lightened-up chocolate cake with ganache icing

Ben and I decided to stay home on Valentine's Day and cook ourselves a fancy dinner we could enjoy in our comfy clothes for half the price of going out. We "winter grilled" steak and veggies on the stove in a cast iron grill pan (one of my favorite Christmas gifts!), enjoyed a bottle of Cab Sav, and finished off the evening with a chocolate ganache cake that was so delicious I had to share it with you!

(Candles! So fancy!)

I was looking for a chocolate cake recipe that I could "healthify" a little bit, since I knew I wanted to slather it in chocolate ganache, which is un-healthifiable and could probably make anything taste like heaven.

(Side note: Ganache is my lover. It is so easy to make and yet always seems so impressive! There are only two ingredients: chocolate and cream. Not exactly low-cal, but SO much better for you than hydrogenated frosting from a can!)

I found this chocolate cake recipe on Eat, Live, Run and decided it would fit the bill. I halved the recipe to make a single layer cake since there's only two of us in the house, and made some substitutions to lower the sugar and calorie load. For a relatively low-fat cake, it turned out dense, fudgy, and delicious even without the ganache! It's also vegan (until you cover it in heavy whipping cream), AKA you can lick the bowl, spatula, and beaters without risk of salmonella.

And then maybe eat some of the batter out of the pan before you stick it in the oven...

Lightened-Up Vegan Chocolate Cake
(adapted from Eat, Live, Run)
Makes one 9" cake layer, can be doubled for two layers
Ingredients
-1 cup white whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 t baking soda
-1/2 t salt
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup canola oil
-1/4 plain Greek yogurt
-1 t vanilla extract
-2 T apple cider vinegar
-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar and milk and set aside to curdle.

Grease and flour one 9" cake pan.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (through salt). Mix wet ingredients into milk and vinegar bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ganache Icing
Makes 1 cup, double for a larger cake
Ingredients
-4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (one Baker's bar)
-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Pour cream into a pot and heat on the stove, stirring with a whisk, until cream comes to a boil. Immediately take the pot off the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted and smooth.

Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes (can put in fridge) until thickened, pour over cake, and enjoy!

Dense, chewy, chocolatey, so. good.

surviving the winter blues

This winter has been doing its best to sap all the joy and energy out of me.

This week I've finally been feeling happier and more positive because February is half over and a thaw is on the forecast. We've only had a handful of days above freezing in the past couple of months, and when you couple that with endless snowstorm after snowstorm...well, it's been rough. I'm a sun person, drawn to warm dry climates with plenty of bright light, and I've struggled with this particular season more than usual.

The top two ways I've been dealing with the winter blues are through a constant exercise regime (endorphins baby!) and copious amounts of vitamin D pills. Fresh flowers from Ben and working next door to a conservatory help too!

The days are finally getting longer, I'm starting to hear the birds chirp in the morning, and there are a couple hardy bunnies foraging in the snow outside my office window again.

I'll just keep chasing the sun.

Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl (and how to make braised chicken)

I've been on a huge quinoa kick lately. It's so easy to make a huge batch at the beginning of the week and use it to throw together healthy dinner bowls or lunch salads. Plus it's a protein and fiber packed seed that is filling, healthy, gluten-free, and approved for dinner on the Tone It Up nutrition plan I follow. The secret to making successful quinoa is to rinse it thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer, then boil it in 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa--one cup of dried quinoa will make enough for at least four meals.

The other night I made this pesto chicken quinoa bowl inspired by a similar dish I've had from a healthy restaurant here in Chicago called Protein Bar. I made it with pasta for Ben and we were both obsessed!

In addition to a big batch of quinoa, I've also started cooking a large pot of braised chicken breasts on Sunday or Monday to use for lunch salads and fast weeknight dinners. I've always struggled with cooking chicken because I'm paranoid of getting food poisoning so it usually ends up overcooked and dry. If you have similar troubles allow me to introduce you to my new favorite way to make perfect chicken every single time: braising!

How to Braise: You just heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a cast iron pot or Dutch oven, brown the seasoned chicken on both sides for 3-4 minutes per side, add some sort of liquid (e.g. broth) until the chicken is almost covered, cover the pot, and bake it in the oven at 350* for 30 minutes. Bam.

Not the most attractive picture, but this is what the chicken looks like pre-baking. The center should still be pink before you stick it in the oven. I usually use salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings and fill the pot with enough chicken broth to come at least halfway up the meat. You could also use canned tomatoes as the liquid, or add veggies to the pot. Cooking the chicken slowly in liquid results in extremely juicy finished product, and is basically a fast version of a Crock Pot.

Here's the final "recipe." It's super easy to throw together but ends up being restaurant quality, and you can add any veggies or toppings you want! I'm thinking different cheeses, olives, avocado….

Pesto Chicken Quinoa (or Pasta) Bowls
Serves 2, can be easily doubled
Ingredients:
-2 servings worth of cooked chicken, chopped
-4 cups mixed greens
-2 cups cooked pasta or quinoa
-2 T prepared pesto, or more to taste (I found some delicious jarred pesto at Aldi for $1.50!)
-1/4 cup shredded parmesan or romano cheese
-2 T sundried tomatoes, chopped

Cook the chicken and quinoa or pasta. Mix the chicken, greens, quinoa/pasta, and pesto in a large bowl, or assemble in individual bowls. Top with cheese and sundried tomatoes and enjoy with a glass of wine!

Told you it was easy! Let me know if you give it a try. I'm planning to start posting more healthy recipes on a regular basis, so stay tuned!