APPLE CINNAMON WHITE CAKE

I love apples. And even further, I love apples and cinnamon together. Now, if you also add delicious things like rich organic brown sugar,  and pecans, you have yourself a pretty sweet topping for all kinds of baked goods. Making this mixture also allows one to savor the delectable fragrances of the apples themselves, and the utterly sweet and delicious spice and sugar.

I've been working on this recipe for a month or more, and I love this latest iteration. I think I'm going to edit this again soon, because I am thinking I'd like to try putting the topping into the loaf pan first, thereby maintaining the moisture in it as the cake bakes, much like an 'upside-down' cake. More about that later!

APPLE CINNAMON WHITE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup organic brown sugar—packed

2 tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 large organic apple (or two small), peeled, cored, and chopped finely…about 2 cups.

2/3 cup organic regular sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 large eggs, (organic)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups flour (all purpose, organic)

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup milk (I used almond/coconut milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

·      Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and apples in a bowl. Set aside.

·      With an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and the organic sugar until smooth and creamy.

·      Beat in eggs, one at a time.

·      Add vanilla

·      In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

·      Mix the flour mixture into the butter, sugar, and egg mixure.

·      Add milk and blend until smooth.

·      Spoon half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

·      Top with half of the apple-nut topping, covering evenly.

·      Spoon the remainder of the batter over the topping, and top with the remainder of the apple-nut topping, again, spreading evenly over the top. Pat down firmly.

·      Be sure to leave some room for the cake’s raising during baking.

·      Bake for 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA

If you read my blogs or recipes, you probably already know that I play with recipes a lot when I'm cooking. I experiment a lot, hoping to find new, tastier, healthier foods, and to keep my diet dynamic and fun. 

Granola is one of those enigmatic foods that are, of course, purported to be "healthy." Unfortunately, the commercially-made ones are often fat-laden, and not with good fats, and otherwise full of chemical preservatives, color-enhancers, and anti-caking agents. And like many processed foods that I really like, I've decided to make my own, from scratch, and with organic and/or non-GMO ingredients. 

After some research, I settled on one recipe as a 'base.' I then modified it to include the organic ingredients, the flavors of which I was sure would compliment each other. By the way, this recipe uses something called organic peanut butter powder. It's the BOMB! Got it at Costco!

 PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA

Ingredients
3 cups organic rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped raw organic almonds
3/4 cup chopped raw organic cashews

3/4 cup chopped raw organic pecans

3/4 cup shredded organic sweet coconut
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
1/2 cup organic coconut oil

1 cup organic peanut butter powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup craisins

3/4 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and coconut. Mix well.

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, the maple syrup, oil, peanut butter powder, and salt. Heat on medium, stirring until melted and blended well. Remove from heat and pour over the oat-nut mixture. mix until all is coated evenly.

Pour onto 2 parchment paper-lined sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS

So, you may have noticed I've posted these before. Yes, I have. But I've been working on this recipe to 'perfect' it a little. I'm entitled! I think you will find these so very enjoyable too!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Burgers (V.2)

Ingredients

This recipe is going to make a bunch of burgers! They freeze very well, wrapped with waxed paper and packaged in groups in zip lock bags. We do sliders as a way of encouraging portion control!

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes (I used 6 medium sweet potatoes)
• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 3 cup old fashioned oats (I used organic from Trader Joe’s) slightly ground (food processor)
• 2 can (15 ounces) black beans, (Trader Joe’s organic) cooked and drained (also pulsed this in the food processor to further break them down)
• ½ sweet onion, minced (food processor)
• 1 ½ tbsp. Sriracha sauce
• 2 tsp. dried cilantro
• 4 tsp. cumin powder
• 2 t tsp. chili powder
• 2 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• High quality vegetable oil for cooking burgers (or coconut oil, if you don't mind the coconut taste, olive oil may burn)
• your favorite burger fixings (avocado or guacamole, tomato or pico de gallo, lettuce, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, pickles, cheese)

Instructions

1.     Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the sweet potatoes into appr. 1 inch chunks, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they yield to a gentle squeeze, 40-50 minutes or longer. Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, put into a large bowl. Set aside to cool completely.

2.     Cook a full cup of quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then combine with 2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let the quinoa steam with the lid on for 5 minutes. (Be careful…this sticks very easily) Then drain off any excess water and set aside to cool. You will use only ¾ cup of the COOKED quinoa, but you can use what’s left for dinner!

3.     Grind the oats: Use a food processor or blender to grind the oats until the flakes are broken up, but not as fine as flour.

4.     Mix the burgers: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and quinoa, black beans, onion, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne (optional, add to taste for spicier burgers) and salt. Use the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well.

5.     Mix in the oats: Add the ground oats over the mixture as you continue to mix. The mixture should hold together when you shape a portion into a patty.

6.     Shape the burgers: Use a measuring cup or cookie dough baller (for sliders) to measure out the mixture and pat into burgers. Repeat the process for each patty.

7.     Pan fry the burgers: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, place several burgers in the pan, leaving enough room to flip them. Cook each patty until browned and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet for each pan of burgers you fry. You can also bake them on a cookie sheet or stoneware sheet at about 375 degrees, 12-15 minutes on the first side, turn, and about 10 or so minutes on the other side. 

This recipe makes a LOT of sliders, so either halve the recipe, or be prepared to freeze a lot of  

burgers! They freeze very well, so if you like to have something on hand for a quick dinner...this is

a great opportunity! They also go well with King's Hawaiian Rolls!!

NOTE: This is an inexact science…meaning, in my opinion, that you may want to alter several ingredients, based on texture. I have found that if the sweet potatoes are particularly large, or even more moist, you may have to add more oats, for instance, to ‘dry’ the mixture a little, making it easier to handle and make into burgers. I like it less sticky. Also, remember, these burgers have no fats or animal products, so they will not shrink when you cook them.

COCONUT SHORTBREAD TART WITH PINEAPPLE FILLING

I have included my fruit ‘compotes’ in previous posts, but I’ve recently added pineapple to my successful experimentation! I often buy pineapples when the prices are good, or when I get by Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s and I can afford them. I bring them home and let them ripen a day or two usually, until the stem end (the bottom) smells like a nice fragrant ripe pineapple. I then peel them and slice them, core and all usually, and put the slices in bags to go into the freezer. These slices can be used (including, as I said, the core) in fruit smoothies! The core is as full of flavor and juices as the rest of the pineapple…it just happens to be tough….unless, of course, you’re putting it through a super blender!

This week, I brought home two pineapples, and as I was packaging the first one, I decided to experiment with the second. SOOOO, I peeled and cut up the second one into small chunks, this time, removing the tougher core, for the most part. I put the chunked pineapple into a saucepan with approximately ¾ cup of organic sugar, and cooked it on medium heat until it was completely cooked through and syrupy. I then used my immersion blender to further grind down the pineapple to a preserves-like consistency. Once it cooled, I had a little over a pint. I refrigerated it for more experimentation!

I decided I wanted to include this pineapple into a tart, using the basic shortbread crust I’d been using with other fruit tarts. But I thought that I could change it up just a bit by adding some other things for flavor and texture. COCONUT!! I love coconut, and it pairs very well with pineapple! Think pina coladas! So I modified the shortbread recipe somewhat to include some organic shredded coconut, and a little coconut flavoring. I think used my pineapple compote as a filling, and topped the whole thing off with some of the shredded coconut mixed with a little of the crystal organic sugar, and some ground macadamia nuts.

Well, let me tell you, the flavors were DELICIOUS together! SO, here it is. I hope you will try it, and I hope you get at least HALF the enjoyment that I got from this awesome dessert!

INGREDIENTS:

13 tbsp. butter, softened (organic, if you can find it!)
½ cup organic sugar (give or take a tablespoon or two!)
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
1 ½ cups unbleached AP organic flour
¾ cup organic finely shredded coconut
1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 cup pineapple compote (see narrative above)

TOPPING:
¼ cup organic finely shredded coconut
¼ cup organic sugar
¼ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar. Add the flavorings. Meanwhile, measure out the flour, coconut, and salt into a bowl and stir with wire whisk. When the butter and sugar and flavorings are mixed, begin adding the flour mixture a little at a time until it is thoroughly mixed together. The dough may look a little grainy and loose, but no matter. Turn the dough mixture into a 10 inch tart or quiche pan and press into the bottom evenly and up the sides slightly. (Thanks to Martha Stewart, I’ve learned to use the bottom of an aluminum measuring cup to help in this process!)

Spread the cup of pineapple compote on the crust and spread evenly to the edges.

Mix the coconut, organic sugar and chopped macadamia nuts in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the pineapple topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is set. 

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS

I have been buying chipotle black bean burgers from the local member box store for a couple of years. We really like them, and since these were organic, they fit our lifestyle for healthier eating. Recently, they disappeared from the freezer section, and I was distraught. For months, I've been going back to check, and it seemed I would never see them again.

Well, I have this new love of cooking, and of modifying recipes to make them healthier, so I decided to do some research and come up with a new veggie burger for myself. What you see below is just that...a healthy veggie burger made up of some of my very favorite things! And guess what!!! They turned out to be even better than the frozen ones I've been buying!! 

Needless to say, I'm really excited!!

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes (I used three medium sweet potatoes)
• ⅓ cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (I used organic from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, (Trader Joe’s organic) cooked and drained
• ½ sweet onion, minced (food processor)
• 1 tsp. dried cilantro
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, to taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• High quality vegetable oil for cooking burgers (or coconut oil, if you don't mind the coconut taste, olive oil may burn)
• your favorite burger fixings (avocado or guacamole, tomato or pico de gallo, lettuce, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, pickles, cheese)

Instructions

1.     Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the sweet potatoes down the center lengthwise. Place the sweet potatoes cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they yield to a gentle squeeze, 40-50 minutes or longer. Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop the insides and put into a large bowl. Set aside to cool completely.

2.     Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then combine with ⅔ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let the quinoa steam with the lid on for 5 minutes. (Be careful…this sticks very easily) Then drain off any excess water and set aside to cool.

3.     Grind the oats: Use a food processor or blender to grind the oats until the flakes are broken up, but not as fine as flour.

4.     Mix the burgers: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and millet, black beans, onion, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne (optional, add to taste for spicier burgers) and salt. Use a potato masher, big mixing spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well. It's ok if the black beans get smashed in the process.

5.     Mix in the oats: Sprinkle the ground oats over the mixture and mix well with a big spoon until the mixture holds together when you shape a portion into a patty. If possible, cover and refrigerate the mixture for best results (the patties will hold together better during cooking if they are chilled first).

6.     Shape the burgers: Use a measuring cup to measure out 1/3 cup of the mixture. I packed the measure and tapped it onto a cutting board to release. It made the perfect size burger. Repeat the process for each patty; I made 13, so I had to eat one, of course. I layered parchment between each burger, set them on a cookie sheet, and set them in the freezer for a short time to firm up before packing them into bags for freezing.

7.     Pan fry the burgers: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, place several burgers in the pan, leaving enough room to flip them. Cook each patty until browned and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet for each pan of burgers you fry.