Did someone say Chocolate and Beets? Have we gone nuts? Nope!
And chocolate and cake are a marriage made in heaven! For a richer chocolate beet cake, ice with your favorite frosting or top with a dollop of cream. Spelt flour gives this cake a nutty flavor, but you can substitute most any flour for it, including gluten-free.
adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments
You must try mine. I love the idea of quickbreads, whipped up at the drop of a hat, ready for guests and us on short notice, no kneading and no rising time.
This little trivia about them places them in the category of real foods rather than desserts, even though they taste delicious enough to be dessert.
And you will eat your veggies, I guarantee it! It helps a lot that zucchini is naturally bland, in a good way, and is equally at home in sweet and savory dishes.
Your children will love you for the perfect Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins snack!
adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments
I recently teased my friend Sara into identifying the odd ingredient in my black bean soup, which she loved. This naughty cook enjoyed watching her racking her brains, and didn’t feel any guilt about it: After all, she was working for food, and was kept guessing through a second bowl. PS, she never did identify it, she said all she could tell is that this was like no other black bean soup she ever had. That’s the magic of chocolate!
The soup has lots of fabulous flavors going for it. If you want to go all out, go ahead and add some Tex Mex toppings: Corn chips, guacamole, salsa etc.
adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments
But have you ever taken the time to read their ingredient list in most commercial brands?
I am sorry to say they are not the healthy snacks they are cracked up to be. By contrast, just look at this lineup of ingredients: Why even bother shopping for snacks, if ten minutes of work will get you dozens of these scrumptious energy bars? Each one is like having a meal: You just can’t miss! When I am on the road, they are my best friends. They keep very well, in a tin or in the freezer, no need to wipe them all out, so behave please!
You will find several variations below, including a super simple one I make all the time and love, with just dates, toasted nuts and orange flower.
adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments
Pecans, Chocolate, Cranberries: It doesn’t get better!
This time I decided to dream up a brownie-based tart. My brownies are a big crowd pleaser, with lots of wiggle room to accommodate flavor variations. So I used them as my starting point, and sneaked in a whole bag of fresh cranberries, without upsetting the delicate balance that yields such creamy brownies.
Do not change anything in my brownie pie: It’s fantastic! And so simple.
I had some gluten-free guests, and it was no hardship whatsoever using rice flour.
I couldn’t bear to be separated until next autumn, so I buy a small truckload of them, and keep them in my freezer year-round.
I love to use my 12 inch pie plate, pictured above. It makes for a dramatic and beautiful presentation. But you could use 2 9″ pie plates instead, only try your best to get pie plates with straight sides (as opposed to the sloping Pyrex pie plates). It will be much easier to serve.
