Mint Chocolate Cake

Our weather has been super fantastic this week. If only our whole summer could be like this. It is unbelievable to me as I sit here with every window in the house wide open that this weekend it is going to turn cold again and they are actually calling for snow flurries Sunday night. Yes, snow. It has been in the 70's all week. Luckily we know enough about our weather to know you have to enjoy the nice weather while it is here because it never lasts very long. Therefore instead of cooking, we've done more walking.

Last night we decided it was time to bake something. Kay went through all my cookbooks and came up with this cake recipe from here. It tastes just like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie! The book listed a glaze but the cake is so moist, we ate it plain.

Mint Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a bundt pan.

Sift together the following:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar

Stir together the following:
1 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon peppermint extract

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Pour into the bundt pan and bake 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Kay: This cake was really good. Before it even came out of the oven you could really smell the mint. It was also very easy to make but it took a long time to cook.

Mom (Dana): This may look like just a regular chocolate cake but it isn't. You've got to try it!

Psst...

Did anyone notice that my 10 year old daughter is now my 11 year old daughter?!! Her birthday was yesterday.

Chocolate Candy

I have experimented quite a bit with Stevia, but I haven't had good luck at all. Unlike other sugar substitutes, it is much sweeter so when you would normally use a cup of sugar, you might only use a spoonful of stevia. Every time I've tried to use it, I get a bitter after taste. Until this time! These were fantastic.

The funny thing about this recipe is that Kay claims to not like coconut so, obviously, I didn't tell her there was coconut in these. You definitely can taste it but she never said one word and absolutely devoured these! So when adding her comments today, hopefully she won't look up and see the ingredients!

I wasn't able to get a good picture of these. They basically look like a piece of chocolate. I did get a picture of Kay eating one though!

This recipe is based off one from the show The Sweet Truth.

Chocolates

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup peanut butter

4 tablespoons agave nectar

2 teaspoons powdered stevia

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup almond meal (or ground almonds)

1/4 cup coconut (unsweetened)

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Grind the pumpkin seeds, coconut, and almonds (if using whole) in a food processor until finely ground.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Line 3 mini-muffin tins. Fill each completely full.

Place in freezer for 20 minutes.

Kay: I thought these tasted really good. I thought they might taste funny because they have different things in them like pumpkin seeds but I liked them a lot.

Mom (Dana): We thought these tasted best if kept in the refrigerator. They got a little too soft at room temperature.

Chickpea Tahini Patties

Kay hates bean patties. I make all kinds of them. Black bean, kidney bean, navy bean, butter bean, etc. with Mexican flavors, Italian flavors, Indian flavors, etc. She doesn't like any of them. I make special sauces to put on them, buy special buns, it doesn't matter. I never get a good reaction when I make bean patties. Until this time. Not only did she not complain, she actual enjoyed them. I knew sooner or later I'd find something she would like. Apparently the secret was to stop relying on cookbooks and just throw together whatever I thought sounded good.

Chickpea Tahini Patties

1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb.)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup tahini

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon agave nectar

juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup water

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Peel the sweet potato and cut into one inch cubes. Place in a pot and add water just to cover. Boil until tender. Drain any remaining water.

Place all ingredients except for the bread crumbs into a food processor and puree. By hand, stir in the bread crumbs. Scoop up about a palm-full of the mixture and form it into a ball. Place the ball on an oiled baking sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, flipping the patties half way through.

We ate these with a ketchup/mayonnaise mixture.

Kay: I liked these. I usually don't like bean patties but this one I really liked. I thought maybe the soy sauce should be cut down though. Other than that I thought they were really good. They would be a good substitute for hamburgers.

Mom (Dana): You can use the store bread crumbs but they won't be as chunky as the ones I make fresh so the amount might be different. Keep adding them until you can form the mixture into a ball.

These also warm up well. I know they don't look like much but they sure were tasty!