Chocolate Cake

I found a collection of old recipes at DI. I sifted thru all 800 of them and found most of them to be keepers. I tried this one for Maggies birthday. The frosting was the best part of it.

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Bake 350 for 40 minutes

Frosting:
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 jar chocolate fudge sauce (the kind you put on ice cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing

Yummmmo! We have been eating lots and lots of salads, this jazzes them right up for me. Its so good. Just toss everything into your food processor. This recipe came from allrecipes.com

• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use grapeseed)
  

Chick Pea Chicken Nuggets

I got this recipe from a friend. My kids love these things, and they are even better the 2nd day.

Wet ingredients
3 C cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (can also use canned chickpeas. 2 cans, rinsed then cooked in water on the stove until tender, about 30 mins)
4 T toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 small lemon, or ½ of a medium or large lemon
1/2 of an onion, diced

Dry ingredients
1 C brown rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum (you can use either chia or flax seed and water but I have heard they fall apart unless eaten really quickly. I made plenty for leftovers so I used Xantham gum)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
½-1 tsp smoked paprika, to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and lemon juice. Mash again a couple of times to mix in the liquids. Chickpeas should be pretty mashed, some smooth, some still partly whole.

In a small bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together.

Add the dry ingredients into wet and stir until fully mixed. It may be crumbly at this point. Add some water until you get to a thick, almost bread dough consistency. It should be wet enough to mix well without crumbling but not soupy. I added the onions in at this stage (they were not in the original recipe but I think many things are better with onion!).

Form into little balls or patties and brown on each side in a cast iron skillet with a little coconut oil. Salt a little more once cooked.

Energy Balls

I dont know what these are really called, or where I found the recipe. I scratched it on a piece of paper and tried it out the other day. They taste yum and are really easy and quick...NO BAKE!



1 cup oats
1/2 cup nut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup ground flax
1 tsp vanilla
you can also add mini chocolate chips or raisins.

Incorporate all ingredients and roll into little bit size balls.

Flourless Raisin Cookies

We are all kinds of "free" in this house. In the last 2 months or so we have cut out sugar, dairy, and gluten. Its opened up a whole new world to me. The main meals were not really hard to switch over, but I am a snack-er! I like sweet treats. So we have been baking some up recently, I just wanted to save some of the better ones here.

Flourless Raisin Cookies

1 cup almond butter (any nut butter)
1/4 cup agave syrup (or honey)
2 Tbs. coconut sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup raisins

Incorporate all ingredients and drop by Tbs on parchment paper. Bake 350 degrees 11 minutes. These cookies are soft and such a yummy treat!

Quinoa Cookies

These are really good. They have a different texture than a traditional cookie, but they hit the spot! I copied this recipe from Steve and Chris, the link is here:

http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2011/10/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies.html.

The secret ingredient in these nutritious and delicious chocolate-chip cookies? The amazing protein power of quinoa!

By Peggy Kotsopoulos

4 large, very-ripe bananas
2 tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked whole-grain quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa flakes (or oatmeal flakes)
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 380 F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork and add almond butter, vanilla and coconut sugar. Mix well.
3. Add quinoa, quinoa flakes and coconut. Mix until well combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and drop batter on to cooking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let cool.

1/2 cup Pemmican

This recipe is so yummy! Full of healthy things and its sweet from the fruit, no sugar added. I have been eating it a lot lately. Its very forgiving, you can leave out whatever you would like. And its also easy to convert to gluten free, I left out the wheat bran and wheat germ and used ground groats in place of the flour. I usually double all of this so I can make enough for a 9 x 13 pan. Then we have plenty for snacks or breakfast.

Half-Cup Pemmican from Mary Jane Butters

1/2 c golden raisins

1/2 c pitted dates

1/2 c figs (stems removed)

1/2 c almonds

1/2 c cashews

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c pecans

1/2 c wheat germ

1/2 c wheat bran

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c powdered milk

1/2 c honey

water to moisten (the more you use the softer the bar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

(I chopped all the ingredients that could be chopped, although the original recipe does not say to do that. There's no way I was eating a whole fig or a whole date)

Combine the fruits and nuts in a mixing bowl. Mix the wheat germ and bran, flour, and powdered milk together and add to the fruit and nut mixture a little at a time, alternating with the honey. Add just enough water to moisten and pour into a buttered pan. You can use an 8X8 pan, a 9X7 Bake for about 20 minutes. When cool, slice into bars or break apart and wrap.

Veggie Pancakes with dipping sauce

Here is another super looking recipe! Just keeping here so I can come back to it. The original is here
http://allamericanvegetarian.blogspot.com/
Shes got some super recipes too! The latkes are next on my list to make!

Veggie Pancakes with Pesto Dipping Sauce

I saw this recipe in FamilyFun and it grabbed my attention. Whenever I get a new magazine I rapidly look through it to see what recipes are featured. The first thing I look for are vegan recipes, the next thing I look for are vegetarian recipes and finally, I search through all the recipes to see which ones I can change-up to make totally vegan or vegetarian. This recipe caught my eye because it was vegetarian. Vegetarian recipes usually need only simple changes to make them vegan.

Now, about this particular recipe. It is all about colorful veggies! It won the affection of my family (with exception of my daughter, nothing new there)...and now I'm thinking of different veggie combinations (asparagus bits, finely chopped broccoli, mushrooms, sweet potatoes).

My goal in this recipe was to keep the original "flavor" the same, but to boost it up to more of a main dish as opposed to a side. So I made a few adaptations to the original recipe including adding precooked lentils (tempeh or wild rice would be good, too), swapping in a flaxseed egg instead of a chicken egg, adding potato (I thought since I was omitting the egg, the starchy potato would help keep it together) and non-dairy milk instead of the plain yogurt.

We ate these with a Pesto Dipping Sauce also from FamilyFun (recipe below), which we found quite refreshing. I used my own homemade pesto and Better Than Sour Cream (silken tofu would work as well) instead of dairy sour cream.

Veggie Pancakes with Pesto Dipping Sauce

2 c finely grated zucchini (about 2 zucchinis)
1 c grated carrots (2-3 carrots)
1 c corn kernels, (Thawed if using frozen. 1-2 ears if using fresh.)
1 white potato, grated
1/2 c prepared lentils (Or prepared wild rice or sauteed tempeh.)
1 flaxseed egg (1 TB ground flaxseed + 3 TB water. Whisk together and let sit 5 minutes.)
2 TB unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 c flour (I used Spelt flour.)
1/2 c fine yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c grated organic or vegan cheddar cheese
1-3 TB vegetable oil (for frying up the pancakes)


Pesto Dipping Sauce
1 TB pesto
1/3 c organic or vegan sour cream (or silken tofu)

Use your hands to squeeze the excess liquid from the grated zucchini, then place the zucchini in a large bowl. Add the carrots, corn, potatoes, and lentils and toss to combine the vegetables.

Stir in the flaxseed egg, non-dairy milk, salt, and pepper until well blended.

flaxseed egg

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.

Add this mixture, along with the vegan or organic cheddar, to the vegetables, and stir until well blended. Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to mesh and mixture to adhere together (This is when I prepped the Pesto Dipping Sauce, cleaned up my kitchen counter, washed dishes, and made a mixed green salad).

Heat 1 TB oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. To form each pancake, spoon 3 TB of the batter into the pan and use a fork to mold it together. Working in batches, cook the pancakes until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Use a spatula to transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. If needed, add more oil to the pan as you cook.

Serve with the Pesto Dipping Sauce (my children had a serving of applesauce as well) and a mixed green salad.

*Pancakes can be served hot or at room temperature.
*They can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to three days.
*I reheated them for lunch the next day in a 400 degree F oven, for about 20 minutes. I ate them on a bed of mixed greens and my husband made them into a sandwich.

Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Salad

These are some of my favorite ingredients. I saw this online and wanted to save it so I could repeat it. It looks so super yummy!

the original can be found here:
http://rebekahgough.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe
shes got some great recipes!

Mexican black bean quinoa salad

1 cup of quinoa soaked for 15 min or so in water, drain well.

1 ½ cups of water added to the soaked and drained quinoa and a tsp or so of salt bring to a full boil, cover and turn to low and let sit for 15 min. Turn off heat and let sit another five min and then fluff with a fork. (can be made ahead and stored in the fridge)

When ready for salad –

Mince 1 jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 small red onion (or half onion if big). Saute in olive oil, for a few minutes. Add two bell peppers that have been sliced thin. Saute a few minutes longer until softened. Add 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp coriander, stir and remove from heat.

Add quinoa to a large bowl followed by a can of drained black beans and a can of drained corn. Toss in the sauteed veggies and mix together.

Add 1 diced tomato

For the dressing use the juice of 1 lime (2 Tablespoons), ¼ cup of olive oil (less is fine), tsp or so of salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Mix well and dress the salad and then top with cilantro if desired!

Jello Cookies

These cookies remind me of my childhood. I remember making them with my mom and I had the most important job of all, smashing the cookies with a glass. Here is my mom showing my boys the proper technique

These cookies are full of memories and good times for me. We used to make them red and green. Lots of festive fun!

1/2 c. butter
1 3 oz. pkg jello (strawberry makes red and lime will make green)
1/2 c. sugar
blend together then add egg & flour mixture
2 eggs
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour

Heat oven to 375 F
roll dough into balls place apart on the cookie sheet, flatten each with bottom of glass dipped in sugar or jello. Dont smash them too flat, they will get crispy and burn.
Bake 6-8 minutes

French Toast Casserole

We are a hot breakfast family. And we could eat breakfast any time of the day. Pancakes, oatmeal, muffins, steel cut oats are all part of our regular rotation. This will be a good addition. You can assemble it the night before and just put it in the oven in the morning.

1 loaf of hearty firm bread (I used some multigrain rolls I had in the freezer)
chopped pecans or walnuts (i used 1/4 cup, you can use more or less to your liking)
1/2 cup coconut sugar (you could use brown)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
8 large eggs (farm fresh!)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used some fresh cream from the dairy down the road)
2 tsp vanilla

In one bowl, chop up the bread in bite size pieces.
In another bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts.
In a 3rd bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.
(cooking is so much fun when there are little people around!)
Grease/butter a 9 x 13 pan put bread pieces in it, sprinkle sugar mixture on top then pour over egg mixture. At this point you can cover it and cook it in the morning, just leave it in the frige over night. Or you can bake it. 350 for 20 minutes covered. Remove cover and cook for additional 25 minutes. Serve with syrup.

Sloppy Joes

1/4 c bell pepper
3/4 c celery
1/2 c onion
1 lb burger
1 c tomato sauce
1 tbs worcheshire sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar

Chop veggies in chopper until almost mushy.  Add to browning hamburger.  Add everything else  and let simmer until everything is combined. Serve on buns.

Chicken Enchiladas

I can cream of chicken soup
I cup sour cream
1/2 onion chopped (usually I omit this)
4 oz. can of diced green chillis
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8-10 tortillas
3-4 boiled chicken breasts

boil the chicken until fully cooked, and let it cool. then grated or chop the chicken.
Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Grab a tortilla, layer the sauce, chicken and cheese in the tortilla and wrap and place in the pan. ( you can use leftover sauce on top and add more cheese if you would like, but you don't have too.) bake @ 350 for 30- 35 minutes or until boiling in the middle and the onions are cooked. you can also make an extra pan and cover with foil and freeze before cooking for an easy meal on a busy day in the future.

homemade mac and cheese (good for your belly, not for your hips)

A lady in our recipe group made this and it was surpisingly good.

1 lb. macaroni
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups velveeta, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

boil macaroni. Mix in 1/2 of all the cheese and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. pour into baking pan (easier cleanup if you spray the pan with nonstick first.) Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and cook 2o minutes, remove the foil and brown to your liking.

STROMBOLI

Stromboli

The original recipe for this calls for premade dough. After reading the ingredient list on the package, I just could not bring myself to buy it. I whipped up some dough and filled it up, this was an easy and fast dinner. (like my fancy plate? We ate outside)

DOUGH:

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbs. butter, softened
3 eggs
1/3 cup powdered milk
About 6 cups flour (use at least 1/2 wheat)

Combine water and yeast, set aside.

In mixer combine sugar, butter, eggs, powdered milk, and about 4 cups of flour. Slowly pour in yeast mixture. Mix until incorporated. Then add enough flour til dough pulls from the sides and the bowl is clean. The dough will be soft and a little sticky. Knead for about 4 minutes. Cover and let raise in bowl til doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Then roll out flat and cover with fillings.

FILLING:
any kind of meat you like. I used pastrami and ham
any kind of cheese you like. I used Mozzarella
Fresh chopped parsley, basil, spinach (whatever herbs or veggies you want)

Roll the dough out flat and place all meat, cheese, veggies on top. Fold the dough over and seal. Brush with butter and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake 375 for about 25 minutes or until the dough looks done.

ZOPF

Did you see my post for Challah? It was an attempt to create this bread. I finally tracked down the recipe and it was just as I remembered. Thanks to Rosemary and Amber Yamamoto for sharing.
Zopf

11-12 c flour
2T yeast
2 sticks butter softened
3 c milk- lukewarm ~100 degrees
3/4c sugar
3 eggs at room temp
2 t salt
the zest of 1 lemon
egg wash

Place 3 c flour in bowl and sprinkle the yeast in and mix. Mix in sugar and salt. To the heated milk add butter. add beaten eggs to milk mixture. add milk mixture to dry ingredients and add zest. begin mixing and add one cup of flour at a time, until desired consistency reached.
Continue to mix for 5 min. Do manual kneading for a few minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and let rise until doubled (can punch down and let rise again if desired) Shape dough and let rise. Bake @ 350 for 35-45 min, on a cookie sheet that is greased.

*to shape dough- turn out onto counter. cut into thirds. cut each third into thirds and roll into ropes. Braid and place on baking sheet to rise 20-35 min.
*prior to baking may coat with an egg wash.

Texas Sheet Cake

Growing up, my mom used to make this for family gatherings. She would store the extra out in the laundry room on top of the dryer. I remember sneaking out A LOT to snag a taste. It is one of my favorite treats she makes.

This is the recipe she emailed me. (my husband does not care for nuts, so as you can see I have omitted them. My moms was always loaded with walnuts!)


Texas Sheet Cake

bring to a boil: 3/4 lb butter
4 T. cocoa
1 cup water

sift together: 2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
pour hot mixture over flour & sugar.

add: 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
mix and beat somewhat....
Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

5 min before cake is done, mix and bring to a boil 1/2 c. butter, 6 Tablespoons milk, 4 Tablespoons cocoa.
remove from heat and add 1 pound of powdered sugar. Beat with mixer. Add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Spread on cake immediately after taking from oven.


( I make my own buttermilk:
1 tsp. lemon juice mixed in 1/2 c. milk, mix first and let sit until ready to use)

Green-ya colada

1/2 can of unsweetened pineapple (use the fruit and the juice)
1/2 cup low fat coconut or almond milk
1 cup ice
1 ripe banana
your favorite protein powder (naturally sweetened)
Few generous handfuls of washed spinach
spoonful of coconut oil

Blend together and serve. YUM! My kids especially love these! If you want an extra punch of coconut flavor add a teeny bit of coconut extract.

Black Bean Soup

I got this recipe from my good friend and neighbor. Its so simple and easy, and freezes really well. I adapted it just a teeny bit.

BLACK BEAN SOUP
serves 8

2 cups dried black beans (food storage!)
2 cups frozen corn (or 1 14 oz can corn)
one medium onion, diced
2 Tbs. garlic (about 2 cloves, finely diced)
2 Tbs. cumin
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

You can easily add extra grains in this soup. Quinoa, barley, millett would all be easily disguised.

Sort and rinse the beans. place them in a large bowl to soak. I usually soak my beans for 2 or 3 days before I cook them, just be sure to drain and rinse them well twice a day, keep them covered with water.

When you are ready to cook your soup add the soaked beans to a crock pot and cook them about 8 hours on LOW. Add corn, onion, garlic, cumin, salt pepper and chicken stock. Smash the beans a little if you want and let everything heat together in the crock pot. Add pre cooked quinoa, barley or millet a few minutes before serving. Top with avocados, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, sour cream, or other favorite toppings and scoop up with chips or serve with corn bread!

Braided Bread (Challa)

Growing up, we had a neighbor who made the most beautiful braided bread. She was friends with my mom and I loved when she'd come by, she rarely came empty handed. She was from Switzerland and used to say the bread was "just something they made". She had a talent and not only was her bread lovely, it tasted great too.

She offered to lend a hand with our wedding reception and guess what she did? She baked 5 gazillion loaves of that beautiful bread. I remember her stopping by my house with samples and asking for feedback when she had tweaked a recipe just a bit.

I have tried to replicate her recipe over the years, but nothing comes close. (I need to track her down!) I made this braided bread on Sunday to serve at family dinner, it needs some obvious fine tuning, but turned out pretty good.

Braided Bread
(also called Challa)
Ingredients:

3 Tb yeast

2 cups warm water

½ c. sugar

1 Tb salt

½ c. oil (I used grapeseed)

6 -7 c. flour

5 large eggs

Directions:

Combine water, yeast and sugar, leave it to proof for about 10 minutes in a bowl(I used my Bosch). Once its all foamy and bubbly, add the salt, oil, and about 3 cups of flour. Mix together well and then add the eggs. Once the eggs are all incorporated, add about 3 more cups of flour. Add enough flour til you get a good dough to work with and it pulls away from the side of the bowl. Cover it and let it sit somewhere warm for about an hour. Separate into 3 large pieces and then divide each of those pieces into three smaller pieces. Roll into snakes and braid together. Let rise for about 1 hour, it will be about double in size. Then brush with egg wash (1 egg white and 1 Tb water).

Bake at 350° for about 18 minutes

These loaves are 100% white flour, something I have not done in a long time. When I make this again, I will definately add some fresh-ground-something-or-other. The dough was very soft and workable, it could use a little more substance.