HCG Diet BBQ Sauce

The HCG Diet allows only certain foods to be a part of the daily menu. There are many foods that are prohibited, as they would interfere with the functioning of the HCG hormone during the diet. In the long run the HCG Diet plan causes a lifestyle change helping the dieter to consciously choose healthy options over processed unhealthy foods. While the HCG Diet Plan has many restrictions on the foods that can be a part of the diet there is no need to sacrifice taste while counting the calories. The internet is full of sites with HCG approved recipes & in Dr Simeon’s time a BBQ sauce would definitely not have been approved of but modern methods allow us to make HCG Diet BBQ Sauce well within the limits of the HCG Diet. This can be had with the approved portion of grilled/smoked lean meats as part of the meal plan.
Tips to Prepare HCG Diet BBQ Sauce from the Comfort of Home
Take 2 strips of fat free turkey Bacon chopped finely, 1 small chopped onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 6oz can of organic tomato paste, 1 12oz can of Diet coke, 1/4th cup of sugar free catsup, 3 teaspoons of mustard paste, 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of clove powder, ½ cup of water, a pinch of chili/paprika.
Lightly sauté the bacon in a few drops of olive/coconut oil, add onion & cook over a medium flame for a few minutes, add garlic & stir fry. Now add all the remaining ingredients with the water & stir. Simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust the flavor by adding some vinegar or a liquid sweetener as per taste. This can be stored & used as required. This recipe makes 10 servings of 1/4th cup each of 15-30 calories approx. Always use organic & preservative products where ever possible.
There are many sites with HCG approved meal menus to try from to make the diet easier & tastier.

Tips For Angel Food Sweet Cake

This is my absolute favorite Angel Food Cake in the world! I love to serve it warm with gluten free ice cream on top, trust me it makes the best dessert and is so satisfying when you have a sweet craving. Don’t worry that one large cake may be too much if you are the only one that will be eating it because this cake freezes so well! It really is the perfect dessert.
The trick to this recipe is to make sure the eggs are beaten long enough and that the cake is baked enough.
Ingredients
2 cups egg whites, at room temperature
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or orange- yummy!)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sifted white sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°
Bring the egg whites to room temperature, if taking directly from the fridge let them sit out for 45 minutes or so.
Sift together the potato starch, cornstarch, and white sugar (the unsifted one);and set aside.
In a big mixing combine egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extracts and beat on the highest speed until they are stiff and stand in soft peaks (approx 2 mins or so)
Change the mixer to a medium speed and slowly add the cup of sifted sugar for about one minute or until the eggs whites are stiff.
Next, change the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly sprinkle in the sifted flour mixture for approx a minute and half.
Now carefully pour the cake batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan and bake at 375° for 50 to 55 minutes. Make sure not to under bake, if anything over baking is better with browning the top.
Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. Turn upside down and flip again so that it’s upright and serve or wrap up!

Give You Free Dessert Recipes

You still can have chocolate brownies, cookies, ice cream and more!

Dealing with having to eat gluten free can be somewhat challenging at times. You have to read labels very carefully and scrutinize the menu while dining out but once you get used to it- it becomes second nature. You will find that getting a dessert that is gluten free on a menu (even these days) is quite rare so you will have to learn to become a baker- don’t worry I’ve made it easy!
Many of the gluten free cake and cookie mixes that are prepackaged in your supermarket are pretty good and most of them are easy to make. Any of the commercial desserts listed on this page to the right I have personally tried and find them to be not only delicious but just so easy to make and bake that I usually prefer to go the prepackaged route.
Everyone I know seems to enjoy this collection of recipes. I have brought them to many a party and never has anyone ever suspected they were eating a dessert that does not contain gluten.
As you may already have noticed I tend to stick to easy recipes (quick and delicious) so you can guarantee that you won’t have any trouble with these! When baking I have found that its one of those things in life that must be exact so make sure to measure precisely.
Now preheat your oven and get ready to make the easiest, tastiest desserts on the planet!

Wonderful White Chocolate Desserts

　　White chocolate—a favorite confection composed of cocoa butter, sugar and milk—is a sweet and delicious relative of milk or dark chocolate. Sometimes presented as vanilla-flavored, the amiable treat works well as icing, a chunky ingredient in cookies and in a variety of other desserts. Below, we’ve listed 8 great recipes that incorporate white-chocolate flavors into your dessert foods—from a decadent White Chocolate Cheesecake to the citrus-infused Orange Walnut White Chocolate Batons—sure to please even the harshest of cocoa connoisseurs.
　　White Chocolate Recipes:
　　1. White Chocolate Cheesecake
　　2. Tropical White Chocolate Chip Cookies
　　3. White Chocolate Strawberry Squares
　　4. Orange Walnut White Chocolate Batons
　　5. Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Frosting
　　6. White Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Bars
　　7. Marbled Chocolate Bark
　　8. White Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cheesecake
　　Readers can create a one-of-a-kind cookbook using any of the thousands of recipes on WomansDay.com. Plus, their own recipes, comments, photos and notes can also be included. Once compiled, the book can then be printed and bound or downloaded as a PDF document, making a truly unique gift or personalized must-have reference for every home cook.

Whole Grains Can Cut The Inflammatory Disease Risk?

　　Researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in June 2007 found that people who eat proper amounts of whole grains are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and other inflammatory conditions, which certainly is a good healthy living concept.
　　Researchers say that those who ate at least four to seven servings of whole grains per week were 35 per cent less likely to die of an inflammatory disorder than those who rarely or never ate them. This study was done on 27,300 postmenopausal women for 17 years. This is great news!
　　According to the Canada Food Guide, which emphasizes the use of whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, dried beans, peas and lentils, fibre is found in plant foods. Canada Food Guide says that there is no fibre in foods of animal origin.
　　The average Canadian diet allows us about 15 grams of fiber per day. Researchers say that, as adults, we are to double that current intake to 30 grams of fiber per day.
　　By eating a fibrous diet as a lifelong healthy eating venture, this way of eating helps in the prevention and treatment of a variety of health ails, such as diverticular disease (www.wikipedia.com), constipation, polyps in rectal area, heart disease, hiatus hernia, obesity and some forms of cancer.
　　In order to stay with the High Fibre Recommendations:
　　* Obtain fibre from a variety of different foods; all foods contain different amounts of fibre.
　　* Use "whole grain" breads, muffins, bagels and try for at least five servings per day.
　　* Choose "vegetables and fruit" more often, especially when it comes to Dessert time. The fruit is best if eaten raw, but can be eaten both cooked and raw, and try to eat the skin as well, as it contains much of the fibre.
　　* For your dried beans, peas and lentils, put in soups, casseroles and salads for your soluble fibre. Lentils make a wonderful soup and salads are marvelous with feta cheese and olives. Be creative.
　　* Increase the fibre in your healthy eating gradually to avoid bloating, gas and any digestive upsets.
　　* Always remember to drink plenty of fluids per day - aim for 6 to 8 cups, which includes milk, juice, water, clear teas. Caffeine does not count as it draws fluids from the body. Drinking your fluids will help with your digestion and bowel regularity as well.
　　* Exercise regularly as it will help you to have regular bowel habits.
　　* Always read labels for fibre content on foods if possible. Check your cookbooks, and make yourself a guru on fibre rich goods. As an idea 3 grams fibre per 1/2 cup serving of recommend fibre rich foods.
　　We have used the Canadian Health Guide as a ruling; in fact, the American Food Guide would be similar. Make it a point of finding out all the foods that contain fibre, separate the lists into grains, fruits, vegetables, add your liquids to the list and tack it onto your refrigerator as a reminder of how to eat, amounts and servings, and help yourself into high fibre for your healthy living.

Behind the scenes of Hong Kong's most loved egg tart

Many Hong Kong residents will recollect the smell of crispy cookie crust and sweet egg custard along Lyndhurst Terrace in Central with great affection. After all, if they were good enough for Chris Patten, the last British governor and famously a fan of the product, they should be good enough for the rest of us.

We are talking about Tai Cheong bakery.

For almost six decades, Tai Cheong has witnessed and experienced the city’s growth, including property inflation. Its owners were forced to close it down in 2005 due to high rent, but reopened it later in a nearby spot, determined to change.

As a part of Tao Heung Group now, the once small bakery has swollen into a corporate business. Despite the convenience given by 14 branches (excluding the one in Macau), many Tai Cheong fans, local and international, still prefer to go to the Central main store, hoping to have a taste of the good old days and to sooth their nostalgia.

We thought it was time to visit one of the new stores, and speak to an egg tart expert there instead.

The Lok Fu branch opened in April. The only trace of the age of the brand is through the old pictures on the wall. Chung Chi Wai has been a baker for 20 years and is charged with maintaining the success of the brand at this site. “Of course it is an immense pressure for me,” he says.

“The trickiest part is to be careful with the amount of filling poured,” Chung says as he calmly fills every empty shell with thick egg liquid. “When I first learned to be a baker, I always have to spoon the filling here and there to make them even.”

Another characteristic of the new store is the open kitchen design. Fans can tip-toe to see how the egg tarts are made.

The timing is essential. First, the egg tarts are baked for 13 minutes before Chung rotates the tray “extremely carefully." Then, four minutes of waiting.

Beep beep beep. The timer goes off. Chung’s hand is already on the oven handle as he asks, “Are you ready?” The egg tarts arrive, the crust brownish yellow and the wobbling egg custard looks like it is going to burst open at any second.

“When the baking is done well I am happy,” says Chung.

It is true that the new stores may not share the old-school feeling of  the Central main store. But they are not short of support from long-term fans. 

Make Your Own Ice Cream

Nothing says summer more than melting scoops of ice cream, so learn to make a batch of classic vanilla, and once you’ve got the knack, adapt the recipe by swirling in luxurious flavourings.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, then you can still make great ice cream by hand. Pour the cooled custard mixture into a large freezerproof container (this will give a greater surface area and help the mixture to freeze faster), cover tightly with cling film, then freeze for 1½-2 hours until frozen at the edges. Remove the ice cream from the freezer, transfer to a bowl if necessary, then beat using hand-held electric beaters until smooth. Return to the freezer, then repeat this step 2 or 3 more times. This beating process will prevent ice crystals forming and ensure you end up with a smooth, rich ice cream..

If you add whole fresh fruit pieces to ice cream they freeze solid whereas cooked fruit stays softer. A good tip is to add a fruit coulis, compote or purée to your ice cream base to give a spectacular rippled effect. Simply place 450g blueberries, or any seasonal berry, in a small pan with 40g caster sugar and the juice of ½ lemon. Heat gently, stirring from time to time, for about 8 minutes, until the fruit begins to burst. Cool completely then ripple into the churned ice cream. This is equally delicious served warm or cold spooned over the finished ice cream.

                          
Use these to decorate any flavour of ice cream. Preheat the oven to 120°C/fan100°C/gas ½. Using a very sharp knife, cut pears, apples or a pineapple into very thin slices, about 2mm thick, from stalk to base (or across the width for a pineapple). You can also use a mandolin for this. Lay on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, spaced well apart, and sprinkle each slice with ¼ tsp caster sugar. Bake for about 2 hours, turning halfway, until crisp and golden. Allow to cool and crisp up on wire racks, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Ice Cream Sandwich in Scotland and the United States

In Scotland they are known as 'sliders' or an ice cream wafer - usually served as vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two rectangle, chocolate wafers.

In Scotland one can buy sliders consisting of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two wafers. Then you can have a nougat wafer (Ice Cream sandwiched between a wafer and a nougat wafer). A nougat wafer is an Italian style meringue between two wafer biscuits and then the meringue encased in chocolate. Then there is the double nougat, Ice Cream sandwiched between two nougat wafers. The wafers are NOT covered in chocolate, only the edges. You would also get snowballs (Italian style meringue covered in chocolate and coconut) and served in cafe's with Ice cream, Oysters, made out of 2 wafer biscuits in the shape of a shell, with cream inside and chocolate and coconut on the outside to hold them together, They are prized open and ice cream added - delicious. The main manufacturer in Glasgow, and most people said the best, was the Verbest Cream Wafer Company which ceased after the manufacturer died in 1963.

In the United States, an ice cream sandwich is a slice of ice cream, commonly vanilla although other flavors are often used, sandwiched between two wafers, usually chocolate and rectangular. The current version was invented in 1945 by Jerry Newberg when he was selling ice cream at Forbes Field. Pictures from the Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City," 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company, show Ice Cream sandwiches were popular at 1c each .

Alternatives to wafers are often used, such as chocolate chip cookies. Many companies offer alternatives to the conventional ice cream sandwich as well, such as San Francisco's It's-It, who use oatmeal cookies and dip the sandwich in dark chocolate, New Jersey-based Rice Creams Inc. uses a combination of crispy marshmallow wafers and ice cream.

August 2nd is promoted in the United States as 'National Ice Cream Sandwich Day', although the origins of the designation are unclear and there appears to be no evidence to support any official 'national' designation.

Desert Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 ounces) white baking chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening, divided
• 1 package (16 ounces) double-stuffed Oreo cookies
• 32 wooden Popsicle or craft sticks
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• In a microwave, melt vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon shortening at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
• Twist apart sandwich cookies. Dip the end of each Popsicle stick into melted chips; place on a cookie half and top with another half.
• Place cookies on a waxed paper-lined baking sheets; freeze for 15 minutes. Reheat vanilla chip mixture again if necessary; dip frozen cookies into mixture until completely covered; allow excess to drip off. Return to the baking sheet; freeze 30 minutes longer or until set.
• Melt the chocolate chips and remaining shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 32 servings.

Red Velvet Cupcakes and My Big Moment on Just Desserts

　　
I don’t make a lot of cupcakes, but since I’ve always been fascinated by the red velvet cake, I decided to try a version based on this venerable American classic. 　　I’ve gotten so many requests for cupcakes and red velvet cakes that I figured I’d kill two food wishes with one video. They came out really well, and as I tasted, I actually caught myself daydreaming about being on Top Chef Just Desserts.
I imagined I’d furiously finished frosting these red velvet cupcakes just as time expired (I think the faux-hawked prima donna with the Jacques Torres tattoo next to me hid the cream cheese to screw me over). I bring them up to the judge’s table, and watch as the lovely Gail Simmons takes a big bite. She swallows, smiles, and then says, “Really not that bad for a food blogger.” Okay, so she’s too classy to ever say that, but still, it would be pretty cool.

Anyway, back to reality. I will also post the cream cheese frosting recipe next week, just in case you’re wondering. I joke about the red food coloring in the clip, and it does give the cake such a unique look, but feel free to leave it out if that’s not your thing. 　　Party season is upon us, and what holiday dessert table wouldn’t benefit from a plate of these classic cupcakes? It would be like Johnny Iuzzini's face without the side burns. In other words, just not as good. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Red Velvet Cupcakes:
Dry:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet:
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
Bake at 350 for about 22 minutes