Spinach and Bacon Dip

Good news!  I have a date with Michael Bublé in September!  Okay, so my husband and I have a date with Michael Bublé.  He (my husband) is not jealous and I’m willing to share my Buble experience with him.  Truth be told, both of us are fans, albeit one not nearly as much as the other.   

Four more months until concert date.  I can’t wait!!

I had to join Michael’s fan club in order to purchase presale tickets, but I don’t care.  It was so worth it! I got seats so close that My Buble could theoretically spit on us!  Okay, so maybe only if a ginormous fan happens to blow directly at us will his projectile make landing.  For a germaphobe, getting excited about the minute possibility of getting spat on is big.  Really big!!

Thanks for letting me get that out!  Now it’s time to talk about something that might interest you a little more, this Spinach and Bacon Dip.  Who doesn’t love spinach dip?  And with bacon, how can you go wrong?

Anyway, this is my take on the ubiquitous, but always delicious party pleaser. 

For starters, I use jicama, a crunchy and slightly sweet root vegetable.  If you are unfamiliar with it, here is what it looks like—somewhat like a turnip. 

On the inside, it looks like this…

Do try this vegetable at least once if you can get your hands on it.  I don’t always see it in my grocery store.  If jicama is not available, canned water chestnut can be used as a substitute. 

I took the liberty of shooting some bacon pictures just because I never get tired of watching bacon cook.

Sizzling hot!

A lot of self restraint was needed to prevent myself from devouring these beauties!

Assembly is quite simple, combine all the goodness in a bowl…

and mix.

Enjoy with some cubed bread, bagel chips, crackers, cut vegetables, or anything else!

Spinach and Bacon Dip:

10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach

8 low sodium bacon strips

16 oz. plain Greek yogurt

1 (8 oz.) package Neufchâtel cheese or reduced fat cream cheese

1 package Knorr Vegetable recipe mix

1 cup peeled and finely diced jicama

1/4 cup chopped scallion (greens only)

1 marble bread loaf or boule (optional)

Cook 8 strips of bacon in a large skillet until brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towels. Chop into small pieces.  Set aside.

Loosen the spinach packaging.  Place on a microwavable dish and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to defrost. Drain off excess liquid.  Place spinach in a kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels and squeeze dry.  Set aside.

Place Neufchâtel cheese in a large bowl.  Microwave for about 20 seconds to soften.  Add yogurt.  Blend until creamy.  Add Vegetable mix, jicama, scallion, and bacon.  Flake spinach and add to bowl.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Hollow out a marble bread loaf using a sharp knife.  Fill loaf with spinach dip.  Cut the excess bread into bite size chunks.  Serve dip alongside bread chunks, bagel chips, crackers, cut vegetables, etc.

Hidden Goodness Mother's Day Cake

For the moms who appreciate treats without all the guilt, this cake is the perfect choice for Mother’s Day.  It tastes exactly as it looks, chocolaty, fudgy, dense and super moist.  Even better, you can’t taste what you don’t see.  What you don’t see is a whole lot of goodness; avocado, black beans, flaxseed.  And you won’t miss what is not there, saturated fat filled butter, cholesterol ridden eggs, and a whole lotta sugar.

Keep it light with a dusting of powdered sugar or make it fancy with icing galore (I know, this defeats the purpose of the “healthy” cake, but it’s your cake, your call GOSH DARN IT!).

Look see below.

One word of warning; this little beauty takes a really long time to bake, over 2 hours.  But as they say, all good things are worth the wait.  Be patient and enjoy the process!

In this household, I am known for sneaking secret ingredients into my dishes, although it may not be evident based most of the recipes you see on this site.  To find more healthy recipes, check out my old blog.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those hard working moms out there!!

Hidden Goodness Mother's Day Cake:

2 cups flour

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup granulated sugar                       

2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. White Stevia Powder                        

4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 cup ground flaxseed

2 cups water, separated

2 tbsp. vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Pour about 1/2 inch of water in a large shallow pan (needs to be a few inches wider in diameter than the bundt cake pan) and place it in the oven.

Heat some water on the stovetop and set aside.

Place dark chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  If there are lumps, microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Set aside.

Place black beans, avocado and 3/4 cup water into a food processor.  Puree until smooth. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, flaxseed, sugar, and Stevia powder.  Blend well using a whisk.  Make 2 holes.  Add vinegar in one, baking soda in the second.  Pour the remaining water, oil, dark chocolate, and vanilla extract over the mixture and blend well using a wire whisk.  Add the black bean and avocado puree.  Whisk until well blended.

Generously coat a 12-cup bundt cake pan with cooking spray.  Pour in batter.  Coat a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray.  Cover the top of the bundt cake pan and seal the edges.  Place in oven in the water bath.  Add enough hot water to go 2/3 way up the side of the cake pan. Bake for 1hr 50 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a faint brown smear.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Remove cake from pan.  Cool, inverted on a wire rack.

Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with icing.

To make icing, whisk first 3 ingredients until smooth.  Equally divide into two separate bowls.  To one bowl, add a few drops of food coloring to obtain desired color.  Place content of each bowl into separate sturdy plastic bags.   Make a tiny cut in a corner of each bag.  Pipe icing onto cake.

Note:  I use a tablespoon of Stevia powder to replace 7 to 8 tablespoons of sugar.  Keep this in mind if you are using other sugar substitutes and adjust accordingly.

Easy Fish Dog

I don’t know about you, but once in a while I would wake up to love notes from the men in my life.  The last one was left by both my husband and son.  I walked into the kitchen one morning to find it on the counter.  My husband said that he couldn’t find the food storage container to return to a co-worker (translation—will you get it for me?).  It was followed by an apology from my son for the mess he left in the sink (again, translation—will you clean it up?).

Those boys sure know how to make a gal feel wanted!  I know what you’re thinking…I’m spoiled rotten.  Yeah, right!  Frankly, I would rather have found this scrumptious fish dog waiting for me on the counter.

The first time I had it was in Martha’s Vineyard while on vacation several years ago.  We found it at The Net Result, a fish market and takeout restaurant.  They were running a special on the fish dogs.  At about $2.25, they were the cheapest find on the island…and so yummy!  I had at least one every day we were there.   

Since its discovery, I make the dogs on a regular basis.  This recipe is my version.  The ones on the Vineyard were deep fried, but I avoid frying for my everyday meals.  My fish is lightly coated in a flour and corn flour mixture and pan seared till golden delicious.  It can be served with various condiments and toppings: cabbage slaw, avocado, and pico de gallo to name a few.  But I stick to the original—with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce (mine is kicked up a notch with horseradish).  

If you like fish, try this recipe.  Add it to your Cinco de Mayo spread: everyone makes fish taco, so change it up and make fish dogs.  It might even become a regular in your home!

Easy Fish Dog:

1 lb. haddock or cod

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup corn flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 – 2 tbsp. olive oil

5 – 6 hot dog buns

2 tbsp. butter, room temperature

Tartar  Sauce:

1/8 rounded cup mayonnaise

1/8 rounded cup miracle whip

3 rounded tbsp. relish
1 tsp. prepared horseradish (optional), more or less depending on heat level desired
pinch each of salt and pepper

Toppings:

shredded lettuce

diced tomato
or anything else your heart desires

Combine all tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Refrigerate.

Preheat a large skillet on medium to medium high heat.  Spread butter on sides of hot dog buns.  Place in skillet and cook both sides until golden brown.  Set aside.

Combine flour, corn flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow container.  Cut fish into one inch thick strips.  Dredge fish in flour mixture and shake off excess.  Place on a platter.

Wipe skillet clean.  Heat to medium to medium high.  Add enough oil to generously coat the surface.  Allow oil to heat up.  Add fish, cooking until the bottom is crusted and golden brown.  Turn over and cook the second side until fish is opaque throughout and golden brown on bottom.  Add more oil if fish begins to stick to pan.  Remove from skillet and place on a cooling rack. 

Assemble:  Spread some tartar sauce on bottom of bun.  Add fish, lettuce, tomato, and top with more tartar sauce.

Six Month Anniversary Giveaway—Winner Announced

Congratulations to greenhome!  

You are the winner of the $25 Crate&Barrel ecard.  Please contact ingoodflavor@gmail.com to claim your prize. 

That was fun!  Thank you to all who participated.  I hope you check back for new recipes and future giveaways. 

Good night!

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April marks the six month anniversary of In Good Flavor.  It’s been fun and I hope you enjoyed my posts.  I’m looking forward to sharing many more with you. 

In honor of this little milestone, I am sponsoring my first giveway.  The prize is a $25 ecard for Crate&Barrel.  To enter, answer the question below via the “comment” link at the end of this post.  During this process, you will be asked to select an account profile.  If you don’t have an account with any of the options (don’t select the “anonymous” option), I suggest you leave your answer using the “Contact” tab at the top of the page.  Entries using this second option will not be seen by the public, rather it will be received in my email inbox.

Deadline for entries is midnight Saturday.  The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on Sunday.  Check back to see the result and how to claim your prize.  One entry per person.  Good luck!

Giveaway Question:

What type of food do you search for most online (pasta, seafood, sweets, etc.)?

Seafood Lasagna

Some food just screams special occasion.  The luxurious and decadent seafood lasagna is one of them.  The occasion I made this particular one for is truly special: it’s a “welcome back” dinner for my little brother who had just returned from a 9-month tour oversees.  He has just flown in from across the country for a visit.  I’m so glad to see him and relieved that he is back safe and sound! 

This entrée is a the first of many gluttonous meals and snacks I will be partaking in the next four days.  I have been planning for this event.  For the past week and a half, I have been extra diligent with eating light and using that thing I love to hate, the elliptical.  And now the time has come.  Watch out!  This gal is ready to eat! 

But enough about me.  Let’s get back to the star of the show.  Here is a quick rundown.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan.  Sauté the scallop, shrimp, garlic, and scallion. Season with salt and pepper.  Reserve liquid and combine with enough chicken broth to make 1 cup.  Transfer seafood mixture to a large bowl and add the crab.  

 

Make a roux by adding butter and flour to the pan.  Whisk in clam juice and chicken broth mixture, followed by salt and pepper and milk until thicken.  Next, add grated parmesan cheese.

Now start layering.

Bake until golden brown. 

Seafood Lasagna:

9 cooked lasagna noodles (al dente)

1 lb. shrimp, cut into small bite size pieces

1 lb. scallop, cut into small bite size pieces

1 lb. can crab meat, (drained)

1/2 cup scallion (green tops only) chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/3 rounded cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups whole milk
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. (1 stick) butter

1 (8 oz.) bottle clam juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large garlic clove

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Bread crumb topping:

Combine 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat.  Sauté shrimp, scallop, scallion, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.  Cook until the shrimp is pink and scallops are opaque.  Drain liquid, if any, and reserve.Transfer seafood to a large bowl.  Stir in crab.  Set aside.

Add enough chicken broth to the reserved liquid to equal 1 cup.  Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium low.  Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth and creamy.  Increase heat medium to medium high.  Add clam juice, chicken broth mixture, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper whisking until smooth.  Slowly add milk, whisking until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in parmesan cheese.

Prepare a lasagna dish with cooking spray.  Spread the 2/3 cup of sauce on the bottom.  Top with 3 lasagna noodles.  Add 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the seafood mixture, and 1/3 of the remaining sauce.  Repeat the layering starting with the noodles.  For the last layer, top with noodles, seafood mixture, sauce, and mozzarella.  Finish with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake, loosely covered with foil for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.