Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Nutella)

One of my friends introduced me to the delicious chocolate hazelnut spread, Nutella, when I was a sophomore in high school. Her obsession with it quickly rubbed off on me! Before I knew it I was eating it practically everyday. However, store bought Nutella has 21g of sugar in just 2 tablespoons, and sugar is the first ingredient listed on the Nutrition Label. Once I could no longer eat sugar, Nutella was out of my food selection, sadly. 

It was not until I saw some recipes online that got me interested in trying to make my own healthy chocolate hazelnut spread. I had looked over many recipes, but I never found one that I loved. So, I decided that it was time to experiment. How exciting!! I got my food processor out and started to throw ingredients in. 

Let me tell you, it is an absolutely amazing feeling when you create a delicious healthy food. I mean I did not invent a new hit chocolate spread or anything, but I did not follow anyone's recipe. My sister thought when I got so excited about my Nutella as I threw different ingredients in and tasted it as I went.

My whole family loves this recipe. Yes, even my dad! This Nutella has a slightly darker chocolate taste. I think it tastes much better than store bought Nutella because it does not taste as sugary. However, that also could be because I have not eaten real sugar in over a year. So get some graham crackers, strawberries, or roasted almonds (my favorite) out and eat away!!

Nutella

Yields 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup hazelnuts

¼ cup honey

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 Tbls. Coconut sugar

2 Tbls. Almond milk

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbls. Vanilla

1 Tbls. Coconut oil, melted

Directions:

Roast hazelnuts at 375° F for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool slightly. Skin the nuts. (or buy roasted, skinned hazelnuts). Put the hazelnuts and melted coconut oil in a food processor and blend until a smooth, butter consistency forms. Then add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator. 

It tastes best after a night or longer in the refrigerator. 

4-layer Banana Chocolate Cake

Yes, that right a 4-layer banana chocolate cake that is delicious and healthy. This cake is made without refined sugar, and it is still scrumptious! I got this recipe from My New Roots. As you will notices, many of the recipes that I will post will be from this blog. Sarah Britton is the talented nutritionist behind the My New Roots blog. She has inspired me quite a bit, so I suggest you take a look at her blog sometime.

I made this cake for my dad's birthday in January. He loved it!! If it passed my dad's test it will pass anyone's test. I was thrilled when he approved. Much of what I make that is healthy he is very much skeptical about because it is definitely out of the ordinary with ingredients. However, lately I have been impressing him with my odd combinations. Such a good feeling because I am trying to show him that healthy is not always bland and disgusting. Slowly but surely I am winning over his heart to eat healthy...I know it even if he will not admit it.

So as I keep posting recipes, if I mention it was a winner for my father too, you can make it for everybody and anybody, and they will love it. I am a big fan of winning over hearts to eat healthy! It makes me so joyful when someone is very skeptical about a healthy food and then when they try it, they absolutely love it! One recipe at a time I will keep working on getting my family and others around  to enjoy healthy eating. Not only does the food taste much better, but after eating you will feel much better! Hope you enjoy this amazing cake and win over hearts as they indulge in a piece!

Chocolate Banana Birthday Cake with Maple Glazed Walnuts

Recipe from My New Roots

Banana Cake

Ingredients:


¼ cup  milk of your choice

6 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee


6 Tbsp. pure maple syrup


1 tsp. pure vanilla extract


2 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (approximately 5 medium bananas)


2 cups light spelt flour 


1 tsp. baking soda


1 tsp. baking powder


½ tsp. sea salt


1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.

2. Lightly oil and dust two 8” round cake pans with flour, shaking out excess.

3. Put the milk, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and bananas in a blender and blend until smooth.


4. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add banana mixture and combine using as few strokes as possible. Fold in walnuts. 


5. Pour batter into cake pans and smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Approximately 30 minutes.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:


2 cups light spelt flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder


2 tsp. baking powder


1 tsp. baking soda


½ tsp. salt

1 cup pure maple syrup


1 ¼ cup milk of your choice

6 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee


2 tsp. pure vanilla extract


1 tsp. apple cider vinegar



Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. 


2. Lightly oil and dust two 8” round cake pans with flour, shaking out excess.


3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.


4. In a separate bowl combine the maple syrup, milk, coconut oil, vanilla and vinegar. Whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to remove any lumps. 


5. Pour batter into cake pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Approximately 30 minutes.

Maple Glazed Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast walnuts until fragrant. Add maple syrup to the pan and toss quickly to coat. Remove from pan to let cool.

Dark Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:


1 cup milk of your choice


200 grams high-quality extra dark chocolate 


1 vanilla bean, scraped

pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Slice vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and place them in a small saucepan.

2. Add cold milk to the saucepan and warm slowly over medium heat. When hot, remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until fully melted, whisk in a pinch of sea salt and glaze cake immediately. If the glaze sets, simply reheat to melt again.

Chocolate Banana Birthday Cake with Maple Glazed Walnuts - Assembly

Directions:

1. Bake cakes together, on the same rack if possible so that they cook evenly. Let cool completely. Remove from pans.

2. While cakes are baking, make the Maple Glazed Walnuts and Chocolate Glaze.

3. Start with one half of the chocolate cake on the bottom, spoon on about 1/4 of the glaze, with the majority being around the edge so that it oozes out when you place the next layer. Place a banana cake layer on top of the chocolate layer and spoon on glaze, repeat until the top layer. Pour the remaining glaze on the top of the cake and top with Maple Glazed Walnuts. Serve.

One Hefty and Delectable Loaf of Bread

I have recently become gluten-free. This has been difficult, and I am constantly craving carbs now and have found myself trying to fill my cravings with anything I can find in my kitchen that has a slight crunch and salty flavor. Being that I cannot have sugar either, processed foods are usually out of the question. 


With all these problems of mine, I decided to start making my own bread, muffins, and other delicious snacks that will fulfill my cravings. Some recipes I have found on other blogs and others I have been creating. So much fun! 

I have been eying this recipe on My New Roots for over a week. Since my pantry did not contain all the ingredients, I had to make a trip to the health foods store. Might I add; I love going grocery shopping, especially if it is a health food store. I could literally spend hours looking at all the spices, grains, fresh produce, and other nutritious items. 


Sarah Britton's "The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread" seemed like the perfect alternative to ordinary bread loafs. There are a lot of gluten-free breads out there, but I always like to know what exactly is in the food that I eat. I do not want to compromise the quality of food I eat. This loaf is not only nutritious, but it is so delicious! 

As I pulled it out of the oven, my mom mentioned that it looked like bird suet. Yes, I agree it does not look like an airy normal loaf of bread, but the flavor of each slice makes up for it! The crunchy crust and moist crumb make it an extraordinary loaf. Waiting until it completely cools is definitely the hardest part about baking this bread. Eat it plain, toasted, with cheese, any nut butter or fruit spread you have on hand! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Recipe from My New Roots
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup  flax seeds
½ cup  hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using powdered)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups water

Directions:
1. In a flexible, *silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

*I just used a normal bread pan and lined it with parchment paper for easy removal.