Treat Yourself Sweetly in the New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope 2016 turns out to be the brightest, the luckiest, the happiest, most prosperous, most romantic, most successful, most beautiful, and overall the sweetest year for all of us. Here is a perfect treat to ring in the new year.

Basic Salad Formula

Today I made another bucket of salad.  I will never understand why all the restaurants in America call that plate of grass they serve "a salad".  I must be foreign, but the definition of salad for me holds a lot more than a handful of non-nutritious iceberg lettuce and an occasional slice of cucumber and/or a grape tomato. 

Cucumber Jello Salad

Cucumber is my favorite vegetable.  It is perfect in the hot days of California summer - cool, hydrating, and low in calories (only 45 in the whole thing!).  And of course, I love the taste. I put it even into my smoothies that I have became a huge fan of thanks to my dental graft surgery. 

Papaya Mango Smoothie

1 small mango

2 cups of papaya chunks

1/4 cup coconut syrup

3/4 water

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6 oz tropical fruit yogurt

Blend for about 1 minute.  Makes about 32 oz.

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Cucumber Avocado Green Smoothie

3/4 cup lemon water

1 small avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 cucumber, sliced

Handful of spinach

1/2 cup cottage cheese with chives

8 ice cubes

Blend well for about 1 minute.  Makes about 32 oz.  

In my mind a "green" smoothie is the kind that has all vegetables and no sweetness of fruits.  Since in my mind smoothies are inherently sweet, I was a little apprehensive to go completely fruitless.  But this has one turned out a lot better than I expected.  Turns out, I am a huge fan of avocado fruit, which is 75% fat.

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Tropical Garden Smoothie

1 cup coconut water

6 oz tropical fruit yogurt

1/2 cup cottage cheese

3 slices canned pineapple

1/2 banana, frozen

1 mango, pitted

A handful of spinach leaves

Blend for about a minute.  Makes about 32 oz.

I don't usually like mango too much, but this was very tangy and refreshing.  I was glad I did not additional sweetener. 

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Apple Carrot Smoothie

1 cup water

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6 oz vanilla yogurt

1 packet of appletini drink mix

1 apple, chopped

10 carrots, boiled

Handful of spinach leaves

8 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into blender in the order listed.  Pulse a couple of times. 

Blend well for about 1 minute or to desired consistency. Enjoy! 

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Cucumber Melon Smoothie

1 cup lemon flavored water

6 oz vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup cottage cheese

2 cups cantaloupe balls

1/2 cucumber

A handful of spinach

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed.  Blend well. Enjoy.

Make more than 32 oz.  

Peachy Plum Smoothie

1 cup raspberry seltzer water

6 oz peach yogurt

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 canned plums (make sure to pick out the pits)

1 peach, chunked up

A handful of spinach

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed.  Blend well for about 1 minute or to desired consistency.   Enjoy!   

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Strawberry Orange Banana Smoothie

1 cup water

6 oz strawberry banana yogurt

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

1 frozen banana

5 strawberries

5 spinach leaves

8 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed.  Blend for about 1 minute.  Enjoy. 

Caramel Apple Smoothie

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar-free caramel syrup

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6 oz caramel spice cake yogurt

1 packet appletini sugar-free drink mix

1 apple, chopped 

8 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed.  Blend well.  Enjoy.

Makes about 32 oz. 

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White Chocolate Coconut Fluff

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar-free coconut syrup
• 1 cup cottage cheese

Blend until smooth.  Add

• 1 package (4 servings) white chocolate pudding mix.

Blend until blender stops turning.  Scrape the mixture out into a mixing bowl.   Mix in

• 2  cups whipped topping.

Spoon into serving dishes.  Enjoy.  Or refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Strawberry Colada Smoothie

1 cup coconut water

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6 oz strawberry colada yogurt

3 slices canned pineapple

5 strawberries

10 ice cubes

1/4 cup coconut sugar free syrup (optional)

Place all ingredients into the blender in order listed.  Blend well.  Enjoy.  Make about 32 oz. 

This will be tangy without the sweetener.  I usually add a splash after the first cup.  

Peppermint Mocha Frap

1/2 cup brewed coffee

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar free peppermint syrup

1 Tbsp hot chocolate powder (half of a packet of hot chocolate mix)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

8 ice cubes

Blend well. Enjoy!

Variation:  Substitute Coconut syrup for Peppermint to make a Coconut Mocha Frap.  

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie

1 cup water

1/2 c cottage cheese

6 oz strawberry yogurt

1 or 2 squirts of strawberry watermelon drink mix

2 cups frozen watermelon balls

5 large strawberries

8 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed.  Pulse a couple of times to break up the watermelon.  Blend well for about a minute.  Enjoy.  

Makes about 32 oz.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Frap

1 cup brewed coffee

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6 oz yogurt (banana cream pie flavor)

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate syrup

8 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in the blender in this order.
Blend it all up and enjoy.  

Makes about 32 oz of pure awesomeness.

Perfect Chocolate Cheese Fluff

I used to bake.  Now, since the weather is always perfect here in the heart of LA city, I stick with cool no-bake desserts.

3/4 cup low fat chocolate milk          

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

1/3 cup sugar free chocolate flavor syrup

1 pkg (4-serving size) chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 cups chocolate whipped topping

Pour milk into blender.  Add cottage cheese and syrup.  Blend until smooth.  Add pudding mix.  Blend again.  (This stage of the preparation will be over faster than you expect.  The mixture gets so thick that it pretty much stops moving.)

Scrap it out into a large bowl.  Stir in whipped topping.  Mix well. 

Spoon into serving glasses.  Garnish, if desired.

Makes 8 servings at 113 calories each without any garnish. 

Make sure to eat this dessert within a day or two – sadly, the fluffiness settles. 

Da Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Perfection

Brownie layer:

1 box (19.5 oz) dark chocolate brownie mix
1/4 c oil
1/3 c water
2 eggs

Cheesecake layer:

3 pkgs (8 oz) cheese cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chip, melted
A splash of vanilla extract

Bake brownie layer in the cheesecake springform pan according to box directions. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk and the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the brownie layer. Bake at 300 F for 1 hour. Cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Variations:
Milk Chocolate Cheesecake: Use milk chocolate brownie mix and milk chocolate chips.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Cheesecake: Use regular chocolate brownie mix and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Butterscotch Cheesecake: Omit chocolate chips; use butterscotch pudding mix (4-serving size box) instead.

Tips:
The brownie batter is theoretically too thin to be baked in the springform. So pour it in right before you are ready to put in the oven. Also, place the pan on a cookie sheet to prevent drips.

I should copyright this recipe.  This is the best cheesecake you will ever have.