Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake

I generally love anything with garbanzo beans (a.k.a chickpeas) in it. So, I naturally had to try out the recipe I received for Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake. The recipes only calls for 5 ingredients. It's really easy to make. It's also flourless (gluten free), healthy and packed with protein.

The resulting cake is dense and tasty and probably more "brownie" than "cake". I topped it with fresh whipped cream and raspberries but I'm considering a peanut butter icing since chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent.
3. Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
4. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

French Omelette

This morning, I made the PERFECT French Omelette thanks to Julia Child. It's a technique that requires a little maneuvering but is done in no time. I served it over some homemade jambalaya (last night's labor of love) with a piece of cornbread on the side.

10 Best Soul Food Restaurants in America

This Mother's Day, I will be gifting my mom with a soul food cookbook. I have been painstakingly searching online for the absolute best there is available. In the process, I discovered this gem, a listing of the 10 Best Soul Food Restaurants in America. I've dined at two of these establishments--Alcenia's and Sweetie Pie's--and I've heard about a few of the others. So, I'd say this is a pretty solid list.

At Alcenia's in Memphis, I was fortunate enough to receive one of her legendary hugs. She serves up some serious food and I'm always happy to go back.

I hit up Sweetie Pie's over spring break while visiting a friend in St. Louis. We happened to be in the neighborhood around dinnertime so I indulged. It was pretty good eating.

As for the others, I'll add them to my list.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zagatbuzz/3441640678/

A Sentimental Mood

I wanna go outside, in the sun

See the sunshine

Feel the sunlight

Smell the sunflowers

Open the sunroof

Wear those vintage sunglasses

Feeling the warm breeze upon my face

I wanna go home, to the Sun Belt

Walk out on the sun deck

Eat an ice cream sundae

Make a tequila sunrise

Brew some sun tea

Watch the evening sunset

Relaxing for the moment and leaving worries behind

I wanna go up yonder, be with the Son

Put on my sun hat

Do a sun dance

Marvel at the sun dog in the sky

Sing like a sunbird

Live everyday like it's Sunday

Walking around heaven all day long

-Brother Soulistic

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesuscm/3745854254/

Hummus Plates

This past week has been all about my hummus plates! It's a concept that I discovered three years ago while living in Richmond, VA. It was probably during the time that I first became pescetarian considering I was dining out at one of my favorite pizza joints in the city, Sette. I will never forget the symphony of flavors that I experienced while eating that dish. The warm and smooth hummus contrasted perfectly with the robust flavor of the olive oil. The fresh tomato juices were like a midsummer's night fireworks show in my mouth. The cucumbers were cool and crisp. The red onions were crunchy and potent. The olives and feta cheese were sharp and salty. And, the pepperoncinis were juicy and sweet.

The thought to do hummus plates actually came to me by chance earlier this week: I returned from my weekend trip to DC with a healthy appetite and a limited supply of groceries in my apartment. After a few moments of thought and frustration, I decided to go with hummus for some protein. I didn't have much left so I decided to do a mix of hummus, olive oil and pita bread a la Italian restaurant (crusty bread and olive oil). It turned out to be amazing as I heated the pita bread and added fresh ground black pepper and coarse sea salt to the olive oil mix. And voila! It hit me then and there that I should do hummus plates. The rest is history.

Hummus plates are inexpensive, really easy to make and are ready in no time. They can be made in the style of a vegetable platter with the hummus as a dip or they can be built as a salad. I personally prefer to build mine as salad. I start with a heaping mound of hummus as my base. Then, I add tabouleh and a generous pour of olive oil. Next, I add chopped tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. I finish the salad off with some fresh ground black pepper and a few sprinkles of coarse sea salt. If I'm motivated enough, I like to make falafel for a little something extra (tonight, I decided to blacken some sardines and the salad turned out great). Then, you eat the salad using the pita bread (I recommend heating it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or warming it in the oven is even better). This salad is meant to be eaten dip style. Tear off small pieces of the pita bread and then scoop up the salad to eat and enjoy.

Hummus plates can be made with a wide variety of ingredients: eggplant, artichoke, eggs, chicken, steak, falafel, bell peppers, cucumbers, etc.

Mac and Cheese

This video is amazing. It's an entertaining ode to comfort food: "FREEZE! Somebody bring me back some mac and cheese. I got a million ways to cook it. Choose one!" Check it out.

True to the artists' lyrics, there are millions of variations of macaroni and cheese in the range of creamy, baked, battered and deep-fried, sharp, medium, mild, spicy, w/vegetables and w/meat. Ina Garten--aka Barefoot Contessa (Food Network)--knows a thing or two about putting a gourmet touch on classic comfort foods and I trust her judgment. In the recipe linked below, she adds sliced tomatoes to my favorite comfort food.

During my two-year quest for the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe, I came across two great recipes. I combined them to make one stellar dish that I've gotten rave reviews of and several recipe requests. I just might have to try that recipe with tomatoes and breadcrumbs. Maybe even for Easter to go with my carrot cake. Hmmm...

How to Cook Magnificent Mac and Cheese Eat + Drink: GQ.com

Hot Dog!

One of the lessons that I learned while living in the Chicago area is that there's always room for interpretation with food. The city's food scene is pretty innovative. There are chefs toying around with molecular gastronomy. Mexican restaurants are just about as ubiquitous and unique as the city's legendary pizzerias. There's a vegan soul food restaurant. And, Doug's is doing wonderful things with hot dogs. I like to think of each hot dog I make as an ode to Doug's. That's actually funny considering that I've never been to the actual restaurant.

Exhibit A: Veggie Dogs with Egg over Hard, Tomato, Avocado, Onion, Mustard and Sweet Pickle Relish on Whole Wheat Buns
Verdict: I must'a had some really good avocados because that's all I could taste. This could probably be improved by using pico de gallo with a small hint of avocado.

Exhibit B: Veggie Dog with Egg over Hard, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Cream Cheese on a Potato Bun
Verdict: Wow. Orgasmic! My creative juices really kicked into high gear with this one. I hereby relinquish my palate to sun-dried tomatoes from this day forth. I wonder where this could go with some basil, oil and vinegar added to the mix. Uhhh, I could probably do a homemade basil relish for this one.