CEiMB - Cobb Salad and Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting

It's a Craving Ellie in My Belly twofer Thursday! I hate not completing my obligations so I'm trying to catch up.

Last week's choice was Cobb Salad and was the choice of The Feast Within. I love Cobb Salad, but like most really good salads, they're loaded with calories. This is Ellie's much lighter/healthier version and it's quite tasty!

The only thing I eliminated was the ham, but just because I'm not a fan. I really enjoyed the dressing for this....a flavorful vinaigrette that would work on just about any simple salad. Homemade dressings are so easy and you can control the sugar and fat content. Really, does anyone ever buy the bottled stuff anymore? If you do, you shouldn't. Just sayin.

Here's the recipe:

Cobb Salad

Eating Healthy in 2009. Ellie Kreiger

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

Cooking spray1/4 pound sliced Black Forest or other smoked ham (I eliminated this)
2 hard-boiled eggs
6 cups romaine lettuce (about 6 ounces) coarsely chopped (I used prewashed bagged lettuce....sue me)
2 cups watercress, thick stems removed (Oops, I eliminated this, too)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups) (I used grape tomatoes)
1/2 avocado, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup cooked diced chicken breast 1 (6-ounce) breast
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort or Blue cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Slice the ham into 1/2-inch strips. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high heat. Add the ham to the skillet and cook over stirring frequently, until the ham is warmed through and crisped, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Remove and discard the yolk from 1 of the hard boiled eggs. Chop the remaining egg white and whole egg and set aside.

In a large bowl toss the romaine and watercress with 2/3 of the dressing. Put the dressed greens onto a large serving dish. Place the tomatoes on top forming a row down the middle. In strips on either side of the tomatoes place the avocado, chicken, cheese, diced egg, and the crisped ham on top of the greens. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Per Serving:
Calories 360; Total Fat 24 g; (Sat Fat 7 g, Mono Fat 13 g, Poly Fat 3 g) ; Protein 28 g; Carb 11 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 115 mg; Sodium 770 mg

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Now on to this weeks Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting. Can you say "YUM"? Of course, cream cheese frosting will make feet taste delicious, so this was a no brainer. I have to say that the frosting was not quite as good as, say, Dorie's cream cheese frosting, however, it tasted a lot better knowing I could spend a few less hours in the gym by eating Ellie's version! I know you like that!

I highly recommend these if you're a carrot cake/cream cheese frosting fan. A nice alternative to the higher calorie recipes.

Here's how it's done:

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2005, Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup natural applesauce (I didn't have any applesauce so I substituted 1/2 cup fat free yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
4 ounces 1/3 fat cream cheese (recommended: Neufchatel)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together the first 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts. The cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator.

Per Serving:

Calories: 236, Total Fat: 10 grams, Saturated Fat: 2 grams, Protein: 4 grams, Carbohydrates: 34 grams, Fiber:2 grams