Magic Shell

You probably remember Magic Shell syrup from your childhood.  I remember drizzling it over my ice cream and waiting those few seconds until the syrup hardened into the famous shell.  It was a real treat when we had it at our house.

I didn't know then that the grocery store version is loaded with unnatural substances to make that "magic" happen.

Here's an all-natural version that works the same, but has simple natural ingredients (adjust ingredients to taste):

• 1/3 Cup organic coconut oil (coconut oil is solid at temperatures below 77 degrees which is how the "magic" happens)
• 1 Cup of quality chocolate such as Ghiradelli dark
• Melt for a few seconds in the microwave.
• Stir until blended.

Drizzle over your favorite ice cream and enjoy!

Cocoa or Cacao?

The cocoa vs. cacoa thing confused me.  A couple of years ago I passed up some great chocolate at the health foods store simply because I didn't understand the spelling.

Pronounced [ka-cow], cacao is how raw foodists pronounce the same exact thing you probably call cocoa.  Except, if you see or hear cacao,  it probably signifies a raw chocolate powder, sauce, bar, butter, etc.  And that difference is huge!

Chocolate carries a lot of nutritional qualities (in small infrequent quantities) and has strong antioxidant qualities.  Nutritionist and raw food advocate, David Wolfe, had a high-quality cocoa powder compared to that of raw cacao powder in a labratory and they found raw cacao to contain 367% more antioxidants.  Look for raw cacao (you can still say cocoa if you choose) powder at your local health foods store.

So why the difference in pronunciation and spelling?  Apparently most of the world refers to cocoa as cacao.  As legend has it, an English trader misheard and then mispelled the cacao bean and today (in the English speaking world) we have cocoa.

Most chocolate consumed in the United States is derived from cocoa beans dried by large high-heat ovens.  Raw cocoa beans are dried with heat of 100 degrees or less or sun-dried to retain it's full nutritional value.

So now you know why some say cacao and some say cocoa and why some seek out raw vs. processed.

Marshmallow and Fluff

We had some great family time today that included building a fire in the fireplace.  After dinner we decided to make even more use of the open flames and got some marshmallows and chocolate and our graham crackers for some old-fashioned smores.

Standing in the grocery store, I was torn.  I stood reading the labels of the only two options for large marshamllows -- the store brand and Kraft.  The ingredients were in slightly different order, but otherwise exactly the same.  And I wasn't happy with either.  Now, I know that a marshmallow would never be considered a health food, but what was blue #1 dye doing in a white marshmallow?

I knew I should just pass, but I also had the weight of kids waiting for a smore back home.  Our son, with food allergies to the junk in processed foods, had never had a marshmallow before.

Ingredients being the same, I chose the cheaper store brand and headed for home to much fanfare when I opened the door.  They were ready for roasting marshmallows!

Our son was nearing the completion of his smore when he bolted as fast as he could to the kitchen sink just in time to vomit up his smore and dinner.  My better judgement told me I shouldn't have given him the marshmallow.  Mistakes happen.  The bag of marshmallows now sits in our trash.

We talked about options for future smores and decided to stick with Fluff.  If you aren't familiar with Fluff, it is a small Massachusetts company that was the original producer of marshmallow cream.  But the better news is that they have stuck to the original recipe which only includes three ingredients:  corn syrup, sugar and vanilla.  Next time, we will swipe a bit of Fluff across the graham cracker to make our smores -- and just skip the roasting part.

There may be some organic options at the health foods store.  Organic marshmallows, if there is such a thing, would at least have limited (necessary) ingredients and almost assuredly no artificial colors.

Can anybody recommend a better marshmallow option?

No Organic Candy Hearts?

I know Valentine's Day is done, but if anyone is looking for a business opportunity for next Valentines Day, it could be organic candy hearts that have natural color and flavors.

There are 363 more days to get that business idea launched.  Maybe I'll do it myself?

I couldn't find organic Valentine oriented candy anywhere.  The candy shelves at the health food store were a barren dessert of just the typical -- but typical doesn't work at Valentine's, especially with kids.

In a world of so many food allergies, wouldn't you think that somebody would have created those little candy hearts that kids like to give at school?  Or any organic Valentine candy for that matter.

Have you seen any?  Do they exist?  Chime in!

Red Velvet Cake with No Dye

Valentine's is bearing down on us and with it comes the usual dessert suspects.  One popular dessert this time of year is red velvet cake.

Red Velvet cake has always been made with natural cocoa that reacts with the acidic vinegar and buttermilk to reveal a very slight shade of red in the cocoa's naturally occurring anthocyanin.  This is probably where the "red" in red velvet originated.

The famous cake wasn't always the bright shade of red we expect today and its storied history is debatable.

We do know that the advent of food dyes significantly aided the enhanced appearance of red velvet cake, but many have valid concerns over the use (a whole bottle or two for this cake) of this unnatural man-made chemical.

I set out to find a recipe that used natural coloring and ingredients to recreate this cake while maintaining the bright red color and discovered a blog by Jaime at www.sophistamom.com with specific directions on how to make this cake using beets -- yes, beets.  Jaime adapted her recipe from Amy's recipe at www.bakecakery.com.

I gave Jamie's recipe a try ahead of the big day and it was a hit with our family and guest.  Here are the steps (complete ingredient list is at the bottom):

Buy a bunch of beets from a farmer or store. 

Trim the beets and toss with 1/2 cup of water in an oven-safe dish.  Cover with aluminum foil and heat in an oven for 90 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur cake flour),  1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and 2 Tbs. of cocoa powder (NOT Dutch Processed with Alkaline).  Set bowl aside.

When the beets are done, use a sharp knife and skin them.  The outside skin should easily scrap off.  You can also skip this step and just peel the beet before heating if you wish.

Once skins have been removed, dice the beet into large chunks and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Grease (I used spectrum organic all vegetable shortening) three 8" round pans and dust with flour.

To dust with flour, I dropped a good amount of flour in each pan and shook the flour around until everything was well coated and then shook the excess off.

Place 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about the juice from one large lemon) into your blender (I used the Vitamix) or food processor.

Pour remaining liquids from your oven-safe dish into your blender too.

Then throw in your cooled beat chunks.

Blend on high for about 20-30 seconds, then add 1 Tbs. of vinegar and blend on low until incorporated.  The consistency should be like ketchup.  I got a little over one cup, but you can use up to 1 1/2 cups.

Place two sticks of unsalted butter and 1 package of cream cheese into your mixer with beater blade attached.  Cream together the butter and cream cheese and the slowly incorporate in 2 1/3 cups of sugar (I used powdered sugar) until smooth.  Then add in four eggs one-at-a-time, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Finally add 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Then slowly add in the flour mixture you previously whisked together.

Finally, add your 1 - 1 1/2 cups of beet blend to the batter until fully incorporated.

Kids love to help make baked goods, but know that beets stain everything!

Spread equal amounts of batter in each of the three pans and place in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes on the middle racks.  The cakes are one when a toothpick pulls out clean.

If you greased and flour the pans, the cakes should easily release.  Cool them completely on drying racks.  If you do not plan to frost them right away after they are cooled, tightly wrap each one with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

For the frosting, place 2 cream cheese packages and 2 sticks of unsalted butter in the mixer with the beater blade again.  Beat the room temperature cream cheese and butter until incorporated.  Stop and add 4 cups of powdered sugar, 3 Tbs. of heavy cream, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract and 1 tsp. pure almond extract.  Beat until incorporated.

Scrap down the sides of the bowl and replace the beater blade with the whisk.  Whisk on high for several minutes until the frosting becomes smooth and slightly fluffy.

Lay your first cake on the presenting dish and spread a thick layer of frosting across the top.  This frosting recipe makes plenty of frosting, so feel generous if you wish.

Repeat the process for each layer.

Finally, frost the sides and smooth the surface as you wish it to look.

Your finished!  A delightful red velvet cake using all natural ingredients and no artificial chemicals for coloring!

Now enjoy your work.

Happy Valentine's (or any special day) to you!

Dig in!

Ingredient list:

Cake:
Beets (enough for 1 1/2 cups of puree)
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used organic)
1 Tbs. vinegar
2 sticks (16 Tbs.) of unsalted butter, softened
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 1/3 cup of sugar (I used powdered)
4 eggs (I used organic free-range)
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur cake flour from any good grocery store)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons (you can use more, but consequently start losing the red color) natural (don't use dark or Dutch processed) cocoa powder

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese,  room temperature
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure almond extract

UPDATE (02/13/2012):

I made cupcakes for our son's class using the recipe above.  I made 1 1/2 times the recipe quantity above and it made 30 full-size cupcakes.  The batter doesn't rise as much as traditional batter, so fill each cupcake cup about 3/4 full before baking.

Don't be a Dum Dum, Try Yummy Earth Lollipops

If you've been a kid, you've had a Dum Dum sucker -- the giveaway candy of choice for offices across the country.  They taste great and are just big enough for little hands, but are loaded with artificial ingredients.  The ingredients according to Spanglers web site, include:

"Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Color Added (Includes Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1). There is a trace amount of soy oil in the lubricant that we use in our cooking kettles. This soy oil has been refined, bleached, and deodorized and all of the proteins have been removed."

Our family was at a consignment store earlier this summer when the clerk asked if she could give the kids a sucker -- the corporate world's pacifier of choice.  Most hard candy in our house gets tossed, so I cringe with these offers of chemical-laden kindness, but decided to allow it this time.  To my delight, she handed them an organic Yummy Earth Lollipop.

Why hadn't I thought of this?  I looked up the company when I got home and discovered that two guys with children -- who wanted something better for them -- set out to make a naturally colored and flavored candy and succeeded.  Here is there story:

The best part (other than the childlike fun they seem to be having) is the ingredient list:

Organic evaporated cane juice, organic tapioca syrup and/or organic rice syrup, citric aid (from beet sugar), natural flavors, may contain organic black carrots, organic black currant, organic pumpkin, organic apple, organic carrot, organic alfalfa.

Doesn't that put a smile on your face?  I purchased a resealable bag of 50+ lollipops at my local grocery store for $4.99.  If they can't be found by you, try Amazon or buy direct from Yummy Earth.  Note that they also sell gummy bears/worms, sour beans, candy drops, and artisan candies now too!

The Yummy Earth flavors include:  wet-face watermelon, too berry blueberry, sour apple tart, pomegranate pucker, mango tango, googly grape, strawberry smash, and very very cherry.

To the families and businesses out there -- we can now do better!  Our kids can have chemical free treats!  Adults love them too!  These are the best tasting lollipops I have ever had!

Organic Candy Canes

In a mental lapse, I purchased "regular" candy canes at the grocery store for our son who has been asking for this seasonal treat.  Our son, who's body knows better than my mind, promptly vomited up the sweet treat he so desperately wanted -- as he does with all "junk" food.

My wife gave me the "I can't believe you would give that to him" look and I set out to find an organic candy cane -- or create one myself.

Fortunately I discovered some distributed by Tru Sweets that were available at our local health foods store (Harvest Health Foods) and were on sale for $2.99.  Another option would have been The Natural Candy Store.

I compared the ingredients in the two boxes of candy canes to discover this list of 11 ingredients in the first:

• Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Natural Flavor (Peppermint), FD&C Red 40, Vegetable Derived Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Carnauba Wax, Soy Lecithin, Modified Palm Oil, Petrolatum.

And this list of ingredients in the organic candy canes:

• Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Natural Peppermint Flavor, Red Beet Juice for Color.

Labels are important and in my rush of shopping I failed to read this one.  We all know and understand what is in the organic candy canes.  But there are at least two ingredients in the regular candy canes that are banned in other countries for having possible long-term side effects (Red 40 and Petrolatum).  I think it's worth the extra couple of dollars to get a quality product.

On a final note, in addition to being organic (and tasting great), the candy cane box indicates they are also Gluten Free, Vegan and Kosher.