Chocolate Beet Cake

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This cake is chocolate heaven, even  for those who are  self-proclaimed beet-haters! A marvelous cake that is so  moist and delicious, who would have ever known that the secret ingredient just happened to be red beets! It’s a great recipe to sneak in a few veggies for children who will ask for a second piece, because it’s just that good.

 

Serves 16 to 20, depending on how thick the slice

Ingredients:
3 or 4 medium  red beets
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 ¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

For the icing:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4  1/2 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, softemed
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
beet juice (left over from above)
4 ounces dark chocolate – melted

 

Directions:
Cook the beets: in a saucepan, cover beets with water and boil 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the skin, quarter the beets and puree them in food processor with a little bit of the water they cooked in. You should end up with 2 cups of pureed cooked beets. Reserve  the beet juice of for the icing.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 10-cup Bundt pan or tube pan with oil and dust with flour.

Combine the chocolate and oil in a Pyrex liquid measuring cup. Microwave on the defrost setting just until the chocolate melts. Note: Using a double boiler is the traditional way to melt chocolate is a microwave is not handy.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the oil and chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.

Whisk the flours and stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until the flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the Neufchâtel cheese and sugar and stir in the milk and the vanilla.Divide the icing in half and place the reserved icing in a second bowl. With the other half of the icing, add 1 to 2 tablespoons a beet juice to the icing. Note: the icing may be thickened with confectioners’ sugar or thinned with milk or the beet juice. Drizzle the white icing onto the cake and allow it to set, followed by the beet icing. Drizzle with the melted dark chocolate. Slice and serve individually on dessert plates.

 

Cook’s Notes:
If you want to forego without the dramatic icing and chocolate drizzles, just simply dust the cake with confectioners’  sugar.

beet cake

 

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Cardamon Salmon

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This amazing entrée comes together quickly and with little effort with just a three ingredient marinade that is highlighted by maple syrup and cardamon.  This recipe is perfect for healthy eating on a budget.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1.5 pounds of fresh fillet of salmon
1 bunch of dill, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish

 

Directions:
Add olive oil, maple syrup  and cardamon to a large bowl. Whisk together to  make a marinade.

Take a large salmon filet. Brush the skin side with the marinade. Flip the salmon over and brush the marinade over the flesh side of the salmon. Place the salmon in a shallow oven proof baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and allow the salmon to marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 275 °F .

Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and remove and discard the plastic wrap. Bake the salmon uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with sprigs of dill and slices of lemon.

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Salmon Tacos

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Photo Credit: Joseph de Leo, 2011

A spin a on a traditional taco made with the flavors of the heart healthy salmon and a fruit salsa made of apples and cucumbers. This dish could be a nice refreshing meal for lunch or dinner.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound skinless wild Alaskan salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 corn tortillas
Kosher, salt to taste
1 Hass avocado, mashed

For the Apple-Cucumber Salsa:
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cucumber—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt, to taste

1 cup finely shredded cabbage

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the lime juice. In another small bowl, combine the chipotle powder with the orange zest and sugar. Rub each piece of salmon with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and then with the chipotle–orange zest mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, toss the apple with the cucumber, onion and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, season with salt and set aside.

Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake for about 8 minutes, until they are softened and heated through.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan. Season the salmon with salt and grill over high heat until nicely browned and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Gently break each piece of salmon in half. Spread the mashed avocado on the warm tortillas and top with the salmon, Apple-Cucumber Salsa and the cabbage. Drizzle each taco with the lime mayonnaise and serve right away.