Banana Chocolate Chip Cake w/ Mocha Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

I was commissioned to make up a cake for a surprise party.
She likes chocolate, banana bread, and mocha.
Easy enough.
But baking for 40 people is no joke.
I was baking, literally, all day.
But it was worth it.
This cake was awesome. And I don't like cake.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
(makes 2 thin cake layers)
- 1 stick sweet cream butter
- 1 c sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 c mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 35o, grease and flour cake pans. Cream butter and sugar and then beat in the egg yolks, then the mashed banana and the cinnamon until well mixed. This will infuse the banana flavor all through the cake. In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together all dry ingredients, then add to the wet mixture and stir gently until all mixed. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then fold them into the batter, then toss the chocolate chips with a tablespoon of flour and mix them in as well. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until the toothpick trick comes out clean, and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before you removing them from the pans and leaving to cool completely before icing.

...and speaking of icing:

Mocha Whipped CreamCheese Icing
- 1 pckg cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 c whipping cream
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 to 2 c powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream on high till stiff peaks form. In another bowl beat cream cheese and then add the cocoa and coffee powders, mix well, and then beat in the sugar. Finally, gently fold in the whipped cream, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to set for at least 2 hours in the fridge before using.

* extra frosting can be frozen and scooped out like ice cream for those of you who want to take that brave and delicious, but diabetes inducing step. i did. no regrets. no re grets ;)

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

What the hell could be better than this?
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened (can use light butter)
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c white sugar (or sugar sub)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 c white flour
- 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 c oatmeal
- 3/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 c white chocolate chips (add more to your tastes)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and then beat in the egg and the vanilla. In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon, stir in the wet ingredients and then the oatmeal. Lastly, carefully stir in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips and then let the batter sit and firm up in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Use spoons to scoop balls of dough onto greased baking sheets and flatten each ball down a little bit before baking for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and crispy.
Confucius say Dunk your Cookie.

White Cocolate and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

When I got assigned Taylor's blog GREENS and CHOCOLATE as my first Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was excited. When I actually went to her blog page though, I was even more excited. The first post that caught my eye was her Chai Spiced Cinnamon Chip Blondies, and I said "Oooo I want to make that", and then I saw the Avalanche Bars and said "no, THAT!" and then her Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and the Peanut Butter M&M Blondies and I didn't even know what to do anymore...
Indeed, Taylor seems to be some sort of a baking goddess, with a special penchant for combinging everything I love - like peanut butter, cinnamon, chai, smores - into delicious baked good creations. But her talents clearly aren't isolated to baked delicacies like Blueberry and White Chocolate Oat Bars , no, she had me practically drooling over her Maple Bacon Baked Beans post. The point is, while I had to choose just one recipe to post, you don't! Go, and run don't walk, to Taylor's GREENS and CHOCOLATE blog, and make EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!
While trying to decide which recipe to try out, it was clear that I had to try one from Taylor's special skill-set of baking, and while I was initially distracted by all kinds of blondies, cookies and brownies catering to my inordinate love of peanut butter, I have strangly been craving something I don't go for very often; White Chocolate. So, when I saw Taylor's recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, my mission was clear.
Honestly, I'm not a huge baked goods guy. I don't like cake or cupcakes, and on brownies and the like I could go either way. But I LOVE pies and cookies, and by cookies I mean Oatmeal cookies. There's nothing as good as a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie studded with raisins and anything else that you can squeeze in there, and with just a few personal tweaks on my part, these cookies were nothing short of amazing.Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the tartness of the dried cranberries went especially awesome with the creamy sweetness of the white chocolate chips. I started out with a sample of batch 1, and being a good chef, felt obligated to sample batch 2 as well. But I just couldn't decide which was better and had to try another of each again. The verdict? They were both AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME, and I didn't even think twice about having just eaten cookies for dinner.
So, don't just take my word for it, go to the store, buy the stuff, and make these White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, and while you're munching away in chewy-sweet goodness, check out Taylor's blog GREENS and CHOCOLATE and figure out what to make next!
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened (can use light butter)
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c white sugar (or sugar sub)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 c white flour
- 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 c oatmeal
- 3/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 c white chocolate chips (add more to your tastes)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and then beat in the egg and the vanilla. In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon, stir in the wet ingredients and then the oatmeal. Lastly, carefully stir in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips and then let the batter sit and firm up in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Use spoons to scoop balls of dough onto greased baking sheets and flatten each ball down a little bit before baking for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and crispy.
Lastly, let these babies cool for an agonizing 10 minutes or so before pouring yourself a big glass of milk, and digging, I mean DUNKING in!!!!!

Red Onion Tomato Relish with Cilantro

This is like caramelized onions on crack.
Cilantro and alcohol infused tomato crack.

Red Onion Tomato Relish with Cilantro
- 1 large red onion, sliced thin
- salt
- 1/3 c rice vinegar
- 1/3 c brandy
- 1/3 c water
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/3 c sun dried tomatoes, julienne cut
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, minced

In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil and when hot, add your onions. Sprinkle with salt and stir. Next, pour in the vinegar and brandy, sprinkle with garlic powder, stir and let simmer covered until onions have become soft. Add the tomatoes and the water, stir and let simmer covered until onions are very soft, almost mushy, and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir in the minced cilantro, and enjoy over grilled fish or chicken.
I served this on grilled Mahi Mahi with Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

So many green tomatoes.
must. not. waste.
Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes
- green tomatoes, sliced in 1/2'' rounds
- 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 regular bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 egg

Preheat oven. Slice tomatoes. Crack egg. Beat egg. Combine all dry ingredients.

Put your baking sheets in the oven to get hot, and meanwhile dump the beaten egg onto a plate and half of the bread crumb mixture onto another plate, and now you're set up and ready to start dipping. Dip the sliced tomatoes in the egg, let excess drip off, and then toss it in the bread crumbs, to coat on each side. Bake for 10 minutes and then give them a spray with cooking spray before flipping and cooking on the other side for about 5 minutes. When brown and crispy, remove from oven and serve immediately. Ketchup is optional, seconds are not.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken; it rarely gets better than this...
Until you serve it with Savory Garlic Israeli Couscous.
Honey Mustard Baked Chicken
- Chicken thighs and breasts ;)
- 2 tbsp stone ground dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey mustard
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1/4 light honey mustard salad dressing
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- dried dill
- smoked paprika
Mix mustards, sour cream, salad dressing and vinegar together in a bowl, then coat chicken and let this marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 and place chicken in a casserole dish and sprinkle with the dried dill and smoked paprika. Finally, top with the sliced onions and cover with aluminum foil before baking for about 30 to 40 minutes.
* you might want to think about flipping the chicken over halfway through. I did this, but I am not sure that it was necessary. Also you could uncover and broil it for a minute before serving to see if this would add any crispiness.

Savory Israeli Couscous with Swiss Chard

You know those foods that are just plain good? Well this is one of them.
Savory, and packed with garlic flavor, this dish was as deeply flavored as it was light in the fluffiness of the Israeli couscous* and freshness of the Swiss Chard straight from the garden.
It's also really easy to make and is a great side dish for a sweet-flavored entree, like the Honey Mustard Baked Chicken that I enjoyed it with.

Savory Garlic Couscous with Swiss Chard
(serves 4)
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch baby Swiss Chard, chopped
- 1 c Israeli Couscous
- 1 c vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp each Garlic and Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- salt to taste

In a saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil, then reduce heat to keep it warm. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet and add the garlic, cooking until beginning to soften. Meanwhile, chop the Swiss Chard, separating the lower stems from the leaves, and then add the chopped stems to the garlic and sprinkle with a dash of salt.
When stems are just beginning to get soft, stir in the couscous to brown the grains slightly, and then add half of the warmed vegetable broth, the Worcestershire sauce and the garlic and onion powders, stir to combine, and then top with chopped Swiss chard and cover. As liquid is absorbed, stir the Swiss Chard into the couscous, gradually adding the rest of the vegetable broth until the couscous is done and all the liquid is absorbed - this should take around 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then let it sit covered for 2 minutes and fluff with a fork before serving.
(you may need more or less vegetable broth - just continue to add it in increments until the couscous is done)

* Israeli Couscous is larger than it's cousin regular couscous, and though it looks like a grain, it is in fact a type of pasta made from semolina flour. You can by it in most stores in the pasta and grain section.

variations: you could make this same recipe using pasta instead of couscous, or even go wild and add some beef or sausage and Parmesan cheese to the mix for a nice, one-pot supper type deal.

Shiritake "Beef" Stir Fry

Shiritake noodles arent noodles.
Or are they?
The debate rages.
anyway, they're good.

Shiritake Stir Fry
(serves 2)
- 1 package Shiritake noodles
- 1 package Seitan Strips
- 2 scallions
- Veggies
- 1/4 General Tso's sauce
- 1/4 soy sauce
- pickled ginger, chopped

Rinse shiritake noodles, drain, and parboil for 2 minutes, then drain again and set aside. Slice the white part of the scallions and throw them into a hot skillet with a little sesame oil. Add in sliced mushrooms if using and the seitan strips. When seitan has browned, throw in the shiritake noodles, and then whatever veggies you're using (shredded carrot, sliced pepper, bean sprouts, greens...). Finally, stir in the General Tso's and Soy Sauces and serve right away. Garnish with pickled ginger and chopped green part of the scallions, and enjoy with liberal squirts of Sri Racha hot sauce.

Vegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake

All the goodness of a Pineapple UpsideDown Cake, with all the life sucked out of it.
HAAHAHA. just kidding
it's good as hellVegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake
- 1/3 c vegan butter (Nature's Balance)
- 1/3 c dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 can sliced pineapple in juice
- 1 jar maraschino cherries

- 1 c white flour
- 3/4 white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp each Coconut and Vanilla extracts
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c pineapple juice (reserved from can)
- 1/4 c + 2 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together the water, pineapple juice, oil, vinegar and coconut and vanilla extracts, and in a separate bowl mix the flours, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir gently till well mixed.
In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt the vegan butter and then stir in the brown sugar, and continue stirring constantly as the mixture begins to thicken so that the caramel doesn't burn. Add in the rum extract, and when the caramel is bubbly and thick enough to coat a spoon, remove the pan from the heat. Next, arrange the pineapple slices and cherries in the caramel in whatever design you like, spray the exposed sides of the skillet with cooking spray and then pour the cake batter evenly over top.Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When cake is finished, run a knife around the edges of the skillet and let sit to cool for 20 minutes or so and then carefully put a large plate over top of the skillet and turn the whole thing over to release the cake, Pineapple or Downside up. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then cover and let it chill in the fridge as the caramel seeps down into the cake. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped topping or a vegan (but not virgin) Pina Colada and ENJOY!!!!!!!

Buffalo Blue Turkey Burgers

These burgers were AWESOME.
I just had to start with that, because it's the truth. Spicy and tangy with a creamy, molten blue-cheese filling, these babies hit the spot every which way. I also threw together a buffalo-blue sour cream sauce whose tangy creaminess added a layer of refreshing deliciousness to the spicy burgers.
I strongly recommend that you make these. Not tomorrow, not next week. Now. Go, go go go!!!Buffalo-Blue Turkey Burgers
(makes 4 big burgers)
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 tbsp light mayo
- 2/3 c Franks Red-Hot Wing Sauce
- 5 wedges Laughing Cow Lite Blue Cheese
- 2 tbsp sour cream

Mix one tablespoon of light mayo with 1/3 c wing sauce and then mix it into the ground turkey. Let the flavors combine in the turkey for 20 minutes or so before dividing into 8 patties. On four of the patties place a wedge of the blue cheese, top with a second patty, and then pinch the edges closed, forming one, cheese-filled patty. Preheat the grill and grill the burgers on one side, keeping the grill closed until the burgers are mostly cooked, and then flip, and cook for only a couple of minutes on each side.
For the sour cream sauce, whisk together sour cream, a wedge of the blue cheese and the remaining wing sauce.
I served these along with Tomato Basil-Bean Salad and Crunchy Oven-Baked Onion Rings from CinnamonSpice to round out what was truly an epically delicious meal.

Linked with: Frugal Food Thursday , It's a Keeper Thursday, Full Plate Thursday , and

Tomato Basil-Bean Salad

beans, vegetables, garlic, spices.
side dish galore
Tomato Basil-Bean Salad
- 1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 medium vine tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 large zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 10 leaves fresh basil, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/8 c balsamic vinegar
- sea salt to taste

Rinse and drain beans and put in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and add in your diced red onions. When onions have browned/caramelized, add in the chopped zucchini and cook till the zucchini has just begun to soften, then transfer to the bowl with the tomato and beans. Throw in the sliced basil and then toss it all together with the pressed garlic, vinegar and salt. Allow the salad time to cool/marinate in the fridge before serving.