A Slice of Heaven - Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 0z. Dark Chocolate Chips

8 oz. Unsalted Butter at room temperature

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Vanilla

6 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Before you start you will need two mixing bowls and 1 mold or spring form pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees

2. Brush the mold or spring form pan with butter

3. Place chocolate in a bowl that is set above a pot of simmering water - a double boiler will also do. Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat and let cool.

4. In a separate bowl cream butter

5. Pour chocolate into mixing bowl with butter and beat for another 2 minutes

6. In separate bowl beat eggs and start adding sugar, beat at high speed until the eggs are thick (about 6 minutes)

7. Beat chocolate/butter mixture into egg/sugar mixture

8. Add Vanilla and cornstarch to mixture

9. Pour batter into prepared mold and cover chocolate in mold with buttered wax or parchment paper.

10. Put mold in baking dish and fill baking dish with hot water, until the water almost comes up to the top.

11. Place in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes

12. Turn mold over on serving plate and wait 30 minutes until the mold is cooled

I also like to make a raspberry sauce to go on top, I find its the perfect compliment to the rich chocolate. This is how it is made:

1 Cup of Pureed Raspberries

1/2 Cup of Sugar

juice squeezed from 1/2 of a lemon

All contents are placed in a sauced pan and cooked over low heat until contents have been cooked off and reduced. Keep stirring while it is over heat though.

Leek and Potato Soup

Soups are my favorite thing to make. They are virtually impossible to screw up, are usually very healthy, easy to make, cheap, and are great to take for lunch.

One of my favorites is Leek and Potato soup, It is healthy because leeks contain much vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron and Folate and the potatoes also contain much Vitamin C, B6, Iron, and Potassium. In addition, this soup has a creamy consistency, but has no cream in it.

This is how I make it:

1 Yellow Onion, minced
1-2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1-2 bunches of Leeks, white parts only, chopped
2-4 Potatoes (depending on size and type, I usually use 4 red potatoes), cubed
5 cups of Vegetable Stock or until all veggies are covered in the pot, you can also use Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base and Water (this is my method of choice, its cheaper).

First, saute the onions and leeks in about a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once they are mostly cooked, add the minced Garlic, and cook for another minute.

Next add the potatoes, and the stock or base and water until the veggies are just covered in liquid. Let boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Next, blend the mixture with either an immersion blender or regular blender, be careful with the hot liquid. The soup should have a creamy consistency then.

Note: you may add whatever other spices you want to this, dried or fresh thyme is good, sometimes I add cheese into it, and sometimes just a little bit of salt and pepper.

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse/Detox: Day 3

YAY!!! This is my last day of this cleanse! I am ready for some bread or pasta tomorrow!

There is nothing new today.

While the smoothies/shakes are good, I am kinda getting tired of them. They seemed more filling today so I only had half a package during each meal. After this cleanse was over, I have 2 packages left.

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse: Day 2

I forgot to pack my lunch smoothing mix to bring to work today, hopefully the day will be ok without it. I did pack plenty of fresh raw veggies and fruit, so I think I will be good.

9:30 am: Luckily my morning smoothie made more than normal, so I think I can get by with drinking half of it, and it is delicious!

11:00 am: So far today, I have some cravings, but they are definitely not as intense as yesterday. I had some celery and carrots as a snack, they are quite flavorful and are filling.

1:00 pm: Was doing so well until now, we have a warm food lunch n' learn in the office and the food smells so good. I haven't given in yet, but the cravings are back.

4:00 pm: Made it through the afternoon while only having one spoonfull of rice, not bad

7:00 pm: Just finished a run and I feel great. For dinner I am having a shake mixed with a little bit of plain Greek Yogurt and a banana. Yum

8:00 pm: I had two mushrooms that Tim didn't eat out of his Chicken Pot Pie. I think this cleanse/detox is working because those mushrooms tasted too salty, I had to drink a whole glass of water afterwards, just to get the overly salty taste out of my mouth.

So far so good!

Kaeng Raeng Cleanse: Day 1

After eating non-stop all weekend, this cleanse couldn't come at a more perfect time. My motivation for trying the cleanse is because after I studied abroad in France, I did not crave or want any processed foods for about 6 months. I wanted to get back to that point where I didn't find the processed foods appealing so I decided to do a detox/cleanse.

I found the cleanse through a health newsletter I subscribe to. Unlike some cleanses you actually can eat food, only raw fruits and veggies that is. It seemed to be the most reasonable cleanse and it is all natural. This is the website for more information: http://www.kaengraeng.com/. I tried the three day beginners cleanse, I think the 6-day cleanse is a little excessive for me just starting out, maybe next time.

I was a little nervous getting everything together this morning, what if I am starving, what if I have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes.

9:30 am: This morning I did the daybreak package of mix that came from Kaeng Raeng and I put that into a blender with a container of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 medium-sized banana, a few strawberries, and about 1/2 a cup of soy milk (I eyeballed it). It actually does taste pretty good and is surprisingly very filling. Ok I think we can make it three days

11:45 am: I am seriously craving salt and carbs. I could really go for either cheese and crackers or chicken noodle soup right now. I guess the whole point of this cleanse is to ease the addiction of salt. Hopefully I last through the whole 3 days without breaking!

12:00 pm: I tried to cure the salt craving with fresh slices of red bell pepper, it seemed ok, at least enough to hold me over. It helps I am at work and can only eat what I brought to work for lunch. I also had my afternoon shake mix, this time I mixed it with milk. It tasted good, but is a bit grainy, I felt like I was drinking a cup of blackberry seeds.

2:00 pm: I decided to go for the salad I brought. I made the salad with baby fresh spinach, shredded carrots, sliced strawberries, and avocado slices. The dressing was just an orange I cut up and squeezed the juice for dressing. It was actually a quite refreshing salad and I think the a avocados and strawberries really went well together, I will have to make it again.

4:00 pm: I am craving sandwich, I don't know if I can make it three days without carbs. Instead of a sandwich, I am going to have blueberry green tea, it sounds weird but is delicious, and hopefully it will take my mind off of the carbs.

7:00 pm: Ate my salad and cheated by putting a dab of low-sodium soy sauce on it. Soy sauce on salad might sound weird, but after my cravings today, it was so delicious.

8:00 pm: Drank my smoothie and it was rather delicious and very filling. Tim tempted me to eat Sour Patch Kid Jelly Beans (the best jelly beans I have ever had), and I even managed to turn him down without temptation on that offer.

I also did not have use the restroom every 5 minutes today.

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli is my other favorite vegetable. When I studied abroad in France and lived with a host family, they could always tell when I was cooking because I made the whole house stink of broccoli. I practically had it almost every day, and it really does smell when cooking.

This particular recipe is actually an Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Recipe. Ina Garten and I also share the same love for France and French Food, hence my love for her dish.

I cooked this dish for the first time for Tim's Dad's 60th Birthday Party, and it gets good reviews every time I make it!

Ingredients
4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Note: I sometimes halve the recipe if cooking for just Tim and I, it yields a large serving.

Court's Mashed Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite veggies is Sweet Potatoes! Not only are they delicious, but they have many vitamins and minerals that are good for you too. They contain fiber, much Vitamin A, Beta-Carotene, Lutein, Vitamin B6, and Folate among many other vitamins.

For this recipe I used my friends Sara and Kristin as taste testers. I think they were rather pleased, and I kept the recipe healthy!

How to make the sweet potatoes: (serving size: 4)

2 large sweet potatoes or 3 medium sized sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 table spoons maple syrup
2 shakes of Cinnamon

First for this recipe, I peeled the skin off the potatoes and discarded of it. I then cut the potatoes into chunks and boiled them for about 15 minutes or until soft.

Next, combined the sweet potatoes, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon into a bowl and mixed for about two minutes until smooth and creamy. Then they are ready to serve, its really that easy!

The reason I used the sweetened condensed milk was to add some creaminess and sweetness to the sweet potatoes. I used the Maple Syrup to also add sweetness and it also offers many antioxidants and is high in vitamins, Manganese and Zinc. Cinnamon has a reputation to cure colds, has been used to treat digestive issues, has antimicrobial properties, and is also high in antioxidants. What a healthy side dish!