Cake!! Chocolate Cake!

I made this cake at 9:30 pm. It was baked and eaten by 10:40. I ate it by myself. #relapse. 

C'est la vie. I love it. Chocolate Applesauce Cake modified from All Recipes

I'm recommending this cake for 2 reasons.

1. It's light, MOIST, and super fluffy. mmmm!
2. I love the applesauce! It's half the fat of a normal cake!

Okay, it's still chocolate cake but if i'm going to eat 1/4th of 1/2 of a chocolate cake I am going to find reasons to rationalize that what i'm doing is okay. For all the super chocolate lovers... add another tablespoon of cocoa powder. There's no need for icing by sprinkling the chocolate chips right onto the uncooked batter.


Chocolate Applesauce Cake!

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan (or large round cake pan). Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, using an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce. 

Pour the batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack.

Notes: i'm currently making that Sweet Potato and Carrot Puree i mentioned earlier. #mouthwatering

Chia Seed Morning Smoothie

Drink this. I've been drinking this every other morning and boy do I love/hate it. Forget how it tastes, it's good for you. Doesn't that just make you want to dive right in? ciao.

Chia Seed Morning Smoothie

2 leaves of lettuce or kale

1/2 a cucumber

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1.5 cups water, coconut water, or pear juice

Blend in Blender. Drink fast!

Note: I suggest eating 2 tablespoons a day of chia seeds. They are insanely good for you and if you put 1 tablespoon in your water it will turn a lovely consistency. I wait for that. It's like jello water. I happen to love this but that's just me. 

Kale, Date and Almond Salad

Hi friends!

Cooking school has been... the bomb. I love it. Although, it's a bit like when you are 13 years old and your mother forces you to attend Dance class. You love it but you just don't want to go. Every Sunday I only want to go to the farmers market, hike, do pilates, make smoothies, and take a good hour to simply sit on the couch and stare at the wall (do you ever have those days?). Well, my mother isn't here but, Ryan is. I go, I learn, I smile.

Last class we learned about cooked veggies and fruits. A heavenly 'Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree' entered my mouth. I couldn't figure out how anything could taste so good and be so light and fluffy in texture. It tasted like pillows. In my mouth. It was divine.

Prior to that, we made 12 different salads... yes, twelve. One, a Kale Salad Recipe that has forever changed my life. Seriously, it's that good. So good... i shall provide you with this secret recipe. Shhh...

Salads Galore

Sweet potato Puree, botton left and orange. Accompanied by the rest of our vegetable concoctions. 

Kale is a superfood and one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Yes, the planet. It is packed with the antioxidant (cancer fighting properties) vitamins, A, E, K. The high fiber content helps to bind bile acids (think of bile as the body's soap; used to break down fats) and helps lower cholesterol (by carrying out the bad fats) and reducing the risk of heart disease.

The key to kale is massaging it. Massage the dressing into the kale, massing being a fancy word for smushing and rubbing the dressing into the kale. Let it soak the goodness and up and the kale will  decrease in size.

Kale, Date and Almond Salad

1 bunch curly kale, washed, stemmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup dates, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup blanched and slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 an apple, julliened

Dressing
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 green onion (optional)

Blend all the dressing ingredients. place kale in a bowl and pour the dressing over the kale. With your hands, massage the kale and dressing for about 2 minutes. The kale will darken in color and reduce in size by half. Add the dates, almonds, and apple, to finish. 

Notes: I find this salad to be very sweet and to make it healthier I use 2 tablespoons of honey instead. This dressing makes a lot of dressing and i wouldn't be surprised if you could use two bunches of kale. Also... I add veggies-baby tomatoes, cucumbers, anything. Enjoy, just the way it is. You will love it.