Chocolate Cake with Avocado

This cake is so moist that it is more like a "Volcano" cake. I would recommend making it into cupcakes. Maybe I didn't bake it long enough, but mine came out looking undone. Since it has no eggs I didn't worry about it. This is honestly one of the best tasting cakes I have eaten! But it looked like I had dropped it on the floor. See?

              That's why I'm thinking cupcakes would be good.  I mix the original recipe up a bit to make it easier....wet ingredients first in a blender. You can get the original recipe at: TheHeartySoul.com

Cake Ingredients: In blender
• 1 large ripe avocado (blend until smooth)

• 2 cups of water

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
 or coconut syrup*
• ¼ cup coconut oil

• 1 ½ cup raw cane sugar
 or coconut sugar**
• 3 cups of almond flour
 or meal
• 5 tablespoons of cacao powder

• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

• 2 teaspoons of baking soda

• ¾ teaspoon of sea salt

Frosting Ingredients****
• 2 ripe avocados (blend until smooth)

• 2 cups of confectioners sugar
***
• 6 tablespoons of cacao powder

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Grease and flour 2 x 9” round cake pans.
 (or use cupcake liners)
3. In a large blender or food processor, mix all wet cake ingredients except sugar, once combined add the sugar.
4. Slowly add and blend in the dry ingredients. Blend until smooth.
5. Divide the batter between the two pans or cupcakes.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

7. While cake is baking, mix all frosting ingredients in a bowl or blender.

8. Let cake cool 15-20 minutes before frosting.


*I have found that coconut syrup works really well with cacao powder.
**I used coconut sugar because my body reacts better to it than cane sugar.
*** I take raw cane sugar and blend it in a blender to make "Powdered Sugar". Just a little healthier option.

****This frosting is really good and healthier. When you want a chocolate frosting for anything, I'd recommend this one. This cake and frosting didn't give me the sugar rush I would normally get from eating a piece of chocolate cake. Listen to your body!

Grits (Polenta)

Cornmeal porridge is my favourite porridge.  Some call it grits, others polenta or mush. Here is the basic version which can be dressed up however you please.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornmeal
A pinch of Himalayan salt
2 cups water 

Directions:

1.    Place cornmeal, water and salt in a small, heavy saucepan.
2.    Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat right down and cook gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring very frequently to prevent lumps forming.
3.    Be careful as it can be spitting back at you and it is very hot!
4.    Add more hot water from the kettle if the mixture becomes thick and dry. The best consistency is the one you prefer. That said when first making it look for a texture that is soft and thick.
5.    Allow the porridge to cool a little before eating; it holds the heat very well.

Now that you have the basic cornmeal porridge, there are so many variations of it.
•    A very simple thing to do is at the beginning of cooking, add a handful of sultanas/raisins or any dried fruit.
•    For a filling porridge add nuts or seeds or coconut – or all of them for a real fun luxurious porridge. My favorite is chia seeds (a great way to add those omega 3s)
•    You can even add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom which is very yummy.
•    Serve with ghee or coconut oil (which is my favourite) 

No Bake Lactation Balls

These very yummy bites are the perfect snack. They are easy to make (food processor!) and store well in the freezer. My daughter found them because she was ready to give birth and wanted something to boost her milk supply. The baby is now one week old and at his first doctor appointment he was the same weight as he was at birth (9'4"). Usually babies lose their birth weight and take a couple of weeks to gain it back. So we are thinking that the 'bites' are doing their job! But they are not only for nursing moms, they are just plain healthy for anyone. Play with the recipe and add or subtract whatever sounds good to you. You can look at the original recipe (we tweaked this one to suit us) at www.thebakermama.com.

No-Bake Lactation Bites

Ingredients
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• ½ cup ground flaxseed or chia seeds (Kirsten likes flax and I like chia - same health benefits)
• 3 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
• 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a food processor), add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until mixture is well combined. If using chocolate chips, stir in last. If the mixture is too dry add a small amount of water.
2. Roll mixture into 1-tablespoon sized smooth balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or enjoy right away. Once the bites have set, transfer them to an air-tight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes
Mixture can be pressed into an 8x8-inch baking dish and cut into bars, if desired. Other optional add-ins: ½ chopped nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) and ½ cup dried fruit. Use your imagination!

Roaster Veggie Pasta

I really like the simplicity of this recipe, yet it is a favorite of so many. Roasting the vegetables makes it an easy choice.

ROASTED VEGGIE PASTA
By Thug Kitchen
Serves 4-6
Ready In: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound pasta, brown rice pasta would be a healthier choice.
1/2 large red onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 pint tiny tomatoes, halved
1 medium zucchini, cut into thin matchsticks
1 pound eggplant, skin on, cut into cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and pour back into the pot.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grab two large Silicone or other non-stick baking sheets.
3. In a large bowl, throw in red onion, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and salt. Mix
everything together. Spread out on the baking sheets and then slip them into the oven.
4. Roast for 20 minutes, then take them out, add the thyme, garlic, and lemon juice, stir, and throw them back in the oven until some of the veggies start looking a little browned around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
5. Add the roasted veggies to the cooked pasta, pour in the balsamic, pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and stir. Taste and add more garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and/or thyme. If you want to up the greens level, serve the hot pasta on a bed of arugula or spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice on them.

Recipe adapted from Thug Kitchen: Party Grub

Cooking Quinoa

If you like rice, you will probably also like quinoa. It is a seed, instead of a grain that is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It is very easy to cook. If you have an instant pot, it just got even easier!

Cooking Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Directions:

  1. Rinse quinoa and drain.*

  2. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil.

  3. Add a pinch of salt.

  4. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

  5. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

  6. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Note: You can add seasoning to the water like Bill's Best Chik'nish or use vegetable broth. For a sweet breakfast you can use orange juice instead of water, add a little honey and sprinkle with toasted nuts. Yum!

Always Rinse Quinoa, although highly nutritious, is actually coated with the toxic chemical saponin; you must rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Saponins can be challenging to the immune system and stomach. Commercial processing methods remove much of the bitter soapy saponins coating quinoa seeds, but it is best to rinse again to remove any of the powdery saponins that may remain on the seeds.

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

Muffin AND good for you? Here you go!

For Muffins:
2/3 cup (160 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (115 g) plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup (80g) honey
2 cups (240 g) brown rice flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (60 ml) vanilla almond milk
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (50g) coconut sugar
3/4 cup (112 g) organic blueberries, fresh or frozen

For Crumble Topping:
2 Tablespoons (16g) brown rice flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons (24 g) coconut sugar

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray the cups of a muffin tin with nonstick spray.

To make the muffins: Combine the chickpeas, Greek yogurt, and honey in a blender, puree until smooth.

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar and whisk to combine. Add almond milk, egg whites, and vanilla to the chickpea in blender and blend. Add wet mixture to dry mix in bowl, combine. Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, dividing it evenly. (Or spread it into a baking dish)

To make the topping: Mix together the flour, butter, and coconut sugar in a small bowl. Press a small spoonful of the crumble mixture onto each muffin with your fingers or the back of a spoon.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. (If you use a baking dish, it may take a few minutes longer to bake.) YIELD: 12 Muffins.

Feel free to omit the crumble topping if you are trying to lose weight. I left it off and it was still really good. For extra "health" you can substitute 1/4 cup chia seeds in 1/4 cup water for the egg whites.

Key Lime Pie or Ice Cream

I have a bucket of limes sitting on my counter so decided to revisit an old favourite healthy treat. If you like sweet/tart you will love this!

Raw Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients - Crust
1 ¼ cups macadamia nuts or 1 1/2 c almond total
1 ¼ cups pecans
3 ounces date paste (5 Medjool dates)
¼ tspn vanilla
1/8 tspn salt (Himalayan)
• Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until there are no large chunks.
• Press into lined spring form pan and refrigerate till needed.


Ingredients - Lime Filling
¾ cup lime juice (8 limes)*
½ cup honey
¼ cup coconut cream
1 cup avocado (2 medium)
2 tspns vanilla
1/8 tspn salt (Himalayan)
2 tablespoons soy lecithin
½ cup + 2 tblspns coconut oil (flavourless may be preferred)

• Add all filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hrs or until set. (or freeze for about an hour and enjoy!)


For 'Ice Cream' skip the crust and place in a deep dish. Let it thaw slightly and it should scoop out like ice cream.

Freezes well and lasts a few weeks.

*This is very "limey." Just reduce the juice for a more subtle lime flavour. I have used bottle juice before and it’s good, but not as yummy as the fresh lime!