Apple Almond Cake

A gorgeous spice cake with a hint of apple and the crunch of almond; adapted from Company's Coming "Baking, Simple to Sensational".

1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Splenda, artificial sweetener
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each: salt, ground cloves, nutmeg and ginger
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large tart cooking apple (such as Granny Smith) cored and grated
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Beat butter, sugar and Splenda in medium bowl until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flours, wheat germ, baking powder, salt and spices in a small bowl.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat well. Line 9 inch square pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking oil spray. Pour batter into pan. Spread evenly.

Combine apple and almonds in separate small bowl. Spoon evenly over top of batter. Bake at 350*F for 30- 45 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove cake in foil for cutting.

Brown Rice Pudding

This is a lower everything (carbs, fat, cholesterol, sugars) plus a bit- of- fibre- and- a- bit- more- protein recipe. If you're not used to the brown rice texture and nuttiness, you might not like it, but if you've been eating brown rice for awhile, as a higher fibre alternative to white rice, give it a try.

1/4 cup short grain brown rice (I used "Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice"- it was also gluten free)
2 Tbsp raisins**
1 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp Splenda artificial sweetener
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup homogenized milk*

Put rice, raisins and skim milk in the top of a double boiler (or in a thick bottomed pot). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours, stirring once in a while, til rice is cooked and milk is almost completely absorbed.

Add Splenda, vanilla and homogenized milk. Cook for 1 hour more, or til rice pudding is thick, before milk is cooked away.

makes 2 servings:

Per serving:

200 calories, 2.75 g fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 38.5 g carbohydrate, 16 g sugars, 1.75 g fibre, 8.25 g protein.

*If you use 2 % milk instead of Homogenized, it won't be quite as creamy, but you'll lower the fat content considerably. **If you don't like raisins and leave them out, the sugars and carb numbers will be reduced as well.

Oatmeal Raisin-Chip Cookies

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup all purpose whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend together. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* F for 8 - 10 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Nelson's Sweet Onion, Lemon-Dill Salad Dressing

When we were in England in 1995, we had dinner with the Director of the London Mennonite Centre and his family, and he made this amazing salad dressing. No fat, great flavour, and no sugar if you use Splenda. All of the ingredients are on the "free food" list for diabetics. It would also make a delightful marinade for chicken or fish.

1/2 medium-sized sweet onion
1/2 large lemon, zested
Juice from 1/2 large lemon
1 rounded Tablespoon sugar or Splenda artificial sweetener (or to taste)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
3/4 teaspoon dill weed
pepper to taste
vinegar as needed

Put all ingredients, except vinegar, in a blender. Blend together until onion is juiced and dressing is smooth. Add vinegar, a little at a time if it's too thick. If you need to add vinegar, you may need to add more sweetener. That's it! Enjoy with your favourite tossed salad.

Parmesan Garlic Flatbread

This is from "Company's Coming Baking: Simple to Sensational". I've tweaked it to increase the fiber. I've also combined a couple of steps, but any way you mix it up it's fast becoming a family favourite. Great served with a hearty soup or pasta.

1 1/3 cups (325 ml) warm water
1/2 tsp. (2 ml) granulated sugar
1/4 oz. (8 g) envelope of active dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp/ 11 ml)
1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour (or a combination of white and whole wheat flour: 1/2 and 1/2 or 2/3 and 1/3)
1/2 cup (250 ml) wheat germ
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
3 Tbsp. (50 ml) olive oil
1 3/4 cup ( 425 ml) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (75 ml) whole wheat flour
2/3 cup (150 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. (10 ml) chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 tsp./ 2 ml. dried)
3 garlic cloves, minced (or3/4 tsp./4 ml powder)
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil
1/3 cup (75 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. (1 ml) coarse sea salt

1. Stir warm water and sugar in small bowl until sugar is dissolved*. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir until yeast is dissolved.

2. Combine first amount of flour, wheat germ and salt in extra-large bowl. Make a well in center. Add first amount of olive oil and yeast mixture to well. Mix until sticky batter forms. Add second amount of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, first amount of Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic. Mix well. Work in enough additional whole wheat flour until dough pulls away from side of bowl and is still slightly sticky. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes, adding whole wheat flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth. Place in greased extra-large bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with greased waxed paper and tea towel. Let stand in oven with light on and door closed for about 1 1/2 hours until tripled in bulk. Punch dough down.

3. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Shape into ball. Roll out or press into greased 12 inch (30 cm) pizza pan. Cover with greased waxed paper and tea towel. Let stand in oven with light on and door closed for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size. Poke indentations over surface os dough with fingers or wooden spoon handle, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) deep and 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart.

4. Drizzle second amount of olive oil evenly over dough. Oil will pool in indentations. Sprinkle with second amount of Parmesan cheese and coarse sea salt. Bake at 425 *F (220*C) for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool. Cuts into 12 or 16 wedges.

*I used my Kitchen Aid standing mixer with the dough hook. I proofed the yeast (step 1) right in the mixer bowl, then added all the flours and herbs (in step 2) at once. Add whole wheat flour as needed to make a smooth dough.

NOTE: for a crowd, I made 3 times the recipe, then divided the dough into 4 parts. I sprayed the inside of 4 large freezer bags, then put each of the 4 balls of dough into a bag and closed the very top with a twist tie. The dough rose very nicely in the bags. I made 4 flatbreads, that baked for a little less than 20 minutes each, and I cut them each into 16 pieces.

Currant Scones

This is based on the Currant Scone recipe in "Company's Coming Muffins and More" cookbook. I've kicked up the fibre and left out the sugar. It's an easy recipe to halve, and it has become my favourite scone recipe. They are delightful with butter and a bit of No- Sugar- Added Orange Spread. And don't forget a cup of good, strong tea!

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bran flakes cereal (I press it down, crunching it up, until it measures a cup)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine, cold
1/2 cup currants, or lightly chopped raisins
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
milk for brushing tops
granulated sugar for sprinkling

In large bowl combine flours, cereal, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in currants. Make a well in the center.

In small bowl, beat egg until frothy. Stir in milk. Pour into well. Stir with a fork to form soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 times. Divide into two equal parts. Pat each into a 6 inch circle. Transfer to greased baking sheet. (I never knead the dough, and I make the circle right on the baking sheet)

Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar*. Score each top into 6 pie shaped markings. Bake at 425*F for 15 minutes, until risen and browned slightly. Serve hot with butter and jam. Yield: 12 scones.

*you can skip this step, to make lovely currant "biscuits", or use a 1/4 tsp. measure to give each circle just a slight dusting of sugar. I usually leave off the sugar, when I'm making them just for me.