Baked asparagus with ham and cheese

 Once asparagus season started, you are surrounded by this magic vegetable... New recipe ideas, unknown taste combinations, same old asparagus. Today is a special day, when I want to share a special recipe with you. Why is it that special? Because it opens new side of simple product and is very easy and quick to make. Even for those, who are afraid of cooking ;)

I made the recipe number of times and my husband was surprised with new taste combination. So we tried white asparagus. Then green asparagus... Again white :) By the way, today for dinner we finished a portion of baked white asparagus with jalapeno chicken ham. D-E-L-I-S-I-O-U-S !

Ingredients:

500 g of asparagus (your choice - white, green, violet)

80 g mozarella cheese

20 g parmesan reggiano

100 g chicken ham

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry basil

1 tbs butter

Wash asparagus well and peel leaving only upper 3 cm untouched. For green type of this magic vegetable follow a different rule - peel only lower part: about 3-4 cm. Cut mozarella into little pieces (no matter which form, main thing - it will melt in the oven). Wrap each stick into one slice of ham (I prefer chicken ham, the higher mean percentage - the better), putting piece of cheese in between.

Preheat the oven up to 160°C. Place wrapped sticks onto the oven-tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried basil. Put a tiny piese of butter on each stick to add creamy texture. Bake for about 25 minutes. Before serving grate some parmesan on top to add some extra taste.

Here you go: dish of the season:)

Easy, quick and healthy.
Because good food is always a good idea.

Super easy mini cheesecakes

It happens from time to time with all of us: a strong wish to eat something sweet and not a single candy nearby... I have always a solution for that. Either a fantastic chocolate souffle or this time - tiny mini tasty cheesecakes. Little portion of heaven taste. Takes minimum of your time and brings maximum of protein and benefits.

Ingredients:

500 g low fat cottage cheese

2 tbsp raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas

vanilla extract or 1 tbsp of vanilla sugar (if you like it sweeter;)

The recipe takes 2 easy steps:
Mix ----> Bake

Just preheat your oven  to 180°C. Mix the cheese, mashed bananas, cinnamon, vanilla sugar or extract. Beat in 2 eggs, raisins (previously soaked for 15 minutes in hot water and well drained) and mix thoroughly. Pour into muffin forms. I use silicone and find them especially perfect for this recipe as there is no need to fat them before and the little cakes are easily taken out of the forms.

Last step - bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 150 °C and bake another 25 minutes.
Let the cakes cool down and then only take them out from the forms. Otherwise you will probably ruin the whole form of the cakes. But the taste does not disappear... if you are in a rush for something sweet :)

Pumpkin sugarfree three-layer-cheesecake

Of course autumn is about pumpkin. As a main symbol of Halloween it makes a definite mood and brings us good autumn memories. So I strongly believe that if we have a chance to buy a good pumpkin it's worth to do because I have a special recipe for you. A cheesecake. Not just a simple one but pumpkin cheesecake. According to statistics my first recipe had a big success. But sometimes you are fed up with the taste of the cheese and want something really special. Then just try!!! That makes a difference.

Even my strict critic scored this cheesecake as the best of all I've recently baked. Just imagine...Smooth, tender taste of cheese with added orange notes and a pleasant pumpkin layer...a perfect combination for cold autumn evenings with a big warm blanket;)

The amount of the ingredients is perfect for a round form 18-20 cm in diameter.

Ingredients :
80g old-fashioned oat flakes
80g pitted dates
4 eggs
350g low-fat creamy cottage cheese
350g pumpkin puree (baked)
2 tbsp vanilla pudding powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange zest
250 ml orange juice
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves...)

Tip!
To get a smooth creamy pumpkin puree wash a pumpkin, cut it into two halves, take out the seeds using a spoon and put the halves onto a baking sheet (cut edges faced down). Then bake the pumpkin in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180°C. A spoon will help you to get a ready-to-use puree out of the pumpkin's halves.

Heat the oven to 180°C.
For a crust blend oat flakes into dust, add pitted dates and one egg. Blend again. Put the mass into a form and using your fingertips mold the first layer. Put aside.

The middle layer will be cheesy with a bit of pumpkin smoothness and orange taste. Mix cream cheese, 2 eggs, 50g of pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla pudding powder and 50 ml of orange juice. Make sure the texture is smooth. Pour it all into the form and make the middle layer. Put into the oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the upper layer using the rest of the pumpkin (about 300g), 200 ml of orange juice, corn flour, 1 egg and pumpkin pie spices.

When your two-layer cheesecake is ready to be taken out of the oven pour the upper layer into the form and flatten it nicely. The next baking step including the upper layer will last another 20 minutes.

Tip!
Let the cheesecake cool down until it reaches room temperature. Only after that remove it out of the form to minimize damaging risks.

To add some extra flavor I served this tasty colorful beauty with orange zest and some chopped pistachios. Enjoy every piece ;)

Cheesecake with pear slices - low-fat and sugarfree

I barely know a person who hates cheesecakes. And the one who adores them is me:) As I'm crazy about healthy lifestyle I've practiced a lot to make a perfect healthy cheesecake: delicious, low-fat, high-protein and just perfect.

Here it is: the queen recipe of cheesecake.
The ingredients are quite simple:

3 middle-sized bananas
100 g almonds
30 g butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1 vanilla pudding powder
1/3 cup raisins
1000 g low-fat cottage cheese
3 eggs
1 sweet pear

Tip! Most of the recipes are full with an enormous amount of sugar and empty calories. Therefore I've searched for healthy substitutes to make pies and other bakery a part of my healthy lifestyle. More information about the substitutes you will find in one of my following articles.

Before we start we have to preheat the oven to 180°C. Then take a 20-cm spring form and brush its bottom and sides with melted butter. For the crust make almond flour. Place almonds inside a food processor, coffee bean grinder or blender. Pulse until you get a fine, grainy consistency. In a bowl mix almond flour, butter and 1 mashed banana. If you want to have a sweet crust you can add some extra sugar of honey. Press the mixture into the bottom of your form. Bake it 10 minutes until the color is golden-brown.

In another bowl beat the cheese with 2 mashed bananas. Add vanilla pudding powder to ensure the smooth texture. Then add into the mixture raisins (previously soaked in the hot water), honey, cinnamon, vanilla seeds. If you want to check if it's enough sweet for you this is the moment to do it;) Add 3 whole eggs and mix it all thoroughly. Pour the filling onto the base. Peel the pear and cut it into slices. Decorate the cheesecake with pear slices. Cover the form with aluminium foil and bake in the preheat oven 15 minutes. Then decrease the heat to 150°C and bake another 50-60 minutes. 10 minutes before the end take the foil off and let the cheese become golden-brown.

Let the cheesecake cool down (I know its hard, cause it smells so good:) and take it out of the form.

Make a break and enjoy. A perfect combination with a home-made hot chocolate or a latte macchiato.