What are your thoughts on a Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cake with cream cheese frosting?  My thoughts were likely similar to yours…. oh hell yeah I will have a piece.  Last night in laws and myself brewed up this little masterpiece compliments of Mama Pea and her gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cake.

We made two cakes just too test out our skills before they were serving it this morning for a breakfast treat at 7:00am.  Yeah you read that right.  7:00am after boot camp.  I think I should join that boot camp!

The results were great.  The cake was very moist.  The icing was spectacular.  Here is the lowdown from Mama Pea’s recipe.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 Cup old-fashioned oats (use gluten-free varieties as necessary)
• 1 1/4 Cup boiling water
• 1/4 Cup coconut oil
• 1/4 Cup almond butter
• 2/3 Cup applesauce
• 1 Cup stevia baking blend or organic sugar
• 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Cup oat flour (can sub gluten free all-purpose flour or rice flour)
• 1/2 Cup coconut flour
• 1/2 Tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 Tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1 Tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup milk chocolate chips

For the Icing

• 3 Tbsp. cream cheese
• 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• splash of milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine oats and boiling water and allow oats to absorb the liquid.

1. Using a blender or hand mixer, cream together coconut oil, almond butter, applesauce, stevia or sugar and vanilla.
2. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry, and add now-cooked oats to mixture.
4. Allow mixture to cool slightly before folding in chocolate chips.
5. Scoop batter into a greased bundt pan.

1. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

1. For the icing, whisk together cream cheese, powdered sugar and enough milk to make a drizzly consistency.

1. Allow the cake to cool completely before inverting the pan to remove the cake and drizzling with icing.
2. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  I filled the center of the cake with a mixture of blueberries, hint of sugar and some lemon zest.  You could slide any fruit you want in there for a little “health” kick.

There you go.  Thanks mama pea for a fun recipe and I just got off the phone with my sister in law and everyone loved the cake.  Well done!  The next time you need a gluten free option give this a try.  Have a great Wednesday and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Friday!  It is hard to believe it is the middle of July already.  The weather here to say the least has been subpar.  We have had one nice week so far and today we are slated for 16 degrees Celsius or 61 degrees Fahrenheit.  Needless to say that makes me cranky.  So to balance the cranky, we need to find something that makes us happy.  Bacon makes zesty happy.  Whether it is for breakfast, on a sandwich for lunch or wrapped around something for dinner you can pretty much count on me loving bacon.

A while back I made cinnamon and cream cheese stuffed dates for a family gathering and I really liked them.  The texture of the date is something you either love or learn to love.  For me I love the texture despite the fact they kind of look like over-sized beetles.  Let’s not go there…

So on to this version of stuff dates.  I took the same cream cheese and cinnamon mixture, added a little diced apple and then wrapped them with some bacon.  I served them over some spinach with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Holy Yum.

Ingredients

• 12 Pitted dates
• 1/2 Cup cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup diced apple ( peeled)
• 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 4 -5 slices of bacon ( cooked)
• 2 Cups spinach
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Prepare the dates.  Mix the cream cheese, apple and cinnamon together and set aside.
2. Slice the down the center to create a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture inside.
3. Gently wrap the bacon around the dates and set aside on a plate.
4. Prepare a bed of spinach with a drizzle of balsamic.
5. Set the dates on top of the spinach
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Because the dates are serve chilled, you have to cook the bacon entirely.  I like to have the bacon crunchy so you have to be careful wrapping the bacon around the date as it may break.  If it breaks, it is still OK.  Don’t sweat it.

We pack up and leave for camping tomorrow afternoon.  We are looking forward to a week in the camper.  I will keep you posted from the camper and I have a few new recipes up my sleeve for next week.  If you are in the area and want to try some new dishes – drop over and say Hi.  Have a super weekend and I will talk to you on Monday from the camper.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Monday from the camp ground!  The weekend has been a lot of fun minus the damp weather and the lack of propane in both the bbq and oven.  I tried not to let it dampen my spirits and forged ahead.  Needless to say there was no cooking on the first night but the forecast is looking up and I cannot wait.

Despite the weather – I do have a fun little appetizer to share with you and try out next time you need a snack.  This is great for a gathering, nice with some wine before your meal or even great to bring to a potluck if you are in a rush.  This is drop dead simple and requires three ingredients.

Ingredients

• Maple Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese
• Cracker/ Crostini

Method

1. Slice smoked salmon to desired size
2. Get crackers, spread a little cream cheese and top with smoked salmon
3. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For me I love to serve this chilled as the cream cheese and salmon firm up and make a great combination.

OK, so there you have it guys, a quick simple appetizer that will make you a lot of friends and usually disappear like hot cakes.  I am on my way back to the trailer and looking forward to a fun day!  I will touch base with you on Wednesday and by all means let me know if you thought of anything else to put on the menu.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty