Easy and Delicious Black Forest Cake

This is one of my DH favourite cakes and as it turns out my kids enjoyed it quite a bit,  which is a miracle because our kiddos do not eat cake. The cake is not as per the authentic Schwarzwald Kirsch Torte, but that makes it easier to prepare and still enjoy the flavour of Black Forest Cake.

What you will need...

1/2 cup of flour

1/4 cup of good quality cacao powder

 3 tbsp of butter, melted (skim off the white solids on top)

6 eggs, at room temperature (if you forget to take out your eggs, just put them in a bowl of warm  water for 10-15 min)

pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla

3/4 cup of sugar

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 tsp of vanilla

2 cups of pitted cherries, I used frozen black cherries

1 can/jar, 19-24 oz of sour cherries in syrup, if you can not find that you can use regular cherries in light syrup

1/4 cup of kirsch  plus 3 tbsp of kirsch (you could use brandy as well)

1/3 cup of sugar

chocolate shaving for decoration, 3 oz or so

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease and line two 9 cake pans 

Strain the jarred/canned cherries (reserve syrup) and soak them in a bowl with 1/4 cup of  kirsch while the preparing the cake

Sift together flour, salt and cacao powder and set aside.

Using the whisk attachment on our mixer, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. 

Beat on high for 8-10 min. The mixture will triple in volume and will be quite thick. 

Turn down the speed to medium and add in the dry ingredients. Turn off the mixer as soon as you add  dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula fold in the flour mixture and butter, using as few strokes as possible. Pour into cake pans, place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 min, until cakes feel firm to the touch.

Let cool on rack.

While the cake is baking, pour the cherry syrup in a sauce pan, add sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced, about 10-15 min. Stir in the kirsch or brandy and set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla over medium-high speed until it holds firm peaks. It should be smooth and firm. 

To assemble the cake...

Take your first cake layer and place it on a cake plate/stand.

Brush it liberally with the cherry syrup.

Using an offset spatula, smooth on about 1/2  inch of whipped cream. 

Nestle in the jarred/canned cherries that have been soaking in the kirsch, scattering them evenly.

Gently smooth over another 1/2 inch of whipped cream on top of the cherries.

Top with second cake layer. Brush liberally with cherry syrup. Spread a layer of whipping cream across the top and sides of the cake.

Sprinkle sides of cake with chocolate shavings and decorate the top with fresh or in my case frozen, but defrosted and drained cherries. 

Decorated as desired.

Southwest Quinoa

This a great and delicious option for a vegetarian meal or a side dish. It's hardy and delicious. Best of all it's super easy to prepare and still tastes wonderful the next day!  

1 cup of quinoa, rinsed

1 16-19oz can of black beans

1 16-19oz can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup of veggie or chicken stock

2 tbsp of olive oil

1-2 jalopeno peppers, seeded and finely diced

1 pablano pepper(or green pepper),finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp of chili powder

1 tsp of cumin 

1 tsp of smoked paprika 

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro for garnish 

lime juice

Creamy avocado sauce (optional)

Heat a  large, heavy bottom saute or frying pan over medium-high heat. 

Add the oil and saute the garlic, jalapenos and pablano pepper for 1-2 min until fragrant. 

Add in all the dried spices and fry for a minute, so that they release the oils.

Toss in the rest of the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

 

 Serve with fresh squeezed lime juice and cilantro or,

...this delicious and healthy creamy avocado sauce.

 

Creamy avocado and basil sauce with zoodle pasta

Once again...I love my spirilizer and zucchinis...so this is anther way to enjoy both. The creamy avocado, basil sauce is great! I had some fresh mint so added it as well, but it's not really required. The sauce goes great on top of eggs, or my Southwest Quinoa.

2 large zucchinis, spiralized

2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded

1/2 cup of fresh basil

1/4 cup of fresh mint (optional)

2-3 garlic cloves, depending on how garlicy you like it

1/3 cup of olive or avocado oil

pinch of cayenne pepper

3 tbsp of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients, but the olive oil, for the sauce in a food processor. Process  until combined and season with salt and pepper. 

 

 Slowly drizzle in the olive/avocado oil until emulsified.

If you prefer a warm pasta dish. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add a table spoon olive oil take a head of garlic and crush/squish (I know, a very technical term) it with a knife and toss it in the oil. Toss in your zoodles and cook for 3-4 min. Discard garlic clove.

Toss the zoodles in with your creamy avocado sauce, add in some corn (optional) and devour :)

Enchilada Lasagna

This was an experiment which was quite successful and I will repeat over and over again in the future. This "lasagna" can be done with regular pasta noodles, corn or brown rice tortillas or I made it with crepes.  I did takes pics of the prep and cooking process,  or I thought I did....Until I realized the card was not in the camera...Yeah...

What you will need...

For the chicken

2 large boneless,  skinless chicken breasts or 3 smaller ones (you can also use chicken thighs)

1 small can of green chilies

1 14 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 small onion chopped

2 tbsp of chili powder

1 tsp of cumin

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

For the enchilada sauce (you can do that ahead of time and store in the fridge).

3 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of flour

1 14-16 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup of chicken or veggie broth (or you can use water)

1 1/2 tbsp of chili powder

1 tsp of dried oregano

1/2 tsp of cumin

1 tsp  of garlic powder

1 tsp of brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and whisk  in flour until combined, for about a minute. Add in the rest of the ingredients,season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 min.

For the "pasta" layers..

You can use brown rice tortillas, corn tortillas or regular lasagna noodles. I made mine with grain free crepes. If you are using tortillas, microwave them for about 30 sec, it makes them more pliable and easier for assembly. You can slice the tortillas into strips (using a pizza slicer).

Extras

1/2 can of re-fried beans (optional)

1 cup of your favourite cheese (I used a tex-mex shredded cheese mix, but chedder or Jack cheese would work well too)

How we prepare it...

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat a large heavy bottom pan with oil.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat sprinkling it with all the dry spices listed above, 5-7 min. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Saute onion, garlic and jalapenos in chicken drippings until tender, 2-3 min. Add in the tomatoes and green chilies. Return chicken to pan and cook for additional 10-15 min, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove chicken from pan and let cool slightly until you can touch it and then shred it. Return shredded chicken back to tomato/chilies. Add in half of the enchilada sauce to the chicken and reserve the rest for the lasagna.

Now let's put it all together. 

 Spread the refried  beans on the bottom of a 8x8 glass baking dish. 

If you are not using refried beans, just add a couple of table spoons of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish. Arrange your noodles/tortillas strips, top with chicken and enchilada sauce. Repeat until you get to the top. Top layer should be sauce and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 min. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 min, without removing foil.

Top with chopped cilantro, avocado and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Sooo good!

German Pancake Mini bowls

This is not your regular old pancake. It's more like a dessert,  kind of like a custard tart filled with your choice of deliciousness. You can fill them with fresh fruit, jam, honey, really, any of your favourite toppings.  I put a little dollop of nutella and then topped them with cherry pie filling. Soo, soo good! Next time I will chop up an apple, cook it down with a bit of water,sugar, cinnamon and walnuts and fill them that way. 

Bonus is...they are super simple to make!

What you will need...

6 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 cup of flour, sifted

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of butter, melted

How we make them...

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease muffin tin (the recipe makes 12 regular size "muffins")

Using your mixer blend the eggs, milk, salt and vanilla together.

Add in the flour, slowly, making sure it's incorporated well and there are no lumps.

Depending on how hot your butter is, add it in slowly to make sure you temper the eggs. 

I used a 1/4 measuring cup to fill the muffin tins.

Bake for 15 min or until the tops are a nice golden colour.

Zoodle noodle salad with peanut dressing

I just can't get enough of my veggie spiralizer, or of this salad to be honest. I could eat it all day, every day. It's crunchy, chewy, filled with nutrient rich veggies and all the vibrant colours make it a feast for the eyes. 

Veggies...

2 medium zucchini, spiraled or julienned

2 large carrots, spiraled or julienned

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips (you can use yellow or orange as well)

1 - 1 1/2 cups of thinly sliced red cabbage (I find a mandolin works best)

1 cup of frozen edamame, cooked

1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger 

1/4 cup of all natural peanut butter, or almond butter

2 tbsp of lime juice

2 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp of rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp of water

2 tsp of honey (maple syrup or agave would work as well)

2 tsp of sesame oil

 

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk well.

Combine all your veggies in a bowl and top with dressing. Voila! Now sit back and enjoy. I like to serve it with some teriyaki salmon. The great part about this salad is that it keeps well and you can enjoy it the next day...given there is anything left :)

Recipe by Oh She Glows.