Flourless Chocolate Cake

Sexy chocolate deliciousness...there is no other way to describe this inherently gluten-free dessert.  It is simple yet decadent...


Ingredients
1 10 oz bag bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips)
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp vanilla
3 tsp espresso powder
6 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp confectioners' sugar (optional)
fresh berries (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F and coat a 9 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray.

In a heat proof bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt the chocolate and butter using a double boiler (heat proof bowl over a simmering pot of water).  You could also microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval.

Once fully melted, off the heat, whisk in the sugar, vanilla extract and espresso powder.  Then whisk in the eggs until well combined.  Sift cocoa powder over top and whisk until smooth.

Pour into greased pan and bake for about 45 minutes. Use a wooden toothpick to check the center of the cake; pick should emerge clean.

Place the cake on a wire rack to cool.  The cake may deflate, but that is ok.  Once cooled, cover and chill for 3 hours until serving; overnight would be best.

When ready to serve, sift powdered sugar over the cake or garnish with fresh berries. 

Note:  If you don't have a springform pan you can use a regular cake pan.

Sunday Dinner and a Chicken

I love making a roasted chicken but I tend to hold off on making one until a long weekend.  I don't know why, something in my head makes it easier to prep when I know I don't have anywhere to be the next day.  Maybe it's having the extra time to clean the roasting pan and not leaving it in the sink overnight.
  
Having leftovers is a must with a meal like this.  Chicken salad, chicken sandwiches, oh the possibilities!!!   What I have in store for these leftovers includes black beans, rice and an apple slaw so stay tuned....

I purchased this little baby a few weeks ago at $.79 a lb and put it in the freezer with all intentions of using it this weekend. 



This is a naturally gluten free meal so no purchasing any special items to make this lovely dinner. Whether it's an intimate meal for two or dinner with friends, this dish is perfect for a cozy night in and a glass of wine...Cheers!!!

Ingredients:

6-8 lb whole chicken
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested and quartered
1 lime, zested and quartered
1 orange, zested and quartered
2 tablespoons butter, substitute (I use Earth Balance Soy Free Natural Buttery Spread)  or olive oil
1 14.5 oz can of low sodium chicken broth
salt
pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

After a quick rinse and a pat dry, season your chicken inside with some salt and pepper and get it all comfy in the roasting pan. 

Zest lemon, lime and orange then quarter them.  Stuff the chicken with two quarters of the fruit and the two cloves of garlic.

Add a 1/2 a tablespoon of each zest into a small bowl with the butter or oil.  Get your hands dirty and combine.  Rub the zest mixture under the skin and all over the outside.  It may not seem like a lot but it will be enough.  Salt and pepper the outside then throw the remaining fruit in the roasting pan and she's ready to go.

Roast for 20 minutes to brown the skin.  After 20 minutes, add the can of chicken broth to the pan and cook for another 2 hours or so until the inside reaches 180°F -- this will vary depending on the size of your bird.

When the it's done, transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil.  At this point, you can make a sauce/gravy.  Discard the solids (fruit), just don't clean the pan...you need that yummy goodness!

Place your roasting pan over low-medium heat.  Add a bit of white wine or chicken broth to the pan and scrape up the bits.  Cook down and allow to thicken.  Strain into a glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce and serve over the chicken.

We served this with Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli  & Cauliflower....recipes for both to follow.

Enjoy!!

This is my story...and I'm sticking to it!!

I feel amazing.  I can honestly say, I can't remember the last time I felt this good. 

In May 2009, 4 months before my wedding, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.  I spent the next year and a half eating what I wanted to because doctors told me that my diet had nothing to do with it.  Little did I know, I was slowly getting sicker.  I finally got to a point where I thought I would be stuck in a world where feeling awful was just the norm and needing an iron infusion every 3 months would be routine.  It wasn't until I found myself lying in a hospital bed in March of this year, that I realized that I needed to make a change. I was not going to let UC control me, I am too young.  On March 3rd 2011, I made the decision to change my life with diet.  This wasn't a watch what you eat diet, this was a change of life diet.

At this time, I am gluten free, dairy free, corn free and soy free.  When I started, I thought this was going to be a difficult transition but in the end, it wasn't.  The further I moved away from the gluten, dairy, corn, and soy, the better I felt.

If there is one question I've answered the most over the past few months, it is "Well, what can you eat then?"  and the answer to that question is "Plenty." 

I feel that food has changed my life in various ways; from making me sick, to healing me.  I enjoy finding different ways to eat healthy foods.  I love to cook and changing my diet has opened many new avenues for me to explore many different foods and find out that I actually like them.  Imagine, this, coming from someone who would never touch a vegetable...hahaha.

My hope for this blog is to share recipes for whole, healthy, and nutritious foods...with a few treats on the side.  Please bare with me as I start on this blogging journey...