Homemade Chocolate 'Salami' for Christmas

So the festive holidays officially begin for me and I am glad of it.  

A few years back, I remembered that Johanna's from Green Gourmet Giraffe had made a very impressive Chocolate Salami at home. I admired it and at the time.  It had not dawned on me then to make it for my husband who has a thing about chocolate, but this year I was reminded of it, when I saw some supermarkets selling Chocolate Salami as part of the Christmas range.  I should also highlight that last year, I also saw a very similar recipe, but this time it was showcased as Chocolate Haggis by Foodie Quine for Burns Night. 

Anyway, this year I was determined to make a Chocolate Salami for my husband from scratch.  Here is it, I am also linking this to The Christmas Link Up hosted by Claire Justine.

I must admit, although it was easy to make, parts of it were a little fiddly, especially wrapping the clingfilm around melted chocolate and then removing the clingfilm from the set chocolate, after all you don't want to be chewing into plastic.  Then came tying the string around the chocolate salami. By the way, I did not want to pay £6 pounds for butchers string simply for aesthetic reasons and ended up using some red embroidery thread for effect instead.  

Here it a photograph of the sliced chocolate salami.

Let me end this blog post and Wish all my loyal readers, old and new a Merry Christmas.

Hot Chocolate Beluga Lentils with Rainbow Carrots

This is not the most attractive looking of dishes that I have shared on my blog, but I think its the perfect time for to pretend and say that I made it for a Halloween party and what you are seeing here are some damn ugly zombie or monster fingers coming out of the earthy ground.  

Truth is, this is spicy beluga lentils chili or sorts enhanced with chilli chocolate and the so called fingers are actually rainbow carrots. I guess to make this dish look even more horrific, I should have only used the purple carrots, that appear to be more effective in resembling fingers with the wrinkles. 

Despite the way it looks, it actually tasted okay.  

I don't cook that much with Beluga lentils as Puy lentils tend to be my go to in terms of sturdy lentils that keep their shape and do not disintegrate upon long cooking, but don't let that stop you from making this dish (if you dare),  you can use brown lentils, I find them just as tasty, if not more so. 

I served these with sweet potato wedges, soured cream to dampen the hotness, and even for me it was really hot  I am sharing this with My Legume Love Affair #121 hosted by Jagruti Cooking Odyssey.  The challenge was started by Susan from The Well Seasoned Cook and continues thanks to Lisa's Kitchen.  

Other Beluga and Puy Lentil Recipes
Beetroot Bourguignon with Puy Lentils
Leek and Puy Lentil Flan
Gratin of Cabbage with Puy Lentils
Strawberry, Tomato and Puy Lentil Curry
Beluga Lentil Salad with Avocado

Cacao Nibs, Raw Chocolate and Cocoa Muesli

Regular blog readers may recognise this Cacao Nibs, Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Muesli  has featured on my blog before, but I decided to make and showcase it again, as its one cereal I am happy tucking into.  Its really a muesli base enhanced with organic cacao nibs, cocoa powder and grated raw dark chocolate.

I have to admit cacao nibs are not to everyones taste, its very distinct in flavour - a tad bitter, but before dismissing it all together, give it a try, you just never know.  I acquired a taste for cacao nibs since making some raw chocolate four years ago and its been making an appearance in my kitchen slowly but surely. Actually the last recipe I made with it was  Sweet Potato Fudge from Bite Sized Thoughts.  

I am sharing this with the last ever We Should Cocoa (WSC) food blogger event hosted by Tin and Thyme.  I have been playing along since its inception eight years ago joining in with both sweet and savoury recipes.  I have even had the pleasure to host some themed WSC, so will miss it even though in the past months I haven't joined in as much as I have wanted to.

Below are a selection of those chocolate recipes shared with We Should Cocoa over the years. 

The Chocolate Chili Round Up
The Chocolate Mango Round Up

Chili Chocolate Salsa
White Chocolate Banoffee Roulade
Red Dragon Chili Brownies
Parsnip and White Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Lime Halva

Snow Capped Meringue Brownie Bites

One of my cute nieces and she is rather cute came over for a visit and stayed most of the afternoon.

I had picked up some ready made mini meringues from the supermarket for a speedy dessert with fruit and whipped cream, but the niece hinted for brownies. I couldn't say no to that beautiful face.    

We topped the Brownies with some mini meringues dubbed as snow.  

She normally likes her brownies plain and pure, without fruit or any other fancy toppings, but was rather forgiving of these mini meringues.  D thought it was a slightly odd combination, but welcomed them with a dollop of whipped cream. 

I am sharing these with Tin and Thyme for We Should Cocoa .

Still Festive in My January Kitchen

It is still quite festive in my home, especially as I am enjoying an extended holiday.

I was bestowed with lots of good things to eat and cherish over the festive holidays. 

First a work colleagues and someone who I would certainly call a friend, Joel gave these to me.  One was a belated Birthday present (from November) and the other a Christmas present. 

These stunning embroidered wall plaques are made by his very talented Mother.  Thank you so much.  Both these gifts were unexpected,  I will really cherish them.

Chocolate Snowflake Peanut Butter Cups

These are peanut butter cups disguised as chocolate snowflakes.  

Very festive don't you think?!

These are my first ever attempt at making peanut butter cups, not that difficult I hear you say - but how about making the Peanut Butter Cups in the shape of intricate Snowflakes - a little fiddly to make, but well worth the effort.  

My Little Courgette Chocolate Brownies

One of my nephews has been calling me my little courgette because of my moss green rain coat, its term of endearment and affection, but its also a cheeky little request to make him a Courgette Cake, I promised to when courgettes were in season and indeed they are now. 

Courgette brownies are not new and nor are courgette cakes, they have been around a while - in fact throwing vegetables in sweet recipes including cakes, biscuits and rice pudding is not a new idea at all, even if some people think and convince themselves and those around them that they were the first to introduce the social media generation to this idea. Sadly I think its the same people who fall for fake news, which also is not new.  The world is indeed shrinking and everything according to them can be answered by google. 

One of my lecturers at Glasgow University, now a Professor Greg Philo teachings impacted and completely changed the way I viewed the mass media a.  I still have a copy of  his original publication Seeing is Believing: The Influence of Television,  which was gifted to me as a student. In the book, Greg Philo focuses on how the media has the power to influence and instil in the viewer negative and bias viewpoints.  One example of this was the way Arthur Scargill, a prominent British Trade Unionist during the British Miners Strike in 1984 - 85 was vilified by the British media. I remember as a child growing up in Wales also being duped by the popular media publications demonising this man and the protesting miners being portrayed in extreme negative light, after all the media could never lie (I am being sarcastic here).  A decade ago it was  bogus asylum seekers and refugees, today its around other migrants veiled under BREXIT and then we must not forget the Other as we see a rise in hate incidents towards the visible muslim community.   Since having both my eyes and mind opened to the power of the media to propagate misinformation and bias, I have always been sceptical of media portrayal around most things and this has extended nowadays to social media, therefore I am very selective in what I read these days even so called high ranking food blogs, as people put financial gain and popularity before ethics these days.  I could go on, but I will stop as it will become a rant, and this is a food blog after all.

So here are some slices of Courgette Chocolate brownies which I am sharing these with Tin and Thyme for We Should Cocoa and with Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer and CakeyBoi.; 

Other Brownie Recipes on the Blog
Raspberry Brownies
Red Dragon Chili Brownies
Strawberry Cream Cheese Brownies
Sweet Potato and Cranberry Brownies
Vegan Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Easy Cocoa Brownies with Tayberries

I am not joking when I write that I have made cocoa and chocolate brownies (minus the fruit topping) at least four times this month.  

Three times in one week, that I had to go out and get more fairtrade cocoa brownies.  First lot of brownies were for us, second for family, third time for friends and more recently for  some work colleagues.

One of my cute nieces and she is rather cute describes these as lush, and I have to concur, these were lush and proper squidgy.  She was even more delighted that her brownies were not topped with fruit, unlike these that are topped with luscious, fat juicy tayberries.    

I do like tayberries, but don't come across them that often.  In fact the last time I had a tayberry was when I lived in Scotland, not long followed by Karaka Blackberry. These tayberries come from a little place called the Fruit Machine, though it does sell vegetables too.  

Fellow blogger who likes to call herself Matron at Down on The Allotment describes Tayberry as a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. The fruit topping is not necessary on these Cocoa Chocolate Brownies, but I like to get fruit in my diet somehow.  

I am sharing these with Tin and Thyme for We Should Cocoa and Jibber Jabber for Love Cake.  
Other Cocoa and Chocolate Brownie Recipes on the Blog
Raspberry Brownies
Red Dragon Chili Brownies
Strawberry Cream Cheese Brownies
Sweet Potato and Cranberry Brownies
Vegan Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Ruby Tandoh's Black Treacle Brownies

Even though I have my own tasty moreish chocolate Brownie recipe, I do like to experiment with other flavours, including fruit and vegetables, as well as try other peoples recipes in my home. 

This Black Treacle Chocolate Brownie comes courtesy of Ruby Tandoh from her new cookbook Flavour.  

Lisa's Kitchen No Bake Cocoa and Peanut Butter Fudge (vegan)

I have a number of food bloggers recipes bookmarked, as well as those from cookbooks. I have been making an attempt to cook them, not just drool over them and admire them.

Today's bookmarked recipe comes from Lisa's Kitchen,  I play along to Lisa's No Croutons Required and My Legume Love Affair cooking challenge, by the way I am hosting MLLA this month, so please join in if you can.  

Beetroot Chocolate Brownies for Family and Friends

Chocolate Beetroot Brownies were all the rage and quite popular four - five years ago.  In fact hidden vegetables in cakes, vegetables in desserts, vegetables in pudding  and vegetables in sweets because quite trendy.  Chefs, experimental home cooks and food bloggers started throwing in different vegetables and then it was made out to be 'oh my goodness this is so original and a new concept and discovery', when in fact the idea of putting vegetables in cakes, desserts and puddings had been around many, many years. 

People have been eating carrot cake, parsnip cake and sweet potato pies for years , but hey we food bloggers  and I do not exclude myself from this like to some times think we created something unique when we throw in a cauliflower, a bit of spinach or even beetroot, when its actually quite an old idea.  One thing you can guarantee someone, somewhere has already done it, not everything appears on websites.  Many of these delicious hidden sweet vegetable recipes can be found in old cookbooks, published in other parts of the world and in different languages too, not everything is in English. 

I made these Chocolate Beetroot Brownies a couple of months back when  a good work colleague reminded me that I had promised her Beetroot cake'.  Shortly after, I made some Chocolate Beetroot Brownies for her.  she was delighted.    She was given a very generous slice.  

In fact this recipe makes a lot, that I also ended up sharing some with family and other friends.  I am sharing some of these Chocolate Beetroot Brownies with We Should Cocoa Challenge; and and Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer and CakeyBoi.

Upside Down Sicilian Blood Orange Chocolate Cake

This Upside Down Sicilian Blood Orange Chocolate Cake is my second Sicilian Blood Orange recipe.  This cake, like the gluten free Blood Orange Almond Cake was also very delicious and I say that with a bit of surprise.  

Why? 

Well for those of you who know me now, will know that I don't really do sweet cakes, and I don't go gaga or doolally tap for chocolate either.  I am drawn more towards savoury eats and treats, but my man, my husband has a very sweet tooth - be it for cakes or chocolate.  He likes them both but not always together.

This cake was wonderfully moist on the first day.  A couple of days later the chocolate sponge had got a bit cold and stiff, but it was still very good.  I think it is best served at room temperature too.  

I especially loved the Blood Orange topping and the orange caramelised and became both sticky and chewy.  We enjoyed the cake without cream, but it could benefit with you are that way inclined.

I am sharing this Upside Down Blood Orange Chocolate Cake with We Should Cocoa Challenge; and Simple and In Season hosted by Feeding Boys ; and Hijacked by Twins for CookBlog Share; and Simply Seasonal and Good Egg Foodie.

Parsnip White Chocolate Blondies

I created these Parsnip White Chocolate Blondies last week during the working week, when I came home mentally exhausted and wanted some creative outlet.  I went to the kitchen and did some baking. The idea for putting parsnips in  White Chocolate Blondies came to me a little while back, when I made Parsnip , Berry and Hazelnut Crumble, Parsnip Porridge, Sweet Parsnip Pie with Edible Flowers and Parsnip Creme Brulee, but I never had time to put it into practice.  

D was impatient and wanted to eat them warm, I had to smack him with the back of a wooden spoon on the hands to say be patient to let them cool down before removing from the baking tin. Truth is, wee were both impatient.  Then came the moment we had a piece each.  I marvelled at how white it was, often cakes on baking turn that rusty gold. Then I popped it into my mouth. These homemade Parsnip White Chocolate Blondies were not as sickly sweet as the White Chocolate Blondies I made in the past, these were just right and still sweet, soft and squidgy.  

As delicious as it was, I could only eat one piece of this Parsnip White Chocolate Brownie, D had two pieces.  He was very happy.  I asked him if he could taste the parsnips.  He said if I had not been told about it I don't think I would know, but the fact I saw you putting them in I do know they are there.  I said okay.  I will share some with my work colleagues and not tell them there is parsnips in these and see what they think? 

When I offered some of my work colleagues a Blondie, they looked at me a little dismayed. Some immediately thinking of the Band Blondie fronted by awesome Debbie Harry and some were honest, they had never even heard of a Blondie, so were surprised to note that the Chocolate Brownie had a white chocolate version.  

Well they were all pleasantly surprised when I told them these White Chocolate Blondies had grated parsnips in them.  Only one could detect a slight graininess and thought perhaps it was lentils,; and one described it to being akin to the South Asian sweet Burfi.

I think once you are made aware that there are some hidden vegetables in these Blondies and more specifically that its parsnips, you can taste it.  I wouldn't tell people at first that there are Parsnips in these White Chocolate Blondies, unless of course they truly have a real aversion to it and then see how surprised they are in themselves at how much they've enjoyed a piece - so maybe they can be converted to liking parsnips, like me.

Chocolate and Plum Cake

The past month, I have been making, baking and eating some variation of Plum Cake, but this is one of the most delicious cakes I have made in a while. 

As much as D likes chocolate, he is not really a fan of chocolate flavoured things but he also adored this too.

The sponge was almost fondant like, perhaps my whipping and whisking made a difference this time.

I am sharing this We Should Cocoa that celebrates  six years of sharing chocolate sweet and savoury recipes; and Bake of the Week hosted by Casa Costello .. 

For the Chocolate and Plum Cake follow the recipe here, but reduce the flour by 50g and replace it with 50g cocoa powder. 

Chilli Chocolate Salsa with Spice Herb Baked Potato Wedges and 'Meatballs'

A lot more cooler today, thank goodness - but I still didn't really want to be in the kitchen.  

I made something relatively simple: I baked these Spice Herb Baked Potato wedges in the oven. 

I was just going to serve them with some beans, but then changed my mind after finding some ready made veggie meatballs in the freezer.  To make my life easy, I decided to throw the vegetarian Quorn* 'meatballs' into the oven with the spice herb coated wedges.   

I would normally have Sriracha and D goes for brown sauce, but  I had already planned to serve these wedges with a  Salsa, but no ordinary tomato salsa.  No these potato wedges were going to be served with Chilli Chocolate Salsa.  I was prompted to make this recipe after finding a bar of Dark Chilli chocolate, so the whole meal ended up revolving around this.  Chilli Chocolate Salsa is an acquired taste.  It was devilishly rich.

This plate is further enhanced with salad greens from my garden.   

I am sharing this Chilli Chocolate Salsa with We Should Cocoa hosted by Tin and Thyme. The theme is Anything Goes. 

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I made this rather big vegan Chocolate Banana Bundt cake last weekend when I had my nephews over to help me and D in the garden. 

Only thing was, when it came time to eating it, they both said they were too full for a slice.  So other than taking a quarter for ourselves.  I divided the cake in two and packed it for them both to take home and share with their respective families and friends.  

Its quite chocolaty, but the hidden banana comes through quite strong too.  Its a very moist cake and reminded me a little of chocolate gateau sponge.  I think this cake would benefit from a dollop of cream or even ice-cream. 

Chocolate Marmite Caramel Fudge

Let me start by saying this is not a sponsored post.  Last week, I saw Johanna's Vegemite Fudge and found myself drooling over it, suddenly wanting to make it with the our British alternative of Marmite.  I was just going to bookmark it and come back to it, but greed got the better of me, plus I had all the ingredients to hand and I was at home waiting patiently for the Boiler man to service our boiler.  So as soon as he left, I pulled out all the ingredients I needed to make these morsels of temptation in my own home.

I couldn't wait to try them.  As soon as we had our dinner in the evening, I sliced them carefully and popped one in my mouth and wow.  Its unusual for sure - sweet and savoury, but we both loved umami aspect of them.  

We had so much of the Chocolate Marmite Caramel Fudge that there was no way we would be able to finish them off between us.  The following day D took some into his workplace and I took some into mine the following week when I returned back to work after some annual leave.  Loads of people at work were wary of marmite - snugging their noses, nevertheless they were tempted by the combination and tried them.  Even those who disliked Marmite loved them, one even described it as 'beefy chocolate' which made me smile.  I even tempted a colleague who was on a diet to take a piece, she was bowled over by it too.  I also took some over to my brothers house, one of my nieces tried a tiny bite and said yuk, the other had a bite and said yum.  Are you going to finish your piece off ?she asks her sister No she responded,  well I will finish it off for you then, they are too good not to eat!   Need I say more. 

Chocolate Brownie's Sister: Meet Blondie - White Chocolate and Cranberries

Its been a while since I've made a sweet cakey bake with lots of butter and chocolate, white chocolate to be more specific.  

At one point, I couldn't remember whether I had made a White Chocolate Blondie before, but I had ad found it ridiculously sweet then.  I have to be in the mood for really really sweet things and this was bordering.  

I took some Blondies into work and offered them to colleagues.  Some were bewildered at the existence of a white chocolate equivalent of the Dark Chocolate Brownie.  Of course they were amused.  Sadly, a few of them were not keen on the content of the dried fruit and declined my generous offer, but if you want to dive into some of these sweet bites, you can find the recipe below. I am sharing this with Alphabakes hosted by Caroline Makes and The More Than Occasional Baker.  The letter this month is W for White Chocolate; and We Should Cocoa devised by Tin and Thyme and hosted this month by It's Not Easy Being Greedy: Theme USA and I think blondies and brownies are a USA import to the UK, tell me if I'm wrong?!.   

Zucchini-Courgette, Matcha and Chocolate Cake

Vegan Mofo comes to an end and the last prompt is Fusion Food.  Where do I start, there are so many, but here are few fusion eats to get you thinking.

-Irn Bru, Curry and Chips
-Roti/Chappati Wraps
-Thai Curry with Chips
-'Chicken' Tikka Hoagie Roll
-Dhokla Sandwich 
Bombay Sandwich

For those of us who live in the United Kingdom, even a cup of tea is fusion, think about it. 

Anyway, I had grand plans to conclude my participation in this years Vegan Mofo with a hardcore fusion recipe; or showcasing a handful of fusion recipes featured on my blog from the past. 

Then I remembered this heart-shaped Zucchini-Courgette and Chocolate Cake with Matcha Icing that I made a couple of weeks back. 

So this vegetarian would like to say Thank you to every one who came by through Vegan Mofo and left a comment, each has been appreciated.  I have bookmarked many recipes and hope to make them in the not too distant future, but I've also met some bloggers whose blogs I will continue to follow now that I have discovered them.  Thank you and thank you to Vegan Mofo. 

Vegan Violet, Lavender and Chocolate Cake

I don't do road trips, not that I don't want to but I get travel sickness.  

The closest to a road trip would be journeys to and fro Scotland to Wales; or to the other side of London, England when visiting family.  A journey that sometimes took over 8 hours depending on traffic  We always take with us bottled water, nibbles like crisps or a trail mix, but also a flask of black coffee, vegetable wraps or pasta salad and for sweet, because there is always room for something sweet: flapjacks.   

But for the prompt today I thought I would share a cake, you may find it hard to say no to this cake, its Violet and Chocolate Cake in the shape of a heart.  

And remember cakes are made for sharing.  Enjoy.