 350º
1- In a mixer combine together 1 can pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 large egg with the paddle attachment.
2- In a separate bowl combine together:
1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup brown ale, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3- Slowly and gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredinets in the mixer until well combined (give it a couple minutes).
4- Grease a nonstick loaf pan (I used Trader Joe's Coconut Oil Spray) and pour in the batter.
5- Bake for about 1 hour and let it cool. (the toothpick method doesn't work too well here, it still comes out sticking due to the texture, but an hour should do it)

To make the brown ale glaze: Whisk together 3 tablespoons brown ale and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Pour over the top of the cake and ENJOY!

Nutritional Information 

Lots of Vitamin A and Potassium and very little fat!  AMAZING!! Yes you can have your cake and beer and eat it too!

Peanut Butter and Peppers Superbowl Recipe Round Up!!

Does my girl Jennifer have you hooked up?? Hell yeah, just look at all these! YUMMMM!

Get her recipes HERE!

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!

Perfect for your Valentine: Irish Cake Bombs

Why is this a Foodgasm?

What happens when an Irish Car Bomb becomes a cupcake? What's more, it happens to be amazingly decedent and low fat? A new Foodgasm has been born! This is it: sinfully smooth red velvet cake with Guinness undertones topped with Irish Cream frosting. Perfect for any boyfriend, husband or gourmet cupcake lover, this little guy is sure to please! This is quick and easy to make and you can really taste the Guinness and Irish Cream Flavors! Why not combine my love for a good beer with my food!

So as you can tell I have been slightly obsessed with cooking with beer lately, namely Guinness. I made Guinness Beef Stew, then I even made some low fat kielbasa with beer and kraut. I have been experimenting and browsing blogs for some ahhhhmazing beer ideas. Even came across Guinness Brownies on Hall Nesting! The possibilities are endless! Who knows what will come next...any ideas on more food beer combos? What would you like to see from me?

Amazing Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Cake: Guilt-Free and Easy!

Why is this a foodgasm? So you think I'm crazy, I'm lying to you...but I'm not. This is the so simple, quick and guilt free, all while bringing your taste buds to sexy town- well you may wanna kiss me!

This is a 6 point foodgasm! (Recipe yields 12 servings)