Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Cupcake ingredients

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Two large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Finely grated rind of one orange

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon Triple Sec
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1.5 teaspoons grated orange peel

Cupcake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins with liners.  Sift all dry ingredients into the bowl of your mixer.   Add eggs, orange juice, Triple Sec, milk, butter, vanilla and orange rind and mix until smooth, about three minutes.

Fill liners with batter, bake for 20 minutes.

While cupcakes are baking, add all frosting ingredients into the mixing bowl (freshly washed, of course) mix for about two minutes until smooth.  Wait until cupcakes are completely cooled before icing.

Mango and Pear Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango
• 2 ripe Barlett pears
• 1/2 cup plain 0% yogurt
• 1/2 tablespoon of honey

Directions

Remove skin from mango and pears and with a knife roughly chop.  Add mango and pear chunks into blender and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Combine puree with yogurt and honey, then set aside in the fridge to chill.

Using a Kitchenaid mixer with ice cream attachment start the bowl at a slow speed.  Slowly pour the yogurt mixture into the ice cream bowl.  Let churn for 15-20 minutes, until thick

.  Enjoy right away, and move remaining to an airtight container and let sit in freezer for 4-6 hours.

Pumpkin Spiced Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 Cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 Cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Cup flour
• 1/2 Cup bran flakes
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• dash salt

Topping

• 1/8 C of each oats, pecans, brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon butter

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  In a large bowl mix together the first five ingredients with a hand mixer.  In separate bowl mix together flour, bran, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to wet ingredients and combine thoroughly, without over mixing.  Over mixing will activate the gluten and the muffins will be tough.   Once combined add batter into muffin pan.  

In a separate bowl mix topping ingredients together.

Place even amounts of topping on each muffin.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins at slightly less than 200 calories each.

Asian chicken lettuce wraps

Ingredients

• A head of Iceberg Lettuce
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1-2 chicken breasts (depending on your preference of meat to veggie ratio) chopped up in small bite sized pieces
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1/4 yellow pepper , julienne
• 1/4 red pepper , julienne
• 2 carrots, julienne
• 2 portabella mushrooms, chopped matchstick
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 2 scallions sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/8-1/4 C (depending on preference) peanuts

Directions

Peel the iceberg leaves apart and set the "wraps" aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium/high heat.  Add garlic and let cook for 30 seconds.  Add chicken and cook until you can no longer see pink, about 2 minutes.

Add in onion, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms, cook for another minute.

While cooking mix together sugar and soya sauce and stir until dissolved.  Add to the chicken and veggie mixture, cover with lid and let cook for 2 minutes.

Mix together hoisin and sriracha sauce and add to pot.  Lastly toss in cilantro and scallions and remove from heat. 

Serve with lettuce leaves.  

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