Nature's Perfect Cake

This is the most simple cake idea ever - wish I had thought of it.  

No Gluten.  

No Sugar.  

No eggs.  

No dairy.  

Vegan.  

Raw.  

Organic if you choose.  

  

Turn your WATERMELON into a cake!!!  

Presentation is definitely the key to pulling this off - even on kids.  

I have used watermelon for dessert but cut it up in slices in a bowl and it was just watermelon.  

When you turn your watermelon into a cake shape (preferably a double-layer cake height), 
add some fruit "candies" and suddenly - You are eating a cake.  Really.   

Be creative.  Use whatever fruit you have to decorate and present it as a cake.  I had strawberries sliced up, blueberries, apple triangles and mint leaves.  The color of additional fruit really is important and vital for appeal and transfiguration.  Serve it up on a platter or cake stand, add the candles, sing and slice it like a cake.  Perfect for the world of food trends and diets and allergies.

A few suggestions:
Watermelon shape:  Try to buy the longest, more oblong shaped watermelon you can buy.  If long enough, cut off the curved ends so you can have a cake entirely flat and round-shaped.  You can see I had to use part of my curved end which made it a bit more dome-shaped but it did not alter the experience for us who enjoyed it..
Fruit "Candies": Don't use bananas unless the cake is eaten immediately.  Even with apples, make sure the variety does not brown quickly or use some lemon juice on them to keep them from browning.  Try grape halves, cantaloupe/honeydew balls or possibly use small cookie cutter shapes (ie stars, hearts, circles/rings) to cut larger surface fruit.

Warmth for winter

Here is a quick and easy dish to make that is a guaranteed hit (except for perhaps the picky non-bean eater).  It is easy to double or triple for large groups to feed, great to make ahead and freeze or bring to someone who needs a meal. 

The recipe originated from an actual meatball recipe from my mother in-law, but I just never had the interest in making meatballs as it seemed like a lot of work.  So I changed the meat and sugars and found this version very enjoyable and fast to make.  If you are one who prefers the meatballs, feel free to go that route - it uses the same ingredients.  If you like prefer quicker, and equally pleasing, give this lazy sauce version a try.

Hawaiian Meat Sauce with Rice

1 lb ground beef * 
3/4 cup onion (sm-med sized) - finely chopped
1 clove of garlic - minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup ketchup - Jenn's Naturally-sweet Ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp dried mustard *
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or apple butter or honey
1 - 19 oz can Red or White Kidney beans - rinsed thoroughly
1 - 19oz can Navy beans - rinsed thoroughly
1 - 14 oz can Pineapple (crushed or tidbits) - with juice

1 1/2 cup uncooked rice of choice - cooked according to directions

In a large skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat and create a small crumb for the meat. Before the beef is fully cooked, add in the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is fully browned. Drain unnecessary juices if you have any. This step can be done ahead of time and once the meat is cooled, frozen for use at a later time. (If you prefer to make meatballs, combine the beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and form into balls.  Bake at 400 F for about 10 minutes.)

Add the ketchup, vinegar, mustard to the skillet and mix well.  Add in all the remaining sauce ingredients to the meat in the skillet (you may choose to decrease the amount of beans if it seems like too much for your liking).  Heat the mixture on med-high heat until the sauce begins to boil and then turn down the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add water as needed if the sauce looks too dry.  Serve over cooked rice and a side of something "green" is always nice!

Cook's Notes:
Ground Beef - I have gotten into the habit of browning about 3 - 4 lbs of beef at a time in my skillet.  I add in the onion, garlic and salt and pepper.  I allow the beef to cool down and then store it in a zip-lock bag and put it in the freezer until needed.  When I need a meal, I can then make any dish I so desire - chili, hawaiian meat sauce, tacos, soup etc.  And the beef breaks apart easily for taking out the amounts I want.  You could also store the beef in separate bags with 1 lb in each bag.  Whatever you prefer! 

This pic shows how I actually have packed up the meal for future use or to give away.

Dried Mustard - Is dry mustard different from prepared mustard??  My google searches do say that you can replace dry mustard with prepared mustard.  1 tsp dry mustard = 1 Tbsp prepared mustard.  So for this recipe,, you would need 4.5 Tbsp prepared mustard.  I have not tried it but figured someone might be out there and not have dried mustard.

Joy Tarts

I have many things I should be doing right now like laundry, cleaning, making meals, but something in me needs to be creative and expressive...so blog it is.  I have been meaning to blog this recipe for some time and now seems the perfect day and space.  Joy Tarts! 

This recipe was first discovered from a favorite blog I follow but made as larger Mounds Candy Bar . The Canadian equivalent to the US Mounds is "Almond JOY" and as I do love those bars, I knew I had to try this recipe.   Although there are so few ingredients in it that there is not much really to change, I did make a faster chocolate mix that keeps this more simple and faster.   And in a smaller form, I find them perfect for the Christmas season to decorate a plate to share with others. 

Although it is a short, simple word of three letters, Joy is not so simple to define.  For me, the word really does make me smile, it is not defined as happiness, and it stirs something  life-giving deep within me.  However you might define it, my hope is that by making these and sharing with others, they will extend life and a sense of Joy.

Joy Tarts
(makes 36 mini tarts)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (medium shred)
1/2 cup coconut oil * (virgin organic and cold-pressed coconut oil is my preference)
1/4 cup liquid honey  (prefer raw honey)
1 tsp almond extract

36 whole almonds - toasted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
* See Cook's notes below

On very low heat, melt the coconut oil and honey as desired.  Coconut oil is firm and white colored at room temperature but will melt and turn clear on a warm summer day or just in the palm of your hand.  I would recommend using a slightly warm oven (with the coconut oil in a glass bowl), or a low heat on a stove top to liquefy the coconut oil.  No cooking is necessary and strongly discouraged to keep the nutritional value high as high as possible in the oil and honey.

 Add the extract and coconut and stir to combine.  It may appear as if there is not enough liquid but it does work.

Using a mini muffin pan, scoop about 1 - 2 tsp of coconut mixture into each cup.  Again, it will not look like much is there but it is plenty when you bite into them.  You may want to press down with your spoon on the tops of the tart to smooth out the surface.  Chill the tarts in a freezer for about 20 minutes.

While that is chilling, toast the whole almonds.  I put my nuts in a toaster oven and just heat them on a low heat for a couple of minutes - stirring in between.  If you don't have one, use a small skillet on the oven top (with medium heat) and stir the almonds until lightly fragrant and toasted.  Set aside to cool.

Then melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double-boiler or using the microwave if you prefer.

Remove the coconut tarts from the freezer.  Pour a small amount of melted chocolate on each tart and top with a whole almond.

Return the tarts to the freezer for another 15 - 20 minutes.  Once they are solid, they pop out of the pan pretty easy using a butter knife or nylon tool suitable for your mini muffin pan.

Best to store the tarts in the freezer.  I enjoy them best while they are served cold - even right from the freezer!

Cook's Notes:
Coconut Oil
This oil is definitely a healthy one found in health stores and health food section of major grocery stores.    Like most things, you get what you pay for with coconut oil.  I would suggest finding something virgin, organic and cold-pressed for the most nutritional value.  If you are not a fan of the coconut flavour (you likely won't be making these then) you can buy cheaper options as they often taste like nothing but they won't have the same nutritional value. 
Of the examples pictured, the Nutiva is (found at the Bulk Barn) is and is great overall option at a fair price.  The black container (bought at Zehrs) has no coconut flavour and was cheaper.  The left-side option was the best flavour and most expensive too.  Choose what works best for your needs and budget. 

The beauty of coconut oil is it is solid at room temp but will melt on a warm summer day or with the warmth of your hand. In this recipe, it helps the tart to stay solid and firm providing they do not get too warm.
In addition to using it in cooking/baking (in place of butter or oil), coconut oil is overall a wonderful oil to use for any skin irritations, dry skin, dry lips - either applied topically or eaten by the spoonful. When your jar is running low, be sure to save the little bits left for your skin needs.

Pumpkin Coconut Loaf

A couple of years ago, my neighbour called me asking to borrow some coconut milk for a pumpkin loaf she wanted to make.  Coconut milk and pumpkin?  Yummy!  So after looking at the recipe as found on-line, I was even more intrigued as it also had no eggs in it either making it dairy-free and vegan!  That is not common in yummy baked goods!  So to make it family-friendly for us, I did swap out the flours and sugars and oils and the loaf is absolutely delicious  (as I am sure it is in the original recipe as well)!  So moist.  So yummy.  So PUMPKIN-PERFECT for fall!  You really must try it.

Pumpkin Coconut Loaf

1 3/4 cup Spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 cup pumpkin puree *
1/4 cup oil (safflower, coconut, or oil of choice)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut milk or non-dairy milk *
3/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)*

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 4"x8" loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, coconut, and nutmeg if using).
In a smaller bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil/applesauce, coconut milk, and palm sugar (or whatever sweetener being used).  Mix well.  Pour this liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until all is combined.  Pour into a prepared loaf pan (either lined with parchment or greased as required to easily remove the loaf).

Bake for 1 hour.  The original recipe says to bake for 1 hour and 15minutes but I found 1 hour was perfect.  Allow the loaf to cool for 5 - 10 minutes in the pan and then remove it and allow to cool on a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

This recipe is easily doubled to create two loaves if you prefer - one for yourself and one to give away!


Cook's Notes:
Pumpkin Puree
Canned pumpkin puree is fairly common and easy to buy and use for this recipe but you could also bake a fresh pumpkin and make your own pureed filling.  If looking for canned pumpkin, be sure to use Pumpkin Puree.  Pumpkin pie filling, the other canned pumpkin in the store,  has sugar and added spices you don't need in this recipe so you don't want to buy this for the recipe.

Coconut Milk
This milk is found in either cans or in tetra packs usually with other non-dairy milks.  Either is fine.  I have moved to buying the larger tetra pack coconut milk as I use it much more frequently in my foods. Leftovers coconut milk can be stored in the fridge for a few days and used in Thai foods or soups, or the extra frozen and thawed for later use.  If you don't have coconut milk, you could use another source of milk (dairy or non-dairy) in equal amounts.

Walnuts
I love nuts in any food I make, however, I do not like how it makes a loaf more difficult to slice.  So your choice.  I also like the "school-friendly" option without them.