HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY + CHERIBUNDI

On this special occasion of Mother's Day, here is another sweeeet recipe for all the Wonderful Moms out there!!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MY READERS!!!

So, here is the sweet recipe I was talking about...Chocolate Cake!!!!

What, ANOTHER CHOC CAKE RECIPE??? Like there arent enough of those floating around already??!!! Well, before you yawn, here is the reason for my addition to the choc cake recipe world...first of all, I was very happy to receive this pack of Wonderful Cherry Juice from the folks over at Cheribundi!!! Thanks, Samantha!!!

Next, while trying out this unique cherry juice variety, I wanted to use it in one of my recipes, but not in a smoothie or shake or parfait....I wanted to put it to a different use altogether...now, recently, I have been reading quite a few recipes for cakes sweetened and  lightened up by using fruit juice as an ingredient. That way, the liquid ingredients become lighter in calories (as long as you dont use artificially sweetened juices) and also, the cakes end up becoming quite moist and are naturally sweeter, without the need for too much added sugar...how is that for multiple benefits??

Going onto Cheribundi...its a funny name but a very unique juice!!! According to the Cheribundi website:

"cheribundi™ starts as Montmorency cherries grown in Michigan and New York orchards. They use a proprietary juicing process that was developed with Cornell University to make a drink that retains all the power and benefits of the nutrients and antioxidants found in the little round fruits. cheribundi™ has more disease-fighting antioxidants than other juices and has been tested in the lab and field by athletes and people who just work out. Because cheribundi™ is all-natural and not from concentrate, it's a feel-better and live-healthier addition to your lifestyle."

I received a sample pack with samples of their a)Tru Cherry - which  offers 50 cherries, 2 servings of fruit and an abundance of antioxidants and nutrients(source: cheribundi.com)

b)Skinny Cherry - which offers 40 cherries, 90 calories and all-natural Stevia for sweetening(source: cheribundi.com)

and,

c)Whey Cherry - which offers 45 cherries, and 8 grams of whey protein, a powerful ratio of nutrients, carbs and protein.(source: cheribundi.com)

Verdict of taste-test of the cherry juice - all three cherry juice varieties were very, very flavorful and this juice was especially tasty, since it did not have the overpowering sweetness of  artificial sweeteners...definitely, a refreshing change from the usual juice varieties out there. For my chocolatey cherry cake recipe, I used the Whey Cherry...since I felt it struck a good balance of tartness, cherry content and sweetness.

Do hop on over to the Cheribundi website to find out more about their distinctive cherry juice varieties and to find out more about the many health benefits of cherry juice.

My family loved this light, flavorful and intensely chocolatey cherry cake...very different from the usual choc cake due to the addition of the cherry juice... yet the addition of the fruit juice did not detract from the chocolatey flavor of the cake...all in all, a recipe I will definitely try again with enthusiasm!

RECIPE FOR EGGLESS CHOCOLATEY CHERRY CAKE(using cherry juice from Cheribundi)

Prep/cook time: 45mins-55mins

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli unsweetened dark cocoa powder)

1/3 cup Cherry Juice ( I used Whey Cherry Juice from Cheribundi)

2/3 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Thick Yoghurt

1/4 cup cherry preserves(or any other mixed fruit jam)

1/3cup melted Chocolate chips ( I used Nestle semi-sweet choc morsels)

1/3cup cooking oil( of course, you could use butter too instead of oil)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2tbsp Flax seed meal

6tbsp warm water

1tsp Baking powder

1tsp baking soda

Garnish: fresh cherries or choc chips or nuts

Method:

Preheat the oven at 350F.

Mix the flaxseed meal with the warm water and set aside for 5 - 10 mins.

Mix the liquid ingredients including cherry preserves(or any other fruit preserve of your liking) and melted choc chips in a large bowl..whisk everything well

Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl.

Add the flaxseed paste and the other liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients, a little at a time and whisk  (by hand or using blender)until well combined into a thick batter

Grease the cake mould and pour the cake batter into it.

Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

When the cake cools down, you could glaze the top of cake with melted chocolate and garnish with cherries or nuts or any other garnish of your liking.

Note: This cake stays fresh for upto a week in the refigerator.

Version with eggs: You could substitute the flaxseed paste with 2 large eggs and whisk that with the other liquid ingredients.

Weekend Indulgence - Chocolatey Goodness with a difference!!

I love chocolate desserts as my blog posts should show...most of my desserts have chocolate in some shape or form in them...but recently, with the move to eating healthy, I am trying to find healthful ingredients in all my chocolate desserts.

So I was intrigued when I came upon this recipe for Chocolate Mousse in a fitness magazine which had no cream or half and half or anything else that is fattening in it! The main ingredient was....tofu!!! For a long time, I did not make this one because I was not sure if the texture of the mousse would be well...anything like mousse, with just tofu in it. When I tried it finally, for the first time - I found that it was actually very good...it had a creaminess to it that was very surprising for tofu. But to make it even better(well...perfection is good, right?!) I added bananas the next time and Voila...I get one awesome recipe for chocolate mousse! I served it for a weekend dinner(last weekend) with some friends and everybody wondered how much cream I had used...boy, were they surprised when they found it was tofu...

So, here goes with the recipe...hope you like it as much as my family and friends did!

Recipe for Chocolate Mousse with a difference:

Serves: 8

Prep/cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
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Super-Firm Tofu - 1 pack cut into small pieces(may also go by the name extra-firm tofu)
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
Unsweetened dark cocoa powder - 1 1/2 tsp(I used Ghirardelli)
Banana - 1 sliced thinly
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp(optional for extra sweetness)
Low-fat milk - 2 tsp

Method:

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Blend the tofu until it turns silken-smooth...this is very important in order to achieve the soft consistency of mousse...not blending enough will give it a gritty consistency. This step takes a few minutes.

Then, add all the other ingredients and blend until well-incorporated and thoroughly smooth. At this point, the mousse will have a very thick consistency.

Pour the mousse into serving cups or ramekins and cover each serving up with plastic wrap so that the top layer of the mousse remains smooth.

Chill overnight in the refrigerator and serve cold, if possible for best taste.

Garnishes could be cherries, candied fruit, chopped nuts, grated dark chocolate/white chocolate, toffee bits...for the kids, you could even serve with a beautiful topping of whipped cream(that always gets an awesome reaction from them)

Chocolatey Goodness for Valentine's Day - Healthfully Decadent Style!!!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I wanted to make some chocolatey goodies for the occasion, but in the Healthfully Decadent style. I wanted to make something wholesome and yet not over-the-top when it comes to fat and calories...most of the recipes I found on the web called for oodles of Nutella(the chocolate-hazelnut spread) and butter.

So I decided to make up my own recipe...so that I would come up with a product that would be yummy but still low on fat...something  I would not feel guilty about feeding the kids and of course, could eat one or two(or three or four...??) myself.

This is the recipe I came up with by combining multiple recipes for chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. There is no peanut butter in this recipe, but I was looking at those recipes for guidance because peanut butter is about the same consistency as Nutella.

The end result, I am happy to say, is that one I shall be making many more times. It is not too sugary-sweet but at the same time, it is one divine cookie with a lot of chocolatey wholesomeness. Here is the recipe, in case somebody else would like to try it. This recipe makes you "Super-Mom" with the kids, for sure...and you can tell yourself that the health benefits of high anti-oxidants from the dark chocolate make it good for you too:)))

Valentine's Day Special:  Heart-shaped Nutella Cookies encrusted with Nuts and Chocolate Chips Recipe

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Makes: 15 cookies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 12 - 14 mins

Ingredients:


1/4 cup (comes to about 4tbsp) light olive oil or any vegetable oil (alternately, you could use butter, of course...I used olive oil for a lighter, low fat cookie version)

1 ounce unsweetened dark cocoa powder( I used Ghirardelli)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tbsp Nutella

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup white chocolate chips



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or I just put parchment paper on the baking sheet to avoid the use of butter or oil for greasing the sheet(healthfully decadent, you know!) .


Whisk together cocoa and olive oil(or melted butter) until nicely combined. Place sugar in a large mixing bowl; add oil(butter)-cocoa mixture, and beat using a mixer on medium speed, until well combined and grainy - about 1 to 2 minutes.


In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Separately, beat Nutella, 1 egg and vanilla into sugar-oil-cocoa mixture, until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined; stir in hazelnuts/walnuts  and chocolate chips until combined.


Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, place on cookie sheets, and flatten slightly using palms of hands to get round cookies. I used some heart - shaped cookie cutters to shape the cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Cool 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!


These Healthfully Decadent Nutella Cookies go to Priya of Easy N Tasty Recipes for her timely event "Hearts for St.Valentine's Day".

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!

My attempt at emulating an accomplished baker!

My inspiration for Molten Chocolate Lava Cake came from the popular website - http://www.showmethecurry.com/

I adapted it to fit the label "healthful decadence" by reducing the quantity of butter and sugar from the original recipe. I can honestly say that chocolatey goodness oozes out, when you cut into it...HEAVEN!!!

This recipe is dedicated to my sister on her birthday since she is doing everything to eat right! And this is eating right to the hilt, ha ha!

I am putting this under the label Healthful Decadence, though it probably falls more under the category Decadent rather than Healthy!

Recipe for Molten Chocolate Lava Cake:
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Ingredients:

Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate – 4 oz (113g) or 1/2 cup
Butter – 3/4 of a stick
Eggs – 2
Sugar – 1/4 cup
All-purpose Flour – 1/3 cup
Butter – for greasing ramekins

Prep time: 15 to 20 mins.
Cooking time: 10 to 15 mins.

Method:

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate (I would like to emphasize using the best quality chocolate...something like Ghirardelli or Scharrfen-Berger).
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat Eggs and Sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Once chocolate is melted, remove pan from heat and add in butter. Mix until the butter melts fully.
4. Add chocolate/butter mixture into the eggs, add all-purpose flour and mix until well incorporated.
5. Butter bottom and sides of ramekins (small glass/porcelain bowls) and pour in mixture about 3/4 way full.
6. Place ramekins on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C) for 10 – 15 minutes. Shorter for gooey (molten) inside, longer for stiff inside.
7. Serve hot with your favorite ice cream.