Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Recipe

I am not a vegan but I do enjoy trying different styles of cooking and trying new ways to eat delicious food. Last month my son and I had a "lets eat cake" kinda day to celebrate it just being a generally awesome day of life. We looked at our ingredients and realized we did not have any eggs or butter on hand. We did have olive oil and coco powder. I went on a Google mission to see what recipes I could come up with to make my own spin on Vegan Chocolate Cake.

I found a great recipe on Veg Recipes of India and gave it my own flare adding the peanut butter powder and using olive oil. Dassana explains the key to the eggless cake is the way the acidity of lemon juice interacts with the baking soda. I used white vinegar because I did not have lemon juice, her recipe is very adaptable.

Stir all dry ingredients together in one bowl.

In a separate bowl from dry ingredients dissolve the sugar in cold water before adding the olive oil, vinegar and vanilla. It is important to the finished cake that you dissolve the sugar completely.

Mix your favorite brand of powdered peanut butter with water for 1/4 cup of peanut butter.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together excluding the peanut butter. I decided to make one cake just chocolate and the other with the peanut butter. I added the peanut butter to only one pan by putting it on top of the batter and swirling with a spoon.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce on top and enjoy!

This cake was a huge hit for my co-workers and family. It is moist and delicious! 

You can find the complete recipe with ingredient list and instructions at Eggless Chocolate Cake by Dassana

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

I don't know about you, but every time I eat enchiladas, they have meat in them. Either chicken or beef, and I do like them that way.

But I have been seeing so many people talk about how fabulous and delicious butternut squash is that I decided I would try it, along with black beans, in some enchiladas.

This recipe is now a favorite of mine, to make again and again. It is really good, hearty and filling, with a sweet tang from the squash. And it passed a huge test when my son-in-law the true enchilada lover, said it was great and asked for seconds.

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 cup red enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cut into I/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
10 regular or whole wheat flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
4 tablespoons chopped green onion

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed butternut squash, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, water,  cilantro, cumin and chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Place about a generous 1/3 cup filling in the center of each tortilla and roll, place on the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Cover dish with foil and bake until heated through, and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Top with green onions and serve.

Enjoy!!