Give thanks ... for chocolate

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in the Great White North.

If you are needing a special dessert or holiday treat, look no further. My Chocolate-Orange Cake is time-tested and a breeze to bake.

No-flour Chocolate-Orange Cake

Ingredients:

• chocolate chips, dark, 4 oz
• canola oil, 1/2 cup
• sugar, 3/4 cup
• eggs, 3 large (less 1 yolk)
• cocoa powder, unsweetened, 1/2 cup
• orange essence, 1/2 tbsp

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease baking pan (round, 8-inch). Line with greased wax paper or parchment.
3. Add chocolate and canola oil to microwaveable glass dish. Nuke approx 2 min, at medium power.
4. Stir in sugar, then eggs, then cocoa powder.
5. Pour batter into pan. Bake 25 minutes (middle rack).
6. Cool 5 min. Invert onto serving plate.

Topping it off (optional):

• Dust with extra cocoa powder. Serve with fresh orange segments and/or creamy yoghurt (plain) or frozen yoghurt (vanilla).

Store in airtight container.

Variation:

Skip the orange essence. Instead of eggs, add 2 bananas, plus 1/3 cup sour cream. Bake 1 hour. Consistency will be more moist and pudding-like. But still delish.

Fruit + nuts = pretty awesome combo

A dessert-bread recipe recently came to my attention, so I tried it, post haste. T'was the fruit and nuts that initially caught my eye, along with the 'vegan' tag.

The bread was certainly easy to make. And despite the absence of eggs, it rises quite nicely.

Of course, I modified the original recipe somewhat. I used a 8x8” pan instead of a loaf pan (haven’t bought one of those since I last moved house). I chose multigrain flour. As for applesauce, I went with homemade (had plenty of old-ish apples lying around).

And how's this for a bold move? I added the apple peelings to the sauce. Heck, why not? Peels add a pleasant texture (softening during cooking and baking), as well as a dose of fibre and vitamins.

Here we go:

Fruit and walnut bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup lemon-ginger tea 
• 1/2 cup dried figs (chopped, discarding stems)
• 2 cups multi-grain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

(Sourced from HuffPost.)

Directions

1. Make tea. Add figs and let sit while you prepare remainder of recipe.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, soda, spices and sugar.
3. Into dry ingredients, pour in (one by one, while stirring) oil, juice and applesauce. 
4. Drain figs (you can sip the remaining tea afterwards), and stir into batter. 
5. Stir in walnuts.
6. Line 8 x 8” pan with parchment paper. Scoop batter into pan. Even out batter surface.
7. Bake at 350°F for approx 50 minutes. (Trust the toothpick test: Poke toothpick into bread and remove. If it comes out dry, it’s done. If it's wet, return bread to oven for extra minutes.)
8. Place pan on cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, then remove from pan.

Nothing to do now but slice and enjoy.

Oh, leftovers may be stored in the fridge, in an air-tight container.

A love that never waffles

As you may have gathered, I kinda like waffles. Might have something to do with my obsession with the (alas, short-lived) TV series "Dead Like Me". Or it could just be the appeal of a solid flour-based goodie.

Indeed, waffles carry the aura of "treat", so I often make them on Saturday or Sunday. They're quick enough to prepare, so you can easily squeeze in brekkie before launching into an activity-filled morning. For me, at least this time of year, that means preparing my garden beds and sowing lettuce, peas, cilantro and any other veggie or herb that can hold its own against a spring frost. (Recall that my province, Newfoundland and Labrador, sits out in the North Atlantic Ocean.)

This recipe calls for spelt flour. As mentioned in an earlier post, while spelt is not gluten-free, it more easily mixes with water than does wheat flour, so spelt is a little easier to digest.

I include walnuts for taste, for omega-3 fatty acids and for protein. Protein is especially useful for maintaining consistent energy throughout the day.

Enjoy!

Chocolate-chip spelt waffles

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup plus 
• 2 Tbsp milk 
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)

Directions

1. In medium bowl, use fork to lightly stir egg.
2. Measure spelt flour, then toss baking powder on top of flour. Stir lightly (with another fork), then add to egg.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Give 'er a stir.
4. Spritz* waffle maker with canola oil.
5. Heat waffle maker. Pour in batter. 
6. Cook for approx 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh fruit (like raspberries, one of my favorites), yoghurt, freshly-whipped cream or whatever else takes your fancy.

Leftovers may be cooled, then frozen in an airtight container. They can be readily re-heated in your toaster -- so they become crispy on the outside, with runny chocolate on the inside. Mmm ...

* Note: If your spritzer goes bust, like mine did, place a sandwich bag over your hand, pour a little canola oil on the bag, and rub the bag over the waffle-maker plates.

Evening escapade

I'm still stricken with flu, so was stuck at home all day yesterday. By nightfall, I needed a boost.

Solution: Bundle up and jump into the car with Fred. We zipped over to Bulk Barn, to pick up a few treats.

Familiar is always comforting. It's nice to know exactly which aisles to head down to get to your favorites.

Forget dallying. We just scooped 'em up, threw down our cash, scooted back to the car and beelined for home.

Popped in a DVD — The Wire, Season 4 — hunkered down on the couch and curled.

Here's what we ate:

• dried apricots
• roasted pumpkin seeds
• plantain chips
• more plantain chips (spicy)
• dark-chocolate-covered almonds.

Mmm. Gotta say that this snack fit the occasion — perfectly. Mattered not one lick that we were pawing stuff straight from the bags.

As yummy as this snack was, and as comfy as our couch was, most therapeutic of all was just being with Fred.

No doubt, snacks are yummier — and more invigorating — when shared.

What better way to say Happy Mother's Day than with chocolate-chip apricot quinoa cookies!

I asked Mom if she would like something special baked for May 8. She said anything with chocolate in it. She's definitely my kinda Mom.

Seeing how I'm always encouraging Mom to get the best nutrients possible – she eats like a bird – I thought immediately of my chocolate chip hemp cookies. 

Thing is, I didn't have any hemp on hand (nor raisins, for that matter). But has that ever stopped me from improvising before?! Nah.

[pic of cookies]

Instead of hemp I turned to high-protein, high-mineral quinoa. Finely chopped apricots stoically stood in for raisins. And since I was in substitution mode, I used almonds in place of pecans.

Here's what I did:

Chocolate chip apricot quinoa cookies

Wet

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Dry

• 2 1/2 cups multigrain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup quinoa

How

1. mix wet stuff
2. mix dry stuff
3. stir the two mixtures together
4. use tablespoon to drop dough onto two greased baking sheets (6 x 4 cookies each)
5. bake at 325°F for 15 minutes

Makes about 48 cookies.

I'm pleased to report that Mom gobbled down a bunch. The bonus was, of course, that while enjoying this treat, a "dessert" item, she was, at the same time, taking in a respectable dose of protein, minerals and fibre. Win win!

I heart simplicity

I love simple. I'm unashamed to say it.

If hungry, pull leftover turkey from fridge, dollop on cranberry sauce (also leftover!) and indulge. That's exactly what I did a couple of days back.

Here at SnackCastle, simplicity is something of a philosophy.

Hang about and you'll see this theme shining through many of my posts. But simplicity stands as a guiding principle in other areas of my life, too.

One place where simple is smart: the realm of personal possessions. Indeed, personal downsizing appears to be quite in vogue these days.

Why cram closets and cupboards to an unusable state? Why stash stuff that never, ever gets used? How many pencils or T-shirts or coffee cups are worth hoarding when you only write with or wear or sip from only a few in any one year?

Another area where simple is smart is housing choices. Looking back, Fred and I have always favored small spaces.

Our current home measures 1,000 square-feet. One bedroom, one bath. Ideal.

Advantages of a small space include: more economical, easier to maintain and smaller carbon footprint. There's also the bonus of being able to talk to each other from almost any room in the house. (Honest, Fred insists that's a plus.)

I first cottoned on to the power of simple through Elaine St. James's "Living the Simple Life". It's not a book you may wish to fully embrace, but it's an easy read, with many practical suggestions.

These days, of course, a fine way to learn more would be to google "voluntary simplicity". (Could hardly be simpler, hey?)

Have you been considering some changes? Perhaps this is the moment to look into the merits of simplicity — in your snack habits or otherwise.

Scooping up some pleasure

Ice-cream sandwiches: a classic summer treat. Fun, cool, refreshing.

So what if it's not summer? Sometimes a woman just needs something fun, a pick-me-up.

Chilled creaminess jammed between cookies is among the yummiest of snacks, a snack for all seasons. This includes flu season, which seems to have descended upon these parts. Flu time is precisely when one craves the sort of sandwich that's comforting, and soothing to the throat.

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Ice-cream sandwiches

Ingredients:

• ice-cream or frozen yogurt (vanilla works best)
• 2 wafers (try Dare "Simple Pleasures" Chocolate Thins)

Gear:

• butter knife
• foil wrap

Directions:

1. Use knife to smear one wafer with ice-cream. Make filling approx 3/4 inch thick.
2. Plop second wafer on top, forming the sandwich.
3. Run knife around sides, filling any gaps and smoothing uneven edges
4. Wrap sandwich in foil.
5. Place in freezer for a couple of hours.
6. Unwrap, and enjoy.

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For me, it's the contrasts that make this snack super. Crunch vs. smooth; crumble vs. cream; chocolate vs. vanilla.

Also appealing is the simplicity. Prep is a breeze and eating with fingers is liberating.

Should you wish something fancier, you can always serve these sandwiches on a plate, topping them with berry sauce. I go for raspberry, in the President's Choice brand (remember, I'm in Canada), but any high-fruit sauce will do. Be sure to dine with your finest cutlery.

Tip: When preparing more than one — always a fine idea; they'll keep — I wrap each sandwich in its own piece of foil, then pile them all into a freezer bag. Individual wrapping keeps the sandwiches less messy. Plus, there is a certain delight in each person unwrapping her own treat.