Easy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sauce (Gateau Chateau)

Good day everyone,

Gateau Chateau, as it is usually called, is a chocolate cake with a chocolate sauce that is taken from its batter. Makes no sense? Keep reading. 

The procedure of making this cake is divided into 2 very easy stages:
First, you mix Group A ingredients together, reserve a cup of that mixture in the fridge, and then add Group B ingredients onto what's left of the first mixture.
I know this sounds a little complicated, but really it is as easy as it gets. I can't stress enough on how much of a staple dessert this cake has become in my household, due to its convenience as well as yumminess factors. 

I usually use a spring form loaf pan for this recipe, but you can also use a bundt pan or your pan of choice, really.

Recipe

You'll need:

Group A Ingredients:

2 cups skimmed milk

1 cup sugar/sugar substitute

3/4 cup canola/sunflower oil

8 Tbs raw cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Group B Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour, sifted + 2 tsp baking powder

1. Set oven to 180 c. Prepare your pan by lightly greasing it with oil or cooking spray and dusting it with flour.
2. In a blender or a food processor with the paddle attachment, add all Group A ingredients and mix until mixture becomes a little bit thick, like cake batter.
3. Set 1 cup of this mixture aside and keep it in the fridge. 
4. Add the eggs and vanilla to what's left of the mixture in the blender, and mix very well. 
5. Move mixture into a bowl, and gradually add flour‐baking powder mix to the batter. Mix slowy with a spatula or a wooden spoon.
6. Pour batter into the pan, fatten with a spatula and tap it on a hard surface to get rid of any bubbles.
7. Stick into the preheated oven for 40‐45 minutes. When done, leave it to cool. 
8. When the cake cools down, spread your refrigerated chocolate sauce onto your warm cake and make sure to cover the sides as well. You can decorate your cake however you like, but I find it quite gorgeous as it is.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes. 
9. Serve with coffee or tea. :)

Eggless Wholewheat Pancakes

Happy weekend, everyone!
So for today's breakfast, I decided to try taking eggs out of my pancakes, just for the sake of cutting down the cholestrol and calorie intake a little, (and maybe eat that egg seperately, just saying). The result was better than I imagined.
This is a very easy recipe, simple enough to follow without looking back at your phone/ipad/tablet to double-check its ingredients/procedures every 2 minutes. They're super fluffy and just sweet enough for them not to be too sweet nor too non-sweet, if you know what I mean.

Here it goes.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup wholewheat flour
2. 1 Tbs sugar substitute
3. 1 Tbs baking powder
4. 1 cup skimmed milk
5. 1 Tbs oil
6. 3 Tbs water
7. 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Procedures:

● Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon) in a small bowl.
● Whisk wet ingredients together, then add them to the dry ones and use a spatula to mix everything well.
● Scarcely oil (or use cooking spray on) a non-stick pan, and use a 1/4 measuring cup to unify the size of your pancakies.
● Flip your pancake when bubbles start forming on the surface.
● Yields about 5-6 small pancakes.
● Serve with fruit, yogurt, applesauce, or melted dark chocolate for a healthy breakfast, snack or dessert.

Please leave me a note if you try it.

xoxoxo

Healthy Red Velvet Wholewheat Pancakes

The weekend is the perfect excuse to have pancakes for breakfast. They are a little celebratory and essy to make, so what's not to like? 
I wanted to add a little twist to this weekend's pancakes, so I thought of adding some red food colouring for a sexy effect. Heck, it did work!
This recipe is a staple in my house, and I like to play around with it every now and then. You can get really creative with its add-ons and decorations.

As usual, excuse the crappy photo.
I sprinkled some strawberry chocolate chips on top, just for the sake of the pic, and Lily ate them as soon as the flash went off!


This recipe yields 4 - 5 small pancakes. You can, of course, double the ingredients to get double the number of pancakes.

Here's what you'll need:

- 1 cup wholewheat flour

- 2 tsp sweetener/honey

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp vanilla

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon  (or more)

- 1 egg

- 1 cup milk

- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar

- 2 tbs oil (coconut is lovely here)

- 1/4 red food colouring (or until you get a vibrant red-coloured batter)

- Optional: Raisins/fruit pieces/nuts

Procedures:

1-In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar, set aside until milk curdles.

2- In another bowl, combine flour, sweetener, baking powder and soda and cinnamon.

3- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, oil and curdled milk until well-incorporated.

4- Gradually pour the liquid mix onto the dry mix while whisking slowly.

5- Add your food colouring in small amounts and whisk after every addition until you reach that red velvet colour. Don't over-mix or the pancakes would be tough. The batter should be a little lumpy and bubbly.

6- You can now add whatever you'd like, i.e. raisins/fruit/nuts/dark chocolate chips

7- Lightly brush a nonstick pan/griddle with coconut oil. Heat it over medium heat.

8- Ladle the batter and pour into the pan. I like to keep my pancakes small and even by using a 1/3 measuring cup as a ladle. 

9- They are ready to be flipped oncy tiny bubbles form on the surface.

10- Makes about 4-5 pancakes.

Sugar-free Strawberry Jam

Let me tell you something about me; I adore strawberries. And ever since I've started my lifestyle change, I've been using it as an excuse to eat even more of those sexy hot-red beauties.
I recently came across a jam recipe on Instagram which uses no added sugar and chia seeds. I wasn't lucky enough in my pursuit of chia here in Alexandria, so a good friend of mine suggested flax seeds instead. Bottom line, this is NOT my own recipe, but one I had to try. So here's the simple recipe to a healthy strawberry jam. You can use any kind of berries too, and ,of course, you can replace flax with chia seeds.
Jam away!

Recipe yields about 1/2 cup of jam, so feel free to double ingredients for more quantity. I used 1 tsp of honey because I like my jam tangy, but you can add 1 more if you prefer it sweeter.

Ingredients:
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 tsp honey/agave/natural maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp flax seeds

Directions:
1. Using a food processor, break down the strawberries for 5 seconds on medium speed, just to help them cook faster, but not so mych to reach purée consistency.
2. Into a skillet over medium heat, transfer strawberries and bring to a simmer.
3. Add honey and stir, and bring the
heat down to low.
4. Add flax seeds, stir and leave ro cook for 5 minutes. It should reach the jam consistency with the help of the seeds.
5. Remove it off the heat, leave to cool, and store in a clean air-tight jar for as long as a week in the fridge.
6. Enjoy! :)

Healthy Cookie-dough Lemon Bars

Have you tried lemon desserts yet? If not, start with this healthy lemon bars recipe. It's light, tangy, non-sickeningly sweet like most lemon desserts and is such a guiltless pleasure. I know chocolate is the main go-to dessert for everyone, but it sometimes calls for non-chocolate ones. As I'm not really a cream-dessert kinda gal, I'm more inclined to fruity treats. They are generally a bit lighter than normal desserts, taking most of their sweetness and flavor from all-natural fruits. I've made a Weight Watchers lemon bars recipe before,which I didn't really like, so I decided to pursue my own.
Here is my humble attempt at healthy lemon bars, with a fiber-full crust and a rich lemony topping.
Note: I didn't sprinkle my lemon cubes in the below picture with sugar/coconut. The white surface is just the light froth from beating the lemon.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup bran
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar


Lemon Topping:

4 eggs
4 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. sugar substitute (I use Z Sweet)1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated

Powdered sugar for topping, or shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.
2. Prepare a small baking dish with cooking spray, or 2 overlapping parchment papers for easy removal from the dish.
3. Mix dry ingredients of the crust together. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, egg and oil until well combined. 
5. Add dry mix to wet mix and mix until everything is incorporated in the dough.
6. Press the dough into baking dish and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
7. While crust is baking, prepare lemon topping. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add sugar, honey, lemon juice, cornstarch, baking powder and lemon zest and stir until well mixed. 
8. Pour egg mixture over baked crust. Return pan to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes (do not overbake)
9. Cut into cubes while still warm. Sprinkle powdered sugar/ shredded coconut when cooled. Yields 24 cubes.
10. Serve in room temperature or cold.

Whole-wheat Cocoa, Bran and Flax Seed Cookies

If you're anything like me and you love your chocolate and chocolaty stuff but on an eat-clean mission for weightloss, fitness or health reasons, then you have definitely been going crazy trying to find good recipes or, even harder, products that fill the above criteria. Well, I hear you, guys, and I'm there. So I've been working on a recipe that would look, taste and be good enough, and I finally reached it. This one is high in fiber, so it's very good for your bowls too. (And here I am talking and worrying about others' bowl movements, again! I have a toddler, so this is always on my mind)
I used bran and flax seeds, but you can also use oatmeal instead of flax. You can also spice it up with semi-sweet chocolate chips or nuts/raisins for an added oomf. I chose to do the basic recipe here, but any further tweaking is up to your preferences.

You'll need:

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tbs bran
1 tbs any kind of white flour
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
1 tbs flax seeds
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup brown/Stevia sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract ( or 1 sachet) 1/4 cup canola/vegetable oil

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180º c. (350º f.) 2. Combine flours, baking powder, bran, baking soda and cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. In a seperate bowl, whisk sugar, egg, vanilla and oil till well-combined.
4. Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture and whisk it (either by hand or food processor) until everything is well incorporated in the dough. Add flax seeds last.
5. Line a baking sheet/tray with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray/lightly brush with oil) and divide dough into spoonfuls onto it. Yields about 24 small cookies.
6. Cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool completely before serving.

Turkey Vegetable Roast

Who doesn't like a good hearty roast dinner, especially in this cold weather?
I found some interesting turkey cuts at my local poultry shop, and decided to give cooking them a try. Turkey is a rich source of protien, and also of zinc, iron, potassium and phosphorus. It is also packed with vitamin B6 and niacin, which are both essential for the body energy production. Moreover, regular turkey cosumption can help lower cholestrol levels, and keep insulin levels stable. It is also rich in selenium which is essential for thyroid hormone metabolism. Finally, turkey meat boosts immunity and acts as an antioxidant.
But don't over stock on turkey just yet. Turkey meat can be high in sodium, so go easy with the salt on it. Its skin can be VERY high in fat, thus be sure to remove the skin and fat before cooking.

Source: www.bodyandsoul.com

Enough with the facts, now let's get cookin'.
This dish will blow your socks off with how easy and tasty it is. You should leave the turkey to marinade for at least 2 hours, but overnight would be perfect.

This's what you'll need:

• Around 500 g. of bone-in turkey thighs and/or breasts
• 8 broccoli florettes
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Marinade:
• 1 LF yogurt
• 1 tbs tomato concentrate
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1/4 tsp each of ground pepper, paprika, all-spice, cinnamon, turmeric, rosemary, ginger and oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 tsp honey

1. Rinse and dry turkey, then trim any excess skin. Give it a quick vinegar splash, then rinse with water.
2. In a deep bowl, mix all marinade ingredients very well, set 1/4 cup of that aside for the vegetables.
3. Using a knife, poke bone-deep "holes" in the turkey to help it absorb marinade faster
4. Put turkey in marinade and mix to coat every inch.
5. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours at least.
6. After 1 and 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 200° c.
7. When time is up, get a non-stick baking dish (or a regular one covered with parchment paper) and put the turkey in the middle.
8. Mix the remaining marinade that was left aside with broccoli and veggies. Transfer to baking dish, spreading them around your turkey.
9. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven for 50 min.
10. Serve with wholegrain rice, bread or just alone.

Skinny Chicken Shawerma Wraps

Most people love shawerma for its tasty convenience, but it's usually super greasy and heavy, with fat almost dripping off. Yuck!
Here's my healthy version of a family favorite.

You need:
• 4 Boneless, skinless, chicken breast fillets
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 small onion, roughly-chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup LF buttermilk

• 1/2 tsp coconut/olive oil

• 1 and 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp each of ground pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, sumac and shawerma seasoning.

P.S. I found the latter in the spice section of a local department store(Fathalla), but you can try any local spice shop/section. If unavailable, replace with 1/4 tsp each of turmeric, ground cumin & cayenne pepper.

Steps:

1. Slice chicken into thin strips, then cut the strips into small bits.

2. Brush a non-stick skillet with olive/coconut oil, then heat it over medium heat.

3. When oil is hot enough, put the chicken bits in, along with pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.

4. Stir "fry" the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

5. Add onions, stir until translucent. Add carrots and spring onion. Cook vegetables till softened.
6. Add the rest of seasoning/spices; salt, all-spice, sumac and shawerma seasoning/ spice blend, and mix well.
7. Pour the buttermilk in, cover  and leave to simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. 
8. Serve hot in wholegrain flat bread (Brown Lebanese bread), with tahini/yogurt sauce and your desired salad. I served mine with beetroot tahini sauce and carrot-cucumber salad. 

Veggie Goodness: Healthy Cauliflower Carrot Mini-burgers

Clean cauliflower and carrot burgers: 

-About half a cauli divided and boil-cooked in salted and generously cumin-ed water till soft. 
- 1 big carrot, peeled and grated. 
- 2 Tbs whole-grain bread crumbs 
- 1 egg, beaten ( use more bread crumbs or oats if you're vegan/vegetarian) 
- Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, ginger to taste 
- Parsley/coriander (optional) 

● Put the cooked cauli in a strainer. Using a masher, smash the florettes down, squeezing any excess liquid out as you do. 
● Add the grated carrots, egg, crumbs, spices and mix well with your hand until the mixture is sticky and doughy. If you feel it's too dry, add another. It depends on the size of the eggs. 
● Form the dough into mini-burger patties and you can either bake them in a preheated 180 degree oven or grill them on a sparingly-greased non-stick skillet for 3 min.on each side. 
● If in the oven, make sure you use lightly greased parchment paper or a non-stick baking tray, top and bottom-heated oven, until golden brown. Don't forget to tag me if you make them. 

Veggie Mini-burgers