Almond Butter Birthday Cake with Nutella Frosting

Almond Butter Birthday Cake
with Nutella Frosting

It's hard to believe that a little over a week ago my baby boy turned 10.  Since it was a school day and a busy one at that, with soccer practices in the evening, I figured I had better make a cake that was nutritious enough to have for breakfast (although on your birthday I think eating any kind of cake at whatever time is perfectly acceptable).  My son is not the biggest fan of chocolate (that gene must have skipped a generation) but he does love rich, dense desserts, and is particularly fond of almond flavoring.  So after a summer spent making numerous batches of high protein chocolate brownies with both peanut and almond butters, I decided to tweak the recipe a bit and substitute the cocoa powder with a little bit of organic whole wheat pastry flour, the dark chocolate with white chocolate, use all almond butter and add in some pure almond extract for flavor.  Like a lot of my baking experiments, I had no idea how it would turn out and hoped that it would not only taste good, but hold it's shape as a cake and cook evenly in two round cake pans.  And let me tell you, it came out even better than I could have expected.

Please be advised that this recipe is still a dessert, so of course it shouldn't be eaten everyday as part of a healthy diet, but as far as a cake goes, it is much better than average.  If cut into 12 or 16 slices, each piece will contain about 20g of mostly heart healthy fats, only about 15g of sugar, a couple of grams of fiber and about 10g of protein.  Not too shabby for a birthday cake, and since you make it yourself it doesn't have anything artificial or processed in it.  Of course I did ruin all that when I added in some colored sprinkles and frosted it with Nutella, but you only turn 10 once (double digits!), so I had to add a little something extra.  You could definitely make a regular buttercream frosting for this cake, but I love Nutella and sometimes getting something straight from a jar when you have a billion other things to do in a day is the best option.  I know my son loved this cake and we all enjoyed it (for breakfast) a couple of times last week.

Indian Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Indian Slow Cooker Potato Soup

I have seen recipes all over social media recently for making potato soup in a crock pot.  One of those posts was the inspiration for making this meal as well, but of course I had to put my own twist on it and make it not only using more nutritious ingredients, but with a different set of basic flavors as well.  I am sure it would be delicious using butter, cream, cheddar cheese and bacon, and perhaps I will try something simpler another day,* but why be predictable when you can have an adventure in your kitchen instead?

All of the recipes I saw called for a can of condensed milk and it was that one ingredient, which I have yet to find an organic version for in my store, that made me want to try an alternative instead.  I also like to make recipes that are vegan for my followers who don't like to use any animal products, and although this recipe in its current form is not vegan, it certainly could be made that way by switching out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and using vegan versions of cheese, or omitting that condiment altogether.  Honestly, the rich Indian spices and flavorful, in season, organic potatoes are what make this soup so satisfying.  And like all crock pot meals, it takes only minutes to prepare, and the slow cooker does all the work for you.  You could certainly add a bit of turkey bacon on top afterwards, or some curried chicken even, but I love this soup with just a large helping of full fat plain Greek yogurt and a lot of fresh herbs.  And on a cool fall day like today, nothing tastes better.

* a potato soup recipe from last year: Baked Potato Soup

Chocolate No Bake Date Nut Bars

Chocolate No Bake Date Nut Bars

I wish I always had a pan of these in my fridge, but they are so good that they were gone the day after I made them.  So I guess I had better make them more often!  Using mostly raw, healthful ingredients, these chocolate bars are one of my favorite creations ever.  My kids think they are candy, yet I know they are full of nutritious raw nuts and dried fruit and are perfect before or after a good workout, a kids' soccer game or as a late night treat when you just need something sweet but don't want to over indulge.  I actually calculated out the nutrition information for these and was pleasantly surprised at how good the numbers are.  They are high in protein and fiber, low in calories, and although high in fat and sugar, it is the good kind of fat and all the sugar is naturally occurring from the dried dates.  You do need a high powered food processor to make this recipe, but other than that it is as simple as can be and ready to eat in less than an hour.  And they taste way better than any packaged product you could find in a store.

Super Soy Smoothie

Super Soy Smoothie

As someone who works out frequently, I know how important it is to get adequate protein into my diet.  But since I don't like to consume a lot of animal products, finding enough good quality sources can sometimes be tricky. This super simple smoothie recipe is an answer to that problem.  I know that when people hear the word "tofu" they get all scared thinking of the tasteless blobs of white gunk that are a very poor substitute for meat in most dishes.  But in this recipe, the tofu serves as the creamy base for a sweet, chocolaty after workout drink and if you didn't know that there was tofu in it I guarantee you would not figure it out.  Depending on how thick you want your shake, you can use different textures of organic tofu, ranging from silken (thin) to firm (makes more of a pudding like consistency).  The firmer the tofu, the more protein, but I have tried it with all different types and would recommend them all.  I have also blended it with frozen berries, homemade Chocolate Walnut Butter, homemade Chocolate Macadamia Nut Butter and Homemade Nutella, but regular peanut butter or almond butter work well also.  If the nut butter is not sweetened, you may want to add in a spoonful of maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like your smoothies to be.  Honestly, the combinations are endless.  And using raw organic whole tofu is undeniably a lot better for you than any protein powder you can find in a store, and it tastes a whole lot better as well.  (Even my meat loving husband and son like these!)

Baked Mini Eggplant Parmesan

Baked Mini Eggplant Parmesan

Everybody has heard of Eggplant Parmesan, and of course the typical Italian restaurant version is almost always delicious, with thick layers of breaded and deep fried eggplant surrounded by rich tomato sauce and pounds of cheese.  Unfortunately, in versions like that, not only is the nutritional value of the amazing eggplant lost under piles of fat, the flavor is often hidden as well.  This recipe brings the rich flavor of the vegetables back to the forefront and is more like a cross between the traditional baked version and a caprese salad.  I purposefully left the amount of olive oil in the recipe vague because it all depends for me on how much the eggplant slices absorb, how greasy I want them to be and since I usually just pour it on the pan and then add a little more or leave a little extra unused, I never know for sure how much it actually is in the end.  And this way you can use as little or as much as you want.  You could probably also use a good olive oil spray instead if you are really watching your calories and I guarantee it would still taste just as amazing.  However my favorite part about this recipe is that I used mini eggplant, very small and skinny ones, so it would be perfect as an appetizer or a passed hors d'oeuvre.  I just thought they were cute and really fun to eat, and it tasted especially great with a side of whole wheat toast topped with Radish and Carrot Greens Pesto.

Radish and Carrot Greens Pesto

Radish and Carrot Greens Pesto

Ever wondered if you could eat the tops of carrots?  I never had until this year when I had a big garden bed packed with too many carrots, so many in fact that I had to keep pulling out tiny ones in order to make room for some of them to actually grow full size.  (Next year I will be a little less liberal with my seed spreading). Every time I pulled up a bunch of mini carrots, too small to properly peel and eat, I wondered if the greens themselves were any good (and safe) to eat.  So finally I looked it up.  Turns out they are good for you, full of the same nutrients as those found in the roots, (the carrot). I only thought to look this up because I also recently planted a fall crop of radishes and as I saw them start to grow I remembered that I had tried planting them a few years ago and for whatever reason I never seem to get more than a thick red stem attached to a bunch of green leaves (no real radish to speak of). So until I figure out what it is I am doing wrong as a gardener, I figured I would find out if you could just eat the radish greens.  And like carrots, you can!  The carrot greens should be used more like you would an herb such as parsley since they have a fairly strong earthy flavor, but the radish greens, besides being a bit spicy like arugula, would even make a nice salad.  But I didn't actually pick enough for that this time because washing tiny little leaves that are often covered with a lot of dirt is not fun.  I did have enough of both however to make this tasty, unexpectedly flavored pesto.  I love using pistachios for pesto since they are one of my favorite nuts and I always have them around, and the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic.  Paired with a meal of Mini Baked Eggplant Parmesan using locally grown organic eggplants and my very own tomatoes, it was a delicious meal highlighting some of the best food the earth has to offer this time of year!

Maple Macadamia Cake

Maple Macadamia Cake

Recipes like this just make me happy.  I spent most of the day outside today with my family and we had a late lunch of grilled turkey hot dogs around 3pm.  So once we were all back inside and dinner time was getting close, I knew that no one would want a big meal and I certainly didn't feel like cooking anything much.  But I did feel like baking and trying out an idea I had stirring around in my head using home made nut butter as the base of a recipe. Initially I had intended this cake to be chocolate, but knowing my kids would be eating it close to bedtime on a school night, I thought that something without a dose of caffeine might be better.  (Definitely plan to make a chocolate version soon as well).  So I grabbed a few ingredients out of my pantry and fridge and literally made this recipe up on the spot.  I had my husband jot down the measurements as I eyeballed everything and hoped for the best.  And my hopes were answered.  This is one of the most delicious, moist and flavorful yellow cakes I have ever made, and it is gluten free and full of super healthy macadamia nuts.  My daughter had hers with some Nutella "frosting" but it is perfect plain as well, and great for an after dinner snack or a quick breakfast. And it was all mixed together in my food processor which made clean up a breeze.  I can't say I was completely surprised by how good it came out, but I am smiling with pride, and a happy tummy,  just the same.

High Protein Guacamole

High Protein Guacamole

School may have started here in Pennsylvania, but it still feels like summer outside, and my vegetable garden is still alive and well, so a recipe like this is perfect for today.  I actually made this for a July 4th party, but despite the avocado, most of the other ingredients are currently in or have been in my garden in years past.  This is basically your average guacamole recipe with the exception that in place of one avocado, you add in pureed edamame, which adds a huge protein and nutritional boost to this already healthy dip.  Since soy beans don't have a strong flavor of their own and when pureed are nice and creamy like an avocado, they mix in perfectly and everyone who tried this dip at the party loved it and asked for the recipe.  If you don't want to use soy but want to add protein, you could easily substitute pureed fresh or frozen and thawed green peas.  One cup of green peas has 8g of protein, less than half of the 17g in soy beans, but still significant. So get dipping and enjoy the summer weather while it lasts!