silverton chocolate coffee cake

08 Thursday Mar 2012

Tags

baking, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, coffee, coffee cake, snack

Have you noticed how hard it is to find a good coffee cake these days? I’ve been craving coffee cake for weeks now and finally decided to hunt in my collection of cookbooks for a good recipe. Today, I found one that is moist, flavorful and goes perfectly with, well… coffee!

Silverton Chocolate Coffee Cake

3/4 cup freshly brewed espresso or 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons instant coffee powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 eggs, separated and at room temperature

1/2 cup organic granulated sugar (or natural sweetener of your choice)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted and peeled

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg white

pinch of salt

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper or waxed paper. Grease the paper and set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the brewed espresso, chocolate, coffee powder and butter, stirring occasionally until melted. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until well blended.

In a food processor (or large mortar and pestle), process the 3/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts until finely chopped, about 20 seconds. Add the flour and cocoa and process for 10 more seconds. Measure out 1 cup of the chocolate batter. With the machine running, gradually add the mixture to the food processor through the feed tube to form a paste. Stir the paste back into the batter and beat until well blended.

In a large bowl, beat the 4 egg whites with the salt until stiff, glossy peaks form. Whisk about one-quarter of the beaten whites into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whites until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until firm, about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out slightly sticky. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool. Unmold, remove the parchment paper and place the cake on a plate. Chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts and sprinkle in the cake along with the powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Resource:

Perry, S. (2001). The New Complete Coffee Book: A Gourmet Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Cooking. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books.

juicing for health and healing

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in juice

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

apple, beet, Breville, carrot, ginger, healing, health, juice, juicer

I have been juicing for quite a few years now. I have a Breville Juice Fountain Elite, which I bought at Home Outfitters. I paid more money and bought the stainless steel variety as my dad had a plastic one that kept breaking every few months. Even though it takes up quite a bit of space, I keep mine out where I can access it easily. That way I use it more regularly.

I make different juices, depending on the season and what is fresh and available. I have a few juicing cookbooks that have great suggestions for different mixtures. There are recipes for cleansing, vitality, immune-boosting, aphrodisiac and ‘booze juices’ for the most amazing cocktails you will ever taste!

Today I made my favorite: carrot-apple-beet-ginger juice.

Your juices will boost your body’s energy, vitality and natural immunity. Use them as pick-me-ups when you’re low, mixed modestly with alcohol at parties, or made into shakes, smoothies or crushes. You can even use them to cleanse and detox your system, giving your body a spring clean.~Van Straten

Juicing is the fool-proof way of adding wonderful, life-giving and life-protecting vitamins, minerals and natural food chemicals to your diet… There is no comparison between fresh and commercial juices; even the ‘freshly squeezed’ ones have been in the bottle for several days, losing vitamins. Processed varieties are reconstituted concentrates that are vitamin-deficient. Fruit “drinks” are often 90 percent water, ten percent juice, sugars, sweeteners and a host of chemicals.~Van Straten

Juicers can be expensive but I feel that mine has been well worth the investment in my health and healing over the years. It has paid for itself in a short time considering how expensive store-bought juices are. The juices take only minutes to make (and cleaning the juicer immediately after takes only a few more minutes). Fresh juices are so flavorful and delicious that it is very difficult to drink any other store-bought juices after switching! Cheers, everyone!

Resource:

Van Straten, M. (1999). Super Juice: Juicing for Health and Healing. Vancouver, BC: Octopus Publishing.

tuscan kale with anchovy

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

anchovies, dinner, garlic, greens, kale, lemon, Tuscan kale, vegetable, zest

I had a nice bunch of kale to cook with and wanted to try something new. The addition of the lemon and anchovies add a nice kick of flavor to this dish. I served this over brown rice and topped it with a bit of shaved parmesan cheese to make this a fully satisfying meal.

Tuscan Kale with Anchovy

4 bunches of kale

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 gloves garlic, minced

8 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and minced

sea salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest, shredded

Trim away the rough ends of the kale and chop into bite-sized pieces.

In a wok over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring, just until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the kale, salt and 1 cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, lemon juice and zest. Transfer to a platter and serve at once. Enjoy!

Resource:

Attenborough, A., & Kimm, J. (2008). Williams-Sonoma: Cooking fir Friends. Menlo Park, CA: Oxmoor House.

home from my family visit

05 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

aunts, brother, cousins, family, family reunions, funeral, sister, trip, visiting, Winnipeg

I am now home from my family visit in Winnipeg. A dear uncle had passed away and the family on my dad’s side were gathering for his funeral. At my mom’s funeral, just a few months ago, I had really enjoyed connecting with aunties and uncles and cousins on her side of the family after being away for many years. This time around, it was the extended family on my dad’s side of the family that I was visiting and reconnecting with, again, after many years.

As I grow older, family is beginning to feel more precious to me. This week was very enriching and I truly enjoyed the feeling of belonging and interconnectedness with my loved ones. I enjoyed all of the laughter as we each shared funny stories of growing up with one another. I enjoyed spending time with the kids as well as my older relatives. I loved hearing about everyone’s current adventures and future plans. It was truly a wonderful time! 🙂

Laurie’s spelt pancakes

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

breakfast, family, flour, maple syrup, pancakes, spelt, spelt pancakes, whole grain spelt

I have been in Winnipeg spending quality time with my family these past three days. It has been action-packed: playing with the children, hanging out with the teens, glasses of wine with the grown ups and getting all caught up on each other’s lives.

One thing I love about spending time with my sister-in-law, Laurie, is that she is an amazing cook and I always leave with recipes and new ideas for ‘natural living’. Yesterday, Laurie shared her spelt pancake recipe. She showed me how she makes it, right from freshly grinding the whole spelt grain just before making it.

Here is the bag of spelt:

Here is Laurie’s flour mill:

Using spelt flour is very easy as you can simply substitute it into your usual flour-based recipes. Here is Laurie’s pancake recipe- use spelt flour instead of the all-purpose flour. Sometimes you need to add a bit more spelt flour so just keep an eye on the consistency you want. You can also substitute almond milk with a bit of apple cider vinegar for the buttermilk.

Another special treat: some very fine maple syrup to make these delicious pancakes even more decadent! After this fun morning seeing how quick and easy it is to bake with spelt, I am looking forward to my own cooking adventures using this healthy grain.