Mini Chocolate Pudding Cakes

Right now you're having one of two thoughts:  (1) What the heck is a pudding cake? or (2) Why is this girl so obsessed with chocolate?  Both of these questions can be answered by MAKING THIS RECIPE, originally from the Baking Illustrated cookbook.  Okay, so a pudding cake is similar to a dump cake in that the ingredients are not all incorporated into a batter before baking.  The result is a rich cake surrounded by a chocolatey, silky pudding.  If you're trying to impress someone, I highly recommend making this dessert!

Ingredients (for 8 cakes in small ramekins)

• 2 tsp instant coffee mixed with 1.5 cups water (or 1 cup coffee + 1/2 cup water)
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup loosely-packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (if using bittersweet, increase sugar to 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks

Spray the ramekins with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Set the ramekins on a baking sheet in case they bubble over.  Stir together 1/3 cup of the cocoa, the brown sugar, and 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar in a small bowl, breaking up any large clumps; set aside.  Melt the butter, remaining 1/3 cup cocoa, and chocolate in the microwave on half power, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Whisk the flour and baking powder in a small bowl to combine.  In another bowl, whisk the 1/3 cup sugar with the vanilla, milk, and salt and then add the egg yolks, beating to combine.  Add the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly to combine, and then add the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is evenly moistened.  

Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins (about 1/4 cup per ramekin) and level with the back of a spoon; sprinkle about 2 tablespoons cocoa mixture over the batter in each ramekin.  Pour 3 tablespoons coffee mixture over the cocoa mixture in each ramekin.  Bake until puffed and bubbling, about 20 minutes (do not overbake.)  Cool the ramekins about 15 minutes before serving.

Alternative to mini cakes:  Use an 8-inch square baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and pour all the batter in, sprinkle the cocoa mixture, and then pour the coffee mix on top.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, then cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Summery Zucchini and Tomato Bake

Hooray for summer and tomatoes and zucchini!  This is the perfect time of year to make a dish like this.  I had seen a similar recipe for a layered tomato and zucchini dish, but it looked a little boring, so I changed it!  I ended up with a keeper--I had to stop myself from eating the entire dish (yes, it is that good).  Serve this crunchy vegetable goodness over pasta or perhaps use as a side dish!

Ingredients (for 3-4 small servings):

• 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced (and drained on a paper towel)
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning (or your favorite herb blend)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko, which adds extra crunch)
• olive oil

This is really simple to prepare.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Next, spray an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray, then start layering:  

  1) a layer of zucchini and yellow squash + sprinkle of salt, pepper and Greek seasoning

  2) sprinkle some sliced onion and add half of the tomato slices + salt and pepper

  3) repeat layers 1 and 2 until the veggies are gone

At this point, put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes; this is to precook the veggies before adding the breadcrumb topping.  Meanwhile, mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and add some more pepper.  Take the dish out of the oven and generously sprinkle the topping all over the veggies.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the breadcrumb mixture.  Put it back in the oven and bake another 17 - 20 minutes until the dish is bubbling and golden brown.  Enjoy!  You might as well eat it all in one sitting; the breadcrumbs will not stay crunchy as leftovers :o)

Healthy Almond and Cherry Granola bars

I think I've admitted it before:  I love granola bars--oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, peanut butter, you name it.  I adapted this recipe off of an Ellie Krieger recipe called Walnut and Dried Cherry bars, but I changed few of the ingredients and their quantities.  I prefer granola bars that are not too sweet, so these are perfect.  With that in mind, feel free to increase the amount of honey or brown sugar to suit your taste, but remember that the cherries are very sweet!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup roasted unsalted almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• cooking spray

     Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, wheat bran, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Then add the chopped almonds and cherries.  In another bowl, whisk the egg, honey, applesauce, brown sugar, and oil.  Combine the oat mixture with the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Press the mixture into the 8-inch baking dish, using your fingers or the back of a spatula.  Bake for 26 - 28 minutes until the edges and top are golden brown (longer for more crunch).  Cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into 12 bars.  Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

This recipe, like some of my others, was kind of an experiment!  I knew that I liked the flavor combination of sweet potatoes and black beans, plus my aunt had just told me about some sweet potato latkes that she ate recently.  So I looked up a simple latke recipe and added different seasonings that I thought would complement sweet potatoes.  Since I try to keep my recipes healthy, I chose to bake these instead of frying them.  (I can only imagine how phenomenal these latkes would be, if fried!)  The latkes are really good on their own, but if you want some complexity, try the black bean sauce and maybe some sour cream!

Ingredients for the latkes:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, grated
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• cooking spray

Ingredients for the black bean sauce:

• 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper (canned in adobo sauce)
• 1 clove minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Start by grating the potatoes (either by hand or with a food processor grating attachment).  In a colander, mix the grated potato with the 1 tsp of salt.  Let sit in the sink for a few minutes, then press out as much moisture as possible (I put a piece of plastic wrap over the potato and pressed down with a large spoon).  In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining latke ingredients, then stir in the potato.  Spray a foil-lined cookie sheet generously with cooking spray.  Using a spoon, take a small dollop of the mixture and press into a thin patty on the cookie sheet.  Repeat until the mixture is gone (expect to make about 15 latkes), using another greased cookie sheet if necessary.  Spray the latkes with more cooking spray.  Bake for 9 minutes, then flip the latkes over, baking another 5 - 7 minutes until golden brown.  

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the bell pepper and sprinkle with salt and pepper cook 5 - 7 minutes when it is tender and starting to brown.  Add the garlic and scallion, stir for 30 seconds, and then remove from heat.  In a food processor, process the beans, broth, bell pepper mixture, chipotle, and cumin. Return it to the skillet and warm over medium heat.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more broth.  After the black bean sauce is warmed, serve a dollop on top of the latkes, garnishing with scallion and/or sour cream.  Enjoy!