BLACK BEAN FUDGE CAKE

My Grain Girl friend Amy (check her out.....GrainGirls.blogspot.com) told me about this cake that she got from Clean Eating and like all of you I had my reservations but, its AWESOME!!!  And if you don't trust me check with William.  A 7 year old would not lie about chocolate cake!


Olive oil cooking spray
1 oz dark organic chocolate (70% cocoa or greater)
1 1/2 cups of soft cooked black beans (I used one can)
2 eggs
1 egg white
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 heaped cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup of raw organic honey
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsalted walnuts, chopped


Preheat oven to 350 and mist an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray.  Melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat with 1tbsp water mixed in. Combine melted chocolate, beans, eggs, egg whites, oil, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, applesauce, and honey in a food processor, process until smooth.  Stir in walnuts and pour mixture into baking dish.    Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the sides.  Garnish with Greek-style yogurt.

You know me I had to make a few changes, Jeff and William are not big on nuts (no wise cracks please) so I left them out.  Also, I baked mine in my dutch oven.  I try to bake all my cakes in it.  They do not rise as much they would in a cake pan but I have found that they are much more moist.  I'm not big on yogurt so I had it with a scoop of sherbet which is much better for you than ice cream but that's another blog post.

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Corn Tortillas

Today I also made chicken enchiladas.  Everyone knows how to make enchiladas but here is what I want to share with you....

Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas Ingredients;

Ground corn treated with lime, water, cwllolose gum, propionic acid, benzonic acid, phosphoric acid, dextrose, guar gum and amylase.

Homemade corn tortillas Ingredients;

Corn Masa (White cooked corn, water and lime) and water.

I am not great at making tortillas and they are almost never round but if you are using them for enchiladas who is really going to see the shape and today I layered my enchiladas and pretty much cut them in to squares.  Its fun and William enjoyed helping.  I will be buying a tortilla press soon!

2 cups of instant corn masa
Dash of salt
1 1/8 cups of water
Mix together
Roll in to balls
Put between wax paper or plastic bags coated with flour
Use a rolling pin or glass to roll them out
Put on a medium heated grill or pan
Flip when they are lightly browned
When both sides are lightly browned they are done

 

 

My chicken came out great today.  Lots of onions, some peppers from the garden and a can of roasted diced tomatoes.   Next time I make enchiladas I will use a "clean" sauce.

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

It was a good afternoon for some cooking!

The bad news is that we failed the cauliflower.  Its just did not happen and its a bummer.  We pulled the plants an today I planted some cherry and grape tomatoes in their place.  It's a bit late in the season but we will see how it goes.

Alicia's Pasta Fagioli Soup

1 lb ground Italian turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled

1 onion

1 garlic clove minced

2 cups of water
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can 14.5 oz reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (I prefer whole wheat pasta)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips

1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium zucchini chopped - From the garden.

Parmesan cheese

Cook meat until no longer pink, drain and set aside.

Saute onion in oil until tender, add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add water, beans, tomatoes, broth, macaroni, zucchini and bring o a boil.

Cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Add sausage and spinach.  Cook additional 2-3 minutes and done!

Parmesan make a nice garnish

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Super easy Taco Soup

This is for my cooking challenged friends;

Just made this and when it cools I am going to put it in to a couple of containers and freeze it.  When you need a fast meal pull it out, put in a pot on low....dinner in no time.

  

2 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained.

Diced green chilies, Whole Kernel Corn Drained, Pinto Beans Drained, Diced Tomatoes (I like the fire roasted), Stewed Tomatoes, Chili beans Not drained, Taco Seasoning, Package of Ranch Dressing. Mix it all in, bring to a boil and its ready to serve or freeze for later.



TA-DA!!!

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34



She is so pretty....

One of the many perks of not working is being able to water the garden in the morning without Jeff here to tell me I am doing it wrong.  Look at her grow.  And, there is a vine of something that has come through the fence from the neighbors garden, I don't know what it is but I will be enjoying it!

I could not get my shadow out so I waved good morning!

For Dinner...I made this chicken the other day and it was so easy and yummy.  In my dutch oven I put 1 large can of stewed tomatoes (I think they had garlic and celery seasoning),  a can of diced chilies, 1 sliced onion and 2 large chicken breast.  I cooked on the stove top on low heat for about 50 min.  Low heat for a longer period of time.  You don't want it to boil, that will make you chicken tough.  Took the chicken and tomatoes out, shredded the chicken and cut the tomatoes put it back in the pot.  Added about a cup of instant rice put the lid back on for 15 min.  It was great, opened a can of whole pinto beans, shredded a little cheese and made burritos.  Since there was so much left over I bought some Anaheim peppers, cut the tops off, filled them with the chicken, poured some salsa over the top and tonight I will bake them at 375 for about 40 min.  I can tell, its gonna be good!  This might be my new thing...keep lots of beans, tomatoes, diced chilies and onions in the pantry.  You just can't go wrong.

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Garden Update

The garden is doing lovely.  We have eaten some broccoli and some peppers and everything else is blooming.  I can't wait to start harvesting, canning and EATING!

Here are a couple shots of Jeff's bean stock.  Its the craziest thing, you look at it in the morning and then again in the evening and you feel like it has grown an inch.  

This week I am doing some major grocery shopping.  There are items on my list that I need to Google because I have no idea what they are.  I have several new recipes that we will be trying and sharing with you. Lots of beans, veggies, rice, couscous and seasonings that we have never used before.  And of course I will be cooking as "clean" as possible.  Wish us luck!

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

It's what's for dinner!

Orange Salmon with Asparagus......this is going to the top of my favorite meals list!

Of course from Clean Eating Mag.  June is such a great issue.

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp grated ginger

4 6-oz boneless, skinless salmon fillets

16 asparagus spears, trimmed

Preheat oven to 400

In a small bowl whisk together zest, juice, soy sauce, ginger and set aside.

Cut 4 large pieces of parchment paper and place 1 salmon fillet onto each piece.  Divide asparagus spears evenly among parchment topping fillets.  Spoon marinade over each fillet.   

 Fold up each parchment top and sides.  Place onto baking sheet and bake 15-18 minutes or until salon is solid and firm and asparagus is cooked thoroughly but still al dente. 

You can add whatever side you like, I served mine with roasted garlic couscous and a side salad.

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Garden is doing great...Here's whats for dinner.

The garden is doing well, we are starting to see lots of yummy veggies.  William had a pepper with dinner tonight that went direct from garden to grill to plate.

Tonight we tried a few new recipes that I want to share with you.....

Since we are working on clean eating I made my own Sweet French salad dressing tonight and it was so easy and tasted wonderful.  I was a bit blown away when I compared my ingredients to the ingredients in the store bought bottle that I have in the fridge.  There really is a lot of  "stuff" in there that you just don't need.  What I like about Sweet French dressing is that it is quick, easy and is great on berries as well as salad.  However, I personally like to put it all together.  Tonight my salad had a mixed organic lettuce blend with extra spinach, shredded carrot, boiled egg, strawberry and cucumber.  I really like it all!

Sweet French Dressing

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

Whisk all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved and done.

For our main course we had Grilled Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce.  Found this recipe in my newest Clean Eating Magazine and I will be making it again.

2 tsp olive oil

1 red onion

3/4 tsp sea salt, divided

1 medium tomato, peeled seeded and chopped

1 mango, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

2 tsp Dijon mustard

6 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 lemon halved

olive oil cooking spray

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup water

In a medium sauce pan heat oil on medium.  Add onion and 1/4 tsp salt and cook stirring until softened and lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.  Stir in tomato, mango, vinegar, 1/4 cup water and Dijon.  Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly before processing in a blender or mini food processor until smooth.  Poor 1/2 up into a bowl to use when grilling chicken and the remainder for use at the table.

Preheat grill to medium.

Rinse chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.  Arrange in a single layer on a tray.  Squeeze juice form 1/2 of lemon over chicken, then lightly mist with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and peeper.  Flip the chicken over and repeat process.

Grill chicken until cooked through and no longer pink.  During last 5 min of grilling coat with sauce and turn once. 

I really loved this, we had it with steamed veggies and the sauce was a great dip for them as well as the chicken.

Chocolate Banana Freezer Pie...how can you go wrong?  This is also from Clean Eating and I think an excellent summer desert.  The recipe included directions for a Extra-Easy Whole Grain pine crust which sounds great but even on my best day, easy or not I can't make a pie crust.  And I know this and I'm not going to ruin my afternoon by trying and failing.  (That's just me!)

5 small ripe bananas (about 1lb), peeled and broken or cut into small pieces

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup light coconut milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 baked pie crust (I used store bought graham cracker crust)

2 tbsp unsalted dry roasted peanuts (I used sliced almonds)

1 oz dark chocolate (70% or greater), finely chopped

Combine bananas, cocoa, coconut milk and vanilla in the jar of a blender.  Blend until very smooth (like thin cake batter), stopping to scrape down sides of jar and stir mixture 2 or 3 times to ensure all banana is pureed.

Pour banana puree into baked pie crust.  Sprinkle with almonds and chocolate.  Jeff is not a fan of almonds so I only put them on half.  Cover and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.  Remove pie 30 min prior to serving allowing to thaw at room temperature.

Until Next Time....

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34