Chocolate Cake you CAN NOT mess up!

I've made this cake a bajillion different ways

gluten free

oil free

with beets to make it red velvet

it's already vegan

Ok, so I've made it four ways that I can remember - but I have been making this cake for years and I have honestly never messed it up.  

I mess up a lot by the way.  Especially when I refuse to use measuring devices.   

ANYWAYS, 

this chocolate cake is my go-to-cake and I will never make another chocolate cake recipe again because this one is just so good.  

We are entering birthday season in my house (all 6 kids in four months)

and I made this cake 3 times for two birthdays.

Apparently cupcakes aren't real cake.  3 year old girls I tell ya.  

These are blue raspberry cupcakes that I kept calling Razzamataz Cupcakes for some reason.

They tasted like a slushie - but way better because it's cake.  I just added some raspberry flavour to the icing and threw in some blue colouring.

Boy oh boy were they good - and perfect for a little girl who loves blue!

This was made on Tilly's actual birth date to make up for the cupcakes (sheesh). 

Her favourite colour is "every colour of the rainbow" and this cake was a big hit!

Tilly didn't really complain about the cupcakes, she just said she wished she had a birthday cake.  I told her she did have one, the cupcakes, and she replied with "that's not a real cake!"
If she fussed, or complained or demanded a "real" cake I would have never made another one -
but she didn't, and birthdays are sensitive for me, so I made her a cake.
I think her reaction says it all:

Birthday or not, this cake is easy to make - stays moist for a good few days and is tasty tasty tasty!

With no further adieu...

Crazy Good Chocolate Cake 

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare pan.  This recipe doubles nicely, but single recipe needs to be baked in an 8X8 square pan, 10"round cake pan, or even an 11X7 rectangle pan.  Grease the cake holding vessel lightly, and if using a metal pan grease & flour.  

1 1/4 cups flour (yes - you can use gluten free mix)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Break up any clumps before adding the wet stuff.  Create a little well, exposing the bottom of the bowl.

1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil (you can use applesauce, or melted coconut oil)
1 tsp vinegar

(add up to 1/2 cup of steamed and pureed beets for red velvet)

Add warm water, vanilla, oil and vinegar to dry ingredients.  Mix well.  You can use a hand blender or just good old elbow grease (with a whisk).  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cupcakes take roughly 25 minutes, and adding beets will extend your bake time by 5 minutes or so.  

When I'm making the cake for something fancy (a.k.a. not eating it out of the glass dish while the kids are sleeping) I line the bottom of whatever pan I'm using with parchment so it will flip out of the baking device easily.  

My son wanted a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing.  Vegan.  Hilarious request for an 8 year old.
  I just used a fermented soy cream cheese and made the icing like a regular cream cheese icing and it was deeeeee-licious I tells ya.  

PS If you're a fan of using flavours like I am - the BEST combo of this cake is making the icing... banana flavour.  Oh my banana-lovin-brains it's good.  

Happy Baking!

7lb Lasagna

  Before my husband and I became accidental vegetarians, there were foods I just thought wouldn’t work as vegetarian.  Lasanga wasn’t one of them.  Lasagna is better vegetarian!  Loads of pasta and cheese doesn’t need meat - it’s already heart-attack-a-licious.  

Vegan lasagna?  Meh. 

What’s left after you take the cheese out?  Tomatoes?  You want to replace the noodles with veggies too?  Kill me now!  Seriously, what’s left?

AMAZINGNESS.  That’s what’s left.  Trust me on this.  

Isn't she a beaut?  Bright and colourful, totally delicious and mega good for you.
You're thinking... did you actually weigh this lasagna, and I will let you know - yes, yes I did.  And the pan wasn't heavy glass or cast iron either

Not only is this lasagna vegan, it’s gluten free and jam-packed with vitamins, nutrients, and true blue goodness.  But really -  forget the labels: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and think of your tastebuds dancing like old-timey cartoons in your mouth.  That’s what’s going to happen when you take a bite of…..

7 lb Lasagna      

This is everything you need! 

2 butternut squash

4 large eggplant

6 small (or 4 large) zucchini 

1 jar of your choice pasta sauce, or homemade (see link)

1 pckg 275-300g raw cashews, soaked in water (soak for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge)

fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350

Wash your produce (yes I wash the outside before cutting) and peel your eggplant.  

Zuchini and Eggplant factory. 

The first time I made this lasagna I left the skins on - but the kids weren’t too keen on having to chew them so vigorously.  If you’re only feeding adults, they may not mind - but considering my kids LOVE this lasagna and I’d like to keep it that way and I just cut the derned skins off.  

Slice the eggplant, and zucchini into thin “coins” and place on a baking tray.  No oil necessary.  Just bake for 20 minutes, flip over and bake for another 20.  I know some people are totally awesome and cut their zucchini and eggplant into strips like lasagna noodles, but they don’t bake nicely and are harder to handle.  While the eggplant and zucchini are baking, cut the squash down the centre (this can take some serious muscle, or just a decent kitchen knife - of which I have neither).  Scoop out the seeds and place face down in a casserole dish or cookie sheet.  There will be a lot of liquid that bakes out of the squash so if you use a cookie sheet you will just have to scrub it afterwards (I hate scrubbing cookie sheets because they don’t fit in the sink).  Bake squash for 50-60 minutes, until tender.  

Baked oatmeal leftovers.
1/4 is cranberry free for 1 picky eater.

I let everything cool on the counter while I’m making other yummy things.  This particular weekend I started the day with baked carrot oatmeal, made a batch of muffins, cookies and pizza (all vegan) and baked some homemade samosas that the kids loved!  I’m in mega love with Angela Liddon’s blog Oh She Glows and used her baked oatmeal, muffin and cookie recipes.  Her recipes often include maple syrup instead of sugar - but I’ve been replacing the syrup with figs and it’s awesome!  If something calls for 1/4 cup sugar or syrup I squish as many figs as I can into a 1/4 cup, and soak them in water for an hour or so before pulsing them in the food processor to make a sweet paste.  I add it 1 for 1 to the recipe and haven’t had any complaints.   

Empty the squash into a large bowl - they should just drop right out of their skins into the bowl.  If not, peel it out.   Mash it vigorously with a spoon so it’s creamy.  If you have roasted garlic hanging around throw some in - I didn’t, because I can’t keep roasted garlic out of my mouth for some reason.

Squash, cashew cheese and beautiful layers.

To make your cashew cheese, just take your soaked cashews and put them in a food processor.  Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to get things moving.  You could also add some oil or tahini to do that as well, but I just used fresh lemon juice -about two lemons worth.  The longer you soak your cashews, the better result you will have.  

When you’re ready to assemble and bake your lasagna prepare a large 11x11 pan.  Someone left a large metal pan at my house (does it belong to YOU?) so I used that with parchment paper - but normally I would use my glass pan, naked (no parchment or oil). 

. 

Start with a thin layer of tomato sauce.  I use this organic sauce because it has nothing but tomatoes, spices and other veggies (sometimes I get the one with carrots, etc.).  No sugar, nothing I can’t pronounce and no tin can.  Go ahead and use your favourite, but if you don’t have a fav - give this a try.  After you have a layer of sauce, add a layer of eggplant, layer of squash, zucchini and tomato sauce again.  Next, add your cashew “cheese”.  I wet my hands and pat small portions into flat discs I then place on the lasagna and continue to try to pat down.  Repeat this until the “cheese” is gone and you have a nice even layer.  Now add another layer of eggplant, this time adding the zucchini at the same time and another thin layer of sauce.  Top it all off with your last layer of butternut squash and bake for roughly 1 hour until it’s hot all the way through and you can see the sauce bubbling.  Let cool for what seems like a lifetime, but probably more like 20 minutes.  Cut into generous portions and eat the heck out of this tasty tasty lasagna.

This freezes like a boss - so if you want to pop it in the freezer in portions or before you bake it, go for it.  Not worrying about meat temperatures and reheating, etc. excludes guesswork and you can just do it.  Or just freeze it in this instance.  

If you're feeling up to it, a variation I do with this lasagne is to take 6 cups of spinach and cook it down with garlic and onion.  I add it just above the cheese layer and it adds so much flavour and all around wonderfulness.  Give it a try if you have the ingredients hanging around.  

Honestly, eating a dinner like this makes you feel like you can conquer the world!  There’s no undoing the button on your pants, laying on the couch and hating yourself for eating so much.  You can eat until you’re full and still feel great!  I LOVE that my kids love this recipe (it’s even funnier that they don’t like regular lasagna) and they helped me make it the last few times and know they’re eating eggplant and zucchini.  

My 1 yr old crying for a portion.  I should have let him eat some before trying to take a pic of the final product.

Bon Appe-7lb-tit!
Eww,  7 lb tit sounds so wrong.  Well, it's been typed and can't be erased.
Such is the finality of computers.  No backspace or delete buttons.
ahiodpjmkfldsa
Dern baby hit the keys again.  


Check out my post on homemade pizza to get my homemade sauce recipe

Carmelitas

The title of this post could also be: 

The only thing stopping my husband from being vegan…

Oh Carmelitas…  How I love and hate thee.

So tasty.  So easy to make.  So tasty.  

I think I made these off of a Pinterest whim.  I know a lot of people say mean things about Pinterest because it is apparently trendy to post things and not try them - well, I actually try a lot of things I pin to my wall.  I know other people who do too.  Yes, they're related - so maybe we're all the odd ones out, but… oh yes, we're always the odd ones out.  It all makes sense.

This recipe is originally from a blog called, Lulu the Baker.  I'm not sure if it's her recipe, but that's where I found it.  I'm going to be honest - I've tweaked it here and there to see if improvements could be made, but it needs no improvement.  

Switching the ingredients to gluten free was for my son, so he could be part of the sweet sweet torture that is smelling the Carmelitas baking and waiting 6 or more hours to finally taste them!  

If you want to swap out the gluten free ingredients for run-of-the-mill, already-in-your-cupboard ingredients, knock yourself out!  The measurements are all the same, you'll be just fine.

Gluten Free Carmelitas

Preheat oven to 350

3/4 cup butter (melted)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup gluten free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Blend)

1 cup oats (Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats)

1 tsp baking soda

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl, add butter and mix thoroughly.  It will be kind of crumbly, don't fret.

Press half the mixture into an 8X8 glass pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes.

This doubles nicely in a larger pan, and I've even done 1 + 1/2 recipe to fill an 11X7 pan.  All variations have been excellent - just slightly thicker or thinner crust.

1 package of Kraft Caramels (32 little squares), unwrapped* 

1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

While bottom crust of squares are baking, unwrap the caramels and add them to a medium saucepan.  Warm the cream and caramels together on medium (medium high if you pay attention) until all the caramels are melted.  Stir frequently.   Once it's consistently smooth, set aside. 

*You can make this recipe with homemade caramel.  I haven't tried yet, because I've made homemade caramel and it takes an hour!  I also don't think I could resist eating a grand portion of the caramel before it made it to the squares…. so I've taken the kraft caramel route thus far*

Once your crust is out of the oven - let it cool for a few minutes.  

1 cup chocolate chips

Evenly spread chocolate chips over crust.  Carefully pour warm caramel over the chocolate chips.  It should level itself out, but it doesn't hurt to pour it evenly now does it?  Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top.  Take a nice handful, and crumble it evenly over the whole thing.  Don't pat it down or try to make it smooth.  

Place pan back in the oven for another 20 minutes.  

This will take FOREVER to cool down.  FOREVER.  Just make it at night and leave it for the next day.  Don't torture yourself by checking the pan to see if it's cooled yet.  It won't be cool.  Don't put it in the fridge.  Don't go crazy.  Just be prepared to wait.  

I place a clean dishtowel over mine for the night, and have an unstoppable reason to get up early the next day.  These freeze wonderfully, so go ahead and make a batch - cut them up and save some for the next time you have company coming by.  They always impress and are truly one of the best squares I've had the pleasure of tasting.  Tasting again and again and again……

Happy Baking! 

Gluten Free Empire Cookies

I've published a post on how to make these delightful cookies the traditional way, but 

as I now have a gluten free child in the home I feel I need to at least try my favourite recipes gluten free so he can have a chance to enjoy our holiday food traditions.  

Luckily for him, these turned out SO well you can't even taste the difference!

Gluten Free Crying (Empire) Cookies!

Gluten Free Empire Cookies

1 3/4 cup butter 1 1/4 cups fruit sugar 1 tsp vanilla

3 1/4 cup gluten free baking mix (I prefer Namaste or Bob's Red Mill) 1/4 cup rice flour

raspberry jam

icing sugar 1-2 lemons

Cream sugar and butter, add vanilla. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup rice flour. Mix well and knead slightly.  Roll out using icing sugar instead of flour to keep it from sticking. Cut as large or small as you please - I usually prefer small so I can share with more people.

Bake on parchment paper lined cookie sheets at 300F for about 15 minutes. Don't let brown - they should be a little brown on the bottoms but not on the sides.  

Once cooled (I usually wait until the next day), put raspberry jam in between cookies. I like LOTS of jam!  

Mix 1-2 tbsp soft butter with 2 cups (maybe more or less, icing is very personal ) and add the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon a teaspoon at a time until just the right consistency. You want the icing to be thin enough to spread but thick enough not to run off the sides! Spread the icing with a butter knife and let dry.

These freeze really well - just freeze them on a baking tray individually for 2-3 hours and once frozen transfer them to an airtight container. WARNING - They are delicious even when frozen, nothing will stop you from eating these!

I used food colouring gel to personalize the gluten free cookies.  This way, at our large family gatherings no one will accidentally eat the gluten free treats, leaving those with sensitivities/intolerances without any goodies!  

I also "painted" some of the other cookies with Christmas themed images.  Just wait until the icing is totally dry (overnight) and personalize as you need.  This would be great for birthday parties, Valentine's cookies, etc.

You could also choose to personalize just one cookie as the "gift tag" on a tray of baking

Happy Gluten Free Baking!  

Apple Fritters (Gluten Free)

Oh how I love apple fritters. 

I chose fritters for my treat this past Friday, but felt a little sad for my little gluten-free guy who would see and smell the fritters and not be impressed that I wasn't sharing.  

Fritters are VERY simple to make, and I assumed gluten free fritters would be just as easy.  

Luckily and I was right, and the whole family got to enjoy fritters!

  Maybe treat yourself this weekend….

I used a pancake mix, but you can do this from your favourite scratch recipe, or find a recipe online for "funnel cakes" - I like King Arthur Flour's recipe the best.

Follow directions on your pancake mix, or recipe.  When it comes to adding the liquid - milk or water, do NOT add all of it.  You want your batter to be quite thick, so add a small portion of your liquid.  Example:  your recipe calls for 1/3 cup milk and 1/2 cup water - skip the water and see how the batter turns out.  If it is too thick, slowly add water 1tbsp at a time.  

If you have an apple corer you have a better equipped kitchen than I!  I cut out the core of the apple as best I could with a knife and sliced the apple into thin sections.  If you'd like thick chunks of apple, just remember it may not have time to cook thoroughly and may still have a bit of crunch.

Preheat a non-stick skillet on medium high and use 1/4 - 1/2 cup of oil to fry.  You can use coconut or vegetable oil, but you may need to replenish the oil after a few rounds so keep it handy.  

Get the oil nice and hot before adding any fritters - test the oil by dropping a bit of batter in to the pan and seeing if it sizzles and cooks nice and fast.  You don't want to burn your fritters but you don't want them to absorb all the oil.  

While the pan is heating up, get a bowl of cinnamon and sugar ready.  I mix half and half - 1/4 cup of each.  We have cinnamon and sugar pre-mixed in a shaker in the cupboard but I don't know if that's normal or not!  Haha. 

Once the pan is ready, just dip an apple slice in to the batter - ensure it's coated thoroughly and lay in frying pan.  Flip gently (use a fork or pair of tongs) after 1-2 minutes or batter is golden brown.  Remove from pan when golden brown and the batter is cooked, and lay on newspaper to allow any oil to drip off.  While fritter is still hot, dip in to bowl with cinnamon and sugar and coat thoroughly.  

Serve hot, with a side of pure maple syrup or as is!  Bon Appetit. 

Getting your Kids to love Healthy Food!

Maybe the title of this post is an overstatement…

My kids LOVE junk.  Our Friday "treat nights" are always the highlight of the week.  With the exception of a trip to Oma's or baking for company, my kids eat healthy all week.  Making homemade shakes is one of the ways we help them love healthy food.

I know talking kids into eating their veggies can be tricky, but this is one way your kids will love.  I let my kids help make what they've titled "Hulk Shakes".  

I think you can guess why they've named this drink the "Hulk Shake".  When we add blueberries or blackberries they just call it a "Healthy Shake" because the colour is more purple.  My husband and I play on the "Hulk" part and remind the kids how great it is for your body to give it nutritious food and how it helps build muscle and stay healthy.  My 5yr old wishes it would turn him green, so he drinks the lions share in hopes he will someday drink enough to change colour.  

Simply collect any fruits and veg you have in your house that will blend nicely.  I probably don't need to say skip the cauliflower.  Blend them with a bit of water or coconut water and ice or frozen berries.  We try to stick to fruits that are low on the GI 

http://www.glycemicindex.com

Pack as much leafy green as you can into the shake.  I usually add 6 cups of spinach to each batch, more if I can get it in!  

We also love to add things that aren't in this picture 

-Adding avocados makes it really creamy. 

- Frozen berries makes the drink ice cold and almost slushee like.  

- Chia seeds are a great add-in, and the kids can't detect them in the thick texture. 

- Bananas are a surefire way to sweeten the shake.  

- Cucumbers add an amazing fresh taste 

- Kale has a ridiculous amount of nutrients you just don't want to miss.  If the texture doesn't blend well enough for you, try baby kale!

One thing you always need to add is CITRUS!  Adding freshly squeezed lemon juice, pineapple or an orange cuts out any bitterness from the leafy greens.  If you don't like citrus, don't worry - you can't really taste it, it just hides anything you don't want to taste.  Trust me.  CITRUS.

I added protein to this batch because it's for my husband's lunch that he takes to work.  (I blend enough to fill 4-6 mason jars and freeze them)  I don't normally add protein to the children's shakes but if you chose to do that be sure to find ones that are safe for 18 & under. 

If you have food that is about to turn, just cut it up and put it in the freezer for a shake!  Cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, banana, etc.  Freeze the fruit or veggies on a cookie tray and transfer to a ziploc bag once frozen.  You will feel better about not throwing your money in the garbage and you will have readily available frozen items to make the shake nice and cold.  

Speaking of freezers, these make GREAT popsicles!  

You probably have a popsicle tray somewhere in your cupboards - just pour the shake into the forms and freeze.  It's a great snack for teething babies, and you can feel good about what they're teething on!

Stop fighting with your kids about their veggies and try making shakes with them! 

Gluten free vs. All Purpose - Oatmeal Cookies

Gluten Free Wins Again!

Gluten free is tricky.  So many things have wheat in them, and for someone who loves baking it can be incredibly difficult to get the hang of.  My little guy is on a gluten free trial to see if it helps some of his medical issues, so I can't just give up because I'm trying it as a diet fad.  My lovely sister is so great with gluten free, she has been accommodating a gluten free child for years and has some great recipes on her blog Bushel and A Peck if you are looking for recipes that mix different flours instead of using a mix like I am in this recipe.  I'm cheap.  There's no nice way to put it, I love saving money - it makes me feel like a superhero.  I have tried mixing flours and all the different ingredients to make gluten free recipes but I usually just end up throwing whatever I've made out because it's completely inedible.  So, in the short term it looks as though mixes can be more expensive - BUT if they make food that I don't have to throw out, it's really the most economical decision.  I've used the same recipe for these oatmeal cookies, one with regular all purpose flour and one with a gluten free mix.  In all honesty, there is no taste or texture difference between the two, and I'm happy to say I have another gluten free recipe under my belt.

Amazing results from the gluten free flour mix - identical tasting cookies!

3/4 cup Butter 
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

Cream butter, and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, milk and vanilla and blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients:

1 cup flour (all purpose or gluten free mix)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Mix dry into wet, and add any extras after well blended.  I made mine plain, but after baking most of the batch added 1 cup coconut and chocolate chips to a few, because, well... I love coconut and chocolate.  

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until the edges just start turning golden brown.  I (again) used an ice cream scoop to get perfectly shaped and similar sized cookies.  

Blueberry Muffin Standoff!

I've had a bag of Namaste Perfect Flour Blend in my cupboard for a few weeks unsure of what to make with it.  Gluten free mixes can be tricky and I hate wasting entire batches of baked goods, so I avoided making anything with it.  I LOVE Namaste Pancake & Waffle mix, which is why I trusted the brand enough to try their all purpose flour.  I wanted some easy snacks for school and for the kids so I decided to make muffins - and it hit me, time to pit flour against flour and have a muffin standoff.  

I'd like to take a moment to point out my husband's face trying to eat a muffin hands-free (he was actually just trying to ruin the photo - joke is on you sucker, I'm publishing the pic!) and my cooking partner playing with a mini food processor (blade removed) and emptying every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen!  

Let's start with the recipe I used...

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil - feel free to melt and use coconut oil
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups frozen (don’t thaw them) blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently until almost combined; add the berries and stir just until blended.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch. Makes about 1 dozen muffins or 24 mini muffins (requires same bake time).

The Results Are In!

The photo above shows the gluten free muffins on the left and the regular flour muffins on the right.  I was shocked by how little difference there was between the muffins, and actually preferred the gluten free ones - they seemed less cake-y.  The real test is that my kids ages 1,3,5,8,11 & 12 didn't notice the difference at all.  Thumbs up to the all purpose gluten free mix!  

Next time I will make a control batch vs a vegan batch.... that should be interesting!