Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon liquid soy lecithin 

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups pastry flour, sifted before measuring
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Grease and flour a 6 inch cake pan.

 
Melt chocolate and shortening in a small pan over very low heat. In mixing bowl beat sugar, soy yogurt, almond milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lecithin. Mix well. When chocolate mixture is melted, add to bowl and beat til smooth.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to wet ingredients. Mix only until incorporated.

Pour into cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees F, until the top springs back when lightly tapped, or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-hydrogentated vegetable shortening

1 cup non-dairy butter

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 2 inch long segment of vanilla bean

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat shortening and butter til fluffy. Sift in powdered sugar and salt, and mix well. Split vanilla bean segment, and scrape out the seeds. Add to icing and beat for five to seven minutes.

Frost cake when completely cool, and decorate.

Nutrition Information

 

Serving Size: 102 g
Servings per Recipe: 12

Calories: 465 Calories from Fat: 299
Total Fat: 33.2g, 52% of Daily Value*
Saturated Fat: 10.1g, 50% of Daily Value
Sodium: 366mg, 15% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 41.4g, 14% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 1.6g, 7% of Daily Value
Sugars 23.2g
Protein 3.5g

Vitamin A 13%	•	Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 4%	•	Iron 11%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Lemon Macadamia Cake

Ingredients

1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon liquid soy lecithin 

1/3 cup almond milk

1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups pastry flour, sifted before measuring

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup roasted macadamia nuts, ground

1/2 cup roasted macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Grease and flour a 6 inch cake pan.

 
In mixing bowl beat shortening with sugar til fluffy. Beat in lecithin. Add soy yogurt, almond milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to wet ingredients with ground macadamia nuts. Mix only until incorporated. Fold in chopped macadamia nuts.

Pour into cake pan, and bake for 55 minutes at 375 degrees F, until the top springs back when lightly tapped, or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

Lemon Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-hydrogentated vegetable shortening

1/2 cup non-dairy butter

3-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Beat shortening and butter til fluffy. Sift in powdered sugar, and mix well. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and beat for five to seven minutes. 

Frost cake when completely cool, and decorate.

I made this for my brother's birthday, and my delightful niece decided it should be decorated with fresh yellow daisies. In recreating the cake for this blog, I used jonquils, as I have no daisies. When decorating a cake with fresh flowers, always make sure to use pesticide free flowers and leaves, and make sure they are not toxic.

Nutrition Information
 

Serving Size: 121 g
Servings per Recipe: 12

Calories: 525 Calories from Fat: 277
Total Fat: 30.8g, 47% of Daily Value*
Saturated Fat: 8.2g, 41% of Daily Value
Sodium: 196mg, 8% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 61.6g, 21% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 1.6g, 7% of Daily Value
Sugars 43.1g
Protein 3.3g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 4%	•	Iron 8%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet 

Coconut Lime Cake

Ingredients

1/3 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon liquid soy lecithin 

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1-1/2 cups pastry flour, sifted before measuring
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut

1-1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

Thinly sliced limes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease and flour an 8 inch cake pan.

Melt coconut oil over low heat, add to mixing bowl with sugar and beat well. Beat in lecithin. Add coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and lime zest. Mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to wet ingredients. Mix only until incorporated. Fold in finely shredded coconut.

Pour into cake pan, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, until the top springs back when lightly tapped, or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

Lime Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-hydrogentated vegetable shortening

1/2 cup non-dairy butter

3-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

Beat shortening and butter til fluffy. Sift in powdered sugar, and mix well. Add vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest, and beat for five to seven minutes. 

Frost cake when completely cool, pat shaved coconut flakes on sides of cake, and pipe rosettes on top. Garnish with lime slices.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 123 g
Servings per Recipe: 12

Calories: 497 Calories from Fat: 284
Total Fat: 31.6g, 49% of Daily Value*
Saturated Fat: 17.3g, 87% of Daily Value
Sodium: 202mg, 8% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 54.5g, 18% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 2.0g, 8% of Daily Value
Sugars 43.6g
Protein 2.1g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 4%	•	Iron 7%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Green Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup frozen strawberries
2 oranges
2 frozen bananas

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 cup cold water

Place all ingredients in blender and blend til smooth, adding water as necessary.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 904 g

Servings per Recipe: 1

Calories: 440 Calories from Fat: 12

Total Fat: 1.3g, 2% of Daily Value*

Sodium: 30mg, 1% of Daily Value

Total Carbohydrates: 111.2g, 37% of Daily Value

Dietary Fiber: 18.7g, 75% of Daily Value

Sugars 72.3g

Protein 6.9g

Vitamin A 76%	•	Vitamin C 465%
Calcium 21%	•	Iron 14%

Skippin' Jenny

Ingredients

1 cup brown long grain rice
2 1/4 cups water
Leftover Hoppin' John

Add rice and cold water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pan, and allow to cook at very low heat for 45 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork.

While rice is cooking heat up leftover Hoppin' John. When rice is done, serve topped with Hoppin' John, and eat on the day after New Year's Day or you can't call it Skippin' Jenny. :P

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 211 g

Servings per Recipe: 4

Calories: 335 Calories from Fat: 61

Total Fat: 6.8g, 10% of Daily Value*

Saturated Fat: 1.1g, 7% of Daily Value

Sodium: 214mg, 9% of Daily Value

Total Carbohydrates: 63.6g, 21% of Daily Value

Dietary Fiber: 12.5g, 50% of Daily Value

Sugars 3.2g

Protein 14.6g

Vitamin A 8%	•	Vitamin C 55%
Calcium 5%	•	Iron 22%

Hoppin' John

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ancho chile peppers, chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

1  medium tomato, chopped

2 cups cooked black eyed peas

2 cups vegetable broth

1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, if you love garlic as much as I do)

1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat til soft and golden. Add chiles, celery, tomato, and black eyed peas, and saute for ten minutes. Add vegetable broth, paprika, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add garlic, and simmer five minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with rice.

 Throughout the coastal South, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls.  Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale, cabbage etc. along with this dish are supposed to also add to the wealth since they are the color of money. Another traditional food, cornbread, can also be served to represent wealth -- being the color of gold. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" is called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 197 g

Servings per Recipe: 6

Calories: 213 Calories from Fat: 66

Total Fat: 7.4g, 11% of Daily Value*

Saturated Fat: 1.5g, 7% of Daily Value

Sodium: 274mg, 11% of Daily Value

Total Carbohydrates: 35.6g, 12% of Daily Value

Dietary Fiber: 14.2g, 58% of Daily Value

Sugars 3.8g

Protein 14.4g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 68%
Calcium 4%	•	Iron 23%