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 

ZUCCHINI OATMEAL COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

· 1/2 c margarine or butter

· 3/4 c honey (I used raw sugar)

· 1 egg

· 2 c Whole wheat flour (I used freshly ground whole wheat)

· 1 tsp baking soda

· 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

· 1/4 tsp Ground cloves

· 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

· 1/4 tsp salt

· 1 c Grated zucchini

· 1 c Rolled oats

· 1 c Chopped dates or raisins (I used craisins)

PREPARATION

Cream margarine with honey. Add egg and beat well. Sift flour with soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with zucchini to egg mixture. Stir in oats and dates. Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375F 10 to 12 minutes.

Whole Wheat Tortillas and Apple Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

HOMEMADE WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS





One (of many) of my favorite kitchen gadgets is this Nutrimill grain grinder. It allows me to make whole grain breads and other goodies for my family.




Recently, I started making my own tortillas. We use them for mini pizzas or stuff them with rice and refried beans as a quick and nutritious lunch.


The recipe:

Approx 3 1/2 c. of freshly ground whole wheat flour (about 2 1/2 c wheat berries)
1 tsp. sea salt
1/3 c. oil
1 c. warm water

Place dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. (use a Bosch or KitchenAid mixer) Combine oil and water. Slowly add a steady stream of wet ing. to dry ing. Add more water if necessary, enough to create a smooth dough. Mix for 1 or 2 minutes. Form into 12 balls. Cover and rest 30 minutes. If you have a tortilla press you can use it to press out tortillas. If not, you can do it the manual way like I do. Just roll each ball thin with a rolling pin to create a tortilla then cook quickly in a pan over medium heat.

Tortillas freeze well placed in a freezer bag with wax paper layered between tortillas.

CINNAMON TORTILLAS
Making Cinnamon Tortillas is soooo easy.....just cut tortillas into wedges (a pizza cutter works well) and brush tortillas with water, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. These make a nice snack or......................

...serve them as the scoops for this lovely Apple Salsa!

The Recipe:
2 medium apples, chopped
1 cup chopped strawberries
2 medium kiwi. peeled and chopped
1 small orange
2 TBL brown sugar
2 TBL apple jelly, melted
In a bowl, combine apples, strawberries and kiwi. Grate orange peel to measure 1 1/2 tsp; squeeze juice from orange. Add peel and juice to apple mixture. Stir in brown sugar and jelly. Serve with Cinnamon Chips.
(This is great for parties and picnics. For a faster version you can buy premade cinnamon chips at your local grocery store, or make your own with store bought tortillas!)