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

Birthday Meals!

Being the total foodie that I am, I had to post my yummy birthday meals. I celebrated with my parents on my actual birthday and then we had a special birthday dinner a few days later with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece.

My first celebration meal was a super delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sauteed collard greens and orange slices. This was so great that I completely forgot to take a picture...but it truly was a fantastic way to start the day.

For lunch, we had something I really enjoy...chicken with leeks and apples. Mmm...Granny Smith apples are my absolute favorite. There is just a little apple cider vinegar in this recipe too which really enhances the flavor. We had some collards left over from breakfast, so we added those as a side.


My dessert for this day was a decadent chocolate walnut brownie. I've been asked for some recipes, and this one is so quick and easy that I'll share it below. We enjoyed these tremendously!



The original plan for our family dinner was to include steak, but our local co-op was unable to get the organic, grass-fed filet in, so we went with plan B...my nephew's favorite when he is at Mimi's house: "healthy shapes" with a side of broccoli and the adults had a spinach salad. Healthy shapes are super nutritious with ingredients including; carrots, celery, mushrooms, walnuts, lentils, flax seed, thyme and parsley. We began making these in cookie cutter shapes to entice my nephew and niece to eat them, so although we now make only circles they are still referred to as healthy shapes. The great thing about them is that you can make up a bunch and freeze them to pull out for a quick meal when you are short on time.


I tried a new carrot cake recipe...it was a risk and had about a 50% approval rating. Apparently, it must be a "girl thing" because all of us girls liked it, but the men where a little less enthused. The cake was made with almond meal and sweetened with maple syrup. I used a coconut cream frosting that was also sweetened with maple syrup, so no refined sugar was used resulting in no crazy blood sugar spikes and for that we should all be thankful.





I thoroughly enjoyed both birthday meals and can't wait to try more new recipes and for more reasons to celebrate!

As promised, here is the chocolate walnut brownie recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 C. extra-virgin coconut oil
1/2 C. bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 C. raw honey
2 eggs
1/4 C. coconut flour
1/4 tsp. celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. bittersweet chocolate chips

*Can use semi-sweet chocolate chips for a sweeter brownie.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 x 8 glass or stainless steel baking pan with extra-virgin coconut oil.

In small sauce pan melt coconut oil and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Add honey, reduce heat, add eggs. Whisk until well combined.

Add coconut flour, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Spread batter in prepared pan.

Sprinkle chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the top.

Bake about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Something to Celebrate!

I went back and forth a little bit on how to deal with turning 30...should I mourn the loss of my twenties or celebrate surviving them? I’m always up for a “party”, so of course the celebration won out! Here is a little recap of some great things that I experienced during the last decade:

At 20, I was loving life, spending long days at the beach and working on my B.A. in Public Relations. My parents and I traveled to Kansas City where I colored (and we dined) at the Crayola Café and we toured the Hallmark Corporation headquarters.

21: I interned at PLT and had tons of fun as “Miss Fun Tickets”, I graduated with my B.A., danced to “Paradise City” on the bar at Coyote Ugly (I do not, nor have I ever drank alcohol, but the movie had popularized this bar and so yes, I entered, I danced and ok, so maybe it was more than one song) in New Orleans. This year wrapped up with some really exciting firsts…my first trip to New York City during Christmastime included my first real snow, seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, having my breath taken away by St. Patrick’s Cathedral delicately covered with freshly fallen snow, shopping at Saks on 5th Avenue, riding in a limo, dining at the exquisite Tavern on the Green (sadly it has now closed), seeing Les Miz on Broadway, eating Dunkin Donuts in Times Square (this was long before my gluten-free days).

22: Began my first career path in the fast-paced world of advertising, welcomed my beautiful sister-in-law into the family, our lives were forever changed when my mom and I brought two little Maltese puppies home on Christmas Eve. Cole and Chloe have been in charge ever since!

23: This must not have been too eventful of a year! I settled into my career and spent time with friends, oh yes and we adjusted to life with two puppies in the house.

24: Mom and I nearly caused dad to have a heart attack when we almost missed our flight to New York. This time we went during July and it was more than HOT. We had a fun time with more NYC firsts: dessert at Carnegie Deli, two Broadway shows: Movin’ Out and Sweet Charity (starring Christina Applegate), Veniero’s Pastry where we had our first cannoli’s (yum!), appearing on Good Morning America hosted by Barbara Walters and Charlie Gibson.

25: Celebrated my Mama Mae’s 80th birthday, began career #2 in interior design (extremely fun!), celebrated the birth of my nephew Deacon which forever changed all of our lives for the better!

26: Missed our flight (for real this time) to Washington D.C. (dad handled it much better than before…really, who knew you had to be there 45 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave?!), had my picture taken in front of the White House with George W. Bush as President, started back to school to try my hand at accounting.

27: Continued my “detour” through school and continued to study God’s word and seek more of His plans for my life.

28: Led in the preschool department at church and acquired numerous hilarious and precious stories related to toddlers and potty training…fun times! Experienced the miracle of life as I stood by in the delivery room while my niece Layla entered the world. Learned about gluten and eliminated it from my diet. Finished school with a degree in accounting.

29: Worked full-time in accounting, left behind that career path. Vacationed in Savannah where we toured the squares with a true southern gentleman, Savannah Dan; dined at Paula Deen’s Restaurant, Lady and Sons and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Spent time resting, reflecting and seeing God’s grace, mercy and goodness.

The 20’s were certainly a time to be celebrated and filled with laughter, love, heartache, pain, and everything in between. Reflecting, I see God’s hand, His divine purpose and blessing. I pray for the next year, 10 years, lifetime that I will step aside and let God do all that He had in mind when He created me. I’m excited to see where He leads.

You crown the year with your bounty, your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. – Psalm 65:11