Showing posts with label canola oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canola oil. Show all posts

Chocolate Orange Swirl Cake

This is an easy and tasty coffee cake that you can make in an afternoon. It's also a nice after school snack for kids coming home from school. My mother used to make this cake not only on special occasions but to have as an everyday snack, with an afternoon coffee or even later in the evening. What can go wrong with a bit of chocolate anyway. Enjoy!

Ingredients (Makes 30 servings appr. 1.5 oz each)
2 ¾ cups flour
3 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. orange rind
3 eggs
1 cup skim milk
2 tbsp. cocoa powder

Directions
Sift together the flour the baking powder and the salt. Set aside.
In a bowl beat together the canola oil, sugar and vanilla till blended. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients alternately with the skim milk. Mix well.
Preheat oven at 350° F.
Butter and flour a Bundt cake pan.
Separate 1 cup of the cake batter in another bowl. Add the cocoa powder and mix well together. That's for the swirl of the cake.
Pour half of the yellow batter in the greased and floured Bundt pan. Pour the chocolate batter over it. Don't swirl it just let it take its own shape. Pour the rest of the yellow batter over the chocolate batter. Bake at 350° F oven for one hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1.534 oz (43.5g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 146
Calories from Fat 49
Total Fat 5.4g
Saturated Fat 0.6g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 16mg
Sodium 50mg
Potassium 99mg
Total Carbohydrates 23.1g
Dietary Fiber 0.5g
Sugars 13.8g
Protein 2.1g




Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a Greek Twist

I first made this recipe when my sister in law was visiting from Greece.  We were both watching the TV commercial about the Hellman's Parmesan crusted chicken and thought we should try it.  The first time I made it I downloaded the recipe from the Hellman's website.  It turned out good, but not the way I would have liked it.  I had to put some Greek flair in it.  So I made it again and added my own Greek twist. The original recipe only has  4 ingredients in it: the chicken, the Parmesan, the bread crumbs, and the mayo.  I substituted the Parmesan cheese with fresh grated Romano cheese, added grey poupon and lemon juice, plain bread crumbs on some of the chicken breasts and gluten free breadcrumbs at another, since my daughter is on a gluten free diet.  It's any easy dish to make and goes well with rice and a spinach/romaine salad on the side.  Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings (appr. 6 oz. each)

1/4 cup  Hellman's Mayonnaise made with Canola oil
2 oz. Romano cheese
1 3/4 lbs. boneless chicken breasts (about 4 chicken breasts)
4 tsp. bread crumbs
1 tbsp. grey poupon mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the mayo with the mustard and lemon juice; sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.  Spread it over the chicken breasts.  Top with the bread crumbs, the shredded cheese and bake at 425 degree oven for ½ hour till chicken is done.  (The mayonnaise topping keeps the chicken nice and moist and not dry).

Note: you can mix the shredded cheese with the mayonnaise mixture.  I skipped that step and sprinkled the cheese on top the breadcrumbs.  Either way it tastes good. 

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (158.3 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 357
Calories from Fat 172
Total Fat 19.1g
Saturated Fat 5.7g
Cholesterol 131mg
Sodium 359mg
Total Carbohydrates 1.5g
Dietary Fiber 0.1g
Sugars 0.2g

Protein 41.5g




Fried Cod in Beer Batter



Makes six servings (about 6 oz each)

1.3 lbs cod fillets

Beer Batter

¾ cup flour

¾ cup beer

2 tsp fresh dill finely chopped

2 tsp fresh parsley finely chopped

½ cup canola oil for frying

Salt and pepper to taste (you can add the salt and pepper in the batter. I don’t put much salt on this dish, since fish to begin with is salty).

Rinse the cod fillets and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

In a bowl and with a whisk, mix together the flour, the beer, the fresh dill and the fresh parsley. Mix well, so there are no lumps.

In a non-stick frying pan, add the ½-cup canola oil. Let it heat through, but not too hot. Coat the cod fillets with the beer batter, and drop carefully in the hot oil. When the fillets crisp on the outside, lower the heat and let the fillets cook for a couple more minutes. Make sure that the oil is not too hot, as the batter will burn and the fish will not cook inside. If unsure, take a piece out of the frying pan and cut it with a fork. If it’s flaky, then the fish is cooked. If not, put it back in the frying pan and let it cook a little longer. The cooking time depends on how big the cod fillets are. If the fillets are small then the cooking will take less time, if big it will need more time to cook through.

When all the fillets are fried, place them in a platter lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. When ready to serve, remove the paper towel or place them in another platter, drizzle some fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve with lemon wedges.



Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 5.732 oz (162.5g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 334
Calories from Fat 173
Total Fat 19.2g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Trans Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 54mg
Sodium 79mg
Total Carbohydrates 13.2g
Dietary Fiber 0.5g
Protein 24.3g

Greek Fried Potato Salad


Makes about six servings (about ½ cup each serving)

4 cups boiled potatoes cut in quarters

¼ cup canola oil for frying

2 tbs chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped green onions

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste (about ¼ tsp each – all according to taste)

Boil the potatoes in the microwave or over the stove. For this dish I used about six potatoes, mixed sizes. I peel them, wash them, quarter them, and boil them in the microwave for about 20-30 minutes. The potatoes should be firm to the touch, not mushy but also not undercooked.

When the potatoes are boiled, drain them in a strainer and let them cool, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a frying pan, add the ¼-cup canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, piece by piece, but do not overcrowd the pan. Let them fry until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove from the frying pan and place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. When all the potatoes are fried, let them cool in the bowl.

When the potatoes are cool to the touch, transfer them in another bowl without the paper towel. Add the chopped parsley, green onions, the 3 tbs olive oil, and the lemon juice, along with salt and pepper. Toss and cover, or serve immediately.





Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (121.9 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 173
Calories from Fat 103
Total Fat 11.5g
Saturated Fat 1.3g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 8mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.5g
Dietary Fiber 2.6g
Sugars 1.4g
Protein 1.8g