Here it is! My absolute favorite dessert (other than Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory). The extra bonus is that it is gluten-free (I’m sorry to say that it is not guilt-free, but for me it’s an occasional MUST HAVE).

On one of my return trips to California to visit girlfriends a few years ago, they prepared a special dinner in my honor, which was so touching. The baker in the group asked what I’d like for dessert and of course I knew immediately it had to be flourless chocolate cake. I do not have her recipe, but I found this one through the Gluten-Free Goddess (glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com) and it is amazing. So, now you know. If you ever want to make dessert for me, this is my number one all-time favorite. I hope you love it as much as I do. Bon apetito!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE (from the Gluten-Free Goddess)

Ingredients:
16 oz. Belgian dark chocolate (or use your favorite dark chocolate bars)
1 cup organic light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup very hot strong coffee (or use espresso power in very hot water)
2 sticks organic unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons unsweetened organic cocoa powder
8 large organic free-range eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract (yes, a tablespoon)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10-cup Springform pan by lining the bottom with buttered parchment.

Note: Using a smaller cake pan will result in a longer baking time; adjust accordingly and keep an eye on the edges; if it browns too much while the center is still wet, wrap edges in foil; or if you are using a smaller pan, try placing it inside a warm water bath as Dorie Greenspan suggests.

Break up the dark chocolate pieces and pour the chocolate into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the chocolate breaks up into small bits. Add the sugar. Pulse until the chocolate and sugar turns into an even, sandy grain.

Pour the hot water or coffee slowly into the feed tube as you pulse again. Pulse until the chocolate is melted. Magic!

Add the butter pieces and the cocoa powder, and pulse to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, and process till smooth. The batter will be liquid and creamy.

Pour the batter into the lined Springform pan. Wrap the outside of the whole pan with a big piece of foil. Bake at 350 degrees in the center of the oven, till puffed and cracked and lovely–about 55 to 65 minutes. (Note–it took an hour plus 15 minutes when I baked this at high altitude.) Use a wooden toothpick to check the center of the cake; pick should emerge clean, with maybe a crumb.

Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool. The cake will deflate. Don’t worry! When cooled a bit, press down on it gently with a spatula to make it even if you wish. Or not.

When the cake is completely cooled, cover, and chill it for at least three hours (best up to eight hours) until serving. Overnight is even better.

Serve slices with drizzled chocolate sauce or a sprinkle of sifted powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh berries or mint leaves.

Yield: 15 slices

It’s a new year, and I intend to once again post weekly recipes on Thursdays. To kick off 2012, I’m sharing this wonderful treat I discovered during the holiday season.

For New Years, I wanted to find something special to deliver to our neighbors. Thanks to Whole Foods Market’s website, I found this recipe that combines a bit of tartness with sweetness to create a very satisfying taste. I especially liked that it was sweetened with honey rather than sugar. Since we’d all consumed more than enough sugar throughout December, I assumed my neighbors would also appreciate a short reprieve from super sweet foods. (Of course, I baked one for our family as well and we all loved it!)

I hope you’ll give this a try this winter. Please let me know if you like it. Bon apetito!

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used finely ground whole wheat flour; you can also substitute with gluten-free flours)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (I use the ones sweetened with fruit juice rather than sugar)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and honey together in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, orange juice and orange zest; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and add to honey mixture in thirds, beating after each addition. Stir in cranberries and walnuts, then transfer batter to an oiled loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until cooked through.

My daughter Alix is getting back into the kitchen little by little. Her favorite form of expression, besides writing, is to take a recipe and make it her own. I am in awe of her ability to explore ingredients and quantities as she creates her own amazing variations on a theme.

In recent weeks, we’ve enjoyed a new waffle recipe (which I’ll post next week–sorry Nonna) and a great stuffing that can be enjoyed at any time. The following is Alix’s Everyday Stuffing, greatly modified from a rice stuffing recipe she found at wholefoodsmarket.com. In her opinion, this can accompany any roasted bird, but her favorite is turkey. You can eat the stuffing right out of the oven and left over:

ALIX’S EVERYDAY STUFFING

1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups vegetable broth
6 cups dried bread, cubed (we used sprouted hamburger buns)
salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil

1. Place cubed bread on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until bread is toasted and brown.
2. Saute the onion, garlic, dried cranberries and nuts in olive oil.
3. Add thyme, sage, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and celery. Continue to saute.
4. Pour toasted bread into pan and add the vegetable broth. If you need more liquid, add additional broth or water.
5. Bake in over 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

It’s been so long since I posted a recipe. With the season of fall underway, it seems like the right time to start thinking about those indoor recipes. Since in our home, we won’t be grilling quite so often, we are beginning to crave soups and stews. Not only do they provide warmth to our bodies, but they provide rich smells that fill up the house with yummy goodness.

As the snow fell yesterday here in Colorado’s front range, we craved something warm and hearty. Here is the version of split pea soup I made for our family last night–it turned out great. Whether you use my recipe or one from your own family, be sure to start incorporating soups and stews into your diet. Our bodies crave them in fall and winter and they are a great way to stretch our food dollars. I always make enough for two meals. Whether we serve it for lunch the next day or another dinner, it saves me time and money.

For a nice large pot of soup that can feed a family of four two meals here’s my quantities:

BELLISIMA’S SPLIT PEA SOUP

3 cups split peas, rinsed and drained
6-8 large carrots, diced
1 bunch celery, diced
4-5 small russet potatoes, in small cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
2-3 bay leaves (personal preference)
1/2-1 teaspoon dry thyme (personal preference)
salt and pepper to taste
9 cups water

Put all ingredients into a large pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and allow to simmer until peas are softened and soup takes on a creamy texture (2-3 hours).

Serve with a side salad and fresh bread.

As an alternative, serve with a side of brown rice (I like to add my brown rice into the soup, giving it a “crunchier” texture).

Bon apetito!

My husband found the original recipe online through the San Francisco Chronicle.

I took the recipe and modified it for our family’s eating preferences. Here is the “Bellisima” version of Salmon Tortilla Soup.

SALMON TORTILLA SOUP

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (I didn’t have this, so left it out–the taste was still good)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth (you can substitute vegetable broth, for a vegetarian recipe)
1 can (14.5 ounces) low sodium diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 large avocado
2 8-ounce filet salmon, partially cooked, quartered and sliced very thin
1 can (14.5 ounces) black beans (optional)

Preparation:

In a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the onion softens, about 4-5 minutes. Add the broth, and bring to a boil. When the broth just starts to boil, add the can of diced tomatoes. Bring back up to a boil.

Add the cabbage and salmon. Add the drained black beans, if desired. Continue to cook until the cabbage softens & salmon is fully cooked. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with diced avocado and tortilla chips. You can squeeze lime juice over it and top with sprigs of cilantro.

We also added prepared brown rice to each bowl, to give the soup more thickness.

VARIATION ON A THEME: If your family members don’t like salmon and prefer meat, feel free to substitute chicken for the salmon.

Bon apetito!

On February 17, I posted a recipe from Whole Foods Market, Wild Coho Salmon with Sunshine Rice. Since that date, we’ve enjoyed this recipe as written and with some modifications. Today, I’m sharing with you a modification of the recipe that we especially loved. This is a very affordable dish that easily serves four. It is also high in protein, fiber, and gluten and dairy free. This variation using quinoa is much quicker to cook too.

If using wild-caught coho salmon, the price for one 12 oz. package is $8.99. Whole Foods sells organic roasting chickens for $2.99 per pound. Here is a way to stretch your food budget that we follow weekly. The first night, roast your chicken surrounded with russet and sweet potatoes. Serve alongside a salad. On day 2, I use the leftover chicken and make dishes such as Chicken Chili, Broccoli Chicken Pasta, or the recipe that follows. For less than $10 a meal (when using chicken), we have two great dinners. There are usually enough leftovers for the quinoa dish to be served a second night. So, you have 2-3 nights dinner–depending on whether you started with salmon or the leftover chicken. If your family doesn’t mind leftovers (mine doesn’t), this is a great way to stretch your food budget while giving everyone plenty of nutritious foods. Add salad or other veggie side dish to give everyone plenty of food at each meal.

Here’s how I’ve modified the Salmon-Sunshine dish. I’ve placed in bold my changes to the recipe. I’ve made this recipe using either salmon or chicken. My family loves both. Bon apetito!

WILD COHO SALMON OR ROAST CHICKEN WITH SUNSHINE QUINOA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of quinoa
2 cups small cauliflower florets
5 cups water
1-2 tbls. grapeseed oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
sea salt to taste
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 lemon, halved, divided
12 ounces boneless, skinless wild Coho salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
Instead of salmon, use shredded roast chicken
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Add grapeseed oil and heat in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion.

Stir in cauliflower, water, onion, curry powder, tomatoes, quinoa and juice from the lemon. Cover tightly with foil and the Dutch oven lid and bake until quinoa is almost tender, about 15-20 minutes. Uncover, then arrange salmon or chicken on top of quinoa and continue to bake, uncovered, until salmon is just cooked through or chicken warmed up, about 10 minutes more; garnish with parsley.

I received an email from Whole Foods Market today with 8 Nourishing Soup recipes. We haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I plan to cook it this weekend. It sounds wonderful and is filled with nourishing, immune-boosting ingredients. It’s also dairy free, high in fiber, and low in sugar! The reviews overall at the Whole Foods Market website were favorable. You can also make this in a larger batch and freeze it. Bon apetito!

BETTER THAN CHICKEN SOUP
Serves 4 to 6

This immune-boosting soup is made with a virtual garden of powerful ingredients that contain beneficial nutrients for your immune system.

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 cups low-sodium mushroom, vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups julienned fresh kale
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 thin slices astragalus root (optional)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon miso

Method

In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil 3 minutes. Add turmeric and mushrooms. Saute 2 minutes. Add broth, kale, squash, ginger, cayenne and astragalus. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, add lemon juice and miso (adding miso when still very hot will diminish its probiotic benefits). Cover and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

My family enjoyed this coho salmon and rice recipe for the first time on Tuesday night. It was a hit and a perfect dish for my husband’s birthday since salmon is one of his favorite foods. With one package of wild-caught salmon (12 oz.) for $8.99 from Whole Foods Market plus the other ingredients, this is a very affordable dish that easily serves four. It also is high in fiber, and gluten and dairy free.

What I especially love about looking for recipes on the Whole Foods Market website is that you can search by ingredients, course, special dietary needs or category (e.g, budget or one-dish). I found this recipe by looking for salmon as the main ingredient. The only modification I suggest is to add sea salt. It needed more flavor. I didn’t try this suggestion, but using vegetable broth rather than water might enhance the flavor. Bon apetito!

WILD COHO SALMON WITH SUNSHINE RICE
Serves 4

Here’s an oven-baked dish that’s an easy solution for busy weeknights. The recipe is a great example of how to affordably enjoy some of the best fish on Earth-wild-caught salmon from a Marine Stewardship Council certified-sustainable fishery. It also shows how a healthy portion of high-quality animal protein fits easily into a Health Starts Here menu plan. Serve with green beans alongside and dinner is done. If you’re not crazy about curry, substitute dried dill for the curry powder, though your rice won’t be quite as “sunny.”

Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 cups small cauliflower florets
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 lemon, halved, divided
12 ounces boneless, skinless wild Coho salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, water, onion, curry powder, tomatoes and juice from 1/2 the lemon. Cover tightly with foil and the Dutch oven lid and bake until rice is almost tender, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Uncover, arrange salmon on top of rice and continue to bake, uncovered, until salmon is just cooked through, about 10 minutes more; garnish with parsley. Cut remaining lemon half into wedges and serve on the side to squeeze over the top.

I came across this recipe from Pamela Salzman’s website, Pamela Salzman Kitchen Matters. I haven’t yet made it but plan to head to the store and pick up the veggies so I can prepare it for our family tonight. It looks and sounds wonderful–lots of hearty and healthy ingredients!

Here are some of Pamela’s comments regarding this recipe: “The recipe is an adaptation of my mother’s beef and barley soup, which was great, but these days we’re limiting our beef consumption and upping the veggies. To make up for the meat, I use lots of shiitake mushrooms and finish off the soup with a bit of shoyu, a naturally fermented soy sauce which is way better for you than chemically treated, flash-processed soy sauce. Of course you can use any mix of mushrooms you like, but I am crazy about shiitakes, not only because they have a lower water content and deeper flavor than button mushrooms, but also because they are tops in immune-boosting compounds. There’s no better time than flu season to boost your immunity!”

“This soup is a breeze to put together and easily adaptable to different intolerances. For the gluten-free folks, I substitute Lundberg’s wild rice blend for the barley and wheat-free tamari for the shoyu. It’s obviously a different soup, but just as tasty. Vegetarians and vegans can use vegetable stock or water in place of the chicken or turkey stock. If you are making your own vegetable stock, add a bunch of mushrooms to it to give the soup more depth.”

Whether you follow the recipe as originally written or make adaptations for a gluten-free version, this looks like a wonderful recipe for keeping bodies strong during the winter months! Bon apetito!

MUSHROOM-BARLEY SOUP WITH KALE
Serves 6

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon unrefined, cold pressed olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps wiped clean with a damp paper towel and slice thinly
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup hulled barley (or wild rice blend)
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken, turkey or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups stemmed, chopped kale
3 Tablespoons shoyu or wheat-free tamari

1. Melt butter and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery to pot and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
2. Place mushrooms in the pot and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Add thyme and barley. Stir to coat. Add stock and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until the barley is tender (if you’re using the wild rice blend, you will need to simmer it for 50 minutes.)
4. Add the kale and shoyu and cook until the kale is wilted, but still bright green, about 8 minutes. Pull out the thyme stems and taste for salt and pepper.

As the temperature dropped yesterday, I was inspired to make a hearty soup to warm our bodies. This is another recipe taken from Delicious Living’s online magazine with a few comments in italics by me. This soup is hearty because of all the wonderful veggies and beans in it. It doesn’t contain pasta; however, you can add it if you prefer (to keep it gluten free, use organic brown rice pasta).

AUTUMN MINESTRA SOUP
Serves 8

2 cups arugula (about 3 ounces)
1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 onions, thinly sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup 3/4-inch cubes butternut squash
1 bunch (1 pound) broccoli spigarello or broccoli rabe, tough ends trimmed, roughly chopped
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or broth (add more if you want a “brothier” soup)
1/2 cup cooked cannellini or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked butter beans, rinsed and drained (you can replace butter beans with a personal favorite)
1/2 cup haricot verts or slender green/string beans, trimmed
Shaved Parmesan cheese curls and extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish (for the vegan version, omit parmesan)

1. Blanch arugula; drain and cool in ice water. In a blender or food processor, grind arugula, 1 clove garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and add onions and sliced garlic; cook over medium-low heat until translucent, 10 minutes. Add squash and broccoli spigarello or rabe; cook until greens are wilted, about 8 minutes. Add stock or broth and bring to a simmer; cook about 10 minutes.
3. Once flavors have blended, add cannellini or garbanzo beans, butter beans, and haricot verts or string beans. Return to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add arugula paste and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve, garnished with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.