Black Velvet Cake and Other Things

Yum, right? We'll come back to this beauty a little later ;)

First things first... I owe one lucky Cookies 'n Cardio reader a fabulous prize of TWO kinds of Better'n Peanut Butter. And I won't make you wait any longer! Which, FYI I did NOT intend to wait this long in announcing the winner. But life happens and things get crazy busy! So the randomly selected winner is..........

spabettie.com said...

oh, Mr. Teddy... so cute as a Hot Dog !! :D peanut butter cookies, peanut butter in smoothies, peanut butter on a SPOON... :D I like peanut butter !! 

Well get excited! Because you'll be looking for all sorts of new ways to enjoy PB with this stuff! Send me your name (or I could just address it to Spa Bettie, hehe) and mailing address and I'll ship it to ya ASAP! :)
 
Now that I've gotten that out of the way.... my oh my! To say that these last few weeks have been pretty hectic would be an intense understatement. I'm less than a month away from graduating... I can almost hear the hallelujah chorus pomp and circumstance. Let me bring you up to speed with a few things that have been going on since we last spoke:

• I ran the Life Choices 5K (and somehow got 3rd place?) in honor of my sister and my soon-to-be-born-any-second-now nephew, Gabe!

Like my shirt? It's supposed to say "running FOR my nephew Gabe..." but I lost the "r" along the way. Ergo... running fo' my nephew Gabe! :)

My sister liked playing photographer... not sure why I look like an amazon though

And I ran into an old friend, Rusty, who was running his first 5K and dominated!
He liked my shirt, but how could you not, really? :)

•  My roomie and I hosted a pumpkin carving just before Halloween... 

So fun! Pumpkin beer is a must!

I attempted a Pug-O-Lantern

Mr. Teddy didn't know what to make of his pumpkin counterpart.

• Then at the beginning of November, my sister-in-law, Jordan, and I threw a baby shower to end all baby showers for my sweet sister Liza. A lot of planning went into this shindig...

My fabulous sis-in law Jordan, the future mama/sister/bff Liza, and me! :) I got reeeeal crafty one afternoon and made the banner hanging up behind us. It's now hanging over Little Gabe's crib. I love Hobby Lobby.

Lots of yummy food! Jordan & I created the diaper cake to go along with the elephant theme. Aside from nutrition, event/party planning is my other favorite thing! Maybe someday...

What baby shower brunch is complete without mimosas? ;) Our very talented mom made this beautiful cake (she's been a decorator for nearly 30 years!) We also had matching elephant cookies! Oh my!

 Plus, there have been a whole host of things keeping me busy during this last month that I didn't photograph:

• Studying, studying, and studying! I'm only THREE WEEKS away from graduation! I'm so ready! A&P II, my senior project/paper, and Health/Fitness Instruction (the class name does not do justice to what the class actually entails and the countless hours of studying that goes into it) are the only thing I've got to conquer to get there!
• I painted my bedroom a lovely shade of green.... green chai latte to be exact! And I love it! So serene and peaceful, it was time for a fresh look in my bedroom. It's amazing what a new coat of paint will do for your mood!
• I've been helping my sister "nest," and get ready for her little boy's arrival! Only 9 days away from his arrival! I can't believe it!
• Teaching nutrition! I told yall in my last post that I started teaching nutrition, well I am LOVING it! I'm currently teaching the 6th grade girls at a wonderful charter school in Memphis. Next semester I'll be teaching the 6th grade boys. I really wish I had had this kind of class back when I was in middle school.
• I've interviewed with a fabulous company (that will go unnamed, just in case I don't land the job) THREE times in the last 10 days! So exciting! I would be the Health Outreach Coordinator for the Memphis area. I reeeeeally want this job! So if everyone could cross their fingers, wish upon a falling star, say a prayer... seriously whatever you gotta do, I would seriously appreciate it! All I want for Christmas is to get this job! :)
• And yall I've cooked/baked so much fabulous food it's ridiculous! So without further ado, I'm gonna jump right into a delicious recipe for a vegan (that's right, VEGAN!) chocolate cake!

Ya know my roomie Gabby… the one that is intolerant of all things lactose-related? Because she is. A couple of months ago, while searching for a dairy free cake (don't judge just yet) I found THE best chocolate cake recipe… which just so happens to be dairy free.

Me and my roomie Gabby! I guess you could say she's my muse for dairy-free baking! Ha! A girl's gotta have someone to help her eat all the baked goods, right?

You see, I grew up with a cake decorator/baker for a mother (see the lovely baby shower cake above.) So this meant that we always had plates of "cake scraps" decorating the kitchen counter. Because of this, I wasn't the biggest fan of cake. All that ended a few years ago when my mum's cake wasn't so accessible, I actually craaaaave cake now… usually in the little sister version that is the always adorable and chic cupcake form. 

My mum made this for the wedding of one of my good friends a few years ago. It's simple, yet elegant. 

So while I do looove cake, I'm pretty partial to all non-chocolate flavors. There's just something kinda boring about straight up chocolate cake... just doesn't do it for me. But, ohmahgoodness all that changed when I found this recipe. Don't be scared off by the introduction of a very unique and unusal ingredient… it can easily be omitted all together. All I'm saying friends… is that you should TRY THIS RECIPE…. RIGHT NOW! It's awesome-town! Seriously, I would say this recipe is easily THE best chocolate cake I've ever tried! 

So back to my sweet little roomie. A few weeks ago, she was having the student teacher's week from hell. This girl was student teaching all day Monday - Friday (under the supervision of the most unpleasant teacher "mentor" ever,) finishing up her own pre-graduation classes this semester, and then waiting tables like 4 nights a week till midnight. I don't know how she was functioning. She was always exhausted and stressed. And you know what they say... stressed spelled backwards is DESSERTS! :)

I decided to bake up a sweet treat using this super fun cake pan that she got a few months ago from William Sonoma! Cute right? It turned out pretty adorbs!

Black Velvet Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2  cup white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup + 2 Tb. unsweetened apple sauce

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tb. apple cider vinegar (you can use regular white vinegar, but the apple cider is sweeter, and ideal for cakes)

2 cup cold water

3 Tb *EnerG Egg Replacer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and cocoa powder, sift and set aside. (ALWAYS sift when making a cake from scratch!) Those little balls of cocoa... not cute when baking a cake... ALWAYS SIFT! 3. Place the baking soda into a small dish, add the vinegar and stir, set aside. Get ready for science class... Bubbles! This is what happens when you mix the two, and THIS is what gives your cake that VELVET texture. 4.  Add the powdered egg substitute to the water, and whisk until dissolved.  Ok if you're scared if this (and you shouldn't be, it make the cake SO moist and fudgey) then just omit the powder, and add the plain water. The egg replacement powder resembles baking powder. Here's what it looks like after being whisked into the water. 5. Add the applesauce, water mixture, and vanilla. Mix on medium until thoroughly incorporated. 6. Add the vinegar/baking soda mixture. Stir until batter is smooth. 7. Divide evenly between cake pans. Too cute or what?  8. Bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Into the oven they go! 7. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate, and allow to cool completely before frosting. ENJOY!  Yields approximately 2 (9 in) round cakes or 24 cupcakes Cookie! Two "cookies!" I used Breyer's Lactose-free ice cream (yes, it exists and it's pretty good) for the ultimate cream filling! Too cute! My only complaint with the lactose-free ice cream is that melts faster than you can say Oreo! Yikes! Into the freezer it goes! **EnerG Powdered egg replacement sounds like some crazy ingredient that doesn't belong in a cake... especially when you notice the Asian symbols on the box. Do not be scared! My roomie introduced this to me, apparently it's all the rage with the vegans. After trying it out, I understand why... it gives you a moist, fudgey texture (some vegan cupcakes/cakes that I've tried from local bakeries are not only sub-par, but also dry and crumbly. Ick) I was able to find this stuff in the natural food section at Kroger, it's less than $4.00 a box, and I'm pretty sure it'll last forever, since I only use a few tablespoons at a time. Try it, and let me know what ya think!

Chicken Ja-what?

It's ok to add Mexican hot sauce to spice up your Indian food... I, personally, give you permission.

Mmm... I love Indian food. When I first start eating at Indian Palace on Madison, (best Indian food in Memphis, I do believe) I had no clue how/what to order. I usually relied on my Indian foodie friend to order a bunch of delicious entrees, and happily sampled a bit of each until I figured what I did and did not like. I often referred to my favorite Indian dishes according to their color... i.e. "Sam, let's go to Indian Palace! I'm completely craving the orange stuff and the green stuff with cheese in it!" Now I know that the "green stuff" I loved is traditionally know as Paleek Paneer, and the proper name for the "orange stuff" is Chicken Tikka Masala. If you had asked me what Chicken Tikka Masala was at the time, I probably would have told you "I bet it's like the Indian version of Chicken Marsala!" Eeek... not so much.

orange stuff   Chicken Tikka Masala

green stuff   Paleek Paneer

brown stuff  Daal Masala

So lately I've been revisiting the early seasons of The Office (don't worry, we'll come full circle with the Indian food soon, go with it.) Steve Carrell is hilarious, but after Jim and Pam finally got together I kinda lost interest. I still find season 2 and 3 to be the highlight of the series thus far. Kelly Kapoor was always one of my favorite characters, and according to a Facebook quiz that I once took... she is the character that I'm most similar to. Do with that information what you will, ha! In season 3, we get to learn a bit about Indian culture (or as much as you can learn from a 30 minute NBC comedy) as the episode focused on the Hindu celebration of Diwali. The episode is full of funny moments, mainly watching uptight Angela experience another culture. The episode is also full of Indian food (mmm.... Naan.) Due to my budget at the moment, I couldn't head to Indian Palace for their FABULOUS lunch buffet. It's a reasonable price of $7.50 a person, but I'm pinching pennies lately. When I'm not though, I turn to Indian Palace to fill my belly with a wide variety of classic Indian dishes... a great way to introduce your picky hesitant boyfriend to this fabulous and exotic cuisine.

Lucky for me, a couple of years ago I attended a progressive dinner party and a fellow foodie friend decided to take a more ethnic approach. She made Chicken Jalfrezi. It's essentially India's answer to Chinese stir-fry, with yellow curry being the star of the show. I think it's delicious, in taste and appearance... some who aren't familiar with Indian cuisine may beg to differ on it's aesthetic appeal. On the nutrition scale - it's pretty great for you: whole grains (I serve mine on whole wheat cous cous, with some wheat pita bread on the side,) double source of protein (from the chicken and chickpeas,) veggies, fruits (yes, people... tomatoes ARE a fruit contrary to popular belief,) and healthy fat (courtesy of the olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats.) There isn't any dairy though, which is good if you're living it up vegan-style these days. You could have some organic yogurt with fresh berries for dessert for an all around well-balanced meal. Or you could just drink a glass of milk with dinner... if you were one of those kids that grew up drinking milk with spaghetti or pizza. I, however, was not one of those kids. I'll save my glass of milk for my next bowl of cereal... or cookie.    ;)

Up close and personal... as you can tell, I got a little crazy with the Cholula hot sauce :) 

Chicken Jalfrezi

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 Tb. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. cumin

*1 onion, finely chopped                               

*1 green pepper, finely chopped

*1 red pepper, finely chopped

*1 yellow  pepper, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 in. piece of ginger root, chopped

1 1/2 Tb. curry

1/2 tsp. chili pepper

1 1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp salt

14 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1/4 fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2 cans chickpeas (aka garbonzo beans)

- Remove any visible fat from the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces.

- Heal oil in a large skillet or wok. Add cumin, onion, garlic, peppers, and ginger. Saute for about 6-8 minutes.

- Add remaining spices and 1 Tb. water. Stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes.

- Add the chicken to vegetable mix, stir-fry for about 5 minutes until fully cooked, and juices run clear.

- Add the tomatoes and cilantro, cover and cook for at least 15 minutes before serving.

- Garnish with more fresh cilantro, serve over whole wheat cous cous or brown rice.

Recipe Beginnings = genius

*SHORTCUT: I luuuuurve Kroger's Recipe Beginnings - saves me chopping time, AND bonus - frozen vegetables are actually frozen at their peak freshness. So while the fresh peppers in the produce aisle may have spent a couple of days on a delivery truck en route to your grocery store (ergo, gradually losing those important nutrients that we all need...) the frozen version is chock full of vitamins and minerals. Let's be honest... isn't that why we were all told to eat our spinach and broccoli as kids. I'm pretty sure my dad always told my brothers that it would make them grow chest hair. Maybe that's why I wasn't too fond of broccoli early on in life...