Quinoa Chocolate Cake

I have died and gone to cake heaven! At first I had fears that putting quinoa in the title would suggest that it was a weird-tasting cake imitation. But let me assure you, this is chocolate cake in its finest. Now, I am happy to include the word in the title - if this recipe can so easily pull of a healthier version of the classic then why not celebrate its fantastic ability to do so!!  This recipe comes from one of our favourite Quinoa cookbooks, Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365. 

The cake by itself is delicious enough. I am going to experiment with some garnishing and icing options but for now I am happy just to savour the cake on its own.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla abstract
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white or cane sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Together in a small saucepan, Bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the saucepan sit on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper.

Place the butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave just until melted. Let cool for a few minutes so as to let the butter cool slightly. In the meantime, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a blender. Add 2 cups of the cooked quinoa and butter. Mix until smooth.

Add sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add blender contents to the sugar mix. Mix well. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake on the centre rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife, inserted into the middle, comes out clean. Let cool completely. Frost if desired.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to one month.

I had a difficult time understanding the recipe's instruction on the butter. It said to add 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled. I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the butter to cool from melted so at first I added butter that was quite soft to the blender. Joey however was concerned the butter would go chunky this way. So I put the butter back in the microwave, melted it thoroughly and put it in the fridge for a bit to cool. In the end I figured the most important part of all of this is not to add piping hot butter so as to potentially begin cooking the egg. If its soft enough to blend and cool enough not to cook the egg, you are good. 

This recipe earns one whisk - I did not use my stand mixer for any part of this recipe. 

Oreo Caramel Brownie Bombs

“With a bottom layer of soft chocolate chip cookie, which is topped by broken Oreos and gobs of caramel before a layer of soft chocolaty brownie, it's no wonder that this one ticks a lot of boxes for dessert and sweet lovers.” Rock Recipes, www.nlrockrecipes.com

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Base

WET

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup brown sugar 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

DRY

1 cup + 3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Oreo Layer

18 Oreo Cookies 

3/4 cup toffee or caramel pieces (or 24 caramel squares)

Brownie Top

DRY

3/4 cup flour 

2 tsp cocoa powder 

1/4 tsp salt

WET

1/2 cup butter

5 squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

3 large eggs 

1tsp vanilla

Directions

Choc Chip Base: In your stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat on medium until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture folding to combine well. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Brownie Top: Sift together dry ingredients. In a small pot, melt together butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove pot and stir in sugars. When lukewarm, add eggs and vanilla. Stir until sugars are dissolved. Mix wet and dry together.

Baking and Assembly: Set the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using glass baking pan) Bake the choc. Chip base for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Oreo Layer ingredients. Pour brownie mixture on top and spread evenly. Return to oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until brownie layer no longer looks glossy and is slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven, cool completely. Cut into squares. 

Really, the only part that I used the stand mixer for was to cream the butter and the brown sugar together for the chocolate chip cookies. This could have been easily achieved with a hand-held mixer or even the old-fashioned way with a good solid forearm. 

Moroccan Night

APPETIZER: Grilled Lamb Kebab in a spicy Chermoula Sauce

Prepare the Chermoula: combine fresh chopped cilantro, flat-leafed parsley, minced garlic, ground cumin and coriander seeds, paprika, cayenne, rehydrated chopped chilies, preserved lemon slivers, olive oil and fresh lemon juice in a blender (I used a magic bullet) and blend.

Marinate the Lamb: I purchased lamb already cut up into chunks which made it easy to mix with the marinate and throw in the fridge. Marinate over night.

Prepare the Moroccan yogurt sauce: all best prepared the day before and left in the fridge to marinate overnight. Combine:
1 cup yogurt
1 cup cucumber, peeled and grated
1/4 cup mint, minced
3 tablespoons preserved lemon, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

I actually halved this recipe because there there only two of us. It produced more than plenty. 

Prepare Skewers: thread meat onto metal or wooden skewers. If using wood, soak the skewers in water for several hours before skewering so they don't catch fire on the BBQ. I never seem to soak my skewers for long enough - they always catch fire. I think I will abandon the wood skewers for good and stick to re-useable metal.

BBQ lamb and pita: I've never cooked lamb before so didn't know what 'cook to liking' might be. Jamie Oliver reccommended BBQing lamb kebab for a mere 5 minutes on high heat so the middle is nice and red. I cooked my kebabs for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat (resulting in well-done lamb). So BBQ to your liking.... While BBQing, brush pita bread with olive oil, place on the grill for 2-3 minutes until lightly crisped. Note: too crispy and they become pita chips!

SALAD: Traditional Carrot and Orange Blossom Salad

Again, I also halved this recipe producing more than plenty for 2 people. I was able to find Orange Blossom water at my local Loblaws in the international isle, although a middle eastern grocer is likely to carry it as well.

6 cups (1.5 L) carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup (250 mL) golden raisins
⅓ cup (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice

1½ tbsp (22 mL) orange blossom water

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup (125 mL) coriander, chopped

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, toss to evenly coat the raisins and carrots with the dressing, cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until the carrots have softened and the raisins have absorbed some of the liquid. When ready to serve, check seasoning and add more salt if necessary. 

Source: LCBO

MAIN: Spicy Chicken Tagine 

Ingredients:

1 kg of dark meat chicken chopped into chunks 

3 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp turmeric

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Olive and vegetable oil

4 cups finely chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 litre tomato juice

2 fresh tomatoes chopped

1 cup dried apricots, halved

1/2 cup raisins or sultanas

1 large preserved lemon, chopped

2 tsp strands saffron, soaked in cold water

2 Tbsp clear honey

Place the cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir. Coat chicken pieces half of the prepared spice mix, set aside the remaining spices. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and let marinate overnight.

Heat a combination of olive and vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan (or dish that can be used on the stove top and oven). Add the onions and the remaining spice mix and cook over a low heat for 7 minutes until the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, and sautee for another 3 minutes or so. 

Heat the remaining oil in a a separate pan and brown chicken, turning over to cook the exterior. Remove from the pan and place in the cast iron pan with onions.

Pour 250ml tomato juice into the pan used for cooking the chicken and stir well, scraping up all the bits on the bottom, then pour the contents of the pan into the cast iron plan

Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, preserved lemon, raisins, saffron, and honey to the casserole dish. If  Bring to the boil, cover with a tightly fitting lid or tin foil and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

SIDE: Moroccan Eggplant Salad with Preserved Lemon

1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dash of hot pepper flakes

1 tablespoon finely diced preserved lemon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat eggplant in olive oil. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until eggplant is tender–about 30 minutes. Place the eggplant in a serving bowl and toss it with the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, pepper flakes and preserved lemon. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to mix. Serve well-chilled.

SIDE: Couscous Marrakesh

3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 pinch of saffron, crumbled and soaked in 1 Tbsp of cold water
1 pinch of salt
2 cups uncooked couscous
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. turmeric

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/4 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/3 cup eggplant finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour couscous into a medium sized baking dish. In a small saucepan bring chicken broth, butter, saffron infused water and salt to a boil. Add to baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir couscous with a fork and stir in 1-3 Tbsp of olive oil to prevent clumping.
While couscous is cooking, heat remaining oil in a pan. Add spices and onion and cook until onions begin to soften (4-5 minutes). Add remaining veggies and pan fry until cooked. Top prepared couscous with veggies and top with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley. 

DESSERT: Almond Pastry 

1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup flaked almonds
125 g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 Tbsp orange blossom water
6 sheets phyllo pasty
1/2 cup butter, melted 

Combine almonds (ground and flaked) together with icing sugar and zest. Add orange blossom water to create a paste. Add more orange blossom water as needed to obtain sticky consistency. Prepare 2 sheets of phyllo together at a time. Coating one side with butter, and placing about 1/3 of the almond mixture at the far right side of the phyllo sheet. Wrap the almond mixture up pinching in the ends of the phyllo. Coat with butter to seal phyllo ends together and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the almond mixture is used up about 3 pastries. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until pastry is lightly browned. Serve warm, topped with icing sugar.

Each of the recipes in this post receive a one whisk rating as none involved the stand mixer. I was just excited to try out a little Moroccan food!