Double Chocolate Layer Cake

I know that it has happened to you...it happens to us all. We sometimes have this craving for chocolate and when we do, we have to have it! This happened to me not too long ago and this yummy cake is a result of my chocolate cravings! I new that if I made it for just myself and Bubba, we would eat it all...So we had a bunch of friends over to share it with. This is a big cake so make sure to invite lots of friends! The recipe is delicious and moist. The coffee in it really brings out the chocolate flavor!

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Adapted from Gourmet.

Ingredients:

3 oz. fine quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 cup well shaken buttermilk

3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300F and grease 3 9-inch cake pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon color (about 3 min with standing mixer or 5 min with a hand mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate mixture into eggs, beating until well combined. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tbs cocoa powder

4 tbs heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

In a work bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together and gradually add to the butter, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until well blended and fluffy.

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

I am always looking for new healthy recipes and this one is a winner! I have made it several times since. I love sweet potatoes and black beans (check out the Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Recipe!). I have tried the salad with cilantro instead of mint and adding avocados. It has always turned out delicious! I hope you like it too!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad
Adapted from Self.

Cooking spray
2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1/4 cup lime juice, plus wedges for garnish
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced orange or red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
4 cups baby arugula

Heat oven to 375F. On a baking sheet coated with baking spray, place potatoes in a layer; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bake until tender, 20-25 minutes; let cool. In a bowl, whisk juice, vinegar, garlic, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add potatoes, beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, scallions and mint; toss; serve over arugula, and garnish with lime wedges.

Honey Garlic Salmon

This is a yummy go-to recipe. If you are like me, honey, garlic and soy sauce are all things that I always keep on hand. That is all that it takes to make this fabulous dish. So when you just can't think of anything to make, just grab some salmon at the store and you are set!

Honey Garlic Salmon
Adapted from Lion House Classics

4 salmon fillets
1 cup honey
3 cloves garlic
1 tbs soy sauce


Place ingredients in food processor and blend until garlic is well minced. Warm sauce. Brush over salmon prior to baking. Grill salmon on a grill or bake uncovered at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a sister-in-law, Missy who is vegan. I know that a lot people think that it is a crazy way to eat, but there are so many delicious things to eat that are vegan and I am true convert when it comes to vegan cupcakes! Missy introduced me to the cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Thanks Missy!).

I think that vegan cupcakes are so much better than the ordinary cupcake. They are so moist and yummy. I usually don't make vegan frosting since I still love a good cream cheese frosting, but this German chocolate frosting is vegan and it is great! The only difference from a normal recipe is that it uses coconut milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. So, give this recipe a try! It will make you all fall in love with vegan cupcakes!!!

German Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes. Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F and line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat till no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are okay).

Pour into liners, filling three-quarters of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

For the Coconut Pecan Topping:
1/4 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1 pinch of salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups wide chip unsweetened coconut
1/2 chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

While the cupcakes are cooking:
Whisk the rice milk and starch together in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the coconut milk and sugar together in a stainless steel saucepan.
Over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, cook the milk and sugar until it starts to boil.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whisk the rice milk mixture one more time.

Slowly pour the rice milk mixture into the coconut milk mixture stirring constantly.
Continue to stir this until it darkens and gets very thick and smooth, about 7 to 15 minutes (It took closer to 15- 20 minutes for me).

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.

Lasagna Roll-ups

Lasagna is dish that so many people love, but the recipes usually make so much! This is why I haven't made lasagna for years...that is until I found this recipe. It gives all of the wonderful flavors of lasagna without all of the leftovers.

Lasagna Roll-ups

8 lasagna noodles
1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop noodles. Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente. You want to leave them slightly more firm since you'll be baking the pasta. Drain noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add turkey and brown. When almost cooked through, add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 the basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add ricotta, Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano and stir together. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. To assemble, on a drained noodle, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture. Top with a spoonful of meat sauce and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Continue until you've used all the noodles. Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining crushed red pepper flakes. Bake approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This is a great recipe! It is quite affordable and you can make it healthier by using ground turkey and brown rice. The recipe made four stuffed peppers which meant yummy leftovers. Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (I use Ro-tel)
1/2 cup brown rice
4 bell peppers (I used green but any color will work)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, cook rice with water as directed on package (I cooked the rice in a rice cooker). Meanwhile, brown turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat, crumbling as it cooks. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, cayenne, and half of chili powder. After about 5 minutes, add diced tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Add onions, black beans and corn and simmer until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare peppers by cutting in half through the top, remove stem, seeds and ribs. Rinse and set in a large baking dish. When liquid has cooked off rice, add remaining spices and fluff with a fork. Stir into turkey mixture. Squeeze juice of half of lime over the mixture and add half the cilantro. Spoon filling into pepper halves. Add a couple tablespoons of water to pan, cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Uncover, peppers should be softened. Sprinkle on cheese and return to oven for about another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Crepes

When Bubba and I first got married, Crepes were our Saturday tradition. You can serve them so many ways with lots of different ingredients, but our favorite is Nutella and Strawberries! This recipe is pretty simple, it is just getting the cooking part down.

Crepes

1 cup flour
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt
2 tbs melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.