Chocolate Cake Chocolate Frosting - Healthier options

Cake:

1 1/2 Cups finely ground Almond Flour
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup almond milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup erythritol or sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all together. Pour in an 8 inch round pan that is layered with parchment paper and greased.
Cook at 350 for 14 minutes

Frosting:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
8 oz cream cheese room temp
1/4 cup butter room temp
1 1/2 - 3 cups powdered erythritol or sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2-4 Tbsp almond milk

16oz frozen cauliflower, cooked
1 cup raw cashews, soaked
1.5 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
chicken stock

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients except chicken stock (do not add water cashews were soaked in).

Add enough chicken stock until desired thickness.  Depending on what I'm using it for, anywhere from 2 to 4 cups.

Nut free alfredo!

I have not found an acceptable alfredo replacement, but I was feeling adventurous today. Amounts are approximates, and I have not calculated macros yet.

While sauteing zoodles in butter flavored coconut oil (with lots of garlic), mash a very ripe avocado with 2t unsweetened sunflower butter. Stir in 1/4 cup of mayo. Taste and adjust as needed.
Remove zoodles (and meat, pictured is basil chicken sausage) from heat. Stir in sauce. Adjust seasonings and salt to taste.

Avocado- thickening, creaminess
Sunflower butter- umami, nutty flavor
Mayo- creaminess, tanginess, thins sauce a little

Ingredients

• 12 oz raw Cashews, organic, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup Water, filtered
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 1 lb Raw Shrimp, wild caught
• 2 cloves Garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
• 4 Zucchini, medium size, spiral sliced
• Fettuccine (Cappello's), (Pasta Alternative) Buy your pasta from our friends at Cappello's

Process

1. Pour the organic cashews into a glass bowl, cover with filtered water, then covering the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel, and soak overnight in the fridge.
2. After the cashews have soaked overnight, drain the water from them. Place the soaked cashews in a high speed blender or food processor.
3. Add 1/2 cup of filtered water to the cashews, and blend until smooth. You can add more water if your cashews aren't blending enough, but less water will result in a thicker sauce.
4. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the cashews, and blend again until smooth. At this point you can keep the seasoned cashew cream in the fridge until you are going to make the meal.
5. Using a spiral slicer, slice your zucchini into noodles, and place in a steamer basket in a pot on the stove to steam.
6. Heat the pot with the zucchini noodles over medium heat, and steam until they are slightly soft, about 10 minutes.
7. If your shrimp is not peeled and deveined, be sure to do that before cooking the shrimp.
8. Melt one tablespoon of ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pot, along with the smashed garlic cloves, and saute until the shrimp is pink on either side.
9. Add the parsley to the pot, and continue to saute.
10. Once the shrimp is cooked through, turn the burner down to medium-low heat, and add the seasoned cashew cream to the pot, stirring to combine. Add the second tablespoon of ghee, and season with additional salt and black pepper if needed.
11. Add the steamed zucchini noodles to the sauce pot, and stir to combine the noodles with the sauce mixture. This will allow the noodles to cook a bit more, as well as add more water to the sauce which is why it is best to keep the sauce on the thicker side.
12. Turn the burner down to low heat, and simmer until serving.
13. Serve, and garnish with additional fresh parsley if desired.

Raspberry Layered Cheesecake

Raspberry rainbow cheesecake:

Raspberry Layer:

1 package (6oz) raspberry jello

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups boiling water

2 packages (10 oz) frozen raspberries

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Crust:

2 cups graham crackers crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Cheese Layer:

2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese softened

2 cups heavy cream or 12 oz cool whip

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Raspberry layer (start with this one because it needs to set up)

Dissolve jello and sugar in boiling water.  Stir in raspberries and lemon juice.  Refrigerate until soft set (but still spreadable)  I put it in the freezer - it takes about 20-30- 40 minutes to get thick enough to use.

Crust:  Mix all ingredients.  Firmly press crumbs into a 9x13 pan.

Cheese layer:  Thin softened cream cheese with a small amount of heavy cream and beat until fluffy.  In another bowl whip remaining crea.  Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla.  Fold into cream cheese mixture.

If using cool whip, soften cream cheese, stir in cool whip and powered sugar.  Leave out vinally

To assemble cake.  When Raspberry mixture is spreadable, pour of it over crust.  (I usually put it in the freezer 

at this point and let the jello set all the way before trying to put on the cheese layer. It doesn't take very long because it is just a thin layer. It is so much easier to spread the cheese layer over the jello if it is set all the way.)

Now spread on the cheese layer.  Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight before serving.  

Mom's Peanut Marshmallow Bar Cookies

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Egg
Mix together then press into pan
Bake 350 for 15 minutes

Cover with 3 cups marshmallows
Bake 3 more minutes

Topping
1/4 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Karo Syrup
1 package peanut butter chips
1 tsp vanilla
Mix on low heat until melted
Stir in 2 cups peanut
Stir in 2 cups rice crispies
Pour onto cooled cookies

Melinda's Wheat Bread

12 cups whole wheat flour
2 heaping TBSP yeast
4 tsp salt
3/4 cup gluten
Dash citric Acid
Dash ginger
4 cups warm water
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp soy lecithin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar

Knead/mix for 10 minutes
Part into 4 loaves
Let rise
Cook 30 min 350 degrees

Mom's Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

Chop finely:

2 cups celery

4 cups potatoes

2 cups onions

6 cans minced clams (size of tuna fish can)

1 and 1/2 cups butter

2 quarts half and half

1 and 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons salt

3-4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Put cut up vegetables in large pan.  Cover with clam juice drained from the six cans of clams.  If you don't have enough juice to cover the veggies, add a bit of water

Bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender.

Melt butter in separate pan.  Stir in flour - like you are making a white sauce (you are).  After and flour and butter are mixed together - stir in 1 quart half and half - cook slowly and very carefully until slightly thickens. 

Add to your boiled vegetables.  Stir in second quart of half and half.  Add clams.  Season with salt and vinegar.  Cook slowly stirring constantly until heated through - about 10 15 minutes.  Be careful - scorches easily.

If I am using it for a party, i will transfer it to my crock pot to keep it warm, without burning it.

Beef salad sandwiches

I thought this was a fun idea and that I'd pass it along. We just had beef salad sandwiches the other day. I've only ever had chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad....but this lady uses her leftover Sunday roast beef and adds these ingredients to it. She didn't have measurements, but I thought I could probably handle it. Beef, chopped sweet onion, chopped celery, chopped Dave's spicy pickle spears, Mayo, honey mustard and salt and pepper. It was SO good. Plus I love awesome ideas for leftovers