Vegan Beet Chocolate Cake with Coconut buttercream frosting

Vegan Beet Chocolate cake with Coconut "Butter" Cream frosting. So yummy!
Well hello there you delicious hunk of cake, you! Yes you! The one without eggs, or butter, or milk, or any of those yummy things that come from animals. You are truly amazing. What? You even taste good? STOP. I just can’t take the awesomeness.

Well, hey readers! You caught me in a moment of loving conversation with my food creation. I am sad to admit this is a common occurrence. Men have been know to give their cars personalities, many of my DIY friends name their furniture (I do this too!), and I … talk to my food. But gosh, they have so dang much to say! They speak of traditions, family times, fellow veggies & fruit they like to hang with, memories, seasons, and loved ones gone.

I think of Chocolate Cake and a lovely man named Marvin that adored that cake. Wild Rice Soup reminds me of my Grandma and her cabin. Shortbread Cookies remind me of my sister Darla (who first introduced me to their buttery goodness in full force). And Cauliflower Potato Salad reminds me of my grandparents (who really didn’t like cauliflower subbing out potatoes and were quite vocal!).
chocolate-beet-For instance, this cake would tell you that it is chock full of healthy beets, cocoa, and coconut without using a single egg or chunk of butter to make it delicious. It would tell you about it’s raw sugar, it’s coconut milk, and it’s Bob’s Red Mill flour. This chocolate beet cake requested only the finest ingredients and careful care. And gosh is it dang proud of itself! Rightly so. For my vegan readers, you will appreciate the accomplishment of a delicious fudgy chocolate cake with a buttercream frosting that tastes sooo close to the real thing that you will swear you hear mooing!
chocolate-beet-cake-ingredientsBeets are messy, this is very true. But sometimes they are absolutely worth the trouble and mess. They do a fantastic job of helping this cake create a fudgy, sweet inner without a hint of an egg or milk. Plus the nutrients they sneak into this chocoalte cake is a giant bonus! vegan-chocolate-beet-cake- The frosting here is made for this chocolate cake. As in, the cake and frosting combo is a must try your first time around.

So, I have this little bit of a pet peeve when someone wants to make changes to recipes and dishes. Like, when you go to a restaurant that specializes in something and then proceed to adjust the meal. Not for dietary changes. Because you think something will taste better. Or, you don’t think you’ll like a combo. For pete’s sake, they don’t get awesome by chance. I am a big believer in always trying something the way it comes or is combined the first time. No subbing or changing for me. No siree. Those chefs know their stuff I and am NOT going to be the one to question them. Please, for the sake of our friendship, don’t tell me if you are one of “them”. Eh, I’ll still like you 🙂

Coconut oil “butter”cream pairs beautifully with the chocolate cake especially especially if you top the whole thing with a bit of coconut. You’ll be swooning and talking to your food like me. Really, you and I will have conversations about the conversations we have with our food. They probably have a meeting I should be going to. But, I’m thinking of making another cake. Or bringing the cake to a meeting? Baha! A FTU (Food Talkers Unite) meeting. Vegan Beet Chocolate cake with Coconut "Butter" Cream frosting. So yummy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’197′][yumprint-recipe id=’198′]Vegan Chocolate Beet cake with coconut "butter"cream frosting.

 

Easy Thai Curry Recipe

After a long, hard day I want to be able to come home and make my family a tasty, nutritious dinner without a whole lot of fuss and muss. Fast, easy, AND relatively nutritious is what I’m asking for. Repeatedly I turn to this simple and fast Thai curry recipe to get supper on the table.

curry-ingredients

I’m a midwestern girl and not in any way an expert in curry. At all. But, I DO like to eat it and have tried many, many curries in my 37 years. So I know this one is tasty. The way my family and friends consume this stuff in gallons is further confirmation :). 

curry-onions

Start with a bit of hot oil in your large sauce pan and add some chopped onion. Cook that for a couple minutes until transparent. 

easy-curry-recipe

Add all of your additional ingredients, bring to a low boil, and boil gently for about 7 minutes or until your broccoli is tender.

curry-brown-sugar

My secret ingredient?

                             brown sugar. 

It adds sweetness and counters the bite from the spices. If you aren’t a Swedish Midwest girl you may want to leave it out completely. But if you shy away from spicy foods adding the brown sugar might be that secret something you needed to know!

curry-original

I want to lick off the screen! I could eat this Thai curry recipe for every single meal for every single day. Gosh, I love the sweet and spicy of this stuff. The coconut milk is rich and still gentle for the lactose-intolerant. Mushrooms bring heartiness, broccoli adds perfect green texture and bamboo shoots are a great crunch. 

Tip:

Try microwaving a potato or sweet potato, cutting it into quarters, and adding it at the end of the cooking time.

Fresh basil torn and added with your other ingredients is utterly amazing in curry. Use a couple of leaves to give your curry a delightful fresh flavor!

If you need to stretch your curry and don’t have any more coconut milk, use chicken stock. It will add the needed liquid without sacrificing flavor. 

curry

The perfect curry broth! I could slop this stuff up all day. 

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One-Pot Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

This sweet potato chili recipe is hearty, cozy, fresh, and simple. Easy to make and gets on the table quickly.

Happy happy day, lovelies! Today I’m passing to you the recipe for my one-pot ( I use my worn-out dutch oven) sweet potato chili. This chili is a family favorite that makes it to the menu rotation at least twice a month. Mostly at the request of Katie, to be honest. That girl ADORES this chili recipe. 

Truly, she can’t be blamed. This chili is sweet and spicy, warm and fresh, and chock full of nutrients that make your body feel taken care of. It also takes only a little over half an hour to make. Fast, fresh and simple. It reminds me of my grandma’s chili but with a fresh, new update. Kid’s love the mild sweetness of sweet potatoes (have you tried sweet potato fries? kids love them!) and YOU’ll love the nutrients of sweet potatoes.

This sweet potato chili recipe is hearty, cozy, fresh, and simple. Easy to make and gets on the table quickly.

I prefer to use grass-fed ground beef in this chili recipe; but I’ve successfully used ground turkey, chicken, chuck, and even gone meatless without losing any of the yummy flavors. Adjust this recipe to your families needs and tastes… it will still be delicious!

This sweet potato chili recipe is hearty, cozy, fresh, and simple. Easy to make and gets on the table quickly.

I serve this chili with sliced avocado, sour cream, and cilantro every time. In my opinion, the toppings are mandatory. The silky avocado, tangy sour cream, and flavorful cilantro are the PERFECT topping to this chili. 

Tip:

Having a chili “topping bar” is the best way to get kids to gobble up any chili recipe. Make the basic recipe and set out bowls of toppings. They add their favorites and YOU don’t have to worry about picky eaters-score!

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Gingerbread cookies with eggnog icing

egg-nog-frosting

Is there anything that reminds you of the holiday’s more than the spicy flavor of gingerbread or the smooth creaminess of eggnog? Those two flavors make you want to grab a family member and sing carol around the Christmas tree… don’t they? 

Well, at least in my house.

Although, off topic…have you ever made or had homemade eggnog? Yeah. I just can’t. Google how it’s made and then come back to me and let me know what you think. I want to talk about all tasty cookies and not get you weirded out. 

gingerbread-cookie-recipe

Umm, yeah. About those cookies :). I make a classic gingerbread cookie that always makes my Christmas cookie making list. Always.

You CANNOT say you are a Christmas cookie maker and not make gingerbread. Sorry, folks…it’s the truth.

My gingerbread cookies are crispy, spicy, warm, and sweet. At the very same time. I use THIS gingerbread cookie recipe.

Gingerbread cookies with easy, smooth, and fast eggnog icing.

But then…

But then I go one step better. And put eggnog on top of the gingerbread cookies. Smooth, creamy eggnog. In frosting form. I KNOW!!! Don’t you just die. 

It’s easy, really. I can hear you thinking there are too many steps or it’s too complex for you because you aren’t a food blogger and spend all your time in the kitchen like me. 

First, I have teenagers, a business, a husband, NINE brothers and sisters, FIVE bro and sisters-in-law, a dog, and live in MN where we shovel 452 days of the year. I don’t have time for silly stuff either.

This eggnog icing is fast and easy. And tastes like heaven. No silly stuff, I promise!

gingerbread-cookies

Okay, so the addition of little pearls on the star edges might have been overkill. But, I was watching Games of Thrones and needed a reason to “work while I watch”. Putting little pearls on one by one takes time! I got an entire episode in while I did them :). Sometimes you gotta be clever. And, let’s be serious…the pearls make the cookies prettier. Which makes you click over to see the recipe. Which makes you hear about this yummy frosting. And the frosting makes your life better while still being simple. Which makes me good at my job.

Yay pearls!

So YOU can skip the little pearls. But DON’T skip the frosting. Please. Try it!

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