Thursday, December 29

Let Them Eat Cake

Food is a big deal in our house, and we maintain consistently healthy eating habits. In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, however, we gave ourselves over to indulgence in celebration of my husband being home to participate in the holiday festivities.

Now that Christmas is over, we're happily back to our steady diet of real food. Between debauchery and being back to my normal habit of constantly expanding my real-food cookbook, I've got lots of great recipes to share!

Today I'd like to share two favorites: Black Bean Cake and Pesto Rounds.

I believe I've shared the cake before, but couldn't find the post so either it's well buried or I just hallucinated posting it. (It's been known to happen.) You may have seen this cake other places, but if you haven't tried it yet you must - asap! It is an incredibly simple recipe (GF too!), high in nutritional value and decadent to eat. (No one will know it's good for them if you don't tell.) You can dust the top with powdered sugar, but I throw my favorite buttercream frosting on top and love it! If you throw frosting on top, feel free to reduce the amount of sugar in the cake itself. (I used half the suggested amount and subbed honey and it was perfect.)

The other recipe I encountered at my godparents' Christmas party - Pesto Rounds! (Sorry, no pictures - I was too busy licking my fingers!)

These are quick, easy and impressive. Slice thin baguettes into rounds and top with a tablespoon of warm pesto (homemade or your favorite brand). Place a thin slice of Brie cheese atop the pesto and finish off with a sun dried tomato. Line the rounds up on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. Slide onto a platter and watch people gobble them up! (You can definitely make these ahead, store them in the fridge and bake as needed.)

Both of these recipes have made their way into my recipe collection. What recipes did you pick up this holiday season?

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