LiveSTRONG With A Taste of Yellow

I am pleased to announce my entry into the LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow event, hosted by Barbara of Winos and Foodies. Having had many friends and family affected by cancer I am pleased to be part of this wonderful event, helping bring more awareness and support to the fight against cancer. I am truly inspired when so many people come together to make a difference.

As soon as I heard about this event I brainstormed a few ideas. I first made this Easter Banana Cheesecake for the LiveSTRONG event. Being new to food photograhpy I practiced taking pictures of the cheesecake. I first decorated it with mini eggs, and then tried many photos with the yellow bracelet. I believe overtime I will be able to improve my photos and learn my new camera. Enjoy!

For a thin cheesecake use a 10" spring-form pan and 8" pan for a thicker cheesecake.

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
8T melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
500g cream cheese (used light)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
lemon zest
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (used light)
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped mini eggs (or other chocolate)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a food processor mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Blend well. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and partly up (1") the sides of a greased 8-10" spring form pan.

Make sure the crumb mixture is smooth and an even thickenss along the bottom of the pan. Use the bottom of a glass to press the mixture down. Bake for 10-12 min in preheated oven.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Reduce the oven to 325F.

In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Add the eggs, on at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Stir in the sour cream, the vanilla and the mashed bananas and blend well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 1hr 15min at 325F.Cool in oven, with the door propped open, until cake is at room temperature.

Chill in fridge for 4-6 hours (or overnight) lightly sealed.Before serving take out of fridge and bring to room temperature (about 30 mins).

Can store in freezer for about 2 months.

Cooking to Combat Cancer #2 with Mexican Black Bean Salad

I first want to thank Mele Cotte for hosting such a wonderful event - Cooking to Combat Cancer #2, bringing more awareness to healthy eating and cancer. There are so many wonderful recipes and foods out there that I am looking forward to seeing the final compilation from all the participants.

Being passionate about healthy eating, I am always trying to pack each recipe with the so called superfoods. For this event I wanted to find the "ultimate cancer fighting recipe" but there are just so many ideas, the more I thought about my own creations and the more I reviewed other existing recipes, I became more indecisive about what I wanted to make and/or post for this event.

Then the weather turned nice, the warm sun melted the snow and my bbq which had been covered by that white fluffy stuff for 4 months suddenly appeared. The light from the sky shone down on it in a heavenly manner. Instantly I began to crave that grilled flavor and could literally smell that mouth watering bbq aroma, triggering my hunger pangs.

To satisfy my pangs I threw a delicious veggie burger on the grill. To compliment this burger I decided that a Mexican Black Bean Salad with Chili Lime Dressing would be a healthy and colorful side dish. This salad is a wonderful contribution for the Cooking to Combat Cancer Event as the ingredients contain high amounts of fiber, phyotochemical, lycopene and anti-oxidants.

Salad
2 cups chopped green beans, raw, cut diagonally into thirds
19oz chick peas (canned ones should be drained or use dried beans, soaked)
10oz black beans (canned ones should be drained or use dried beans, soaked)
1 red pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 mango, peeled ad diced (optional)
3 green onions, sliced
1 jalapeno, deseeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Chili Lime Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
zest of one lime
3 T fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)
pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tsp chili powder

In a large bowl add the black beans, chick peas, corn, cut green beans, red pepper, tomato, green onions, and jalapeno. Mix the beans. Then add the fresh cilantro. Mix again.

You can add the ingredients for the dressing directly to the salad, or mix the dressing in a seperate small bowl first. I prefer the latter. Whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and mix to coat. Chill in fridge prior to serving.

The mango was a secondary thought. I had made the bean salad and enjoyed it as it was, however the second day noticing 1/2 a mango in my fridge I decided to cut it up and add it to the leftover salad. The flavor the mango brought to the salad was amazing, complimenting the spice of the chili powder. I have also considered adding avocado to the mix, maybe next time.

Being inspired by the many foodies hosting cancer events and noting that April is Cancer Awareness month, the remaining recipes for April will be geared towards recipes containing cancer fighting foods.

More healthy recipes containing anti-cancer fighting foods:

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Spinach and Walnut Pesto
Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce

Other Cancer Events

Hike for a Cure
Hike for a Cure (Fort's Blog) - open's to new blog
Hike for a Cure Update (Fort's Blog) - open's to new blog

Mexican Bean Salad Mixed with Whole Wheat Penne

Spaghetti & Hike for a Cure

This weekend marked the 1st annual Hike for a Cure, an event created by my husband to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. At 7am in front of the Parliament myself and three others (husband, brother in law and friend) started our 100km hike through the Trans-Canada trails to Wakefield and back - over the course of 2 days. Thanks to my husband's idea and dedication in putting the event together and everyone's support (family, friends, co-workers) we reached far beyond our goal in raising money for Canadian Cancer Research, and are "a step closer in the fight against cancer."

Before we began our trek it was essential that I load up on energy, so I induluged in my mother-in-law's spaghetti sauce, served with freshly grated parmesan, warm baked whole wheat bread and a glass of wine (recommend a hearty shiraz cabernet or a merlot).

1 3/4 pounds extra lean ground beef

1 cup chopped chopped onions

3/4 cup chopped celery

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 1/2oz) can beef broth

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp salt

1 large bay leaf

1/4 cup chopped fresh pasley

1 can or chopped fresh mushrooms

1. Cook meat, onions, celery and garlic in a large saucepan over med-high until browned. Drain mixture. Return meat to saucepan stir in tomatoes and next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35min. Stir in parsley cook 5 min. Dischard bay leaf.

Makes 8 (3/4 cup) servings

220 cal, 11.4g carbs, 3g fiber, 22.8g protein, 9g fat