Chocolate Beet Cake Recipe

Photo courtesy of http://ragamuffindiaries.wordpress.com/ - My own pics to come on Monday when I make another cake.

Chocolate cake. Is there anything more comforting? I say there is. And perhaps you will agree when you sample this chocolate beet cake. With the genuine essence of chocolate in every bite. With every mouthful of chocolate beet cake, you shall receive chocolate's luxurious comfort in your mouth, without adding to the luxury of your waistline.

Thank you, Kate and Leopold, for that quotable scene. Hubs and I quoted that a lot after that movie came out.

And although Rhett and Link have decided that bacon is the cure-all food, I am a firm believer that that title should go to chocolate cake. 

Bad day? - Chocolate cake.
Cranky kids? - Chocolate cake.
Hormonal mood swings? - Chocolate cake. 

But - we're gonna up the ante.

This chocolate cake has hidden veggies - Beets!

And seriously - they're really hidden. You can't even taste them. I made it for a family gathering once, and the kids actually asked me to make it again.

Here's the recipe - adapted from Green Smoothie Girl's 12 Steps to Whole Foods

Chocolate Beet Cake
recipe from Robyn Openshaw, aka Green Smoothie Girl

Cake Ingredients:
2 cans beets, drained - or if you want to go less processed, you can use 4 large beets, peeled and steamed
3 eggs
1½ C Sucanat
1/4 C coconut oil
1/2 C applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 C whole wheat flour
1 C white flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3/4 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan.
3.Puree the beets in a high-powered blender ( I used my Blendtec - but you could also use a food processor if you want.)
4. To the blender, add the eggs, sucanat, oil, applesauce, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend again.
5. Add flours, and blend until just mixed.
6. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
7. While cake is baking, mix all ingredients for frosting.
8. Once cake has cooled, frost and serve.
Yum!

Greened up Orange Julius

Homemade Orange Julius smoothies were a treat at our house when I was growing up. And it was one of the few things I knew how to "cook" before I left home. I had the recipe memorized. Yum!

Fast forward 12 years. I haven't made Orange Julius smoothies once since I got married. What? This had to be remedied.

So, of course, I figured out a way to "Green it up".  Now it's yummy and nutritious! Probably still a little high in natural sugars because of the refined juice, but sometimes you just gotta have something sweet.

Greened Up Orange Julius
by Shana Galbraith

Ingredients:

3 cups unsweetened vanilla Almond milk
1 cup (2 big handfuls) spinach
1 large kale leaf
2 packets truvia
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 bananas (the texture is best if you've previously cut up your bananas and frozen them)
1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 of a container of orange juice concentrate (Not diluted - use the concentrate straight from the can)
1 cup ice

Directions: 

Add first 3 ingredients to blender. Blend.
Add the rest of the ingredients - blend again.  Enjoy.

This recipe made enough for 2 adult sized servings and one kids sized serving. Or - last time I made it, I put the kids sized serving into 6 popsicle molds, and now I have the perfect treat for a hot summer day. If hot days ever get here in Idaho. :)

My New Favorite Salad Dressing

My favorite color is green.

Green fruits and veggies are some of my favorite things.  I think God likes green too. He made an awful lot of it. :)

I love things like:

grapes
kiwis
apples
green beans
asparagus
kale
lettuce
brussels sprouts (yes, I really do love these - steam them with a little olive oil and herbamare - delish!)
broccoli
bell peppers
honeydew
herbs like dill, parsley, and basil
cucumbers

But the king of all of these, in my book is The Avocado. Wanna see a funny video about avocados? Click here. 

Anywho - I was trying to go more raw with my diet this last week, and I came up with this super simple, super delicious dressing.

Hooray for avocados!!!!!!

You'll only need 3 ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1 tsp herbamare (or sea salt)
5 tbsp water

That's it! 

Dice the avocado, and add it to your food processor. (I use a tiny 1.5 cup capacity one for dressings)

Add in the herbamare and water and blend. Voila!
 

Delicious green avocado-ey (yes that's a word - I just invent-e-ted it ) goodness to spread on your salads.

I may or may not have also spread it on my hashbrowns, my quinoa, and my toast. :)

Good stuff, peeps. And good for you.

Who needs processed salad dressings when healthy ones are this EASY to make?

Enjoy!

Raw Brownie and Fresh Fruit Pie Recipe

Today (3/14) is National Pi Day. Fun stuff, peeps.

So - to celebrate, I made Pie. Because you know, Pi backwards is Pie.

Anyway - this is the pie I made.

Looks yummy, right?

It was yummy. :)

I saw this raw pie recipe on Pinterest. And then, because my dear friend Angela mentioned that she was craving chocolate, I got the genius idea to swap out the crust for a crust made from this raw brownie recipe.

Genius. Thanks, Angela.

To thank her for her contribution, and because I had extra brownie leftover from the crust, I made her a mini version:

I just pressed the leftover brownie mixture into mini muffin cups and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then topped it with all the goodies.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Printable Recipe Here

Raw Brownie Fresh Fruit Pie
adapted by Shana Galbraith

Ingredients:

Crust: 
2 cups walnuts
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
12 medjool dates, pits removed
pinch cinnamon

Toppings:
3 to 4 bananas
2 lbs fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 small can mandarin oranges
3 kiwis, sliced


Directions:

To make crust:
1. Process walnuts in a food processor until they form fine crumbs.
2. Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt and process to blend.
3. Add medjool dates, one at a time and process until mixture is well combined.
4. Press mixture into a greased pie plate. (You will have some brownie mix leftover. I put mine in mini muffin tins to make individual brownies).
5. Put crust in freezer for 15 minutes to set.

To make filling: (after cleaning your food processor)
1. Add 5 large strawberries and 1/4 cup agave nectar to food processor. Blend to combine.

2. Slice bananas in half lengthwise and shortwise, and place in the pie crust. Top with 1/2 of remaining sliced strawberries.

3. Pour strawberry/agave nectar mixture over bananas and strawberries.

4. Open and drain can of mandarin oranges. Pile them in the middle of the pie.

5. Slice kiwis, and arrange remaining strawberries and kiwis around the mandarin oranges.

6. Refrigerate or freeze for 1 hour to set. I refrigerated it as recommended in the recipe I saw, but I would recommend freezing for next time so it sets better.

There you have it. Enjoy!

Healthier Cookies - Spelt, Oat, and Quinoa cookies

Spelt, Oatmeal, and Quinoa cookies

So, I have been watching "Fusion Grain Cooking with Chef Brad" on BYU tv. I love his show because he teaches people how to integrate whole grains (and beans in season 2) into every day recipes.  My husband thinks Chef Brad is a character. When we watch the show together, poor Chef Brad is referred to as "The Fruitcake". :) But he is entertaining. My kids even love watching his show. (I get the BYUtv channel on my Roku, but you can also find it on cable or dish)

Not every recipe on Fusion Grain Cooking fits in with my way of eating, but a lot of them do - and those that don't can often be adapted.

This cookie recipe was an adaptation of one of his recipes. And it is delicious. :)  You can find the original here.

Closeup - with a crummy camera. :)

Spelt, Oat, and Quinoa Cookies
original recipe by Chef Brad
adapted by Shana Galbraith

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter, softened - or if you want to, you can do all coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups agave nectar
2 chia eggs (mix 1/4 cup water with 2 tsp chia seeds and let sit for 5 minutes to gel up)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups oat flour (I ground mine from oatmeal in my Blendtec)
2 1/2 to 3 cups spelt flour - start with 2 1/2 cups, and add more if necessary
1 cup cooked white quinoa
1 cup organic coconut (this kind isn't pre-sweetened  - it has almost a powdery texture)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Glaze ingredients:
Juice from 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup water and 2 tsp chia seeds. Let sit 5 minutes to gel.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. In a large bowl, mix butter, coconut oil, and agave nectar until well blended.
4. Add in chia eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Add in oat flour, spelt flour, quinoa, coconut, lemon zest, baking soda, salt, and almond milk. Mix well.
6. Drop by rounded spoonful onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (This makes them come of the cookie sheet so much better!)
7. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients in a bowl.
9. When cookies have cooled, drizzle with glaze.
10. Enjoy!

Next time, I think I will try a glaze of lemon juice and agave nectar to make them even healthier. But the lemon juice glaze, in my opinion, is necessary. It complements the coconut so well and is super delish. :)

If your dough seems too stiff because you've added too much flour - and your cookies don't spread during baking - simply take your spatula, spray the back with a little cooking spray or water, and flatten the cookies before baking. They will turn out just fine. Thanks, Chef Brad for this tip!

Let me know if you try these out!

"Throw it Together" Easy Weeknight Dinner

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty crummy. Headaches are one of nature's blessings, right? ;)

Anyway, I didn't wanna put a lot of time, effort, or thought into dinner. So I scoured my fridge and pantry to see what I had on hand. And this is what we did for dinner.

Green Smoothies:

Baked potatoes : Peel, dice, toss with olive oil and seasonings of your choice. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes.

And a Green Salad with diced apples, cooked quinoa, chopped brazil nuts, and honey mustard dressing.

 More specific deets on the salad:

2 c green leaf lettuce, shredded
1 c cooked quinoa
2 gala apples, diced
1 handful brazil nuts, chopped
Honey Mustard dressing - which is why the apples in the pic look yellow. :)
Toss all together, and enjoy.


This meal was satisfying - quick - and nutritious.
Not only do you get your whole day's worth of fiber from the green smoothie alone, but you also get plenty of protein from both the smoothie and the quinoa in the salad.

I LOVE me some easy dinners.

Steel Cut Oatmeal - The Very Best Way to Cook It - Less Time and Less Slime

Image source here

For the longest time, I thought I didn't like oatmeal.

In my defense - I'd only had 3 kinds.

1. Uber-processed packets that were more sugar than oatmeal. As a kid, I loved the sugar, but as an adult, not so much.

2. My mom's quick cooking oatmeal - bless her heart - she tried, but she refused to put salt in it. She thought the very idea was weird. And she'd make up for it by adding chocolate chips, cinnamon, and raisins - but it wasn't very tasty. (By the way - I love you, mom - and I really appreciate your effort to cook breakfast for us picky kids)

3. Really slimy oatmeal. This is the WORST kind of oatmeal, in my opinion. Regular or Quick cooking rolled oats, cooked with more water than necessary, and stirred until it becomes a mushy, slimy, indistinguishable mass. And, I've come to realize that a lot of people cook it this way.

#3 is the saddest kind of oatmeal. Because with a little know how, EVERYONE can make oatmeal that is delicious, not slimy in the least - and did I say delicious?

 Here are my secrets.

1. Use steel cut oats. They are less processed and better for you. They retain more of the nutrients and are deliciously nutty. Most people steer clear of them because they are unfamiliar with them, or because they take longer to cook. But look at #3. I am going to show you they don't have to take forever to cook!!!! :)

2. Use salt.  This is a MUST. I know it sounds contradictory to put salt in something that you're gonna load up with sugar and fruit, but it really brings out the nutty flavor of the oatmeal and makes it so much more satisfying! If you're using a canister of oats, it will direct you how much salt to use. They're usually pretty spot on.

3. Use less water.  More water = more goo and less oat. :) Most websites you'll find on how to cook steel cut oats will say to use 4 cups water to 1 cup of oatmeal and cook for 40 minutes. Some will say use 3 cups water to 1 cup oats and cook for 30 minutes. But the BEST way to cook steel cut oats is to use 2 cups water to 1 cup oats. And only cook for 15 minutes. Less water, less cooking time, and delicious nutty oatmeal that hasn't lost all shape to the goo disaster.

Anyway, here's my recipe for what feeds my family of 5. Bon Appetite!

Quick Steel Cut Oats

5 cups water
1 Tbsp salt (I usually just measure some out in the palm of my hand)
2.5 cups steel cut oats
Toppings of your choice

1. Bring 5 cups water to a boil. Add salt.

2. Add oats and bring back to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium / medium low.
Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.

Serve. I like to top mine with Truvia, cinnamon, almonds, and blueberries. My kids, of course, like chocolate chips. :)

Voila. Easy peasy, right?
Go try it. I guarantee this will be the best oatmeal you've ever had in your life. :)

Oatmeal Spice Whole Grain Pancakes Recipe

Did you know that today is National Pancake Day? At least, according to IHOP, it is.

I was driving home from Zumba this morning and an ad came on for a free short stack of pancakes at IHOP since it's National Pancake Day.

And while I'm normally a fan of anything free, our closest IHOP is 30 minutes away. And I knew I could make much healthier pancakes here at home.

These babies are what I came up with.

I shouldn't call them babies. Because they are not petite. They are stick to your ribs, belly filling pancakes. My husband even referred to this video.  (Disclaimer - my pancakes do NOT have tofu in them :D )

Anyway, here's the recipe. I love them and will definitely be making them again!


Oatmeal Spice Whole Grain Pancakes
by Shana Galbraith

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup Spelt Flour   (or you can use all whole wheat - but they'll be more dense)

1/2 c oatmeal - uncooked

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1 packet truvia

2 Tbsp wheat bran

 3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

4 tbsp coconut oil

3 cups water

1 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Then add coconut oil, water, and almond milk. Whisk together well.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle pancakes on a griddle, heated to medium / medium high.
Cook until bubbles form. Flip pancakes over. Cook for 2 minutes more, or until pancakes are heated through.

Serve with agave nectar, honey, or syrup. Yum!

Meatless Monday - Super Easy Enchiladas

I don't know what your Mondays are like, but mine are catch up days from the weekend.

Catch up on laundry.
Catch up on Etsy emails.
Catch up on housework.
Catch up on exercise.
Catch up on everything.


So when it comes to dinner, I want something super easy and low effort.

Once again, low quality phone photo. Sorry. :)

This meal is fabulous for that. It's probably not one of the healthiest meals I do, because I do use storebought Enchilada sauce, and I use quite a bit of cheese. (Normally I try to keep my animal product intake to 10% or less of my total diet. )

Bad photo. Lots of yummy cheese.

But - it's super easy - and my kids (age 5 and 7 ) loved to help with this one.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe:

Super Easy Meatless Monday Enchiladas
by Shana Galbraith

8 to 10 whole wheat tortillas (You can make your own with this super easy recipe )
1 can fat free refried beans (I use the fat free so they don't contain any lard or canola oil )
1.5 cups cooked brown rice (I had leftovers from earlier in the week)
1 can enchilada sauce (I used La Victoria mild)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Spray 9x13 baking pan with olive oil spray. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Spread 2 Tbsp (approx) refried beans on a tortilla. Add 4 or 5 spoonfuls rice. Roll up tortilla. Place in baking pan.  Repeat 8 to 10 times.

3. Top all rolled tortillas with can of enchilada sauce. Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top.

4. Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375F.

Serve with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, if desired.

Green Smoothie Girl's Homemade Whole Wheat Flax tortillas

So, I saw this recipe in Green Smoothie Girl's 12 Steps to Whole Foods. Which can be pretty pricey. But I got mine free by buying my Blendtec through Greensmoothie girl. You can do the same if you decide to buy a Blendtec. That's a $70 value, free. Okay - I'll stop now before I sound like an infomercial.

Anyway, on to the tortillas! They are not that hard to make, and they are SO much better for you. No preservatives, artificial gunk, etc. And they're whole grain with the added benefit of flax meal. Muy delicioso!

I did modify a couple of things, but I stuck to the recipe for the most part.
And they're good tortillas. My family loved them. :)

Green Smoothie Girl's Whole Wheat Flax Tortillas
adaptations made by Shana

5½ C whole-wheat flour
½ C freshly ground flax seeds (I just used Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal )
½ tsp. aluminum-free baking powder (I love Rumford brand)
2 Tbsp. seasoning (powdered garlic, powdered sage, chili powder are some options - I used taco seasoning)
1 tsp. sea salt
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 C warm water

1. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet. If it’s too dry, add more water a spoonful at a time. Mix until a ball forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Separate the dough into 20 pieces and form into balls. Roll each ball into a very thin 10" circle. Stack them on plate and cover with a damp cloth. (Here, I just rolled each ball into a circle one at a time when I was ready for them instead of rolling them all out first. It worked nicely because by the time I had a new one rolled, the previous one was ready to flip.)

3. Preheat a griddle to medium-high. Place the dough rounds on the griddle (ungreased), flipping when air
pockets form and piercing the air bubbles. Tortillas are done when they are golden on both sides.

4. Use immediately or store in a Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.

If you like this recipe, head on over to greensmoothiegirl.com for more great tips, recipes, etc. I LOVE her site.



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Jamba Juice Orange Berry Blitz knockoff

I LOVE me some Jamba Juice.

So, I decided to try my hand at making one at home.

And I figured out how to:

1. Make it taste almost identical to my favorite flavor, Orange Berry Blitz (which they have discontinued, but you can still request they make it for you)
2. Make it cheaper at home
3. Make it 10 times healthier by omitting the sherbet, and adding kale, flax meal, spinach, and chia seeds - which you can't even taste!

Yay!

Please forgive the crappy photo - one day I'll improve. Maybe. :)

So, without further ado, here's my recipe for a DIY Orange Berry Blitz.  My kids love it, and my husband claims it's better than the Jamba Juice Original.

Enjoy!

Knockoff Orange Berry Blitz 
by Shana Galbraith

2 cups orange juice ( I used calcium fortified)
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 large leaf kale
2 large handfuls spinach
(Blend here to make more room for extra goodies)
Then add:
1 packet Truvia
1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 cup frozen blueberries
1.5 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup ice
Blend again.

This made enough to serve all 5 in my family - but 3 of them were kids :)  - and their portion sizes were smaller. I'd say it would make 2 very generous adult sized servings.


1 Serving =
300 calories
6.2 g fat
11.1 g fiber (44% of your daily needs! :D)
6.9 g protein
120% RDA of Vitamin A
326% RDA of Vitamin C
31% RDA of Calcium
22% RDA of Iron
It's also high in Manganese and Potassium

Take that, breakfast cereal!


I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. 

Gluten Free, Flour free, Dairy Free, Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

These cookies are the most amazing cookies I've ever had. And they are:

*Gluten free
*Flour free
*Dairy free
*Low sugar

And did I mention they're some of the best cookies I've ever had? (Sorry for those of you with nut allergies - they do contain nuts!)

The original recipe came from a magazine called Clean Eating, but my sister in law has made several adaptations, and wow! Yummy! So, without further ado - here's the recipe.

ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


2 cups unsalted almond butter
1 cup Sucanat **
1/2 cup Agave nectar **
2 large eggs (Or to go vegan, you could use flax eggs, or chia eggs)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate pieces (70% cocoa or greater)
1/2 cup coconut (organic coconut is best)
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Brita's Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Okay, guys - as promised - here's my recipe for whole wheat bread. Okay, okay, so it's not my recipe - I got it from my cousin-in-law, Brita. I tell you, she's a veritable treasure trove of great healthy recipes. She's the one who got me hooked on green smoothies, too. But I digress.

Quinoa Fruit Salad Recipe

Quinoa! I LOVE quinoa! Seriously - the wonder food. You can use it in place of rice, oatmeal, couscous or any other small grain, and it's packed with protein- it contains all 8 essential amino acids, so it's a complete protein!

I usually try to put it in everything that I can.  I eat it like oatmeal, I put it in my green salads, I use it in place of rice - it's just good stuff.

I find mine in bulk at Winco - it's a lot cheaper that way than in the small boxes you'll find at a regular grocery store. Or, if you like shopping online and only wanna try out a small amount, Amazon has a great price on it :


Anyway, one Monday morning, I was out of things to put in my kids' lunches. They had eaten all the bread and all the veggies in the house while I took my Sunday afternoon nap. So - I knew I had to send them something that would be nutritional enough to be a main course. Quinoa instantly seemed like the best choice. I rummaged through what else I had on hand. And this is what I came up with.

Hummus and Veggie Sandwich

I hate to call this one a recipe....because it's really too simple to be called a recipe. But, for those of you who may be new to eliminating meats, dairys, and sugars from your sandwiches, perhaps this "recipe" will be of value. :)

Look at all that fresh, crispy lettuce coming out. Mmm, mmm, mmm.  My husband doesn't like a lot of "extras" as he calls them, on his sandwich - namely lettuce, tomato, sprouts, etc. Meat, cheese, and mayo. That's his idea of a yummy sandwich.

But me? I LOVE all the extra veggies. Pile on as many as you can - delish! Maybe I'll convert him over with this one. I just used store bought whole wheat bread this go around because I have been super lazy crazy busy (yeah - that sounds better) and haven't had the time to bake my own bread. Homemade bread is by far the best - and I'll post the recipe for that later this week.


Ingredients:

2 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tbsp Athenos cucumber and dill flavored hummus - any other hummus of your choice
1 Tsp chia seeds**  - totally optional, but they add a TON of nutritional value, and you can't even taste them
6 slices English cucumber, skin on
4 slices roma tomato - or whatever kind of tomato you like - romas were on sale this week. :)
Sea salt
Dried dill
Alfalfa sprouts
1 large leaf green leaf lettuce

Directions:
Spread the hummus on one of the slices of bread. Sprinkle the chia seeds on so they stick to the hummus. We don't want chia seeds spilling all over. :)

Top with cucumbers. Add salt and dill to the cucumbers to taste.

Top with tomatos, alfalfa sprouts, and lettuce.  Add the other piece of bread, and voila! Perfect lunch yumminess!

Thinking back on it, adding an avocado or pickle slices would have been super delish too.
Enjoy!

**You can find chia seeds on Amazon. They're comparatively priced to what my local health food store sells them for.



Find more info on Chia Seeds here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chia_seed

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.