Recipes: Chocolate Beet Cake

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Serves 6-8   Prep Time 30 min   Bake Time 20 min

Ingredients
3 medium beets
½ cup olive oil
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup honey

Icing
3 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

Topping
Hazelnuts

Tools

Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill

Steam the beets whole with about an inch of stem and root intact for 15-20 minutes. Steaming the beets allows them to be soft enough to puree while keeping in the nutrients and more of the magenta coloring. Allow to cool, then remove the stem and roots and cut into quarters. Insert the coarse milling disc into the food mill and set over a medium sized bowl. Drop the beets into the bowl of the food mill with the olive oil and puree by moving the arm in a clockwise motion.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse and dry the food mill and insert the fine milling disc. Pour in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and sift through the mill. Change the disc back to the coarse milling disc. Set the mill over a large mixing bowl. Pour the mixture back through the mill with the maple syrup and honey and mix until all of the batter is in the large bowl.

Pour the batter into a 9” round coated baking pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the icing by pouring all of the ingredients into the food mill with the fine milling disc inserted. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Drop the cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once cool, glaze the cake with the icing and sprinkle with hazelnuts. For best results, refrigerate the cake for one hour to allow the icing to set.

 Chocolate Beet Cake Pops

You can also make Chocolate Beet Cake Pops with this recipe. They’re definitely sweeter and less healthy, but hey, they’re delicious! Find out how!

How To Make Cake Pops [Using a Weston Baking Mat]

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Using the Chocolate Beet Cake Recipe, you can make Chocolate Beet Cake Pops. They’re definitely sweeter and less healthy, but hey - they’re delicious!

You’ll need fair trade, organically-certified chocolate chips or chunks and lollipop sticks. We took half of our cake (we ate the other half!), crumbled it, made another batch of the icing with a Weston Food Mill, and added the icing to the crumbled cake.

Next, roll the cake into 1” balls. Melt one cup of chocolate in a double boiler with a little butter. Dip a cake ball a quarter of the way into the chocolate, insert a lollipop stick in the middle of the chocolate, and let dry. Repeat for all of the cake balls. Once dry, insert the entire cake ball into the chocolate and coat with hazelnuts. Turn upside down on a Weston Silicone Baking Mat (much more eco-friendly than parchment paper – it’s reusable!) set over a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about an hour to set. Indulge.

Tools:

Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill              Weston Silicone Baking Mat

Recipes: Butter Chicken Masala

Marinade Time 1 hr   Prep Time 30 min   Cook Time 15 min
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp tandoori masala
2 medium tomatoes
1 sprig spring onion, sliced
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 tbsp cashews, ground
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp lime juice
1 sprig cilantro


Garam Masala Recipe
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4  teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/2 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon whole nutmeg


Toast all of the spices in a sautee pan. Once toasted, grind the mixture through the Weston Multi-Seed Grinder.


Ginger Garlic Paste Recipe
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon  ginger root, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil


Puree all of the ingredients together in a Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill.


Tandoori Masala Recipe
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ginger root, chopped
1 teaspoon mint, chopped
2 teaspoons dried chilis
1 ½ teaspoons tumeric
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon mango juice


Toast coriander, cumin, mint and ginger in a saute pan. Grind the mixture and remaining dry ingredients through the Weston Multi-Seed Grinder. Add mango juice.

How to Make Butter Chicken Marsala


Place chicken, tandoori masala , turmeric, yogurt, and a teaspoon of salt in a vacuum sealer bag and seal with a Weston Pro-2100 or Pro-2300 Vacuum Sealer to marinade more effectively. Leave to marinate for at least an hour.


In the meantime, smash cashews into smaller pieces, then grind with a Weston Multi-Seed Grinder.


Process the tomatoes into a paste with a Roma by Weston Tomato Press or Food Strainer & Sauce Maker.


In a medium saucepan, bring  tomato paste, ginger garlic puree, spring onions, and chicken to a soft boil then reduce heat to simmer. Add cashew powder, chili powder, cumin, garam masala, and a teaspoon of salt. Mix thoroughly. Add butter, cream, and then cook till the chicken is done.


Top the butter chicken with cilantro and lime juice.

Recipes: Hummus

Hummus
Prep Time: 20 min
(including tahini)
Cook Time: 20 min
(including tahini)

Ingredients
Hummus
1 16 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

Tahini
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil


Grind sunflower seeds in a Weston Multi Seed Grinder. Simmer all ingredients for the hummus in a medium saucepan until chickpeas are mushy. Puree in a Weston Food Mill, Roma by Weston La Petite Saucemaker, or Roma by Weston Tomato Strainer and Sauce Maker.

To make tahini from scratch, toast the sesame seeds 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Grind sesame seeds and olive oil in Weston Multi Seed Grinder until paste forms.

Eggplant Hummus

To make eggplant hummus, pierce one eggplant with several holes and roast in a baking dish with half a cup of salt water at 375 degrees. Cut into thin slices and follow the steps above to make hummus, including the eggplant in the ingredients.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roast a red pepper on a grill for best taste. Chop into smaller pieces, then follow the steps above to make hummus, including the roasted red pepper in the ingredients.

Pesto Hummus

Chop 1/4 cup fresh basil. Follow the steps above to make hummus, including the basil in the ingredients.

Avacado Hummus

Cut one avacado and follow the steps above to make hummus, including the avacado in the ingredients. For tips on cutting an avacado, visit the techniques section of The Cooking With Weston Recipe Book.