Chocolate Zucchini Bread

It is no secret that cakes and breads are not exactly "healthy." This is a problem because I love to bake and I especially love to eat what I bake! This chocolate zucchini bread is great because it is fluffy, moist, chocolaty, AND relatively healthy! There is absolutely no flour or sugar in this recipe but you would never know it by tasting the bread! I think it actually tastes more like a chocolate cake than a bread!

To make this chocolate zucchini bread you will need:

• 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
• 3 Tbs HONEY
• 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
• 2 LARGE EGGS
• 1/8 tsp SALT
• 1 Tbs VANILLA
• 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
• Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)

Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Then put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.

Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.

It won't exactly look pretty... but I promise it tastes good!

Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini.

Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.

You can serve it warm or at room temperature!

I cut my bread into pieces that were 3/4 to 1 inch thick which gave me about 10 slices.

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
• 3 Tbs HONEY
• 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
• 2 LARGE EGGS
• 1/8 tsp SALT
• 1 Tbs VANILLA
• 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
• Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.
4. Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.
5. Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. 
6. Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini. Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.

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I adapted this recipe from the following blog: http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/organic-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/

Red Velvet Cake Taste Test!

So last week I decided to have a little red velvet taste testing session. I compared three cake recipes and two icing recipes. This is what it did to my kitchen... and I cleaned as I went! :/

One thing you definitely need with red velvet cake is plenty of red food coloring!

The batters all turned out so pretty and bright!

Ok, now to the point. The comparison! I cut three different recipe by four so I didn't have bazillions of cupcakes. 

                                          Batter #1:                                 Batter 2:

Batter 3:

And here is how they cooked up!

Ok, now onto the icings!

The first one I tried was a flour icing and can be seen below....and I uhhh...didn't make it right and it was uhhh...pretty bad. I'll have to try that one again sometime and see if it turns out better...

Next I made a vanilla icing with a vegetable shortening base and it was delicious! Definitely a keeper! Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the recipe!

Cupcake #1:

Cupcake #2:

Cupcake #3:

After they were all iced, it was time for the taste test! The best part!

After tasting all of them this is what I decided:

Cupcake 1: Very moist! Maybe too moist for a cupcake because it was hard to get out of the paper, but would be perfect for a cake. Also had great flavor! It didn't fluff up very much though.

Cupcake 2: A little dry. Easy to get out of the paper. Didn't rise very much. Overall, not great...

Cupcake 3: Beautiful, rose nicely. Came out of the paper easily.  Great texture. (And just so happen to be my mom's recipe! I guess mother really does know best!) Could use a little bit of a flavor boost compared to cupcake 1 though...sorry mom!

What I decided was that I basically want to cross the 1st and 3rd cupcake to get the flavor and moistness of the 1st, but the texture and looks from the 3rd. I also decided that chocolate cake is better than red velvet cake. Sorry, I know this is supposed to be about red velvet cake, but I like my chocolate cake better!

Berry Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love fruit! Not usually on salads, but this salad just sounded so good! It is a perfect summer salad to have when all of the berries are in season!

In order to make it you will need:

• 3-4 cups of ROMAINE LETTUCE 
• 1/2 cup fresh BLUEBERRIES
• 1/2 cup fresh STRAWBERRIES, sliced
• 1 oz. crumbled FETA CHEESE
• 1 Tbs SALAD DRESSING

Make sure to rinse all of the ingredients to remove any dirt, toss together in a bowl, add the dressing, and serve! I made a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, but a poppy seed dressing, or simply a balsamic vinaigrette would also be good!

To make the Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette you will need:

• 1 cup fresh STRAWBERRIES
• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 2 Tbs BALSAMIC VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/4 tsp PEPPER
• 1 tsp HONEY

I simply threw all of the ingredients into my food processor and blended until smooth! Simple as that!

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Berry Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Berry Salad:

• 3-4 cups of ROMAINE LETTUCE 
• 1/2 cup fresh BLUEBERRIES
• 1/2 cup fresh STRAWBERRIES, sliced
• 1 oz. crumbled FETA CHEESE
• 1 Tbs SALAD DRESSING

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing:

• 1 cup fresh STRAWBERRIES
• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 2 Tbs BALSAMIC VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/4 tsp PEPPER
• 1 tsp HONEY

Directions:

Berry Salad:

1. Make sure to rinse all of the ingredients to remove any dirt, toss together in a bowl, add the dressing, and serve! 
2. I made a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, but a poppy seed dressing, or simply a balsamic vinaigrette would also be good!

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing:

1. I simply threw all of the ingredients into my food processor and blended until smooth! Simple as that!

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The recipe that I based the dressing off of can be found at this website:
http://www.fitsugar.com/Healthy-Recipe-Strawberry-Balsamic-Vinaigrette-3368831

Balsamic Chicken

My husband and I made this for dinner last night and we both really liked the marinade on the chicken! We made balsamic chicken with onion, tomato, mushrooms, and a side of potatoes. The marinade is quite simple. All you need is:

• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 3 Tbs BALSAMIC VINEGAR
• 2 tsp DIJON MUSTARD
• 1 clove GARLIC
• 1 CHICKEN BREAST, cut in half long-wise 

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Place the chicken into the marinade and make sure that there is a good coating of the marinade on the chicken. Heat the oil in a skillet on the stove. Once the oil is hot, pour the chicken and the marinade into the skillet. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side (or longer if you have thick chicken breasts). And that's it!

We cooked up some onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes with the chicken and then baked some cubed potatoes to have on the side! Yum!

Bon Appetit!

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Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 3 Tbs BALSAMIC VINEGAR
• 2 tsp DIJON MUSTARD
• 1 clove GARLIC
• 1 CHICKEN BREAST, cut in half long-wise 

Directions:

1. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and garlic. 
2. Place the chicken into the marinade and make sure that there is a good coating of the marinade on the chicken. 
3. Heat the oil in a skillet on the stove. Once the oil is hot, pour the chicken and the marinade into the skillet. 
4. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side (or longer if you have thick chicken breasts). And that's it!

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The website where I found the marinade is: http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=50441

Butter Chicken

My husband found this recipe last year and it has since become one of my favorite chicken dishes! This recipe will make a lot of food but it is good leftover so we just eat it for days! (and I don’t even like leftovers!)

What you will need:

• 4 lbs CHICKEN THIGHS, cut into bite sized cubes (you can use breasts if you prefer)
• 6 GARLIC CLOVES crushed OR 3 tsp MINCED GARLIC
• 2 tsp GARAM MASALA
• 3 tsp GROUND CORIANDER
• 3 tsp GROUND CUMIN
• 1 tsp CHILI POWDER
• 1 tsp PAPRIKA
• 3/4 cup PLAIN GREEK YOGURT
• 7 Tbs BUTTER
• 1 Tbs WHITE VINEGAR
• 3 Tbs TOMATO PASTE
• 4 large TOMATOES, peeled and chopped OR 1 can (28 oz) WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES, chopped
• 1/2 tsp CINNAMON
• 1 cup HEAVY CREAM or COCONUT MILK
• Optional: garnish with chopped CILANTRO

• RICE to serve dish over

First combine the chicken, garlic, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and yogurt in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. 

In a large pot, melt the butter on the stove. Once the butter has melted, add the vinegar, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and cinnamon. Bring the contents to a boil and stir until the tomato mixture breaks down and is thick (this could take up to 20 minutes depending on how you chopped the tomatoes). 

Reduce the heat and add the chicken. Stir the pot while keeping the mixture at a simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Once the chicken is fully cooked add the cream and allow the mixture to simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve over rice, top with cilantro, and enjoy!

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Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs CHICKEN THIGHS, cut into bite sized cubes (you can use breasts if you prefer)
• 6 GARLIC CLOVES crushed OR 3 tsp MINCED GARLIC
• 2 tsp GARAM MASALA
• 3 tsp GROUND CORIANDER
• 3 tsp GROUND CUMIN
• 1 tsp CHILI POWDER
• 1 tsp PAPRIKA
• 3/4 cup PLAIN GREEK YOGURT
• 7 Tbs BUTTER
• 1 Tbs WHITE VINEGAR
• 3 Tbs TOMATO PASTE
• 4 large TOMATOES, peeled and chopped OR 1 can (28 oz) WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES, chopped
• 1/2 tsp CINNAMON
• 1 cup HEAVY CREAM or COCONUT MILK
• Optional: garnish with chopped CILANTRO
• RICE to serve dish over

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, garlic, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and yogurt in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. 
2. In a large pot, melt the butter on the stove. Once the butter has melted, add the vinegar, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and cinnamon. 
3. Bring the contents to a boil and stir until the tomato mixture breaks down and is thick (this could take up to 20 minutes depending on how you chopped the tomatoes). 
4. Reduce the heat and add the chicken. Stir the pot while keeping the mixture at a simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Once the chicken is fully cooked add the cream and allow the mixture to simmer for a few more minutes.
6. Serve over rice, top with cilantro, and enjoy!

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Baked Salmon & Potatoes with a Mustard Sauce

If you like salmon and you like mustard, then you will like this recipe! (Even if you don't like salmon, the sauce is really good on the potatoes too!)

For two people you will need:

• 3-4 NEW POTATOES (depending on size and how much you like potatoes)
• 4 oz. BUTTON MUSHROOMS (you can leave these out if you are like my husband and don’t like mushrooms, or you can make them anyway and just let your wife eat your share)
• 2 SALMON FILLETS
• 3 Tbs. OLIVE OIL
• 1 Tbs. RED WINE VINEGAR
• 1 Tbs. DIJON MUSTARD
• 1 tsp. HONEY
• 2 Tbs. FRESH FLAT LEAF PARSLEY (chopped)
• SALT
• PEPPER

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 

Toss the potatoes and mushrooms in 1 Tbs. olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet for about 20 minutes (toss once) until the potatoes start to get soft. 

Push the potatoes and mushrooms to the side of the sheet and place the salmon fillets in the opening. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. 

Roast until everything is cooked through and tender, about 10-15 minutes.

While everything is cooking whisk together 2 Tbs. olive oil, the vinegar, mustard, honey, parsley, and 1/4 tsp. of both salt and pepper. Brush/drizzle the sauce over the salmon and vegetables before serving. (You may have more sauce than you need so be careful not to drown your dinner in it!)

Here is an old picture, not as pretty but still delicious!

The website where I found this recipe is: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-salmon-potatoes-mushrooms-00000000012567/index.html