Chainsaws and Sugar Free Juice Pops

Isaiah has found a new toy, a very LOUD toy, it makes a noise that makes you feel like someone is sawing down a tree right next to you. He lives for this toy. In fact he loves it so much that he has been sleeping with it the last couple of nights, tucked under his arm like a stuffed animal. Should I be worried? Not only does he sleep with it, it also goes everywhere he goes.... to the store, to eat, outside to cut down trees, and to Seven Peaks.

The second thing thing that Isaiah has been loving is juice pops, although not as much as the chain saw (he hasn't tried to sleep with one yet). They are so easy and I feel a lot better giving him that then a brightly dyed corn syrup pop. I forgot about these wonderful little treats, until my friend reminded me the other day of them. She was on bed rest and had me pick up different juices to make Popsicles. So I followed suit and bought a huge gallon jug of apple cider. It has made the best apple Popsicles. I bought the Popsicle molds at Target, or one of those chain stores last year I don't remember which, but pretty much everywhere has them.

Juice Pops

Your favorite juice

Popsicle Molds

Poor the juice into the molds and freeze.

Naturally Sweetened Chocolate Cake with Whip Cream Frosting

I made this birthday cake for my friend's daughter. My poor friend is on bed rest and can't do anything but lay on her side. She asked me to make a birthday cake for her daughters birthday, as a surprise. I was honored to make it. My friend eats only whole grains, and natural sweeteners. So this cake of course was made with natural sweeteners, and whole grains. The cake itself was very rich, and had an intense dark chocolate flavor. To lighten it up I added marshmallow frosting in between the layers, and topped it all with a chocolate whip cream frosting. What baked good doesn't improve with a little frosting? Making frosting without refined sugar can be kind of a trick to get the right consistency. Luckily I found two frosting recipes that fit the bill. The marshmallow frosting is from elana's pantry, and the whip cream frosting is from 101 cookbooks.

Looking back I think the cake would be a little bit better as a sheet cake, under baking it slightly so it is still moist. I think I slightly over did the baking trying to make sure that it was done all the way through. Also the whip cream frosting tends to separate when you add the dark chocolate so make it right before you are going to serve it, or add cocoa powder, instead of dark chocolate so that it won't separate. My friend also thought maybe you could mix all of the ingredients for the frosting, chill all of them, and then try whipping it, so that it wouldn't separate, who knows it's worth a try.

Below is the chocolate cake recipe from 101 cookbooks with my adaptations:

Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 cups whole grain flour ( I used kamut)

3/4 C cocoa powder (make sure this is quality because the taste affects the cake)

1 T baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt (fine grain)

1/2 C barely melted coconut oil

1 C agave (or maple syrup)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 C coconut milk, room temp.

1 dark chocolate bar finely chopped, (mine was 3.5 oz), she uses 8 oz.-(that is a lot of chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans. Sift the flour, ,cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together the coconut oil and agave or maple syrup. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and coconut milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir to just combine, DON"T overstir. Fold in the chopped chocolate, gently. Pour into the baking pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. Take out when a tooth pick comes out clean. If doing a sheet cake slightly underbake it and pull it out when a tooth pick inserted still has a few crumbs that stick to it. Let cake cool COMPLETELY before frosting it or trying to get it out of the pans.

Frost the in between the layers with marshmallow frosting (recipe below), and cover the whole thing with chocolate whip cream frosting, top with fresh berries.

Marshmallow Frosting

2 egg whites

1/2 C agave

Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks with a hand mixer on high speed. Once the egg whites have formed stiff peaks, pour in the agave in a slow drizzle while beating. The frosting keeps for 48 hours in the fridge, but it will separate, in that case beat it again until it comes back together.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

(taken from 101 cookbooks)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

To make the frosting melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, or in a bowl placed over a pan of boiling water. In a medium bowl beat the butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup. Then add the melted chocolate. Stir until silky smooth - any flecks of butter should be melted. Pour the chocolate mixture over the whipped cream and fold the chocolate into the cream. Keep going until the chocolate is well incorporated. Use an offset spatula to frost the completely cooled cake. If the cake is at all warm, the frosting will weep and melt. It still tastes good, but isn't what you're after.

Makes one 8x8 or 9x9 cake.

Fudgey Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Black beans??? You might be thinking in a burrito yes, but they have no business in my brownie, but give these babies a try because black beans actually make a really fudgey yummy brownie! I first saw the idea for putting black beans in brownies on 101 cookbooks blog. If you haven't seen her blog, you really should go there, she has amazing photography, and recipes. Her brownie looked beautiful but it is full of butter, coffee, and complicate steps. I wanted a simpler method, no butter, and coffee, because hey if I am going to put black beans in my brownies, I am going to make them healthy-ish. For my rendition of the brownie, I added baking soda, maple syrup extract, cut out an egg, the butter, a half cup of agave, and the coffee. I also added cocoa powder to the batter instead of melted chocolate and then put on top chunks of dark chocolate, and chocolate chips, mmmmmm.

I had to include this picture, it is of my little one stealing pieces off the plate while I took pictures. He LOVED them.

And another pic of Isaiah shoving his face with brownie. Don't be afraid to try these, they are a decadent dessert. If you like more of a cakey brownie, add a half cup of flour in, and ENJOY, because it is a brownie you can feel good about eating!

Fudgey Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies (whoo, what a name)

3 eggs
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 C walnuts
1 T vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
3 T coconut oil (i you don't have coconut oil, you can sub another oil) (but you should get some because it is a lot better for you than most oils and it is good for your skin!)
1 C agave
2 C black beans (rinsed, if canned)
1/2 C chocolate chips/dark chocolate chunks (I did half dark chocolate chips and half dark chocolate chunks)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t maple syrup extract (optional, but gives it a nice flavor)

Line a 11X13 baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 325. Then put all of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and a 1/4 C of the walnuts, in a high powered blender and blend. If your blender is not so high powered, try blending just the eggs, agave, and black beans, and then add the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips, and a 1/4 cup of walnuts. just give it a little longer to incorporate all of the ingredients. (You don't want chunks of black beans in your brownies!). Pour the mixture in the lined pan, then sprinkle the chocolate, and walnuts on top. Bake at 325 until the middle has set, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting. Unlike most brownies these taste best refrigerated, so keep them in the fridge and serve cold.