Beet Chocolate Cake

This recipe is taken from the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, written by Jessica Seinfeld.  This book contains recipes to help your children get a few more veggies into their bodies.  I tweeked the recipe by exchanging the flour with slightly less, freshly whole grain flour, making the recipe even healthier. (If there is such a dessert;)


Beet Chocolate cake

Batter:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil or trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
• 1     large egg
• 2     large egg whites
• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup beet puree
• 1/2 cup lowfat 1 percent buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar with the oil or margarine until creamy. Add the whole egg and egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate, beet puree, buttermilk and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt, and beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool 5 minutes in pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese with the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla until smooth. Slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread the frosting over the top and between layers of the cooled cake.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

From the book Deceptively Delicious 

Pizza in a Pan

PIZZA IN A PAN

1 LB burger

1 c. chopped onion

1/2 chopped green pepper

1/2 chopped red pepper

2 cloves of chopped garlic

8 oz of sliced mushrooms

1 1/4 cups elbow macaroni

1 jar of pasta or pizza sauce (14 oz)

1 jar of water (using sauce jar) 

1  (2.4 oz) slice black olives (optional)

1 (8 oz) package of shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)

sliced pepperoni

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400.    In an oven proof skillet brown ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic and sliced mushrooms about 5 minutes until meat is cooked through; drain excess fat.  Add macaroni, pasta sauce, water and olives.  Cook until slow bubble for about 15 minutes, until macaroni is soft.  Add mozzarella cheese and pepperoni on top.  Garnish with reserved bell pepper, a few sliced mushrooms and black olives.  Bake in oven 15 minutes until cheese is nice and browned on top.  Serve directly from the pan.