Saturday, October 27, 2012

Craving-Killer Chocolate Cake for One

So, once again, it's been awhile since my last post. It seems that getting ready to move 2000 miles away has left me with very little time to experiment in the kitchen! However, there is one thing I've made a couple times, and it's a life-saver when I'm stressed and needing something chocolate and yummy. And the best part? It's a total indulgence of heavenly chocolate cake goodness for just under 200 calories. I've never put toppings on it, but if you want to top it with something, I'm sure agave nectar, fruit jam, fresh fruit, or homemade frosting would all be delicious with it :) So, fill a glass of almond milk to drink with your cake, and get ready to try this super quick, easy, and yummy recipe!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons Splenda

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon almond milk

1/4 teaspoon plus a couple drops of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Mix together the dry ingredients first, then add in the vegetable oil, almond milk, and vanilla extract--stir very well. This will be a little thicker than regular cake batter, but not as thick as cookie dough.

Lightly spray a small glass plate with cooking oil. Roll the cake batter into a ball in your hands, and then place on the plate and flatten slightly--it should look like a big chocolate cookie.

Put that in the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds. Voila! You've got your uber quick and easy chocolate cake for one. Enjoy!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Creamy Hot Chocolate

There's nothing quite so comforting on a cold day as a big mug of hot chocolate. These last few days in central Iowa have been cold, grey, windy, and rainy, and have left me desperate for something warm. Cue hot chocolate. For the longest time, I tried just stirring some cocoa powder and sweetener into hot almond milk--and it didn't work. The cocoa dissolved a little bit, but mostly just clumped into these wet cocoa powder globs that were quite unpleasant to ingest. Ever try eating a pinch of plain dry cocoa powder? Miserable, I'm telling ya...But then I had a big "Duh!" moment and remembered that I own a blender. (A blender named Phillip. Phillip the blender. Does anybody else name their appliances?) Aaaaanyways, here's the super-simple recipe to blend your way to rich hot chocolatey bliss:

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon Splenda (or sugar)

1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup (You can substitute this with more Splenda/sugar, but the maple syrup makes the taste much more rich in my opinion--like the difference between a generic packet of hot cocoa mixed in skim milk versus Ghirardelli brand hot cocoa mixed in whole milk.)

Directions

Pop everything into the blender and mix for about 30 seconds, to make sure all the cocoa clumps get dissolved. You've just made cold hot chocolate!

Pour your cold hot chocolate into a coffee mug and heat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.

That's it, you're done! Enjoy it! Unless you want to get gourmet and top it with some vegan whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate--not a bad idea ;)

Notes

PS: I'm going to file this under both the Breakfast and Dessert categories, since I'm not expecting to make a plethora of drink recipes...Who knows, if it becomes my thing, I'll add a new category :)

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Sweet Potato Bowl

So, I wasn't entirely sure what to call this dish. It seems like the word "casserole" might have been a good fit, but this isn't the sweet potato casserole that most people are familiar with, and I didn't want to have anyone expecting a dish laden with sugar and butter. This is somewhat sweet, but not sweet like the side dish/dessert that is often present at your Thanksgiving dinners. It's savory, a rich flavor that isn't overwhelming--so it makes the perfect autumn dinner entree! This recipe makes a serving for one, hitting at right about 300 calories.

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup oats

1/3 cup Splenda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon maple extract

1/4 teaspoon butter extract (it's vegan)

Dash of salt

Toppings: 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Fill a medium sauce pan about 2/3 of the way full with water, and bring to a boil over the stovetop. Meanwhile, slice the sweet potato very thinly. I used a chip-maker-slicer that I have, and I can't reccommend these enough!

Once the water is boiling, add sweet potato chips and allow to boil for 6-8 minutes.

While the sweet potato chips are boiling: In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, splenda, almond milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla/maple/butter extracts.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the heat and drain. Pour these into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients, and immediately beat with an electric mixer to mash up as best you can.

Lightly grease a small dish (I used a glass cereal bowl), and pour the mixture into it. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove, sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top, and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Finally, remove from the oven, and drizzle the tablespoon of maple syrup over the top. Allow to cool for a few minutes, as it's really REALLY hot. A sprinkle of extra cinnamon never hurts either :) Enjoy as a hot, healthy, and savory dinner!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Apple-Date Cakes

What is happening to the Autumn in Iowa?!? Last week it was absolutely beautiful, not too cold, and all sorts of reds, oranges, and golds in the trees. And this week? So far, it's cold, windy and grey. The leaves are almost gone, and I have a feeling that the snow might come too early...In order to take my mind off of the impending winter (it's only October, Iowa, please don't do this), I've been baking some more Autumn-themed goodies! Today's creation, is, I've gotta say, to-die-for. OMG, these apple-date cakes. They're slightly chewy, and somewhere between cake and bread in the texture. I love the texture, but can't seem to find the best way to describe it! Guess you'll have to try making them and report back your opinions, darn ;) The flavor is rich, mildly spicy, and sweet (but not overly-sweet). These have to be the perfect fall dessert. They have everything going for them: they're healthy, low-cal, oil-free, gluten-free, super easy to make, and absolutely decadent. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped dates

1 finely diced green apple, peeled before dicing

1 cup water

1.5 cups quick oats

1 cup Splenda (or sugar)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Peel and dice the green apple very finely.

In a small saucepan over the stovetop, bring the water to a boil. In the meantime, collect the diced apple and chopped dates and place them in a small glass or metal (just not plastic!) bowl. Something that will hold 2 cups of water will be large enough. Pour the boiling water over the apple and dates and stir a couple times. Now, set that bowl aside and let it cool off a little.

Pulse the quick oats a few times in a blender or food processor, until they form a flour. Transfer this flour to a mixing bowl and add in the Splenda (or sugar), cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir together very well.

Lightly grease an 8x8 pan, and pour the entire contents of the mixing bowl in to it. Sprinkle the top with extra cinnamon, if you like.

Place in the oven and bake for 24 minutes, remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before trying to cut. Then, cut into 9 pieces, serve, and enjoy!! (Yummm!)

Notes:

Makes 9 servings at right about 100 calories each.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Autumn Spice Granola

Hi again! Sorry it's been so long since my last post: this has been a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type week for me, and 24 hours doesn't seem to be enough in the day anymore! (Can I get an "Amen"?) When I had some extra time, I did a little food preparation so that I could easily have a quick meal even when I'm in a rush. My favorite result of this haphazard food prep session was a warm, lightly spicy (think cinnamon kind of spicy), and sweet granola. It's by far been my favorite breakfast this week. Also, it's pretty simple to throw together, and likely that you already have several, if not all, the ingredients lurking in your pantry! The recipe:

Ingredients:

2.5 cups quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (can also sub with pecans, almonds, etc.)

2/3 cup Splenda (or sugar)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons coconut oil (can probably sub with vegetable oil or similar)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/8 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, whisk together applesauce, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and coconut oil until blended together very well. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together oats, Splenda, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry, and mix together as evenly as possible. The granola will start to form clumps.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with raised edges (or a large brownie pan would work, 13x9). Spread the granola over the sheet, covering most of it.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, remove and flip/stir the granola a couple times, bake for another 15 minutes, again remove and flip/stir, then place in the oven for 10 more minutes. Finally, remove and transfer the granola to a lidded container.

Toss the dates and raisins into the lidded container along with the granola, place the lid on, and turn the container over a few times in your hands to mix everything together.

Enjoy!! Makes 4 large breakfast servings, easily keeps for at room temperature for at least 5 days.