Feast for the Eyes

Check it out! Isn't this dish just a feast for the eyes? Believe it or not, I found the basic recipe in the quarterly magazine of our heath insurer! Good for them, good job!
I tried it and found it was 'missing' something. So I added a couple of things, I left out a couple of things, and here it is! All pimped up and ready to become your favourite 'make-ahead' recipe!

Enjoy!

Ingredients
(for 4 persons)
•tiny piece of ginger root (approx. 2 cm), rasped
•2 spring onions, sliced in thin rings
•1 red chili pepper (no seeds, chopped)
•4 pieces of white fish (approx.200 g each)
•toothpicks
•4 banana leaves
•1 tbs tamari sauce
•1 tsp of lemon zest
•1 tsp of sesame oil
•2 tsps of virgin olive oil

What you do
•preheat the oven to 175°C
•mix all the ingredients in a bowl keeping fish and banana leaves to the side
•now place each piece of fish in the middle of a banana leave and scoop 1/4 of the mixture on top of the fish
•close the banana leave using toothpicks
•place all the packages in a oven proof fish
•cook for aprox 30 min.

Notes
If you can find big enough banana leaves where you live, it is best to be able to close the leave entirely, making a little package :-D

Green Thirst Quencher

Living where we live (Western Europe), drinking (a lot of) alcohol is 'normal'. Actually if you don't join in, people ask you what is wrong with you, if you are on a strict diet or are taking medicine.
It is so 'main stream' that none of us even think 'we' drink a lot. But most of us do, I know that for a fact. 
So what is a lot, right? 'A lot' is different for everybody. But if you wake up feeling even a light headache, with less energy than usual, your stomach is maybe a bit upset and your intestines inflamed ... In my book, that sounds like your body is at least a bit intoxicated... 
I can feel like that after even after 2 glasses of wine.. Yep, I am a light weight.


Putting up a fight against drinking social pressure is very difficult, I know. Specially in countries where when you go out, the only alternative to having an alcoholic drink is having Coca-Cola or Sprite! 

So if you decide to drink less or not to drink alcohol at all (for a while or for ever) it could be difficult at first. So you need to arm yourself with some creativity. Here is a concoction that will pamper your body and I can guarantee your 'alcoholic drinking' buddies will want to have, when they see you having it!


Ingredients
•1/3 pineapple juice, 1/3 coconut water, 1/3 (sparkling) mineral water
•1 thin slice of lime
•1 fresh mint twig
•crushed ice

Note
Use organic produce. Your body will thank you for it, eventually :-D

Tomato and Pomegranate Salad

When I first started collecting my recipes, notes and findings under Cornucopia -I don't really consider myself a 'blogger' but rather a 'researcher'- I truly thought that what I was sharing was incredibly useful. The information was out there (I had found it), but lay hidden and was seen as 'alternative'.

Lots has changed since then and 'healthiness' had become a very big business. This is not all bad. We are all far better informed and more conscious about what we eat and what it does to our body and overall health.

Established chefs with big names and high end restaurants have changed their beat, paying heed to popular demand. Others like Yotam Ottolenghi had a mayor break through, just because we wanted 'pureness' and began to frown at 'processed'.

So here is one of my favourite Yotam Ottolenghi's salad. I am adding it to Cornucopia, because it belongs to my collection of 'culinary gems'. It is one of those recipes I like to prepare over and over again. Hopefully you will love it as much as I do and will help you out if you are looking for guilt-free inspiration...


Ingredients
(for 4 persons/side dish)

•600g of multi coloured (cherry) tomatoes, diced
•1 (medium) red onion, chopped
•1 (medium) red pepper, diced
•2 garlic cloves, crushed
•1/2 tsp ground allspice
•2 tsp white wine/cider vinegar
•1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
•60 ml virgin olive oil
•seeds of 1 medium pomegranate (170 g)
•1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves or 1 tsp of dry oregano leaves

What you do
•arrange the tomatoes, with the onion, pomegranate and red pepper in a (flat) salad bowl
•whisk the garlic, allspice, vinegar, molasses and oil into a vinaigrette
•pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and now sprinkle the oregano over it.

Red Cabbage Salad Caleidoscope

I am a sucker for cooking TV programmes. Specially around Christmas time. Mostly, I get a bit irritated about how unhealthy all the presented recipes are. But I am always curious to learn something new and to find out what the latest 'trend' is. This past season, it was all about 'how simple and fast' it is to prepare a Christmas meal. 
Nigella is usually not much better that most of the over sized chefs I see on TV. Except this Christmas she did show us a fresh and healthy red cabbage salad that I pinned down. I love red cabbage but I feel I am always short of original ideas on how to incorporate it.

I tried this particular recipe different times since the beginning of December and...it's a keeper!

I have one comment I would like to add -for those whom also watched the BBC programme: in the programme, Nigella says it is one the salads one can prepare a couple of hours in advance, and still keep it's crispyness... Well, yes indeed, although there is a but. You can prepare it even a day in advance, if you would want to, provided you mix the vegetables but add the dressing at the very last minute...

Ingredients
(good for a side dish for 10)
•half a red cabbage, thinly sliced;
•4 big or 6 small spring onions (trimmed and sliced in 4 cm long batons);
•2 red peppers (seeds and membranes removed; sliced in thin 4 cm long strips);
•1 yellow pepper (seeds and membranes removed; sliced in thin 4 cm long strips);
•1 orange pepper (seeds and membranes removed; sliced in thin 4 cm long strips);
•1 red chili pepper (seeds and membranes removed; diced);
•100 g fresh coriander leaves;
•juice of 2 limes (zest and juice of one; juice of half het second one);
•250 ml pineapple juice (fresh, no additives please!);
•1 1/2 tbsp Himalayan salt (crushed);
•2 tsp sesame oil;
•2 tsp maple syrup (honey or agave are good alternatives);

What you do
•toss all vegetables (except the chili pepper and coriander leaves) in a large bowl;
•mix all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl;
•a little while before serving (30 min.) add the dressing and coriander leaves to the vegetables and mix.

Note

I cannot stress enough how important it is for your health to choose organic produce! If you cannot find it or you cannot afford it, please do wash all your products thoroughly (with warm water) to remove as much chemicals and wax residue as you can, before consumption.

Zesty Smart Cake

Last summer, when flying back to Amsterdam from Minneapolis, I bought an issue of Woman & Home magazine. What caught my eye was the "101 gluten & dairy free recipes & ideas" and the picture of the mouthwatering cake on the cover.

The cake in question, 'Lemon polenta cake with honey drizzle' is indeed gluten-free but not dairy-free. Among the suggested ingredients: 'baking margarine', 'caster sugar' and 'milk'. What a disappointment. Not very smart eating at all, according to my book!

Besides, the fact that cornmeal is 'gluten-free', the latest research tells us this doesn't make it healthy nor a 'smart pick'.

It was very easy to make the original 'Lemon polenta cake with a honey drizzle, an acceptable choice. I used my Meskouta cake recipe as a base. It is simple and fits the bill perfectly.

You need

•parchment paper

•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan

•hand mixer

•blender

Ingredients

•2 well cleaned oranges

•2,5 cups (250 g) almond meal

•6 eggs
•1 tsp baking powder
•1/2 cup (120 ml) + 6 tbsp of agave nectar
•juice of 2 lemons
•150 g of raspberries
•150 g of blackberries
•mint sprigs for decoration

Baking the cake

•boil the (whole) oranges in water for two hours. Then allow them cool down completely. This might take quite a while. Preferably, let them sit in the empty pan overnight after boiling and disposing of the water.
•preheat the oven to 356F (180C)

•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).

•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy start pouring the agave into the mix, while you keep the blender running
•add the oranges and puree them with a blender till they have become one with the egg/orange mixture
•add the baking powder to the almond meal
•add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend well
•pour into the spring form

•bake for approximately 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack.

Lemon syrup
•in a saucepan, put the lemon juice and 6 tbsp of agave nectar; warm up and stir till well combined
•spoon half of the syrup over the cake, while the cake and the syrup are still warm
•once the cake has cooled down, scatter the fruit on top and around the cake
•reheat the rest of the syrup and pour it over the the fruit
•just before serving, decorate with mint leaves

Tips & remarks

•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F

•I strongly suggest you use organic fruit and mint and that you wash it well before applying it to your cake
•I used the bottom of the cake as the top. The texture is a slightly more grainy texture that soaks up all the zesty syrup more easily.

 

Zucchini Bread

One of the most difficult things for health conscious newbies is to say goodbye to bread. I never really had much bread before I changed my diet... So I have not missed bread with the meals as much as I thought I would.

But we are all different and if you have been programmed to have bread on a daily basis, it is difficult -at least in the beginning- to live without it.

So for those in bread-withdrawal (and for those that are not), here is a amazing alternative. The perfect (savoury) zucchini bread that you can use the same way you would use any 'regular' loaf of bread. You can even toast it! 

There are quite a few recipes on internet for zucchini bread. I tried out many and didn't like a single one. But maybe it is just me... Most of them have banana in it, cinnamon? raisins? No. I definitely did not like the mix of zucchini with sweet ingredients.

So here is my own concoction. I hope you like it as much and my friends and my family members do!

What you need
•a bread pan 27 cm long, 11,5 cm wide and 8 cm high

Ingredients
•200 g of almond meal
•270 g of grated unpeeled zucchini (previously washed and dried)
•3 medium sized eggs
•1 tsp Himalayan salt
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/3 cup melted coconut oil
•1 tbs herbes de provence
•50 g pine nuts (previously roasted)

What you do
•preheat the oven to 190°C
•grease your baking pan or otherwise line it with parchment paper
•combine all the ingredients and blend well
•pour the mixture into your baking pan and bake for about 45 min. (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean);
•cool (almost completely) and slice

Notes
•you will be able to get approximately 8-10 slices out of this loaf
•you could freeze it, but there is nothing like biting into the freshly made bread!
•if you decide not to freeze it, you could put it in the fridge and keep it a few days...

Creamy Parsnip Chowder

In winter, a creamy chowder is my comfort food! Soups are easy to make and will really stand out when you make them yourself, from scratch.

If you own a (Vitamix®) blender, it is very easy to accomplish a wonderful creaminess without the use of a single drop of dairy! 


Ingredients
(serves 4 to 6)

•4 tbsp of coconut oil
•1 large (sweet) onion, peeled and chopped
•250 g of carrots, peeled and chopped
•500 g of parsnips, peeled and chopped
•a dice-size piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
•1 level tsp of grated orange grind
•750 ml of vegetable stock
•freshly ground fresh pepper
•fresh coriander to garnish

What you do
•melt the coconut in a large saucepan over low heat
•add the chopped onion and stir until soft
•add carrot, parsnip and stir for approx. 5 minutes (unit the vegetables have soften a little)
•now add the ginger, the orange rind and stock
•bring everything to a boil, add the pepper and then reduce the heat
•simmer for 45 minutes
•remove from the heat and after letting it cool down for 15 minutes, transfer the soup to your blender and whizz until very smooth
•rinse your original sauce pan and return the soup to the pan
•reheat the soup if necessary over a very low heat
•ladle the soup into soup bowls
•garnish your parsnip soup with a sprig of coriander


Suggestion
Serve with homemade crackers!

Blueberry Muffins

I have tried various paleo recipes for blueberry muffins. I wasn't too happy with any of the ones I found. You would think there is no great science to baking a 'grain-free' 'dairy-free' blueberry muffin... Yet, there is.

All the recipes I came across had practically identical ingredients; still the outcome was not convincing.

It took some experimenting to realise the ingredients suggested were actually fine, but there always something preventing the perfect outcome: either the heat of the oven, the cooking time, the way the different ingredients were put together or the amount of eggs....

Anyway, I am ready to share the muffins that made my day! I hope they make yours!

What you need

•muffin tray

•6 muffin liners

Ingredients

(makes 6 muffins)

•200 g almond flour

•4 medium size/large organic eggs

(if your eggs are small, use 5)

•1/2 tsp baking soda

•1 tsp apple cider vinegar

•200 g organic blueberries, washed

•1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

•1/3 cup of agave nectar

Instructions

•preheat the oven to 165°C

•in a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients

•in another mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients

•now pour and mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients

•fold the blackberries into the mix, gently (preferably with a rubber spoon)

•line the muffing baking tray with muffin liners

•scoop the batter and divide evenly into the muffin tray

•bake for 30 min. until golden brown

        

Stuffed Tomatoes

Here is a super-easy, super-healthy dish to either add to a buffet, to serve as your appetizer dish of a multi-course meal or take to friends when they invite you over for drinks and finger food! It's versatile and fast to prepare.

Also, I bet you can make it with the ingredients you have in your cupboard! No need to go out and shop for 'that one thing you are missing'!


Ingredients
(makes 10 small tomatoes or 8 medium sized ones)
•2 cans of cooked tuna in water
(needless to say that fresh tuna grilled at home will always taste better and be healthier...)
•2 Tbs of home made or organic mayonnaise
•20 calamata or (black) olives (pit removed) + 10 more for decoration
•1 medium red onion
•pinch of Himalayan rock salt and freshly ground pepper


What you do
•Cup the top of the tomatoes and removed all seeds and flesh
•Turn the tomatoes upside down and let them drain all extra fluids (approx. 10 min.)
•In the meantime, put the tuna, onion, mayonaise in a food processor and grind to a paste;
•Now add salt and pepper to taste and mix;
•Add the 20 calamata olives and blend for just a second (you want the black calamatas to show in your mix and give it structure);
•Finely stuff the tomatoes and decorate with a black olive on the top.

Enjoy!

Hash Browns

When changing eating habits and ridding myself of all grains, one of the things I missed on my Sunday American breakfast menu were hash browns. Admittedly, using yams is a good option, but if you are looking for an alternative that tastes astonishing like the real thing, you will love this recipe. 

Ingredients
•1 cauliflower head, shredded
•2 eggs
•1 tsp dried oregano
•2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
•1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

What you do
•in a pan, sauté the cauliflower in 1 tbsp of coconut out until 'al dente';
•once the cauliflower has cooled down, transfer it to a bowl and add the eggs, dried oregano and salt;
•warm up the frying pan again, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and once the pan is warm, add the cauliflower mixture;
•once the bottom is golden brown, turn the cauliflower 'cake' around using a flat plate;
•cook the other side until golden brown.

Remarks
•I used a 27 cm diameter pan; this makes a 1,2 cm thick cauliflower cake

Enjoy!

           

Home Made Crackers

It is pretty cool -and hopeful- to see how rapidly the food paradigm is changing. More and more people are questioning their food choices, becoming more demanding as consumers. Supermarkets are having to adapt to new lifestyle demands.

My husband and I have kept a Friday Night Fun (FNF) tradition going for years now. It is that precious time at the end of the week when we sit down together for a drink, reflect on the past days, share our stories and plot the days to come.

What we prepare for our FNF-time has changed considerably throughout the years. Potato chips with additives and tons of salt, have been replaced by cassava crisps 'au naturel'; peanuts made room for walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds and macadamia nuts; rubbery cheese was substituted by olives.
(Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming post 'Friday Night Fun' for a list of ideas....)

I have been buying (raw vegetable/seed) crackers from Lifefood for quite a while. They can be quite pricey and need to be shipped (which in itself is not particularly environmentally friendly....).

A good friend from South Africa visited us a few months ago. Darren couldn't believe I didn't make my own. "It's so easy and fun!", he said.

I tried his recipe and believe you me, it's 'fool proof', quick to prepare and absolutely delicious. The best part?  They taste way better than any cracker I have ever purchased!
This is the tool you have been looking for, to compliment your home made dips! Or to offer your bread-munger friends during a sit-down meal! The ingredients have tons of health benefits, too many to list. But I do encourage you to look up the links for more in-depth information.

Ingredients
(for 3 oven trays)
•200 g sunflower seeds
•60 g flax seed
•100 g (hulled) sesame seeds
•2 tbs psyllium seed husks
•500 ml water (room temperature)
•1tsp crushed Himalayan salt

What you do
•preheat the oven to 160°C;
•cover 3 oven trays (or flat baking trays) with parchment paper;
•combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and add the water; leave the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Mix well;
•spread the mixture on the baking tray carefully, making use of the back of a metal spoon. The spread should have no holes in it;
•bake in the oven until crispy (approx. 60-65 min.);
•remove from the oven and as soon as the baking tray allows it, remove the parchment paper from the cracker spread and let the cracker cool down either on a rack or standing up;
•once cooled, break the crackers into any size or shape you like and store left overs (if any!) in an airtight container.

Remarks
•you want to work the uncooked seed mixture into the tray without loosing time. The longer you wait, the more sticky the mixture will get as the psyllium hardens. This will make it increasingly more difficult to spread the raw mixture onto the tray in an evenly fashion;
•even though the original recipe calls for "spreading the mixture as thin as possible onto the tray", I tried thicker and thinner options and liked the slightly thicker result better. Experiment and see what you prefer. Do keep in mind you do want to spread the mixture evenly for it to cook properly...
•the first time I made these, I did not remove the parchment paper from the cracker till half an hour after the cracker had come out of the oven. This turned out to be a big mistake :-( The steam coming off the baked cracker condescend at the bottom/paper end and ruined the cracker... I ended up 'saving' it by putting the cracker chunk back into the oven for a few minutes (this time with no paper of tray, just on the rack) to dry. Worked like a charm!
•if the raw mixture starts sticking to your metal spoon, dip the spoon in a glass of water and carry on. This should do the trick!

               

                

Ceviche with Pzazz

Lotty is my very dear friend from Ecuador. She is also my neighbour. Without her warmth I don’t know if I would be able to survive Dutch winters.

Besides being a loving person and good friend, she is also one of the best cooks I know! Of all her dishes I would have say her crab & prawn ceviche ranks #1 by far.

Ceviche is a very popular dish in Bolivia, Perú and Ecuador. You can use different types of fish for it.

In South America is it usually served as an appetizer. But glam it up with a couple of side dishes and you have the perfect meal.

I have tried her recipe many times. Now that according to Lotty I have (almost) mastered perfection, I am ready to audition my recipe! Ceviche has become more and more popular around the world, specially in trendy restaurants in cosmopolitan areas. While in Miami last winter, I tried every ceviche I could find on the menu.
I took her recipe but then gave it my own twist. When she tastes mine she tends to shake her head and say 'nope, too much cumin'. But you know, I really love the extra pzazz!

Still, I have to say my friend Lotty makes the very best.

Ingredients

(for 4 to 6 people)

•400g of clean raw prawns (mid size)

•400g of crab meat

•2 medium diced tomatoes (seeds removed)

• a handful of chopped cilantro

•3 hot chili peppers (seeds removed, chopped)

•pinch of Hilamayan pink salt; crushed

•(the juice of) 8 limes

•(the juice of) 1/2 orange

•1 tsp of cumin
•1/4 cup extra virgin oil

•2 medium red onions, chopped

•1 avocado, diced

What you do

•slice the prawns lengthwise in half, and leave them to marinate in a bowl for at least an hour in some salt and cumin;

• then put them in a pan with some water (enough to cover them) and some extra salt;

•once the water reaches boiling point, remove the pan from the heat source immediately and leave the prawns to cool down in the pan;

•in a bowl, chop the red onion, the tomatoes and the red chili peppers;

•add the lime and orange juice;

•add the crab meat (and any water it might release), the prawns and the water you cooked them in;

•add the avocado;

•add the extra virgin oil;

•sprincle a generous amount to fresh cilantro

•cover with some cling foil and put in the fridge

Remarks

•ceviche is best served cold and when the ingredients have had the chance to blend for at least a couple of hours;

•if you cannot find crab meat or you find it too expensive in your area, replace it by (very fresh and very thinly sliced, raw) white fish;

•some of the side dishes you could add are: steamed yams or cassava; cassava chips; fried banana.

 

Easy Thai Prawns

Living in the Netherlands has given me exposure to great Thai cuisine. And although to some of us it might seem impossible to accomplish a good Thai dish at home, it is easier than you think to get close to the real thing.

Ingredients
will serve 4 to 6 
•4 small onions
•1 kg of raw prawns
•1 tbs of (Pataks's) mild curry paste
•4 medium sized tomatoes, washed
•400 ml of coconut cream
•2 tbs coconut oil
•1 handful of fresh coriander, chopped
•4 Thai basil leaves (preferably fresh)

What you do
•our onions are quite small so I peeled and chopped 4 (adjust the amount depending on how big yours are);
•heat the coconut oil in a big pan (I love using my paella pan); preferably one that looks good enough to bring to the table;
•add the chopped onions and cook in medium heat until translucent;
•add the curry paste and stir till all the herbs in the paste start releasing their wonderful smells (give or take a minute); add the tomatoes, diced
•once the tomatoes are cooked (this might take apron. 5 to 10 minutes), add the coconut cream and the basil leaves
•as soon as the ingredients have come together, add the prawns and let it all simmer for approx. 10 minutes;
•just before the prawns are done (initially grey, their color will turn orange), add the chopped coriander

Remarks
•Serve with something 'neutral', such as steamed yams, celery root or white carrot. I try to avoid rice but I do have it once in a blue moon. Needless to say this dish goes great with it, specially steamed basmati rice!
•'Patak's' is a very well known brand for amazing curry paste.
•If you cannot find Thai basil leaves, try 'regular' basis leaves. Not quite the same, but it comes close....
•if you have the choice, pick coconut cream above coconut 'milk'. But most importantly, make sure it has no 'additives'... It just ruins the healthiness of the products and that is a shame....

 

Fish Picadillo

If you google the name 'picadillo', you will actually find it is the name of a typical Cuban dish made with ground beef. So I am sure you can understand how surprised I was when at the local supermarket, I found a cute tin of mixed spices by Jonnie Boer, called 'Picadillo'.
Got my glasses out of my handbag and read that what I was holding was actually a mix of dried herbs: paprika, garlic, chili, onions, oregano, red onion, cumin, jalapeno, parsley, coriander leaf, black pepper, chipotle, cinnamon, Jamaica pepper and lovage.
What no preservatives? No sodium glutamate? How about 'emulsifiers'? Nope! Once in a blue moon it is possible to bump into something considerably pure and healthy at the local supermarket!

Mixed spices like these make a wonderful 'quick fix' when you come home tired from work and you want a healthy bite.

What you need
•oven proof dish

Ingredients
(serves 4)
•1 tbs of Jonnie Boer's 'picadillo'
•50 ml of good quality virgin olive oil
•600 grams of white white fish (fillets)
•pinch of salt

What you do
•turn the oven on to 240C 
•mix the picadillo with the oil and add a pinch of salt
•arrange the fish in an oven proof dish and add the picadillo mix to it; let it marinade for at least 15 minutes (while you wait for the oven to reach the right temperature)
•pop the fish in the oven and cook for no proximately 10 minutes

Remarks
This will work with about any type of white fish. Dare experiment with different spices!
I like to serve this dish with a simple salad, woked veggies or steamed white carrots.

Fancy Avocado Goodness

My mother used to make these whenever we had guests, to spoil them I guess. They were considered quite a fancy bite when I was small.
It doesn't take long to prepare and the dish has the added plus of being full of health benefits. For one, the avocado is an amazing superfruit, an excellent source of 'good' fats. Add shrimp, which like any fish, it has tons of vitamine B12, omega-3, protein and selenium and you are eating goodness. I do recommend to be critical about farmed shrimp. If possible, avoid it totally.

Ingredients
(for 4)
•2 ripe avocados
•1 tbs (of preferably) home made mayonnaise
•1 tbs (of preferably) home made ketchup
•1 tbs of whiskey
•300 g of wild small shrimp

What you do
•mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and whiskey
•cut the avocados in half and remove the pit
•drain and dry the shrimp then add the sauce to it
•fill the avocados and serve chilled

 

Rum Runner's Chocolate Fix

Grey windy days call for comfort food. There is no two ways about it. Winter comes and my chocolate cravings sky rocket! If you use good quality pure chocolate wisely, it is possible to nourish body and mind without compromising your healthy lifestyle. 

This recipe will serve 12 but if you only need to impress 6 guests, no problem. Freeze half the cake and half the leftover rum sauce and you will save yourself a lot of work next time you are in the mood for Rum Runner's Chocolate Fix!

You need

•parchment paper

•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form baking pan

•mixer

•sharp long knife

Ingredients for the Cake

•1/2 cup (120 ml) of oil 

•2/3 cups (94 grams) of coconut flour

•1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened good quality cacao powder

•1/2 tsp baking soda

•1/2 tsp sea salt

•6 medium sized eggs

•3/4 cup (180 ml) agave nectar

•1/2 cup (120 ml) water

•1 tbs vanilla extract

Ingredients for Rum Sauce

•1 tsp of grounded cloves 

•1 tsp of grounded bay leave

•1 tsp of grounded cinnamon 

•4 tbs date molasses or agave nectar

•150g of  raisins

•juice of 4 oranges (2 cups)

•juice of 2 limes (2 tbs)

•1 cup of dark rum

Baking the Cake

•Preheat the oven to 170C

•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).

•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside

•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely

•add the dry ingredients into the wet, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole

•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly

•bake for 40 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Preparing the Rum Sauce

•put the raisins in the rum and let the raisins soak up some of the liquid (approx. 30 min.)

•the put the raisins with the liquid and the spices and the agave in a saucepan and let the liquid simmer till it has reduced and becomes thicker (approx. 15 min), allowing the alcohol to evaporate a bit.

Putting it together

•slice thin pieces of cake

•pour plenty of rum sauce over it.

Remarks
•I realize that depending of how you extract the juice of the oranges and lime, the size of the fruit and the time of the year, you might end up with more or less juice. So go by the amount of cups/tbs (rather than the number of oranges/limes);
•in some parts of the world, agave is more common than date molasses. I tried it both ways. I definitely loved the date molasses variation better. It gives it a 'richer' taste.
•see the pictures below for 2 types of presentations...