Gingerbread Cheesecake with a Caramel Drizzle

Ingredients:

Gingerbread layer:

2 ¼ cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¾ tsp cloves

½ cup butter, Softened

¼ cup shortening

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup molasses

Cheesecake layer:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

¾ cup white sugar

¼ cup milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Caramel Drizzle *optional*

1/3 cup butter

¾ cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup evaporated milk

½ Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Gingerbread layer:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 8inx8in baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. 

In a large bowl use stand or hand mixer, cream together butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until light brown.  

Slowly add egg, vanilla and molasses. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.

  

 When flour is completely incorporated, spread mixture into baking dish.

Cheesecake layer:

In large bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar. 

Slowly beat in milk and eggs. 

 Add sour cream, vanilla and flour and fold in with spatula.  

When smooth and creamy pour into of gingerbread mixture in baking dish.

Put shallow pan filled with water in bottom of oven (this keeps the cheesecake from cracking) Place baking dish in oven and bake for 45-50 mins or until cheesecake is set. Keep in oven for 1 hr with heat off. Remove and let cool for 5 hrs.

Caramel Drizzle:

In medium saucepan on med-low heat, whisk together butter, brown sugar water and salt. 

stirring constantly until lightly boils. Remove from heat and stir in evaporated milk and vanilla.

Drizzle on top of cooled cheesecake. Caramel sauce can be refrigerated for further use.

The Benefits of Mushroom and Avocado

I love love love soup. I absolute mushrooms. Don't get me started on avocados... yummmmmmmm. So of course I will advocate for these great and delicious ingredients. 

So whenever you order at a restaurant you  are asked would like with your main entree, "soup or salad?" I say, "why not both?" Soup includes many key ingredients that help to improve your health -- mainly vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which are all needed to sustain good health and to reverse health problems, which is why when we are sick it is recommended. (Read more: Why Soup is Healthy?) I'm sure that everyone know how healthy salad can be for you, of course if it not smothered in dressing. There are many ingredients that can tantalize your taste buds that do not include super fatty or an immense amounts of sodium. If you like creamy and highly seasoned dressings, it is much better and healthier to make it yourself, but that is another recipe and post I will have to come back to.


On to the health benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, cholesterol-reducing, and immune-enhancing properties, as well helping to reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Shiitake mushrooms have been found to inhibit increases in tumor volume of human breast cancer cells" **there are two important notations I would like to stress on mushrooms. There are some mushrooms that can be poisonous to you. and also that there are certain studies that say certain mushrooms can increase breast cancer in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

(You can read more about this in http://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/mushrooms)

Avocados are also very healthy for you. They are full of protein, vitamins, nutrients and healthy fats. Yes, that is possible! Avocados contain lutien. Studies have shown that women with increased intake of lutein in their diets have lower rates of breast cancer. Lutein is also found in high quantities in kale, brocolli and spinach.
(There are many more health benefits to Avocados and you can read about them here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nalini-chilkov/avocados-a-super-cancer-f_b_632985.html)

My food lecture is now over. Below are recipes that contains both of these cancer reducing super foods. Now you can try it and ENJOY!

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound portabello mushrooms (sliced)

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms (sliced)

6 tbsp olive oil

*salt and pepper to taste*

5 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 onion (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

1/3 cup white wine

3 tbsp of flour

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 tsp chopped thyme

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil. Divide mushrooms between prepared baking sheets. drizzle oil on mushrooms. season with salt and pepper. toss to coat. cover with foil. Bake mushrooms for 30 mins. Uncover and continue baking until mushrooms are tender and still moist (about 15 mins) Cool slightly. 

Puree 1/2 with 2 cups of broth until smooth. Set mushroom puree aside. 

Melt butter in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sautee untill onions are tender. about 8 mins. Add wine and simmer until almost all liquid evaporates (about 2 mins), add flour; stir 2 mins. Add 3 cups of broth, cream and thyme. Stir in remaining cooked mushrooms and mushroom puree. simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 mins. season soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Avocado Salad

Ingredients:1/4 cup fresh lemon juiceZest from one lemon1/2 cup olive oil

½ tsp salt¼ tsp white pepper1 heart of romaine, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces2 (6- to 8-ounces) firm-ripe avocados¼ cup of sliced kalamata olives3 medium radishes, thinly sliced

Directions:
Whisk together lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then whisk in oil. Toss lettuce with just enough dressing to coat. 

Quarter, pit, and peel avocados, then cut into ½ inch cubed pieces add to lettuce along with lemon zest, olives, and radishes, toss lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

For more information on mushroom and Avocados and other cancer reducing foods please visit: http://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/ and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nalini-chilkov/avocados-a-super-cancer-f_b_632985.html

The Benefits of Apples and Cranberries

This week I've dug out one of my favorite recipes, and who would have known it was healthy for your breasts. I know cranberries are healthy as well as apples but with further research I found these fruits are so much more.

The Food for Breast Cancer website says that cranberries have been studied to increase the effects of radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Cranberries also contain a high concentration of antioxidants.

Apples are also a great source of nutrition and antioxidants. There have been studies that prove the consumption of apples can reduce the size of mammary tumors and "increase the anti-cancer effects of  the chemotherapy drug Taxol (paclitaxel)."

Below is a recipe that contains both of these cancer reducing super foods. Now you can try it and ENJOY!

Cran-Apple Cobbler

Ingredients
filling
1/2 cup fresh Cranberries
5 peeled thinly sliced apples (1/8in thick) *granny smith and fuji apples are my chosen favorite
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp butter

Topping 
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8x8in baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl. fold together filling ingredients (except butter): cranberries, apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, water, and vanilla. Place into prepared baking pan. Dot with butter.

In a separate bowl, mix topping ingredients (except brown sugar): flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and an egg. Next, spoon topping onto apple filling and sprinkle on brown sugar. Bake for 35-40 mins or until filling is bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

**wash apples thoroughly before slicing to remove any pesticide residue.


For more information on apples, cranberries and other cancer reducing foods please visit: http://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/

The Benefits of Spinach and Dry Beans

In doing some research to find some ingredients that would be healthy and delicious, I came across Spinach. "Spinach is a good dietary source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, folate, and vitamin K, as well as iron, manganese and magnesium." Spinach also contains beta carotene and other flavoniods that "demonstrate cancer fighting properties."

Beans are also good for a healthy diet to prevent breast cancer. Many dry beans have "potent antioxidant and antiproliferative components" that have been studied to reduce mammory tumors. In addition there was a study done that showed, "the diets of 90,630 women in the Nurses Health Study II found a significant inverse relationship between breast cancer and the intake of beans."

Below is a recipe that contains both of these cancer reducing super foods. How you can try it and ENJOY!

Spinach Cannellini Dip

Ingredients
1 12oz can of cannellini beans
1/2 cup of chopped baby spinach
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

**serve with pita pockets, pita chips or veggies

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor combine the white beans, spinach, cumin and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until almost smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until completely incorporated. If the consistency is too thick add a couple of tablespoons of warm water.


For more information on Spinach and other cancer reducing foods please visit: http://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/

Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour  

1 cups cake flour  

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda  

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

2 cups water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 8 inch round cake pan.

2. Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar               and water. Mix together until smooth.

3. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and
   allow cooling. Once cool, remove any humps from the cake, so you have a smooth flat surface to work with. 

Vegan Ganache Filling and Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips 

1 cup vanilla-flavored soy milk

1 tablespoon brewed coffee

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

  

Directions

Meanwhile, prepare frosting. Put chocolate chips, vanilla soymilk, coffee, and syrup into a double boiler (or if you
don’t have a double boiler, a wide metal bowl over a pot will do). Heat until chocolate chips melt, whisk all ingredients together until smoother. Set aside to cool (for about an hour), divide mixture in half, setting one half aside and the other in a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or a hand mixer will do) set on high for about 5 mins or until light in color and fluffy. 

Once cakes are cooled and ready to work with apply fluffy ganache on top of the first cake. Top that cake with the other layer of cake . Pour on thinned ganache, spread on top and sides of cake. Enjoy!