Decadent Chocolate Cake

I'm a sucker for Chocolate in all shapes and.. sizes. However, I wanted something  different. I had zucchini and bananas at home. While I don't mind using almond flours, I would much rather prefer to not overuse the nuts all too much. And I'm not much for coconutflour, I don't know why.. could be that it's not exactly cheap to begin with. Anyhows, this was an experiment. It's  better to bake this a day or so before you intend to devour it. But when you do, trust me, there is  no more a decadent, moist, dark, rich or heavier yet.. light.. cake than this.

Now for the recipe.. :)

Decadent Chocolate Cake

Set oven to 200C/approx. 392F.

Peel and grate 1 medium-sized zucchini. Transfer to  meshcloth and squeeze out the excess water (this will tire your hands, lol, but it's good excercise). Set aside.
Process 1/4 cup almonds together with 2 tbsp coconut oil.
Add 4 egg yokes (save the whites in  a bowl). Blend. While blending add 2 tsp vanilla extract (homemade is better).
Add the  grated zucchini to the eggs and almonds. Blend until all is smooth.
Chop a medium-sized banana, it doesn't matter if it's over ripe or ripe. Add and blend until all is smooth.
Add  the eggwhites. Blend.
Add 1 cup cacao powder. Blend.
Add 1.5 tsp bicarbonate. Blend.
Last but not least add in 1/3 cup honey. Blend.

This will be a rather liquidy batter, but that's good.

Transfer batter to a greased baking dish (I used coconut oil) and  bake for 25-30 minutes on middle shelf. Test with a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out dry then it's ready.

Let  cool in the baking pan and stand to set in the fridge to the day after.
Serve with whipped cream or icecream!

Shephards Pie

Ever since I found a different touch of cauliflower mash online I've wanted to do it with my version of the shephards pie. This is it. I hope you enjoy. Even my oldest kid who repels cauliflower normally liked this recipe.

Shephard's Pie (4 servings)

1 small turnip, peeled & diced
1 small cauliflowerhead, peeled & diced
seasalt
1 egg
3 tbsps heavy cream
2 tbsps water
1 cup sharp cheese, grated

1 tbsp tallow
1 medium celerystalk, sliced thinly
1 small carrot, peeled & diced
1 small onion, peeled & diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
300g ground beef
1 tbsp tomato paste
0.5 cup water
seasalt
black pepper

****
Preheat oven to 225C/437F.

1. Boil  turnip, cauliflower and salt in water. 5 minutes for turnip, add cauliflower and boil for an additional 10 minutes. Drain and set aside for the while to cool off.
2. Heat  skillet to high heat, lower to medium heat. Melt tallow in pan.
3. Saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery.
4. Add tomatopaste and water. Stir.
5. Add ground beef and stir. Cook  until brown. Season off with seasalt and pepper. Turn plate off and let go on afterheat.
6. Together with turnip and cauliflower, add  egg,  cream and water in a bowl. With a handblender, blend until all  lumps are gone. Fold down cheese.
7. Move over meatsauce to ovendish and top off with  the cauli-turnip mash.
8. Bake on middleshelf for 30 minutes.
9. Let "sit" for 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
****
Amount Per Serving

Calories 378.1
Total Fat 29.0 g
- Saturated Fat 13.6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g
-  Monounsaturated Fat  9.8 g
Cholesterol 126.5 mg
Sodium     227.7 mg
Potassium  586.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.6 g
- Dietary Fiber  3.1 g
- Sugars  1.9 g

Chickpea Zucchini Brownie Muffins (yields 15)

50g coconut oil
3 tbsps cacao powder
2-3 tbsps sweetener of choice (I used a mix of erythritol and stevia)

230g chickpeas, rinsed and drained
220g zucchini, shredded and squeezed
4 eggs
1/2 dl cold coffee
1 tsp coconut, shredded
2 tbsps sweetner of choice (again I used a mix of erythritol and stevia)
1 tsp bicarbonate
1 tsp peppermint extract

Heat oven to 175C.

Mix together coconut oil, cacao and sweetener to a chocolatey paste.
Add  together with eggs in processor and blend until smooth.
Add together all other ingredients except the shredded coconut.
Blend until all is smooth. Add coconut. Pulse.

Slop over to the muffintin. I used a 1/2 dl measurecup for each muffin. (Doesn't matter if you're using cupcake liners or not. I do. Less a hassle in cleaning the tin afterwards.)


Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.
Cool off on a cooling rack.

Notes: I'd like to point out that you can use whichever  sweetener  that you would like for this recipe.  For those that have candida issues might wish to use a stevia blend, while others might  wish to use honey or agave. Please  taste your way through to perfectness.



Per serving

Calories .. 89.4
Total fat .. 6.4g
..saturated fat 4.8g
..polyunsaturated fat 0.4g
..monounsaturated fat 0.8g
Cholesterol .. 43.6mg
Sodium .. 97.0mg
Potassium .. 116.9mg
Total Carbohydrate .. 6.7g
..Dietary Fiber 1.2g
..Sugars 0.3g
Protein .. 2.7g

Vitamin A     4.8 %
Vitamin B-12     1.9 %
Vitamin B-6     5.7 %
Vitamin C     2.2 %
Vitamin D     2.3 %
Vitamin E     0.2 %
Calcium     3.2 %
Copper     5.4 %
Folate     4.8 %
Iron     4.0 %
Magnesium     4.1 %
Manganese     12.7 %
Niacin     0.7 %
Pantothenic Acid         1.0 %
Phosphorus         6.5 %
Riboflavin     3.5 %
Selenium     0.9 %
Thiamin     0.9 %
Zinc     3.2 %