Black Bean Cake with Chocolate Maple Frosting

I can appreciate that my idea of dessert may well be wide of the mark of traditional family fare.  But these low fat, high protein and minimal sugar treats are really something to consider if you are trying to eat healthy. Come on!  Have you ever heard of a slice of cake that boats almost 19 grams of protein?

Cake:

  • 1 can (15 ounces) organic black beans
  • 1 can (15 ounces) organic butter beans
  • 10 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:

  • 2 tubs (~28 ounces) firm tofu
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla

To make the cake combine your two cans of beans (we use Eden Organic beans because they do not use BPA in the can lining) in your food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste.  Add the remaining ingredients and continue to process for another minute so that everything is well blended.

Place in a lightly oiled spring form ban and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Let cool completely before frosting.

To assemble the frosting, place your two drained tubs of tofu into your food processor and blend until there are no lumps and you have a creamy soy paste.  Add your maple syrup, cocoa powder and vanilla and continue to whip for another minute or so.  Chill until ready to use.

The bean cake will be moist and dense when cooled and it will collapse a bit from when you took it out of the oven.  I like to use a serrated knife and carefully slice my cake into two thin layers.  Then I spread half of the tofu frosting in between and the remaining over the top and the sides.

Nutritional content calculated using http://caloriecount.about.com gives this an A- as an excellent and healthy food to consume.  With over 18 grams of protein and one third of your daily fiber a slice of this cake is better for you than most protien bars on the market today!

Serves 12.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Tabouli

Hummus night has to be my favorite family meal. We make two versions of low fat hummus dip (one extra spicy) and home made Tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber). Last night I decided to add a new dish to our middle east buffet and came up with my version of a wheat free tabouli. The fresh mint really makes this dish.

  • 1 cup buckwheat groats
  • 3 cups of water
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 2 TBL chopped mint
  • 2 TBL chopped parsley
  • .5 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped tomato
  • 1 TBL chopped bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated carrot
  • 1 TBL lime juice

Bring three cups water to a boil and add your buckwheat groats.  Cook on low for 10 minutes then rinse then drain and rinse with cold water to stop any further cooking.  When your buckwheat is chilled add the remaining ingredients and serve atop a bed of lettuce.

When I ran my ingredient through the nutrition calculator at http://caloriecount.about.com we came up with an A- on this wonderful sidedish!

Hot Cocoa — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!

Making your own hot coco mix at home, you can control the amount and type of sugar.
Experiment using a combination of the following in small quantities until you find your perfect cup of cocoa. Then layer the ingredients in jar using the sugar and coco powder as a decorative design along the edge.  We like about 60% powerdered milk to 25%  cocoa and 15% sweetener.

_____Jar Ingredients_____

  • Non-fat powdered milk or non-fat powdered soy milk
  • Unsweetened Coco Powder
  • Fructose or evaporated cane sugar

_____Recipe Instructions_____

Place 1 to 2 TBL in a cup of boiling pure water, stir and enjoy!

Griddle Cakes — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!

_____Jar Ingredients_____

  • 2/3 cup whole grain flour (e.g. spelt or oat)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 2/3 cup whole grain flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 2/3 cup whole grain flour

Layer all of the ingredients into your quart size wide mouthed mason jar. For a festive touch, take a skewer (or wooden chopstick) and run down the edge of jar to make the raindrop design all around the jar.

  _____Recipe Instructions_____

Place contents of jar in large bowl and mix dry ingredients. Add one jar of pure water, or 1 jar of soy milk. Ladle onto hot griddle and cook on both sides. Serve with your favorite topping – e.g. flaxseed oil and fresh blueberries!

Chili — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!

(pint size jars)

The TVP looks just like ground turkey in this mild chili, no one has to know it is soy but you!

______Jar Ingredients_____

  • 1/3 Lentil
  • 1/3 TVP (textured vegetable protein)
  • 1/3 Lentil
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Garlic
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 5 Dried Tomatoes
  • 1/3 Veggie Mix
  • 1/3 Lentils

  _____Recipe Instructions_____

 

Place contents of jar in large sauce pan and add 3 cups pure water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour.

Lentil Soup — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!!

(Perfect for Pint Size Jars)

_____Jar Ingredients_____

  • 1/3 c lentils
  • 1/3 c dried veggies
  • 1/3 c lentils
  • 1/3 c dried onion
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/3 c split green peas
  • 1/3 c lentils
  • ½ tsp dried rosemary

_____Recipe Instructions_____

Place contents of jar in large sauce pan and add 3 cups pure water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. You may add up to another 1 jar of pure water during cooking if soup becomes too thick.

Whole Grain Bread — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!


Layer the following ingredients into a large wide mouth mason jar.

_____Jar Ingredients_____

  • 2 ½ cups Whole Grain Spelt Flour *
  • 1 cup Whole Grain Kamut Flour *
  • 4½ teaspoons vital gluten *
  • 2½ teaspoons Rapid Rise Yeast
  • ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • ¼ cup dried onion bits
  • 2 TBL dried Dill
  • 2 TBL Fructose (natural fruit sugar).

_____Recipe Instructions_____

Heat 1 cup pure water until warm (not boiling).

Add the top half of the mason jar bread mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the cup of warm water plus two tablespoons margarine, butter or olive oil. Stir with wooden spoon, until you begin to feel an elastic quality of the batter, (3-5 minutes.) Add remaining bread mixture and combine with your hands until all of the flour is incorporated into a stiff dough. Kneed gently right in the mixing bowl until you have a smooth dough (5-10 minutes.) Shape dough into small loaf, place on oiled baking sheet or bread stone in your oven and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size. (I leave the oven light ON, to provide a warm space for the bread to rise.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

* While some people who are sensitive to wheat can tolerate anciet grains such as Spelt or Kamut, if you are gluten sensitive you can experiment with other whole grains flours and omit the gluten.

Rosemary Bread Mix — Mason Jar Gift Ideas!

Mason Jar Rosemary Bread MixRosemary Bread Mix

_____Jar Ingredients_____

  • 3½ cups Whole Grain Flour
  • 2½ teaspoons Rapid Rise Yeast
  • ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 TBL Fructose (natural fruit sugar)
  • Rosemary sprigs
supplies
Assemble rosemary sprigs to resemble in a small bundle (resembling evergreen tree for the holidays!) and place between two sheets of plastic wrap. cutting plastic wrap
Carefully place and press cling wrapped rosemary against the side of the mason jar. Smooth wrap with wooden spoon — do not get hand stuck in mason jar! pressing against jar
Add flour, yeast and fructose (sugar) into mason jar and seal with cap.
pouring flour   pouring yeast

  _____Recipe Instructions_____

Pour contents into large mixing bowl (or large capacity food processor).

Remove rosemary package and separate any woody stems from sprigs, leaving only the tender bits for this savory bread.

If you are using a food processor, you may leave the leaves whole, otherwise chop finely and place in your large mixing bowl.

Heat 1 cup water (or soymilk) plus two tablespoons margarine, butter or olive oil until warm (not boiling) and add to bread herb mix. Use the pulse setting in your food processor until the dough forms a ball. Or if you are mixing by hand use a large wooden spoon and mix in large bowl until a stiff dough has formed. On an oiled surface kneed the dough gently for a few minutes until it looses any sticky quality and feels smooth to the touch.

Shape dough into small loaf, place on oiled baking sheet or bread stone in your oven and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size. (I leave the oven light ON, to provide a warm space for the bread to rise.) Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

 

Ogre Toes, Goat Guts Pizza And Ooey Gooey Black Death

No surprise that we celebrate any occasion with good for you whole foods.  But there is simply no reason that you have to be serious about it!  This Halloween we had a wonderful upscale freaky feast and a dessert that would make you gasp it was that good.

Ogre Toes

  • Dough for 1 loaf of whole grain bread

Use your favorite 100% whole grain bread dough recipe, or try our Homemade Spelt Bread recipe from our cookbook The 30-Day Vegetarian (now available on kindle for only $3.99!).  You can also substitute either our Whole Grain Spelt Rolls dough recipe from right here on the forum.

Because we have cheese and veggie sausage wrapped inside, I would recommend a rapid rise yeast dough for your starter.

You will also need:

  • 1 pound organic cheese (we use mozzarella)
  • 1 package morning star veggie sausage

Saute the veggie sausage until done and then set aside to cool.  Slice your cheese into strips.  We made two plates of toes one with just plain cheese and the other with thin slices of cheese combined with veggie sausage.

Divide your dough into about 12 small balls.  Roll each dough ball into a flat strip and place filling in the center – either one thick slice of cheese or one sausage link with a thinner slice of cheese on top.  Fold your dough over and press well to seal seams, then roll the toe in your palms to make sure everything is secure and you have a nice oval shape.

To make the almond claws you will need at least one fresh beet.  Slice the top off of a fresh beet and place the tuber into a saucepan with enough water to cover.  Place half cup of raw almonds into the mixture and bring to a boil.  Remove the almonds from the pot after about 15 minutes and continue to simmer the beets until they are fork tender (about 30 minutes to one hour depending on the size of your beets).  Let your almonds cool then pinch them one at a time to slip off the skins.

To make the blood stained knuckles on the ogre toes, place a small paring knife into your cooked beet and make three small slits on one end of the toe and then two small slits about an inch or so from the other end of the dough log – leaving room for the red almond claw at the end.

Puree one of the beets and place your skinned almonds to soak in the blood red juice for at least an hour.  (I sliced the rest of my beets in the bunch to place in my food dehydrator in order to make a dry powder to use a food colorant in other recipes.)

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Place your finished dough wrapped toes on a baking stone or cooking sheet and let rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size (1 to 2 hours depending on how long your rapid rise yeast takes to work).  Before baking, gently press one red almond into the end of the toe.  Bake for about 15 minutes at a 375° oven or until golden brown and the dough feels firm.

Serve with your favorite blood (marinara sauce) for dipping.  We made a very simple sauce by blending two whole carrots, one sweet onion and handful of fresh basil from my garden with two 16 ounce cans of whole tomatoes from Garden of Eden who guarantee no BPAs in their canned goods.  Salt to taste and simmer while we prepared the rest of the meal.

Goat Guts Pizza

Dough for 1 loaf of whole grain bread (same as above, it was easy to make a double batch and divide the dough in half for each entre.)

  • 8 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 sweet onion sliced into rings
  • 1 package brown baby bellas

Roll (or toss if you are a pro) your pizza dough to form a circle to fit your pizza stone, or a rectangle if you will be cooking this on a cookie sheet.  Let rise in a warm place until the raw crust has puffed up and doubled in height – about an hour if you are using rapid rise yeast.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 15 minutes or until the pizza crust is golden brown on top and firm.

Remove from oven and place on a hot pad.  While the crust is still hot place slices of your goat cheese all over the top.  Don’t worry about smearing it around – just let it sit for about 15 minutes and the goat cheese will melt enough for you to spread with ease.

Meanwhile sauté your onion and mushrooms on the stove until they are soft.

After the goat cheese has had time to soften use a butter knife and spread the softened cheese all over the top of the pizza crust, as if you were frosting the top of a cake.  Top with your onion and mushroom (goat guts) mixture and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes to sizzle then serve!

Ooey Gooey Black Death

I love a challenge when it comes to creating desserts for people who have special diet considerations.  I don’t ever want folks to feel deprived when they have made healthy choices for their body.  And passing up dessert should never be required!  That’s why I’ve made a protein rich, very low sugar, gluten free and completely vegan chocolate mousse torte that has all the creamy wonderful palate sensations that will satisfy your dessert brain while being kind to your healing journey body!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Cake:

  • 3 whole dates
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 can organic black beans drained
  • 1 half package firm tofu
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 bananas
  • 2 TBL unsweetened coco powder

I only use whole foods to mildly sweeten my deserts these days.  If I am using apple I always keep on the peel to add fiber and help reduce the glycemic bounce.  In this recipe I am using whole dates softened in boiling water and pureed to make a paste that is sweet enough to satisfy without overloading your body with too many simple carbs.

Place your whole dates in about a half cup of water and bring to a boil on the stove or in a cup in your microwave for about 2-3 minutes or until the dates are soft.

In your foodprocessor combine your beans, tofu, banana and softened dates and process until soft and smooth.  Add baking powder and coco and continue to process until well blended.

Pour into a cake pan (I use a slightly oiled spring form pan) and bake in a 375° oven for 60-70 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch.

Remember there are NO EGGS in the recipe so feel free to lick the batter spoon!

Frosting

  • 1 can organic black beans drained
  • 1 half package firm tofu
  • 5 whole dates
  • ½ cup water
  • 3-5 TBL unsweetened coco powder (to taste)

Prepare your dates by simmering gently as you did above then place all of the ingredients into your food processor and blend until smooth.  Chill in the fridge until you are ready to frost.

Nutrition Fact for Ooey Gooey Black Death

Frost cake when it is completely cooled and enjoy!

When I entered the ingredients for a serving size of 8 the nutrition facts at http://caloriecount.about.com score this an “A” because it is low fat and high in fiber.  Check it out at only 185 calories there are 11 grams of protein!  You won’t find that in any other “dessert”!

Peanutbutter Poppers

My last cookie experiment of the day is a little popper that melts in your mouth but won’t stick to your hips!  We make our own peanutbutter from dry roasted peanuts but if you use store bought peanut butter you may want to omit the honey

  • 1 can organic navy beans (drained)
  • ½ cup peanut butter (unsalted and no added sugar)
  • 2 TBL honey

While my bean cake recipes often use garbanzo or black beans, these little melt in your mouth treats feature FAT FREE navy beans as the binder.  High in protein and a good source of fiber and iron navy beans make an excellent add in to dishes.

Puree beans with peanut butter and honey in your blender or food processor until you have a smooth paste.  Using a cookie scoop (mini-ice-cream scooper) drop these onto a non-stick or oven stone.  They will not flatten or expand during baking so you can pack ’em in tight.

Bake in a 375° oven for 20 minutes.  They will be soft, but there is no egg in this recipe so go ahead and enjoy!

Nutritional analysis for this recipe from http://caloriecount.about.com — your mileage may vary. 😉

Check out these stats … only 49 calories 1.7 grams of sugar and 2.3 grams of protein.