Light Tiramisu

This dessert was so good. Tammy and I both loved it. The dessert is very creamy and light. Next time though, I’m going to try making it with chocolate mix like Nestlé's. I’m sure it will have just as good of a taste without having the coffee added.

Cost: About $8 ($1.01 per serving) - Angel Food Cake mix ($2.25), sugar-free cappuccino mix ($2.89), fat-free cream cheese ($1.25), sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix ($0.66), light whipped topping ($0.99)

Prep: 1 hour

Chill: 3 hours or overnight

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 prepared angel food cake (8 inches), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup instant sugar-free cappuccino mix, divided
• 2 cups cold fat-free milk, divided
• 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping
• 1/2 teaspoon baking cocoa

1. Place cake cubes in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cappuccino mix and 1/2 cup milk until dissolved. Pour over cake.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. In another bowl, combine pudding mix and remaining cappuccino mix and milk; whisk until smooth and thickened. Add to the cream cheese; mix well. Fold in the whipped topping; spoon over cake mixture. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa just before serving.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 351 calories, 6 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 797 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 11 g protein.

Strawberry Slush

This was one of those recipes that sounded better than it actually was. It was no where near as good as the slush my mom makes for special occasions. This slush gave the drink more of a frothy, root beer float type taste because of the ice cream that was in it. It also didn’t seem to make that much, although the recipe said it makes 5 cups.

Cost: About $8.50 ($0.87 per serving) - Strawberries ($3.99), 50% less fat ice cream ($3.49), sugar-free strawberry gelatin ($0.40), diet lemon-lime soda ($0.79).

Prep: 15 minutes

Freeze: Overnight

Yield: 10 servings

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 2 cups fat-free vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1 package (.3 ounces) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 liters diet lemon-lime soda, chilled
• Additional fresh strawberries, optional

1. In a large bowl, mash the strawberries; add the ice cream. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in water; stir in the lemon juice. Add to the strawberry mixture; mix well. Pour into a 1 1/2 qt. freezer container; cover and freeze overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Spoon into glasses; add soda. Garnish with strawberries if desired.

Nutrition: (1/2 cup serving without garnish) 63 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2  g protein.

Orange Pineapple Torte

Not only did this cake look good, it also tasted really good with a nice light fruity flavor. It was impossible for us to eat just a little bit, and I feel bad to say that we ate nearly all of it in one night. It is really inexpensive to make. If you make it, plan on about two hours for the finished product due to the cooling time for the cake after it comes out of the oven before you can put the topping and frosting on.

Cost: About $5.00 ($0.42 per serving) - Pineapple ($1.15), Oranges ($0.69), Pudding mix ($0.66 x 2), Cake mix ($0.91), Light Whipped Topping ($0.99).

Prep: 25 minutes

Bake: 25 minutes + cooling (about 30 minutes)

Yield: 12 servings

• 1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix, divided
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cold fat-free milk
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
• 1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained, divided
• Fresh mint (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, one package of pudding mix, egg whites, water, oil and baking soda. Beat on low speed for 1 minute; beat on medium for 4 minutes.
2. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. For filling, combine milk and remaining pudding mix. Whisk for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups pudding mixture with pineapple and half of the oranges.
4. Slice each cake layer in half horizontally. Spread pineapple mixture between the layers. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with remaining oranges and mint if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition: (1 slice) 335 calories, 9 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, Trace cholesterol, 516 mg sodium, 58 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

We had chocolate angel food cake for dessert after dinner tonight and were really pleased with the taste. The cake was able to satisfy Tammy's constant craving for sweets and chocolate and yet was only 184 calories per slice. However, we both were forced to have two slices of it.

I don't have a tube pan yet, so I made it using just a normal cake pan. The cake came out in a mushroom shape, but the taste was still good. Next time I make it though, I'll have to invest in the tube pan to help with the look of the cake.

The total cost to make the cake for us was about $9.50 with almost half of the cost coming from the raspberries. The angel food cake mix was $2.25, the frozen raspberries were $3.99, the generic whipped topping was $1.15 and the baking cocoa was $2.19.

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes bake, 1 hour cool

Yield: 12 servings

• 1 package (16 ounces) angel food cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa

Raspberry Sauce

• Sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar (splenda)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 package (12 ounces) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
• 1 1/4 cups reduced-fat whipped topping

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix and water on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 45 seconds. Add cocoa; beat on high 15 seconds longer.
2. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and entire top appear dry. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In a saucepan, combine the sugar substitute and cornstarch. Add raspberries; stir until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the mixture is thickened. Remove saucepan from the heat; cool.
4. Run a knife around side and center tube of pan; remove the cake. Strain the raspberry sauce; spoon over cake slices. Dollop with whipped topping.

Nutrition: (1 slice) 184 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 329 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

New York Cheesecake

Cost: About $16 ($1.36 per serving) - graham crackers ($2.29), low-fat cottage cheese ($1.65), light cream cheese ($1.89 x 2), plain yogurt ($2.19), lemon ($0.50), strawberries ($3.50), strawberry jam ($2.39).

Yield: 12 servings

Crust

• 9 whole graham crackers (5 ounces), broken into rough pieces and processed in a food processor to fine even crumbs (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Filling

• 1 pound 1 percent (low fat) cottage cheese
• 1 pound light cream cheese, at room temperature (sold in tubs - takes 2)
• 8 ounces (1 cup) low-fat yogurt cheese (make yourself)
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• Vegetable oil spray
• Fresh strawberry topping (optional)

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until combined. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly into the pan bottom. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Increase the temperature to 500 degrees.
2. For the Filling: Meanwhile, line a medium bowl with a clean dish towel or several layers of paper towels. Spoon the cottage cheese into the bowl and let drain for 30 minutes.
3. Process the drained cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth and no visible lumps remain, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the cream cheese and yogurt cheese and continue to process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue to process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the processor running, add the eggs one at a time and continue to process until smooth.
4. Being careful not to disturb the baked crust, spray the insides of the springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the processed cheese mixture into the cooled crust.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the cheesecake reads 150 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Cool the cake at room temperature until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, running a paring knife around the edge of the cake every hour or so. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.
7. To unmold the cheesecake, wrap a hot kitchen towel around the springform pan and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and blot any excess moisture from the top of the cheesecake with paper towels. Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition: Cal 340, Fat 13 g, Sat fat 8 g, Chol 85 mg, Carb 41 g, Protein 11 g, Fiber 0 g, Sodium 530 mg.

Per Serving with Topping: Cal 400, fat 13 g, sat fat 8 g chol 85 mg, carb 57 g, protein 11 g, fiber 1 g, sodium 540 mg.

Fresh Strawberry Topping

Yield: 3 cups

• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut lengthwise into 1/4 to 3/8 inch wedges
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

1. Toss the berries, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and let stand until the berries have released some juice and the sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to combine.
2. Process the jam in a food processor until smooth, about 8 seconds. Transfer the jam to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then gently stir the warm jam into the strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12. To serve, spoon a portion of sauce over individual slices of cheesecake.

Nutrition: (1/4 cup) Cal 60, Fat 0 g, Sat Fat 0 g, Chol 0 mg, Carb 16 g, Protein 0 g, Fiber 1 g, Sodium 10 mg.

Comments: This recipe cuts 240 calories, 30 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat and 180 mg of cholesterol from the original recipe and you wouldn’t even know it’s the light version. At 400 calories with topping, it still is a once in awhile treat. It took about two days to prepare everything for the cake, but it was worth it. The cake was creamy and delicious. Definitely restaurant quality.

You need to use light cream cheese, which is sold in a tub and not in the blocks. The 1 percent cottage cheese is low fat cottage cheese. The easiest way to get the yogurt cheese is to make it yourself. To make 1 cup of it you get 16 ounces (2 cups) plain low-fat yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is a name brand like Danon. I tried using a Schnucks generic version and it didn't turn out because the yogurt wasn't as thick. Line a fine-mesh strainer set over a deep container with 3 paper coffee filters or a double layer of cheesecloth. Spoon the yogurt into the lined strainer, cover, and refrigerate. After 10 to 12 hours, about 1 cup of the liquid will have drained out of the yogurt, and the yogurt will have a creamy, cream cheese like consistency. You can also use yogurt cheese instead of cream cheese for a spread. An easy way to hull the strawberry is to use a large straw cut to 4 inches. Push the straw up from the bottom and it will create a hole in the strawberry and knock off the top.