Unbelievable Chocolate Cake

Made this cake for Bryce's birthday - his pick - and it was delicious!  Mel never lets me down.  Make note though, I didn't say healthy, just delicious.

Unbelievable Chocolate Cake

• 1 ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ¼ cups warm water
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, making sure the baking rack is in the middle of the oven. Prepare your cake pans (2 circular 9" pans work great) by cutting out a piece of parchment or wax paper to line the bottom of the pan. Grease the pans, place the parchment or wax paper in the bottom of the pan and lightly grease again. Dust the pans with flour (or cocoa powder if you don’t want the white dusting on the finished cakes). Set the pans aside.
2. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the eggs, yolk, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Mix on low speed (with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer) until smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Do not overbake! Remove the pans from the oven and set the pans on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Gently run a thin knife around the edges of the pans and unmold the cakes, removing the parchment paper liners from the bottom of the cakes. Let them cool completely, top sides ups, on a wire rack.
4. Trim the tops of the cake layers with a long serrated knife to make them level. Frost as desired.  I used the recipe below:

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix the cream cheese, vanilla and butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting and whip to combine (don’t overmix or the frosting will become too stiff). The frosting should be smooth and creamy. 

Fruit Salad with Creamy Glazed Dressing

I made this to go with dinner the other night and it was hit!  Any sort of fruit with dinner is pretty much always a hit but the glaze on this took things up a notch.  Will definitely make it again.  I slightly modified this recipe from one on Mels Kitchen Cafe.

Fruit Salad with Creamy Glazed Dressing

• 1 small can mandarin oranges, drained but reserving the juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, also drained but reserving the juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 cups fresh fruit + the canned fruit above

1. Pour the drained fruit juice (from the canned fruit) into a liquid measuring cup. You need about 3/4 cup fruit juice. If you have more than that, pour a little off. If you don't have quite that much, add another type of fruit juice (white grape juice, orange juice, etc.) or supplement with water as long as it isn't more than a couple tablespoons that you need.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the fruit juice, cornstarch, and honey (or other sweetener of choice). Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool (you can let it cool in the pan but it will take longer). Stir every so often so it doesn't form a skin over the top while cooling. Once cooled to room temperature, stir in the yogurt until smooth. Refrigerate until cool. It will thicken a bit more while cooling.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the fresh and canned fruit. Pour the dressing over the top and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

I had zucchini on hand the other night and decided to try this soup.  I loved it!  And with fresh garden produce it would be that much better.  I think you could even leave out the milk for a brothy - less creamy version.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

• 3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (can use fat-free or low-fat)
• 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir and cook for one minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice; mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it (it will continue cooking for a few more minutes). Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn.
2. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. Stir in the cheese just before serving.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I love the chicken tikka masala at Bombay House so when I came across this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe I had to give it a try.  Paired with fresh cilantro (and a little sour cream) it was delicious.  The recipe made so much sauce that we used the leftover to make pizzas a few days later - also good and unique!

Chicken Tikka Masala
  
Masala Marinade:

• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Chicken:

• 2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 16-ounce can tomato sauce
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon each). Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate covered overnight.
2. In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.
3. In a large enameled cast-iron dutch oven or a large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chili powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the tomato sauce and the sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes. While the mixture begins to simmer, remove the chicken from the marinade and cut into bite-sized pieces. Throw the chicken into the pot of simmering tomato sauce. Continue simmering/cooking the chicken, partially covered, for an additional 10-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened just slightly. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Serve with lots of fresh cilantro over hot, steamed rice. *And if you're weird like us, or need to tone down the heat, add a dollop of sour cream!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I borrowed this picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (where this recipe comes from.)  We had these tonight with our "breakfast for dinner" and they were a hit.  I would have never thought to put blueberries and bananas together but they are a perfect pair!  Excited to add another muffin recipe to my collection.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (I used coconut sugar.)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cups quick or regular oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe bananas, lightly mashed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (or use muffin cup liners). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter, yogurt and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. In a blender or food processor, process the oats until they are finely ground. Add the wheat flour, baking soda and salt and pulse one or two times until the dry ingredients are lightly combined. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the lightly mashed bananas. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Toss the blueberries with the 2 teaspoons flour and then gently fold them into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.