Yummy, Moist Chocolate Cake...with a Twist!

OK, so some of my readers may be aware that I have put myself on a "no dairy" diet for the sake of my darling baby. She is 6 months old and I am nursing her still. When I eat dairy her cheeks get red and scratchy, her nose runs, she gets a cough and she projectile vomits. She is most likely allergic to the protein in milk, which actually is quite a common problem for babies. Anyhow, it's been a TOUGH road for me. And I cheat more than I should, causing her grief. Because dairy is in EVERYTHING it seems like. It's of course in milk, cheese, yogurt, most salad dressings, cream soups (goodbye creamy casseroles and soups), ice cream, chocolate, but it's also in stuff like peanut butter chips, granola bars, some breads and cereals, doughnuts and of course all cakes. And I don't have a lot of willpower. So I cheat. And she throws up and is miserable.

But recently I have discovered the fabulous thing that is Almond Milk. And it is SO much better tasting than Soy! It costs about the same (under $3 for a 1/2 gallon carton) - you can find coupons easily and there's only 40-60 calories per serving depending on the variety you buy. What does any of this have to do with chocolate cake? Well I was using it for cereal mostly, but one day got this crazy idea that I could start cooking with it. I used it to make cornbread one day and it turned out so good. Better than when I use regular milk in fact --it was much moister and a better texture. So the other day I tried a white cake...yummy! ( I will post the recipe for that soon too!) Today, it was chocolate cake.

And now I am finally at peace :). Do you know what it's like to go without chocolate???? But plain cocoa doesn't have milk in it...so I substituted the buttermilk for almond milk and "voila!" Chocolate fix granted! I'll tell you I am in HEAVEN today! And again this is better than any chocolate cake you can buy or make from a box. I am getting to the point I might be done with milk for good just because I WANT to! Life is good today...

OK to the recipe...

Dairy Free Moist Dark Chocolate Cake (OK, so the name needs work...any suggestions?)

2 C Flour

2 C Sugar

3/4 C Baking Cocoa

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 large eggs

1 tsp salt

1 C Almond Milk (original recipe called for buttermilk, if you really don't want to try it with AM...but you will really thank me if you try it this way...I promise!)

1 C Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 C Boiling water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yep! this is a SLOW bake cake). Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix on medium speed until everything is blended and smooth. Pour into your pan. It will be thin. Bake for one hour. Test by sticking with a fork or toothpick. It is done when it comes out clean. Cool and serve with your favorite icing...or by itself!

Also - Did you know you can substitute applesauce or black beans for oil? I haven't tried it with this recipe, but will let you know if I do...if you try it, let me know the results!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Chicken

This is a really easy yummy dish that you can throw in the crock pot and forget about it until you put it on the table. Serve with rice and you've got a nice summer meal without the oven being on and heating up the house!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Chicken

3 lbs chicken breast

1 16 oz can pineapple chunks

1 15 oz can mandarin oranges

2 TBLS Lemon juice

2 TBLS brown sugar

2 TBLS corn starch (I actually used about TWICE this much because I wanted the sauce thicker!)

1/4 tsp each salt and ground ginger

Combine corn starch with cold lemon juice (if you put it with warm liquids it will clump up!). Add all other ingredients besides chicken. Stir well. Place chicken and mixture in the crockpot and stir to coat all the chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours until done.

Makes 6 servings. Calories: 370. Total Fat: 3g. Sodium 260 mg. Total Carbs: 28g. Protein: 52g.

The BEST Oatmeal Cookies EVER...even BETTER!

OK guys, so I posted my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe a bit ago. I have to admit I make these every chance I get, which is not so fabulous for my diet plan. Would not be so bad if I didn't eat anywhere from 1/2 to a whole dozen cookies in a sitting. Yes, it's true. Well, I was making them yesterday and decided to try using whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The result....Yummy, healthified deliciousness! OK, so it's still a cookie, but it makes me feel better anyway. Because there is so much oatmeal in them, you can't even tell the difference when you make them with whole wheat. Oh and then I added a cup of PECANS chopped. Yeah, that's a good addition too....

So try them if you haven't yet. You will love them, guarenteed!

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Have you missed me? Oh life has been crazy busy around here lately. I've been trying to stress less about getting EVERYTHING done and so the blog has been neglected. I am sorry. I hope this makes up for it, because it is a really yummy recipe. I literally threw this together as we were sitting down for dinner today and it was a huge hit! I love poppy seed dressing and didn't realize how EASY it is to make, aside from being much cheaper than what you can buy in the store. Lucky for me I just happened to have some poppy seeds in the pantry...who knows how long they've been there! Anyway, this the perfect compliment to our homemade spaghetti sauce, which if you are lucky will be posted in the near future as well. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY SALAD:

1 head Romaine lettuce AND/OR

Baby Spinach (I used romaine because that is what I had, but it is also really good with spinach)

1/2 lb fresh strawberries sliced (more or less depending on what you like!)

1/2 medium purple onion, sliced thin (I'm sure you could use another type if you prefer)

Mandarin oranges, canned or fresh

Slivered almonds

DRESSING:

1/2 C Mayo

2 TBLS White or Red Wine Vinegar (I used red)

1/3 C white sugar

1/4 C Milk (I actually used Almond Milk, since I'm off dairy currently...)

1 - 2 TBLS Poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS: Put the "salad" together....mix the "dressing" together. Enjoy together :)

OK, so I actually didn't think to put the oranges on this salad tonight. It was an afterthought, but I am going to try it tomorrow with some california Cutie mandarin oranges I got in my bountiful basket this week. I haven't ever tried it with fresh oranges, but used to put canned mandarin oranges on my salads all the time. It can only be better with fresh don't you think?

(Side Note...I did try it with the fresh oranges and YUM!!!)

Try this and I dare you to tell me you don't love it as much as I do! Ready...set...go!

Sweet Bean Burritos

Featuring the Sweet Potato! I know what your thinking...yes it does sound odd, but TRY IT! You just might like it. I think it's great! This is another recipe from the Dinner Diva over at savingdinner.com. Enjoy!

2 TBLS Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped (we used half of each of a red and yellow onion)

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cans black beans, drained

2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

1 tsp cumin

6 flour tortillas

6 TBLS cilantro, chopped

6 TBLS cheddar cheese

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add beans, stir in mashed sweet potatoes, add the cumin and mix well.

Heat tortillas and plop bean mixture inside, add the cilantro and cheddar cheese and roll up burrito style. Serve.

(You can also serve with enchilada sauce and cheese on top, along with a dollop of sour cream...yummy!)