Beet Dip, a Detox, and a Huge Cake

This recipe is no joke! Get ready for a hummus makeover with killer flavor and a distinguished zip.  I can't promise your husband will enjoy it, because mine is still anti-beet. More for me!

Tahini Beet Dip with Roasted Curry Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 cup roasted beets, cooled
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2+ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. Drizzle olive oil in while processing to achieve a smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste!

I paired this dip with cauliflower, lightly coated in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper, and curry powder, roasted at 375 for about 20 minutes.

just beet it

While I can't give him credit for loving beets, I have to let you know that my Mark is a nutritional champ! Leaving (almost) no dish untasted, Mark proudly shows off his healthy-foodie-packed-lunches to his co-workers every day. He didn't even ask questions when I came home from work last month and told him I wanted us to go on a 14-day dietary detox. And he didn't complain once!

For two weeks, our diet was free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. We sustained on organic vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, quinoa and brown rice, wild caught fish, organic/free-range chicken, and vegan protein shakes made with almondmilk. I was the cranky one the first 3 days, not Mark! (Watching the Bachelor with no chocolate and red wine? THAT was tough.) But after a few days we both felt incredible improvements in energy levels and digestion. Neither one of us craved sugar or snacky snacks when we weren't eating them! It was an amazing reboot, and I am so proud of my other half for enduring two weeks without some of his favorite foods!!

Lucky for him, the week after our detox was Mark's birthday. I pulled out all the stops to celebrate him with the tastiest of foods. For his birthday dinner I made an organic, grass-fed ribeye, roasted butternut squash and onions with pumpkinseed oil (amazing- buy it), and kale and portobello mushrooms braised in tamari and white wine...

Now for the birthday cake! I baked him a 3-layer German Chocolate Cake, with pecan and coconut icing. I followed a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, in a cookbook given to us as a wedding gift. I didn't even try to make it healthy! (I am known for ruining baked goods when I try to make them healthier by changing multiple ingredients. Yes, I know you can't do that. But I still go for it every. single. time.) The cake was far from perfect - the icing was runny, the layers were a little thin, it was slightly lop-sided - but it tasted delicious! It was a solid first birthday cake for Mark... hopefully my birthday cake baking skillz only improve from here on out.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Join us here next time for whatever detox and cake rebound we try next!

Giving Thanks and a Santa Sighting

Mark says Thanksgiving is the best holiday, because it's about simply family and togetherness, without the distraction of material gifts. I would have to agree with him (even though I LOVE presents!) We spent Thanksgiving day at my grandparents' house, not a new sight for us. Thanksgiving at Grammy's is a tradition that gets better and better every year, especially since Mark has been at our table these past few. My grandmother is a phenomenal cook, and she put out her usual incredible spread even though this year's meal was shared with a total of only 6 family members. (Sorry, everyone else's grandma, my grammy makes the BEST stuffing!) Turkey, gravy, Italian stuffing, regular stuffing, corn, braised brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, not to mention 3 pies- 2 Pumpkin Chiffon (affectionately known as "pumpkin shrivel" to her grandchildren), and 1 apple pie. (If you do the math on that, you will see that each person was allotted up to one-half of a pie.) She outdid herself once again. On Thanksgiving weekend we surely had full bellies and full hearts. We have so very much to be thankful for!

My cousin gave the blessing at our very thankful table

 

Even though we were nowhere near a shortage of food, I couldn't help but make a few things to bring along to share. The first- Lentil Walnut Pate. This appetizer spread tastes rich and complex, and I am told is suggestive of the traditional liver pate; although I presently cannot say I've tasted liver to compare.

Lentil Walnut Pate

Lentil Walnut Pate
Recipe courtesy of Terry Walters
Ingredients:
1 cup brown or green lentils
1 1/2 cups water
2 onions, chopped
1 cup walnuts
Ume plum vinegar (can substitute red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
Olive oil

Preparation:

1. Walnuts- Roast at 300 degrees F for 12-14 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Lentils- Rinse. Place in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 35-40 minutes, until water is absorbed.
3. Onion- Saute in olive oil until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes.
4. Place walnuts, lentils, and onion in a food processor with a few dashes of vinegar. Process until smooth. Add up to 1 tbsp olive oil until desired consistency is reached.
5. Season with salt, pepper, or additional vinegar to taste. Serve with pita chips or veggies.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon beautiful photos of a cake made by food blogger Joy the Baker. Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Icing. I couldn't get it out of my mind, so I baked it for Thanksgiving weekend. It did live up to my high expectations. It's awesome. No, it does not tastes like beets! The true test- Mark the Beet Hater loved it! It is rich and chocolatey, and not too sweet.

wicked chocolate beet cake

Find the recipe for this unusual, gorgeous, scrumptious cake here.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is a very special day in my grandparents' town: Santa arrives to turn on the town Christmas lights and welcome the children to sit on his knee and share what they want for Christmas. The last time I got to see it was before I can remember, so I was thrilled to be in town for him this year. What's so special about Santa's visit? Besides a parade complete with boy scouts and high school band, his sleigh with real ponies, and his speech at the Town Hall...  

Spoiler Alert!

Santa is none other than MY Grandpap!

Here comes Santa Claus!

It is a really neat feeling to stand amidst hundreds of people awaiting the arrival of your grandfather on a sleigh. I felt like a celebrity. After Grandpap-- I mean, Santa-- lit up the town, the crowd followed him into the town hall and got in a huge maze of a line for children to sit on his knee. Mark and I got to skip the line and were led a back way to see him after I told the right person, "I'm Santa's granddaughter." Star treatment. Really.

When Santa returned home to Mrs. Claus, he still had plenty of energy to invite us to sit on his knee!

Mark reminds me of Buddy the Elf in this photo

Someone couldn't wait to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas...

Wishing you a season of great family time and the most delicious food!

It's Chocolate Time!

Lucky me! A friend's birthday and Valentine's day fell just a few days apart last week... giving me an even better excuse than usual (life) to bake my most favorite chocolate cake AND try my hand at chocolate truffles. So, needless to say... last weekend was... the... best.

First, the cake. It's Crazy Chocolate Cake, people! The BEST! Growing up, my mom often made this cake on snow days. In college, I made it for Mark and I on Valentine's Day (which is why I made it last week! I was nice enough not to eat it in front of him on Skype.) Once my college roommate Erica caught a whiff of this cake, she fell in love with it and made it for simply any and every occasion for the rest of the year! Oh, it's your friend's brother's birthday! Cake. It's Wednesday! Cake. You finished your grad school applications! Cake. You got a B on a test! Cake. Though I must say, the cake I made last week was one of my best yet...

Thank you to my Mark for these lovely flowers!

No icing necessary... we've got a sugar and chocolate crust.

Love!

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Recipe: Crazy Chocolate Cake

1. Mix these in a bowl:

• 3 cups flour (Last time I used 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white... and then laughed at myself for trying to make a chocolate cake healthier.)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (Hershey's makes a dark cocoa powder that has a really deep, yummy flavor!)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp baking soda

2. Add these and stir:

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 3/4 cup oil (I use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. This is a worthy substitute! You can save quite a bit of fat and keep the moisture here.)
• 2 cups water  

3. Pour into a greased pan. Top with these:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips (This last time I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. Do it!)

4. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
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I could probably eat this cake exclusively to satisfy any chocolate craving... but I did try a brand-new chocolate treat in honor of a friend's birthday and girls' night! (Thanks Kelly W. for being born!) Chocolate Ganache Truffles... you can find the recipe here, courtesy of Vegetarian Times. They were surprisingly easy to make (no double-boiling anything!) and were QUITE the hit with the girls. But really, if you doubt their deliciousness, just look at the list of ingredients. I am almost certain you can't fail here! *Note* I did follow the recipe closely... yes, I did use Kahlua; yes, I did use heavy cream; yes, I did use instant coffee (Starbucks Via, in fact); no, I didn't use corn syrup, I used honey instead because that's what I had. 

How the pros captured Chocolate Ganache Truffles

And... mine!

Let me tell you, it was a real shame there were still some left over and they sat in my fridge for a few days. (OK, a day.) A realllll shame.

To end on an even sweeter note... it's no secret that dark chocolate has been shown to have plenty of nutritious health benefits, thanks to their antioxidant-rich properties! Many studies have shown a link to decreased blood pressure, decreased platelet stickiness (i.e. decreased risk of heart attack and stroke), decrease risk for diabetes, and possibly a link to decreasing cancer risk! The darker the chocolate (over 60%) the better the antioxidant punch. Check out what the Cleveland Clinic has to say, or a researcher at Penn State.

I have a feeling I don't really have to convince you to make one of these recipes. Now get yourself some chocolate!

Empty Bowls- A Community Food Event

Lunch on Saturday made me feel good from the inside out. The concept was simple: students, artists, and everyone in between donated handmade bowls to The Community Kitchen, a local soup kitchen in Keene... local restaurants and chefs donated big batches of their best soups... the public was welcome to purchase a bowl and partake in an all-you-care-to-enjoy scrumptious soup lunch. The sweetest ending is that all of the proceeds from the lunch will go to the hungry and needy in our local community!

Step 1: Choose a bowl.

Some bowls cost $5... some cost $70!

Mine's the blue one in the front... made by Cam, grade 7.

Step 2. Go through the soup line and taste all the soup!

Step 3. Go back for a bowl of your favorite... and don't forget dessert!

My taste buds were too overwhelmed to remember to vote for my favorite soup. No soup was boring... the selection included:

• Vermont Cheddar Ale (Winner of People's Choice Award... tasted like fondue!)
• Pumpkin Cider Bisque
• Butternut Squash with Ginger (2nd place Overall Winner... made by Luca's restaurant)
• White Bean and Fennel
• Vegan Cream of Corn (this one was actually one of my faves... it had a very fresh, light, corny taste)
• Roasted Eggplant and Potato Leek
• Corn Chowder with Bacon (personal favorite of Emily, Kelly, and Heather) 
• Chicken Tortilla (1st Place Overall) 

Fresh bread was served to every table, along with apple cider or pomegranate tea to drink and your choice of a killer cake; Pumpkin (pictured above), Apple Spice with Chocolate Chips (aka "War Cake"), or Banana.

I just loved this event. It was wonderful to see people of all ages and walks of life gathering together over fabulous food for a good cause!