Gâteau au fromage

A couple of weeks ago, I was preparing dishes for a potluck and was assigned to make a dessert. My first source for inspiration was to look through the weekly flyers to see what food items were on sale. It didn’t take long for me to spot Philadelphia Cream Cheese on sale for only $2.99 for a 400g package. I immediately thought of making mini cheesecake bites, which not only would be a crowd pleaser but would be so convenient to serve and eat. As I stood in front of the bunkers displaying all the cream cheese, I had a tough choice to make. Was I going to buy the Light or Regular Cream Cheese? I thought about it and decided to grab the regular cream cheese. I mean, in the bigger scheme of things, what difference would it really make, it’s not like they eat cheesecake everyday, right? And the bigger question, is whether 60 calories was worth giving up for a more rich, dense and creamy cheesecake.

A Nutritionist’s Dilemma

As I continued going through the store picking up the rest of the ingredients, it was as if my inner conscience wouldn’t let me leave the store until I swamped the regular cream cheese for the light version. I just couldn’t shake that thought out of my head. Then, as I was grabbing for a tub of plain yogurt an idea struck me like a whirlwind. It was as if the heavens opened and the angels started singing, “Finally a cheesecake that I can feel good about eating!” I’ve always wanted to experiment making a cheesecake that was comparable to the infamous Kraft Kitchens OREO Mini Cheesecake recipe in both simplicity and taste. I decided that it would be the perfect day to try something new! I should probably mention the fact that I had been trying to look for healthier and lower fat versions of cheesecake for a long time, mostly because my dad is a diabetic and his favorite dessert is cheesecake. He’s usually quite good at limiting sweets but his weakness is cheesecake. As a result, whenever I bake cheesecake at home, I always make sure to make a few that contain less sugar just for him, but never really adjusted for the fat content of the cheesecake. The majority of recipes that I came across replaced some part of cream cheese with ricotta, cottage cheese, yogurt or even silken tofu!

4 Easy Steps to a Slim Alternative

Hence, when I was grabbing for the yogurt, the idea of making a yogurt based cheesecake just made sense. The yogurt would provide the perfect tang resembling the familiar taste in a cheesecake. So off I went to bake a yogurt cheesecake! I must admit that I’ve actually made the Kraft Kitchen’s OREO Mini Cheesecakes numerous times and have only received positive comments about them. With a recipe that only requires 4 ingredients and 3 steps, it is hard not to love it! So, having known the recipe by memory, I began using it as the basis for my own yogurt cheesecake recipe. Below is the recipe for my mini yogurt cheesecakes (click on the image to enlarge):

Small and Cute

I have a fetish for mini bite-sized foods because I think food is just sooooo cute and adorable when they are in their miniature versions! Plus, that way people can try a little bit of everything, which is what I love to do. I mean, don’t you ever find yourself in a situation where you want to try everything that is in front of you but you can’t because the portions are just too big, and it would be a waste of food if you can’t finish it all. Then, there are also the people who are watching their waistlines that you want to cater to. These mini cheesecake bites would be perfect because they are just the right size to satisfy a sweet tooth. Not to mention the fact that the lemon ginger cookies on the bottom really gives the cheesecake a little *punch* of flavour!

If you are like me, you are probably wondering exactly how much better these yogurt cheesecakes are from a nutritional stand-point. Well, lucky for you, I’ve created a comparison chart below:

Can you believe that even if you ate 4 of those bite-sized yogurt cheesecakes, you still would be saving approximately 90 calories and 11 g of fat, plus you would be consuming 10% more of your daily calcium requirement for the day! Quite impressive I must say!

Substances to Stay Away From

I have a feeling that some of you who are reading this may be wondering why I didn’t think about using an artificial sweetener such as sucralose (aka. SPLENDA®) for a recipe intended for my dad and those that are diabetic. Well, for the record, I would like to say that I do not, I repeat, I DO NOT recommend nor believe in the consumption of artificial sweeteners of any kind. Even though Health Canada has approved and deemed artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, soribitol, isomalt, lactitol, malitol, mannitol and xylitol as safe, I wouldn’t trust placing these chemicals into my body. Studies on the safety of these non-nutritive sweeteners have been controversial and because these non-nutritive sweeteners have only been around for a few decades, there hasn’t been enough time to assess the long-term effects of these substances.

In my yogurt cheesecake recipe I chose to use honey instead of granulated sugar because it provides a distinctive flavour that has a hint of floral sweetness that plain old sugar just doesn’t have. It is important to note that all sugar, whether the source is from fruits, honey, or molasses, is still sugar. Sure, honey may provide some antioxidant properties and blackstrap molasses may be a good source of iron, but in the end sugar is sugar.

What is GI

When I was formulating my yogurt cheesecake I wanted to tweak the classic Kraft Kitchen’s OREO Mini Cheesecake by finding a way to lower the amount of fat as well as increasing the amount of protein. It was important for me to find a way to lower the fat without increasing the amount of carbohydrates because I wanted to keep the glycemic index of the cheesecake as low as possible. So what exactly does glycemic index even mean? Well, glycemic index is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose levels compared to a standard food (ie. white bread / glucose). Therefore, the lower the GI rating of a food, the less impact it will have on the rise in blood glucose levels. Factors that influence the glycemic index rating of food include cooking, food processing and the amount of fat, protein or acid present in the food. Cooking can increase the GI rating of food because the heat given off during the cooking process swells starch molecules and softens foods making it faster to digest. The same applies to highly process foods which are digested faster and thus have a higher GI rating. For example, pasta that is cooked al dente could have a GI rating of about 40, whereas overcooked spaghetti could have a GI rating of 70. Fat, protein and acid lowers the GI rating of food because they all delay the emptying of food from the stomach into the small intestine. This means that food is digested slower, and slower digestion means slower rise in blood glucose levels.

There’s Always Room for Dessert

This would mean that when planning meals, you should choose at least one low GI food per meal and try to exchange high GI foods for lower GI alternatives. An easy swap could be switching from a bowl of instant oatmeal (GI=70) for a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal (GI=49), or substituting a sandwich made with white bread (GI=70) for sourdough bread (GI=52). In the case of my yogurt cheesecake, it consists of a combination of yogurt, cream cheese, sugar and egg. Hence, the glycemic index of the entire cheesecake as a whole entity is actually surprisingly low, due to the high source of protein (4 bite sized cheesecake = 10g) present. To top things off, if the cheesecake was to be eaten after a well-balanced meal that consisted of ample amounts of vegetables, whole grains and protein then the bite-sized cheesecakes wouldn’t really have a dramatic impact on raising blood sugar levels. At the end of the day, moderation and balance is the key to healthy eating for everyone, not just people with diabetes.

Back to the Cheesecake

I’ve experimented with many different cookie bases and I can say for a fact that the PC Blue Menu 100 Calorie packet cookies have been the only cookie that has fit 100% perfectly into the mini muffin tins! Check out below for a review of products that I have tested out:

Let me know how you like the recipe and please share of your own more “healthy” cheesecake recipes! Just a word of caution, you must be prepared to resist the temptation to devour the mini cheesecakes before the minimum 3 hours of refrigeration is reached, because these will be quite delicate and soft when they come out of the oven. But don’t worry, they are definitely worth the wait!

My next cheesecake adventure includes:

• Using the PC Blue Menu cranberry orange or oatmeal chocolate chip cookie for the base
• Baking my own homemade cookie base
• Using maple syrup, agave syrup or stevia as the sweetener

Stay tuned for more sweet ideas.

Guilt-free Dining

Have you evern found yourself sitting at a restaurant and contemplating or guessing between which entrée on the menu contains the most fat or sodium?  Or are you the type of person who just likes to splurge when eating out and doesn't give a thought about how much calories are in a particular dish?  Well, for those of you who are calorie-cautious, what if I told you that there is a restaurant out there where you can satisfy your tastebuds without worrying about your waistline?

Located on Bay Street in Toronto is Four, a trendy, upscale restaurant that has an artisanal approach to healthy dining.  Chef de Cuisine Craig Harding prides himself to commit to healthful dining by creating all of his dishes with under 650 calories.  

Even though the dishes may not be fat-ladened and you won't be able to find a deep fryer in the kitchen, you can bet that the flavour and palatability of the dishes are definately not compromised!  Four focuses on a seasonally changing menu with small plate varieties, using ingredients like spelt flour, ancient grains, buckwheat noodles and other complex carbohydrates. The dishes are inspired by the cuisine and cooking techniques (ie. broiling, grilling, steaming) of international countries and regions including the Mediterranean, India and Japan.  It’s at restaurants like Four that sometimes less is more.  
 
For those who would rather skip the entree and go straight for the dessert, I would suggest visiting Petit Four Bakery which is located right outside Four .  The French translation of petit four is "small oven" and the Petit Four Bakery offers the modern version of the classic petit four desserts (aka. small cakes).   This innovative bakery concept targets the downtown core by offering sandwiches, soups and desserts for take-out. 

Their multi-layered mini dessertes are served in shot glasses and are made freshy daily and sold individually for only $2.  Selections include the following & pictures correspond in the order listed:

• Bumble Berry Cheesecake
• Passion Fruit Salad
• Coconut Kaffir Lime
• Chocolate & Cherry Crunch
• Double Chocolate Creme
• Pecan Banana Caramel
• Tiramisu
• Carrot Cake

Aren't these desserts sooooo cute?  This is definately "portion control" at the finest!

Be sure to let me know which dessert you choose because I've only tried passion fruit salad and coconut kaffir lime, both of which are EXQUISITE!

#1 Gelato in Toronto

Hibiscus (238 Augusta, at Nassau, 416-364-6183)

From my other two postings, you probably have come to realize that I love ice cream since I just can't seem to stop writing about it.  Well, for those who do not share the same passion I have for ice cream, not to worry as this will be my last tribute to this familiy of delightful frozen sweets!

About a month ago, I found myself standing in front of Hibiscus, a trendy vegan café that I have wanted to try out ever since reading the article, “Gelato top ten” in NOW magazine." It is hard to imagine that the #1 rated Gelato in Toronto is made in a tiny vegan café. Instead of milk, they use soy, rice, mung bean (aka. green bean), almond and coconut milk. As I entered in, the first thing I did was scan through the café in search of the gelato freezer display. To my surprise they actually didn’t have one! Instead, all their gelato flavours were simply listed on their menu. The flavours are the same year round and include the following:

• Coconut raspberry
• Coconut blueberry
•  Coconut mango
• Chocolate Almond
• Chocolate Brownie
• Pistachio
• Earl Gray
• Chai Masala
• Black Sesame
• Ginger
• Green Tea

As you can imagine, with a list this unique, it is hard not to be indecisive about your choice of gelato, especially the fact that you get to choose 2 flavours!!!! At the end, I opted for their infamous coconut blueberry gelato and earl gray. Let’s just say that there is only one word to describe the gelato. It was outrageously AMAZING! You could not ask for a more smoother, richer gelato. The subtle tones of the coconut, almond and mung bean milk just added that perfect background note to the sweetness and fruitiness of the blueberries and the exquisite bold flavours of the tea. It was the perfect balance, not too sweet and the different flavors didn’t overwhelm one another. Not that this wasn’t enough to satisfy my sweet tooth, the gelato were served on chic black ceramic bowls along with the cutiest little brown wooden spoons! I was so in love with the spoon that the owner actually let me keep one!

So the next time you are in Toronto, go and check out Hibiscus and tell the owners that the petite Chinese girl who took a wooden spoon recommended you to go! Let me know if the gelato tantalized your taste buds as much as it did for me!

Is "real" ice cream healthier?

Since I am a nutrition student, I thought I would expand more on the differences between  "fake" and "real" ice cream in terms of their nutritional value.  If you recall from my previous entry, I mentioned that frozen desserts were made up of mainly palm or coconut oil instead of cream or milk.   Take for example the two varieties of Breyers chocolate ice cream:

I'm not sure about you, but the BREYERS Classic ice cream contains a whole lot of ingredients that could not be found in my kitchen!  In contrast, the BREYERS Naturals consists of ingredients that can probably be found in the majority of people's home.   It is no wonder, why they named it BREYERS Naturals.

Both of these versions contain the same number of calories and total grams of fat.  The only downfall of the BREYERS Naturals is that because it consists of all milk ingredients as oppose to plant sources of fat (ie. palm oil), it does have more saturated and trans fat than the BREYERS Classic.   Not to fear though, this type of natural trans fat may actually have potential health benefits.  I'll be mentioning more about natural trans fats in a later blog entry so make sure to stay tooned! 

The last benefit of BREYERS Naturals is that it contains 6% more calcium than its wanna-be version. This means that for every 1 1/2 cups of ice cream you eat, you would be consuming the same amount of calcium as in one cup of milk.  However, at the same time you would also be consuming more than three times the calories.  Therefore, although true, authentic ice cream does provide a good source of calcium, it should only be eaten as an occasional treat and not to be counted as one of your daily servings of milk products!

If you want to learn more about how to read a nutritional facts table or what %Daily Values means, check out the EatRight Ontario website, which has a 5 part series on nutrition labelling.

Apple pie à la mode

With all the talk about apples, it got me thinking about making an entry devoted to ice cream! I mean, what’s an apple pie without the scoop of vanilla ice cream? Or for that matter, who doesn’t love to enjoy a bowl of ice cream once in a while? (Though I must admit that I probably indulge in this sweet treat a little more than I should!)  And no matter how full you are, there just always seems to be room for a big scoop of ice cream! According to Statistics Canada, an average Canadian eats a whooping 4.8 L a year! Even though the hot summer days have come and gone, that doesn’t mean that people give up this sweet treat! Well, at least I don’t. Is anyone else in the same boat?

Too many choices…

Hard, soft, gelato, sorbet, sherbet? How do you choose when there are so many tasty choices… and what exactly is the difference among all these different frozen novelties?  Well I’ve got it all answered for you below:

Hard Ice Cream:

• Made with cream, milk, sugar & flavourings (fruits, nuts, essences, etc.). Contains between 18%-30% milk fat and air is incorporated to batter.

Soft Ice Cream:

• Exactly same as hard ice cream but stored at a higher temperature.

Gelato:

• Made with milk, sugar & flavourings. Contains between 4-7% milk fat and no air is incorporated to batter and is served slightly warmer than ice cream.

Sorbet:

• Made with fruit and sugar, hence they are all fat-free!

Sherbet:

• Made with sugar, fruit and a touch of cream.

Fake ice cream?

Okay, okay, maybe not exactly “fake” ice cream, but definitely not the real deal!  Given that ice cream is an occasional treat, I'm assuming that you would want to make sure you are eating the best of the best, or at least not the "fake" stuff.  Now a day, many of the products for sale in the ice cream aisle at the grocery store are labeled as “frozen desserts,” a.k.a. “ice cream look-a-likes.” These are made mostly with palm or coconut oil instead of milk or cream. In Canada, frozen dairy dessert may be labeled and marketed as ice cream only if it contains ≥ 10% milk fat or where cocoa or chocolate syrup, fruit, nuts or confections have been added, 8% milk fat. Next time you grab for a tub of ice cream, look for the words ICE CREAM and if it has the little symbol of a cow than you know that it is made from 100% Canadian milk.  

Products that you can trust:

Don’t be deceived by these imitation products:

When soccer meets ice cream

For those adventurous people out there, if you don’t want to be tricked into eating fake ice cream, why not try making your own? Play & Freeze™ Ice Cream Maker makes making your own ice cream easy and fun! All you need is ice, rock salt, cream, sugar and vanilla. The best part is that you not only get the satisfaction of making your own ice cream but you'll get to to squeeze in some physical activity at the same time!  As if it couldn't get any better, this product sells for a only a mere $25.  

Traditional Vanilla Ice Cream Mix:

• 1 cup heavy cream/Nutra-Whip (for a lower fat version)
• 1 cup 3% milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp Natural Vanilla Extract
• 1 egg

This basic mix is so versatile. Go a head and get your creative juices flowing and try a new flavour today!

Flavours that I’ve experimented with include:

• Vanilla
• Chai Tea
• Espresso with Cocoa Nibs
• Ginger

Make sure to let me know what unique flavours you come up with!

Pink Lady

I want to thank Eleasa for reminding me of this unique variety of apple.   It comes to me with no suprise that she came across Pink Lady apples in Australia, since this variety of apple actually originated from Western Australia.   Pink Lady is a bicoloured cross of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples.  Not to fear, genetic modification was not involved in the creation of this variety of apple.  Instead this hybrid resulted from the natural crossing of two existing varieties. This kind of work that has gone on for decades and is responsible for a great many ‘improved’ produce items with superior characteristics such as improved flavor, size, and color. 

Pink Lady apples are both tart and sweet, giving a very refreshing and effervesent crisp crunch when bitten into it, making them perfect as an eating apple or in salads.  More and more grocery stores in Ontario are begining to offer this variety of apple.  President's Choice even has organic Pink Lady apples!  So the next time you go to the grocery store, go and hunt down these "new world" gems that will definately excite your tastebuds!  Don't forget to let me know how you liked/disliked them..

An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

This past Thanksgiving weekend my family and I went on our yearly trip to the apple farm, but instead of going to the Al Ferri & Sons farm, we decided to drive further down Heritage road to support smaller family-owned farms. It wasn’t long until I spotted a sign that said “Apple & Pear picking.” To my disappointment, when I arrived at the farm I found out that pear season had just come and gone! The owner of the farm told me that I could scour through the trees and with any luck I could be able to find some. Well, I decided to take the challenge. After circling around all the pear trees I had no luck but then, all of a sudden, I spotted one large, perfectly-shaped pear dangling from one of the branches of the tree. The only thing between me and pear was distance! It wasn’t long before I found myself climbing up the tree to capture that one special pear. To my surprise, as I was halfway up the tree, it was honestly like a whole new world up there. Every step I took, I spotted more and more pears. At the end, I was able to pick enough pears to fill a small 3-lb basket!


Now that I had 2 bushels of freshly-picked apples in my kitchen floor, it called for an apple dessert making marathon! One of my favorite ways to eat apples is to slice them up, toss them with a bit of cinnamon and then bake at 350oC for about 15 minutes, lastly, serve alongside a scoop of all-natural vanilla gelato! Absolutely the best comfort food ever. What are you favorite ways to eat apples - pie, strudel, galette, pudding, cobbler or crumble?

Which is good for what?

	Courtland	Fuji	Gala	Golden Delicious	Granny Smith
Harvest	September	Late October	September	October	Late October
Quality	Milk flavor, tender, crisp texture, slightly tart	Firm, juicy, low-acidity, very sweet	Crisp, dense flesh with mild, sweet flavour	Large yellow fruit, very sweet, thin skinned	Crisp and tart
Use	Fresh-eating, salads, baking	Excels as salad, fresh-eating	Fresh-eating	Fresh-eating, dessert, sauce, pies, baking, freezing	Baking, sauce, juice

	Jonagold	McIntosh	Mutsu	Northern Spy	Red Delicious
Harvest	Mid-September	September	Late October	Late October	Late-September
Quality	Slightly tart flavour, tender texture	Very spicy, aromatic, slightly tart flavour, crisp texture	Crisp, juicy, tart	Tangy, robust, juicy, firm	Sweet flavour, tough, bitter skin
Use	Fresh-eating pies	Fresh-eating, salads, sauce, pies, baking	Fresh-eating, sauce	Baking, fresh-eating, all-purpose	Fresh-eating, salad

Adapted from: http://www.applejournal.com/

I’m pretty sure you’ve all hard this saying, but are apples really that good for you? You bet! Apples are a great source of vitamin C, boron, a trace mineral that helps harden bones and are packed full of fibre! So get out there and enjoy the brisk air and bite into a crisp and juicy apple today! If you want to buy them instead, make sure to choose firm apples that are free of bruises or soft spots. Overripe apples will give off ethylene gas, causing nearby produce to spoil. Remember that apples can be stored in the fridge for up to one month, or in a cool, dark place for longer.
Below are two healthy and easy baked apple treats for you to test out after your apple picking adventure! Be sure to let me know how you liked the recipes!

Apple Crumble (makes 4 servings)

What you need:

• 3 apples, cored & sliced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1 cups large oats
• 1/3 cup butter*
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

**The colder the butter the better. You can even use frozen butter!

Make it:

1.  PREHEAT oven to 350oF. Place sliced apples in an ovenproof dish.
2. CUT in butter into oats, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. SPRINKLE oat mixture over apples and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and the apples are bubbling.

Apple Phyllo Parcels (makes 4 servings)

What you need:

• 2 apples, sliced
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 4 sheets of phyllo pastry
• 2 tbsp raspberry/apricot jam
• 1 tbsp 100% orange juice

Make it:

1. PREHEAT oven to 400oF. Lay out a sheet of phyllo (one at a time) and brush with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and repeat until you have 4 layers. Cut into 4 equal sized square pieces.
2. ARRANGE sliced apples in the centre of each piece of phyllo evenly. Mix jam and juice together and brush over the apple slices.
3. BRING opposite corner of the phyllo together and twist all four corners to form the shape of a flower. Repeat with the remaining pieces and bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly browned.