Chocolate Torte

Photo courtesy of Mara.

Finding this recipe (and the blog it came from) was like striking gold. This will now and forever be my go-to-chocolate-cake recipe. First of all, it's divine. It has a light and spongy quality yet decadent and rich, but not over powering. It's not overly sweet, but dark with many deep dimensions of chocolate. Second, it's one of those desserts that you have no desire to over indulge in. It's texture and flavor spark an intellectual frenzy in your mouth. After one bite I just stopped, breathed, tasted, contemplated, breathed again, smiled, and licked my lips clean. It's a dessert that makes you think, not mindlessly shovel more into your mouth. Third, it's gluten free, which I know is not really any healthier than regular baked goods, but something about it's lack of flour just makes me feel better about eating it (...never mind the large amounts of butter it contains). The lovely and endlessly talented Ms. Mara helped me christen this recipe, made for our beloved friend Kristin's going away dinner. Kristin is equally lovely and talented and currently being fabulous in Morocco. So with out further ado: 

Ingredients

250g dark chocolate

125g butter

200g light brown pack sugar

100g ground almond

5 eggs ( separated )

Oven temp 180c, 8" round tin with removable base

• Grease tin with butter and line bottom and sides with parchment paper
• Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. It is okay to let the bowl touch the water as long as the water isn't too hot. Stir to combine and let the bowl cool down.
• Add sugar and ground almond and stir with a whisk until there are no lumps, add in egg yolks one at a time. Mix well. 
• In a clean stainless steel bowl, whisk egg white until firm peak forms. ( I usually add 1-2 tablespoon of granulated sugar after soft peak forms ) 
• Gently fold in chocolate mixture in 3s. 
• Scrap mixture onto tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until firm
•  Leave cake to cool in tin completely before removing. Dust with icing sugar or cocoa powder. 

Gluten Free Spinach and Carrot Muffins

Makes 12 small muffins

recipe adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp flax seeds (milled) or boiled quinoa
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg (grated)
3 eggs
1 cup yoghurt (we used a dairy-free soygurt)
200 g fresh spinach leaves (roughly chopped)
2 carrots (grated)
1 onion (grated)
1/2 organic lemon (juice and peel)
1 clove garlic (mashed)

top with: 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Set the oven at 350°F. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Whip egg and yoghurt in another bowl. Add spinach, carrots, onion, lemon and garlic, stir for a minute and then add all the dry ingredients. Pour in muffin tins, top with pumpkin seeds and bake for 25 minutes.

coffee grinder--doubles as the perfect flax seed grinder. I buy whole flax seeds and grind them fresh. The oils in flax seed go rancid easily. Grinding yourself ensures all those lovely oils stay presererved.

I've been experimenting with non conventional flours lately. Here I substituted the buckwheat and cornmeal for coconut and almond flour.

Wallnut Stuffed Eggplant

Recipe from Vegetarian Magazine

3 medium eggplants 

2 Tbs olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

1 1/2 pt grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 c walnut pieces

2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 c bread crumbs

2/3 c crumbled feta cheese

lemon wedges, optional

1. Halve eggplants lengthwise, and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/2 inch thick edges on eggplant shells. Cut scoops into 1/2 inch pieces and set in a colander. Sprinkle eggplant pieces and inside eggplant shells with salt. Let stand 25-30 minutes.
2. Bring large pot of water to a boil, drop eggplant shells in, simmer 5-8 minutes, until barely  tender. Drain, cool, pat dry.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet, saute onions 3 minutes. Add eggplant pieces, tomatoes, walnuts, cinn, oregano, and 1/4 c water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 8 minutes, stir often. Add breadcrumbs.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Divide bread crumb eggplant mixture into shells. Sprinkle with feta. Bake 15-20 minutes, until brown.

The Oatmeal Diaries, part I

Oatmeal is one of the most comforting, delicious, healthy and versatile meals you can make. I eat it for breakfast almost every morning, and those mornings I don't I usually end up regretting it. A hearty breakfast of oatmeal leaves your tummy satisfied all morning, the body warm, and taste buds tickled. Here is one morning's variation and my morning thoughts:

1/2 c Old fashion oats

1/2 c water

1 c milk

1 banana, sliced

combine all in a small saucepan, cook on high for ~5 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and the banana slices are mushy. 

Granola topper:

2 c Old fashion oats

~1/2 c maple syrup

~1/4 c olive oil

1 TBS cinnamon

a little dash of clove if you like

1/2 c walnuts, or any other nuts you have

1/4 c coconut shavings 

combine all ingredients except fruit on a foil lined baking sheet. bake at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes, stirring often. left cool. add fruit. top on oatmeal, yogurt, eat by the handful...

It's winter break so I can finally relax without worrying about deadlines, exams, readings, and all the other stresses of college life--or so I thought. I've found the time I usually spend being anxious about school work has been replaced by the the anxieties of job searching. Now I have 100% more time to focus on resume tweaking and job applications, which I think is almost worst than school stresses. This is the rest of my life we're talking about now, not just a class on my transcript.

I am on the cusp of closing the college chapter of life and beginning the adulthood chapter. Being in the state of transition is never easy; it's difficult to identify your title, your purpose, and your direction. Am I a student, a job seeker, or a poor unemployed soul? Should I focus my energy on my last semester of courses, the task of finding a decent job, enjoying the friendships that will soon be abridged after graduation, or enjoying my undergraduate family life? Should I continue school, find a job, stay local, or move somewhere I've always wanted to live? So many questions to ask and few places to find answers. Advice may be in abundance but no one knows exactly what the right thing for you to do is, other than yourself.

I got my favorite yogi tea bag quote this morning: "Don't let yourself down, anyone else down, or participate in a letdown". The first thing is to not left yourself down--if you are happy with yourself and the direction your life is going, all the other things will fall into place. I don't know what the future has in store for me but I know I have control over what will happen. I will always be able to push the breaks, or gas, or change directions whenever I need to. My friends and family will be there as the road to lead me along the journey. It snowed last night. I think I'll take my time going into work this morning. Have another cup of coffee, catch up on some reading....

creamy quinoa pudding

Recipe from The New Glucose Revolution Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook

3/4 c quinoa

2 c soy milk

1 1/2 TBS fine sugar

1 cardamom pod, lightly crushed

juice and finely grated zest of small orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

2 TBS honey

1 pomegranate, seeds scraped out

1. rinse quinoa, place in saucepan with 2 c water, bring to boil, cover , lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. add soy milk, sugar, cardamon, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon to quinoa. return to boil, then reduce to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, until creamy and liquid almost absorbed. set aside.
3. place orange juice, honey and pomegranate seeds in a small saucepan and simmer 5-10 minutes until slightly reduced. 
4. serve warm drizzled with syrup.

If anyone know the secret to dissecting a pomegranate, I'd like to know!