My daughter Jasmin wanted a cheesecake to celebrate her 14th birthday and I was not going to disappoint my little girl. I don’t have to tell you this cake is a few steps away from my normal health-focused cooking endeavors. Basically this cake is insulin sensitivity on a plate. It was damn good too!

I will give credit to the baking & love blog for the recipe framework, but I made some modifications. I didn’t stir any cookie crumbs into the batter, I used three times the nutella, and I used a layering technique to try and keep the Mars pieces evenly spread through the height of the cake. I think it turned out really well.

Nutella Mars Bar Cheesecake

makes one tall cheesecake

Crust
1/2 box (200g) oreo cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp melted butter

Batter
4 blocks cream cheese (or 2 lbs or 32 oz) at room temperature
4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
a pinch of salt

Fillers
3/4 cup nutella
8 Mars bars, chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set the pan in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. You will be cooking the cake in a pan of water and the foil will keep the water out of the cake pan.

With beaters or a mixer combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating to incorporate. Gently beat in the cream and salt.

Heat the nutella in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove. Heat it just enough to make it easier to spoon/stir, but not too hot.

Pour 1/4 of the cake batter into the pan. Drop 1/4 of the nutella in spoonfulls onto the batter. Use a knife or toothpick to swirl the nutella into the batter. Spread 1/3 of the chopped Mars bars evenly onto the batter. Repeat with 1/4 batter, swirl in 1/4 of the nutella, and 1/3 of the chopped Mars bars. Once more and you’ve used up all the Mars bar pieces. Pour the remaining cake batter into the pan, swirl in all of the remaining nutella.

Bring the foil up the sides of the cake pan and set the whole thing in a larger pan with an inch or two of water. Bake the whole contraption for about 80-90 minutes. Crack the door of the oven and turn off the heat. Let the cake cool in the oven for an hour, then remove it to the fridge to chill for at least a few hours before unmolding and serving.

3 cups broccoli
3 cups macaroni
1 Tbsp margarine
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 can milk
1/4 cup mayo
3 green onions, chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Cook and drain the broccoli and the noodles. Toss the noodles with the margarine to prevent sticking.

In a medium saucepan, mix the can of soup, milk, mayo, and green onions. Heat through while stirring then add the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.

Mix the sauce with the noodles, then add the broccoli. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish and bake at 350 degress for 15 minutes.

2 Tbsp butter
2 zucchinis, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 1/2 fl oz white wine
3 1/2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
9 1/2 fl oz cream
pinch black pepper
1 lb white or green linquine
2-3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the zucchinis and garlic and cook until the zucchinis are tender. Stir in the wine, cheese, cream, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the linguine to a large pan of rapidly building water and cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender. Drain, rinse under warm water, drain again.

Return the pasta to the pan. Add the sauce and toss through the pasta for a few minutes over low heat. Serve sprinkled with parmesan and parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings

A favorite of Garfield and all members of my family! I don’t think much has to be said about Lasagna, most people have tried some form of it before. I like my lasagna with lots of cottage cheese and tomato flavors, but low on mean. I like it when my lasagna is firm enough to hold it’s shape and not slide around all goopy-like. This is a very versatile recipe, so I’ve listed some of the substitutions possible.

1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey, tofu, seitan, even spinach will do)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1-2 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1-2 tsp dry)
1-2 Tbsp fresh oregano (or 1-2 tsp dry)
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 500ml (2 cup) tub of cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
9 lasagna noodles

In a saucepan, fry the meat (or substitute) with the onion and garlic until cooked through (or brown). Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil and simmer five minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles as the package directs. Drain and rinse with cool water.

In a medium bowl, combine the three cheeses with the egg and parsley. Use only two cups of the mozzarella cheese, the other cup is for later.

Grease a 9×13 pan with a bit of cooking spray, and spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Place three of the noodles in the bottom of the pan, cutting the ends to fit if neccessary. Top with half of the cheese/egg mixture, then one third of the tomato sauce. Repeat the layers: 3 noodles, the rest of the cheese/egg mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Top with the last three noodles, then the remaining sauce, and finally sprinkle on the cup of mozzarella cheese you saved earlier.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for half an hour. Let it cool for about ten minutes before serving, that helps prevent it from being goopy when you cut it.

Yield: 12 servings

1/2 cup salsa
2 Tbsp. mayonaise
1/2 tsp. chili powder
8 flour tortillas (7 inch)
3 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (3/4 lb./375 g), sliced
1 cup shredded cheese

Combine salsa, dressing and chili powder. Spread evenly onto bottom halves of tortillas. Top with chicken and cheese.

Fold tortillas in half to enclose filling.

Fry in skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 4 to 5 min. on each side or until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges to serve.

1 thin, 12-14 inch prepared pizza crust
One 8-oz jar taco sauce or picante sauce
One 15-oz can refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 to 1/2 small head lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded mexican-style cheese

If starting from pizza dough, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake crust until light brown, about seven minutes; cool while continuing with recipe. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. If using a pre-cooked pizza preheat the oven to 375 degrees and proceed with recipe.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine taco sauce and refried beans. Mix well; cook until warm, well-blended, and easy to spread, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; spread over pizza crust.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over bean mixture. Bake until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven; top with lettuce, tomatoes, and flavored cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
272 calories, 13g protein, 10g fat, 30g carbs, 29mg cholesterol, 763mg sodium, 5g fiber

One 9-oz package fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp canola oil
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chunky salsa
One 12-oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Prepare the tortellini according to package directions. While the tortellini cooks, fry the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic in oil, stirring, in a large pot over medium heat until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2-4 minutes.

Stir in the broth, salsa, tomato paste, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the tortellini and add to the saucepan. Simmer until heated through. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: 310 calories, 12g protein, 6g fat, 57g carbohydrates, 9mg cholesterol, 2345mg sodium, 5g fiber.

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 In a medium bowl, combine the sausage, cheese, and dry
baking mix. Mix together, and shape mixture into walnut-sized
balls. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
3 Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

*This calls for loose sausage meat. If you only have sausages in casings available just squeeze the meat out of the casing before continuing with the recipe.
**Bisquick or similar baking mix.

2 oz Nefchatel or cream cheese, softened
3 T mayonaise
3 T dijon mustard
4 large chapatis or tortillas
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup thinly sliced tomatoes
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 t salt (optional)

In a small bowl mash together the cheese, mayo, and mustard. Spread a strip of cheese mixture across the center of one chapati or tortilla. Arrange cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce in rows over the cheese mixture, and sprinkle with salt, if desired.

Roll bread up tightly, sealing end with dab of cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining chapatis or tortillas and cheese mixture.

Place rolls seam-side down on a cutting surface and slice crossswise into quarters. If necessary, secure rollups with toothpicks.

Per serving: 70 calories, 2g protein, 5g fat, 6g carb, 1g fiber

Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent dough and divide into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on round pizza with narrow ends toward center. Roll dough with a dough roller to seal seams. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly brown. Remove and let cool.

Blend cream, mayo, garlic, and dill weed together. Spread over cooled crust.

Toppings: Choose 3, all finely chopped vegetables for toppings.

Suggested toppings: Broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, Green or red bell peppers, green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and Zucchinis.

Sprinkle a layer of each desired vegetable over cheese layer. Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top of veggies. Refrigerate before serving.