Citrus Glazed Fruit Kabobs

Today is National Eat Something on a Stick Day, so what better to post for your delight than some fruit kabobs! I discovered this while searching for some kiwi recipes for a recipe tag group I belong to. So I had to share this one with you all!

Citrus Glazed Fruit Kabobs

1 C. vanilla yogurt
1 T. chopped fresh mint
1/4 t. ground ginger
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. lime or orange juice
dash ground cinnamon
2 kiwifruit, peeled, halved and thickly sliced
1/2 C. each fresh peach, apricot, plum and nectarine wedges
1/2 C. thickly sliced ripe banana
1/2 C. cubed fresh pineapple
1/2 C. cubed peeled mango

For sauce, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, mint and ginger; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, lime juice and cinnamon.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat.
On 8 metal or soaked skewers, alternately thread the fruit, brush with half of the glaze.  Grill uncovered over medium low heat for 12-16 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally and basting frequently with remaining glaze.  Serve warm with yogurt sauce.

Enjoy!

I found a couple recipes that are pretty much identical for a diabetic friendly fudge! YUM! Being diabetic, it's been one of the things I've missed being able to have a few bites of. NO MORE! I'm trying this! I have a package of my soft goat cheese thawing to make this. This one even has some nuts in it.

SUGAR FREE FUDGE

Ingredients
2-8 OZ. PKGS REDUCED FAT CREAM CHEESE
2-1OZ SQS. UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE-MELTED AND COOLED
SUGAR SUBSTITUTE EQUAL TO 1 CUP SUGAR
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1/2 CUP PECANS CHOPPED

Directions
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, chocolate, sweetener, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans. Pour into an 8 inch square pan lined with foil, cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 16 squares. Serve chilled.
Yields 16 servings
Source: Diabetic Connect

National Banana Lovers Day

National Banana Lovers Day! I don't expect you to sleep with a bunch of bananas though! I just got a kick out of that banana graphic and it's IMHO perfect for the day! And, it's also National Compassion Day. Fitting, huh?

In case you ever wonder how much sugar is in a banana, those are sugar cubes to show you! Being diabetic, I will now have to pick up a box of sugar cubes at the store and see how many grams of sugar in a cube and all that important nutritional info. The nutritional info for a banana is misleading as bananas vary so much in size. I guess I should ask the diabetic dietician when I start classes next month!

And, if you don't like bananas to eat, carve them or make bread!

Why? Because it's also Just Because Day!

National Sponge Cake Day

I LOVE sponge cake but I don't have a photo of one! I love sponge cake with chocolate whipped topping and lots of raspberries or strawberries. Then grate or shave chocolate on top of that. YUM! I like it all to be COLD too. And, any sweets are best with chocolate!

DIABETIC SPONGE CAKE

7 eggs
1/2 c. fruit juice, orange
3 tbsp. Sweet 'n Low or any sugar substitute
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 c. sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff. In another bowl, combine rest of ingredients and mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in greased and floured bundt pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or longer; test with toothpick. Serve with no sugar jelly (all fruit) and Cool Whip.

Lemon Sponge Cake with Glazed Strawberries

For the cake:
1/4 cup sifted matzo cake meal, plus extra, for flouring the pan
9 eggs, separated, whites at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

For the glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

To finish:
1 cup apricot jam
1 1/2 tbsp. water
3 cups strawberries, green parts trimmed off, halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Flour the sides of the pan with sifted matzo cake meal.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue whipping just until stiff and glossy, about 30 seconds more.

In another bowl, whip the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the egg whites. Gently fold in the ground almonds, chopped almonds, matzo meal, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until dry and spongy in the center, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove the sides of the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. The cake will fall somewhat.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir the ingredients together until smooth, adding lemon juice as needed until the glaze is pour-able. Set the wire rack holding the cake on a sheet pan. Drizzle the glaze generously over the top of the cake, letting it trickle down the sides. Using a flexible spatula or pastry brush, gently spread the glaze over the sides of the cake, reusing any glaze that drips onto the baking sheet. Let set for at least 30 minutes before serving, or until the glaze is hardened. Transfer the cake to a serving platter, removing the pan bottom and parchment paper if desired.

In a medium saucepan, bring the jam and water to a boil, stirring to break up any lumps. Working quickly, add the strawberries all at once and fold together with a spatula until evenly coated. Pour into the sunken center of the cake and gently spread into a circle on the surface, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Let cool until set, about 30 minutes. Use a very sharp knife for slicing the cake.

Hungarian Plain Sponge Cake

This Hungarian plain sponge cake recipe can be the base for many elegant desserts including somloi galuska or trifle.

Use a light hand when sifting in the flour so as not to deflate the batter.

Makes a 13x9-inch sponge cake layer
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
3 large room temperature eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cake flour
Pinch salt

Preparation:
Place rack in middle of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13x9-inch pan and line with parchment.

Combine eggs and sugar in stainless-steel bowl or stand mixer bowl. Place over (not in) a simmering pot of water on medium heat, whisking constantly, until eggs are warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or electric handheld mixer on high speed, beat until the egg-sugar mixture has tripled in volume, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. In two additions, sift the flour-salt mixture over the egg-sugar mixture, carefully folding it in so as not to deflate the batter.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake about 12 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and cool in pan 3 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the sponge cake to loosen it. Then cover the pan with a sheet or parchment paper and another baking sheet and invert the sponge cake. Lift off the 13x9-inch pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
Source: About.com

HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE

1 c. milk
6 1/2 tbsp. butter

4 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Add butter and milk to mixture and beat until blended being careful not to over beat. Pour into a greased and floured pan. Bake at 375 degrees; layer pan for 30 to 35 minutes; solid pan for 1 hour; cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes.
Source: Cooks.coms

National Vanilla Custard Day

I LOVE custards, flans, panna cottas and the like. I wish I'd found out earlier that today is National Vanilla Custard Day as I'd have made some!

Being I'm too late for that I'll just share a recipe with you and maybe you'll have time for it! (I've got chores and milking to do here on the homestead!) I've NOT tried this recipe but it looks good! If you try it, please feel free to leave a review in the comments section! We'd all appreciate and enjoy seeing a review!

Baked Vanilla Custard (Diabetic)

Ingredients
1 quart 2% milk
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Equal® Spoonful*
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sliced fresh fruit (optional)
Fresh mint (optional)
* May substitute 27 packets Equal sweetener

Directions
Heat milk just to boiling in medium saucepan. Let cool 5 minutes. Beat eggs, Equal®, vanilla and salt in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in hot milk. Pour mixture into ten 6-ounce custard cups or 1-1/2 quart glass casserole. Place custard cups or casserole in roasting pan. Pour 1 inch of hot water into roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 325° F oven 50 to 60 minutes or until sharp knife inserted halfway between center and edge of custard comes out clean. Remove custard cups or casserole from roasting pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve garnished with sliced fresh fruit and mint, if desired.
Nutritional Information (Per Serving/10 servings)
Calories: 90, Protein: 7 g, Sodium: 124 mg, Cholesterol: 135 mg, Fat: 5 g, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Exchanges: 1/2 milk, 1/2 lean meat. Source: Equal ®

Vanilla Custard Crumble with Mixed Berries

Crumble:
45 reduced-fat vanilla wafers
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
Cooking spray

Custard:
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon butter
1/3 cup raspberries
1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup blackberries

To prepare crumble, place wafers in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs form. Add 2 tablespoons butter, and pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add vanilla extract and egg white, and pulse just until moist. Spread crumb mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, pressing gently. Bake at 300° for 27 minutes or until golden, and let stand 10 minutes. Crumble and set aside.

To prepare custard, heat the milk and vanilla bean over medium-high heat in a large, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil), stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean from pan. Scrape the seeds from vanilla bean, and add seeds to milk mixture. Discard bean. Add sugar, cornstarch, and salt to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl, and stir with a whisk. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg yolks, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add 1 teaspoon butter, stirring until butter melts. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 30 minutes or until the mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover and chill 8 hours or until set. Combine the berries. Place 1/4 cup crumble in each of 8 (8-ounce) custard cups, and top each serving with 1/4 cup custard. Spoon 2 tablespoons berry mixture over each serving.
Calories: 234 (30% from fat), Fat: 7.9g (sat 3.5g,mono 2.8g,poly 1g), Protein: 4.4g, Carbohydrate: 36.7g , Fiber: 1.2g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Iron: 0.7mg, Sodium: 165mg, Calcium: 94mg
Source: myrecipes.com

Enjoy!