Raw Chocolate Cake

I had a request for the raw chocolate cake recipe. Thank you for the comment and request! This will make one layer of the cake. For the birthday cake I made one layer, pressed it into the pan, let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes. Topped with one recipe of ganache, let it sit in the fridge (or you could put in freezer to speed up the process) to set up, made a second layer of cake, pressed it into the pan, then made a double recipe of ganache to frost the entire cake. It takes a few steps, but it really is worth the extra effort! Please let me know if you make it and how it turns out.

Ingredients:
1 cup dates, soaked in water to soften, then drained
1/2 Cup raw cashews, finely ground
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
pinch Celtic sea salt
1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Cup almond flour (I use Benefit Your Life)
1 Cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded

Blend dates in Vitamix or food processor to make a paste. Add a little water if needed.

Grind cashews in Vitamix or food processor until fine.

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Stir and press together until well combined. Mixture will be very thick. Add a little water, but not too much, if needed to get mixture to hold together. It should be a little dry, but will hold together once pressed into the pan.

Press into a parchment paper lined spring form pan. Place in refrigerator to set. Make ganache:

1/4 Cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 Cup maple syrup, grade B
1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or blender. Add more syrup or cocoa depending on your taste preference and consistency. Should be somewhat thick, but spreadable. Spread over cake and place in refrigerator or freezer to set up.

If making a double layer cake, make a second layer just like the first, press into the pan atop the first layer and ganache, let sit in fridge or freezer to set. Once you remove the cake from the spring form pan, you will want to make a little more than the above amount of ganache to cover the top and sides of the cake. The measurements are:

1/3 Cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 Cup maple syrup, grade B
1 Cup unsweetened cocoa

Of course, adjust maple syrup and cocoa as needed for desired taste and consistency. Enjoy!

Everything Green

I love green foods...my body actually craves green foods. Kale, collards, spinach, broccoli...the list goes on...and I can't remember the last time I went more than 24 hours without one of these nutritious power houses on my plate.

Chlorophyll is what makes green plants green. Consuming foods high in chlorophyll can actually darken the skin and protect against sun burn, protect against carcinogens and toxic chemicals, stimulate the repair of damaged tissues, inhibit the growth of bacteria, accelerate wound healing and minimize body odor. Who knew green foods had so many benefits?

This is one of my favorite green meals: Collard wraps with kale chips.





To make the collard leaves pliable, we heat water in a big pot on the stove. Then we dip each leaf in for a few seconds until it is softened and wrappable. The filling is created by peeling and dicing a sweet potato, massaging it with a little extra virgin coconut oil and baking in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. We use a can of aduki beans (they are super tiny and easy to digest), drained and rinsed. Once the potatoes are cooked, we stir them together with the aduki beans, add a chopped avocado and season with Herbamare. Then we place a couple of spoonfuls into a collard leaf, starting at the stem end, folding up and pulling the sides in. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it now!



The kale chips are incredibly light and airy with a slight crisp. With only 4 ingredients, they are also really quick and easy to make.

1 bunch kale, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Massage kale with lemon juice, grapeseed oil and salt. Spread kale onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Enjoy a yummy nutritious snack!



And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to the beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. - Genesis 1:29-31

Sunrise, Celebration, and Raw Chocolate Cake Anyone?

I'm not one to rise early enough to see the sunrise, but my sister-in-law and I ran our first official 10K on Saturday morning and so I was up before the crack of dawn and blessed to see a beautiful sunrise. The weather was perfect for a morning run and I accomplished my goals: finish in under and hour and don't fall down! After the race, the view across the water was amazing and by 8:30 a.m. we had run 6.2 miles and were feeling great!

Saturday was also my mom's birthday, so we celebrated with a family dinner of some of her favorite things of the moment. It was a great day to honor her and thank her for all that she does for our family. Here are a few pictures of the birthday meal:


For dinner, we created a spinach salad with pears, strawberries, and blueberries. Another one of mom's faves is a broccoli salad with raisins, sunflower seeds, vegenaise, and apple cider vinegar. It really is delicious! We also had organic chicken cut into bite size pieces, dipped in coconut milk, then dredged in a mixture of teff flour, brown rice flour and Herbamare seasoning. We bake these in the oven and they are beyond good!

Mom loves chocolate (we all love chocolate), so her cake had to be super chocolatey! Actually we had two cakes. One was a flourless chocolate banana cake that is more like a chocolate mousse or pudding cake. It is super quick and easy to make with very few ingredients too.



Flourless Chocolate Banana Cake

3 large eggs, separated
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup coconut oil
3 ripe bananas
½ cup cocoa powder

In a Vitamix, whip egg yolks, maple syrup and salt on medium for 1-2 minutes. Add coconut oil and bananas and blend for another minute or two. Blend in cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold contents of Vitamix into bowl with egg whites.

Grease a 9-inch cake pan with coconut oil and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly then serve.

We also had a raw chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting. This cake has a few more ingredients and a few more steps, but it is so worth the extra effort. And yes, you read correctly, I said raw...no baking required! We keep it in the fridge so it is nice and cool and it is just so decadent! It is somewhat reminiscent of a Mounds or a German chocolate cake...it's just really, really delish!





We had a wonderful dinner and celebration. I love food, family and fellowship!

Blessed Be God

All new life comes out of dark places.

That which is perceived as ugly transfigures into beautiful.

Two sentences from Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts. Two sentences that have such depth and meaning...new life and beauty often require patience, suffering, hopeful anticipation and trust before the joyous fulfillment. But, as Ann says in her book, “joy is always worth the wait.”

Waiting, especially in difficult times or unknown seasons of life, develops trust which changes our perspective and bursts open doors of praise and thanksgiving.

I experienced uncertainty and fear with regards to my health, but God said: See now that I, I am He, and there is no God beside Me, It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal. - Deuteronomy 32:39

I must admit, I read certain parts of God’s word not applying them to my life, not thinking they were still applicable in this modern day. Parts of the “law” that while Christ followers do not have to follow in order to have new life, are still applicable for protection and guidance. Truly, truly this is no empty word for me, but my very life and by this word I shall live. (Deuteronomy 32:47)

When I cried out to God, He answered me, not by immediately changing my circumstances or making the journey to good health an easy one, but He answered me. He directed me to His word, to Genesis 1, to Leviticus 11…He opened my eyes, my mind and my heart to see how He wanted to heal me, through the life giving power of His mighty hand and through the protection of obedience.

Overhauling your life in terms of how and what you eat, the products you use to clean your home or the personal care/cosmetics used to beautify yourself can be overwhelming. But God, in His mercy, prepares the way and provides our needs. I wanted a quick fix solution to my prayers, but He had a better plan. I know that I could have been miraculously healed, but I also know that it has been in the process that thankfulness and praise to God have grown and He is changing me in more ways than I ever could have imagined or hoped.

Truly God never wastes our hurts:

He makes everything work out according to His plan. –Ephesians 1:11

Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand. – Isaiah 14:24

God’s greatest plan for each and every one of us is to know Him through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He wants to bring us to complete wholeness and He will cut through anything and everything that stands in the way…if only we will surrender to him we will find true freedom and wholeness.

The Cut – Jason Gray

Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! – Psalm 66:20

SKYDIVING

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a friend who is becoming a certified skydiving instructor. It went like this:

ME: Been skydiving lately?

FRIEND: Yeah, I go as often as I can. Have you been yet?

ME: No, I would like to, but just haven’t tried it yet…if I’m going to ever try it, I need to before I get married and have children because you know, I would feel so responsible for these other people that I just don’t know if I could take the risk.

FRIEND: I want to get married one day too, but I don’t know if I could say no to skydiving. Besides, if it is God’s will for me to go at that time then it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, right?

ME: Well, what if you aren’t killed, but just injured and paralyzed?

FRIEND: That could be God’s will too.

ME: But what if it wasn’t His perfect will? What if in doing so, I stepped outside of His will for me at that time and paralysis was the consequence?

FRIEND: I see what you are saying…that makes sense…something to think about.

I think skydiving is very intriguing and maybe one day I will try it! So, I’m not saying anything against that, but it does make me wonder. How often do I step outside of God’s will, His most perfect plan for my life and how many times does He send warring angels to protect me from my ignorance or willful disobedience? How many hurts could be avoided by being so in-tune with my Creator that I can’t help but walk with Him always?

My people go into exile for a lack of knowledge. –Isaiah 5:13

Lord, please help me to know your word, to be able to give an answer for the choices I make, to choose life instead of things that lead to death. Please help me to question what I don’t understand and seek until I find the answers, your answers.

Please forgive me, Lord, for looking to the world and blindly believing lies that it tries to sell me. Please forgive me for participating in all things that have not been beneficial to me. Thank you for knowledge and for shining your light that I may see truth and change. Please continue to shine your light in the dark places of my life where I still need to grow in wisdom and discernment. Thank you for your grace and mercy that cover all of my faults and failures and guide me into your truth.

But when anything is exposed to the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, “Awake, o sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.” – Ephesians 5:13-14