Mocha Syrup

Substitute strong coffee for water in chocolate syrup recipe to make Mocha syrup!

1 cup coffee
2 cups cane sugar (brown or white works)
1 TBS Beef gelatin
1 cup cocoa powder
Salt
Homemade Vanilla extract

I use gelatin instead of butter now in my syrup.  It adds a little extra protein and the syrup comes out consistently thick (but still very pour able) with no settling.  I use about a TBS or so of syrup to 1 cup of milk.

I had a lot of leftover coffee, so I now have 3.5 quarts of mocha syrup in the fridge.

I can't seem to keep milk in the fridge lately, wonder why?


What's on your Plate?
Simply Delish

Mochanoff (Beef Stroganoff with Coffee/Cocoa Sauce) GF

I was wandering around online and found a delicious looking recipe for a Beef/Coffee Stew.  I also had a large portion of fresh mushrooms that needed to get used.  We are experiencing a bit of cold spell* but Soup/Stew was vetoed...so I decided to sneak the coffee into some Stroganoff instead.


*Ok, it's not THAT cold but 60's at night and 70's during the day IS cold compared to 100+ weather...I like it!

Here is my basic recipe:  Beef Stroganoff.   I doubled all the ingredients because of the amount of mushrooms I had, except the meat.  My skillet was practically overflowing with mushrooms, so I cooked the meat separately in the wok, using this recipe:  Deep Fried Beef.
I substituted the Sugar/COT with a 2:1 cane sugar/cocoa powder mix when I remembered that coffee and cream of tartar taste absolutely horrid together.  I mixed the dry ingredients together (gelatin, cocoa, cane sugar, salt) then sprinkled it slowly, while stirring, over the already sautéed mushrooms.  It looked like fudge with mushrooms. ;)
I added coffee to thin the sauce, about a cup or so, then the sour cream, then the meat.  The noodle were done right when I was finishing the sauce,  so I added a little extra salt and served everyone a small portion (just in case) over penne rice noodles.  It was a well received.

Something was missing for me though, I couldn't put my finger on it.  Then I remembered, I usually add vinegar....

I added a few dashes of Balsamic Vinegar to my bowl and mixed in.  Oh yeah....it all just came together.  Sweet, savory, salty, sour in balance.....and extremely filling.  Everyone used the balsamic for the second pass and agreed, it was even better.

I can totally see this as a topping for mashed potatoes or use goat meat for a shepherd's pie filling.

If I was going to use a crockpot/slow cooker for this recipe, I would add a layer of coconut oil on the bottom and wipe it up the sides a little to prevent sticking.  I would then add the rest in this order:

Beef

Mushrooms

Onions and/or Red pepper flakes (if using)

Dry ingredients mixed with Coffee (as a paste)

Vinegar

I would cover and cook it low and slow for 8 hours or so, then turn it off and add the sour cream and correct for seasoning right before serving.

Hearth and Soul Hop 
Hunk of Meat Monday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Made From Scratch Tuesday
Gluten Free Wednesday
Foodie Wednesday 
Ultimate Recipe Swap 
Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa

Quicky Chocolate Slushie

The remnants....

Ingredients

Skim Milk

Cane sugar

Cocoa powder

Cream of Tartar

Sea salt

Homemade Vanilla 

 I had a about a quart left of already skimmed milk in a half gallon jar and needed to make room for the next milking. I carefully tapped out some cocoa powder from its storage jar, dug out a few large clumps of dark brown molasses sugar with a fork (trying to use it up to make room in the cupboard),  tossed in a small spoonful of Cream of tartar and about the same of sea salt.  After a dash of vanilla, I put the lid back on and SHOOK, SHOOK, SHOOK.  When it looked mostly blended, I poured in in an already frozen ice cream canister and stirred.  After about 10-15 minutes, it was frozen and fluffy.

Yeah, I found a few clumps of unmixed, dry cocoa while eating some...but I didn't mind.  You could probably do the same thing with chocolate milk made from syrup and avoid the clumps, but I was out. I need to make a double or triple batch next time.

Friday Food

Accidental Chocolate Pudding - GF, no cornstarch

I am a huge fan of the taste and even more so, the texture of Fudgsicles.  I haven't had one in years...not since I used to walk home from school and pass by the Corner Store every day, I think.  I do NOT like the ingredients....NOT something I ever paid attention to back then.  I also do NOT like the texture of "homemade" fruit juice popsicles, with only the top bite being soft where the solids have massed during the freezing period and the rest of it being hard, icy flakes.  I wanted something that would be uniform in texture and tasty through out.

So here is attempt #1.......

Ingredients
2 cups of cane sugar
1 cup of gelatin
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp sea salt

6 cups Fresh milk, skimmed  (I used the milk leftover from skimming the cream for ice cream.)

Mix the above dry ingredients together until well blended, no clumps of cocoa or gelatin.  Slowly add part of the milk to the dry ingredients, about 2 cups or so, to make a smooth syrup.  Heat at a low/medium temperature for a few minutes to dissolve the gelatin.  Remove from heat, and stir to cool.  When the temperature is low enough (you can touch the sides of the pot with bare hands), add the rest of the milk slowly, stirring to combine as you go.

When it was completely blended, I went to look for my popsicle molds.  By the time they were rinsed off, (a tad dusty) and drying in the rack, the mixture had set to a perfect pudding consistency.  There is a batch of actual popsicles in the freezer getting cold.  It will take a few hours to make a verdict on that...but served warm, it sure makes a good pudding!

BTW...1/2 cup of this stuff has 12.8 g of protein...no wonder it's so filling!

The Verdict:  The texture was very consistent....but way, way too much gelatin for a popsicle. 

I am going to attempt to add extra milk to the current unfrozen leftovers and see what I get.

Chocolate syrup (gelatin and COT version)

Here's my original version of chocolate syrup or fudge topping: Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Below is my "sneak in the gelatin (extra protein) and cream of tartar (extra potassium)" version:

Ingredients
2 cups cane sugar
1 tsp unflavored beef gelatin

1 cup water

1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 TBS butter
1 large pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla


Mix sugar and gelatin together, then add water. Stir to remove clumps.  Boil 1-2 minutes and turn stove off.
Add cocoa, butter, cream of tartar and salt stirring continuously until smooth, preferably with a whisk.
Add vanilla and store in a glass jar in the fridge. It should make 1 full pint...or a little more if the water didn't evaporate as much.

The cold syrup is a nice syrup consistency, not watery or gelatinous,  and blends well with a cold glass of fresh milk.

The Ultimate Bedtime Snack - A Mocha by the Hearth

There is nothing better than a warm mug of mocha  right before bed.  Sweet, rich goodness to nourish the body as it repairs itself from the stress of the day.


The hearth...in my case a soapstone topped wood stove...is perfect for slowly warming the milk.


Making a batch of cocoa separate from the coffee allows for customizing. Some like coffee with a hint of chocolate, some a hint of coffee in their chocolate.
I like a half and half blend.


Don't forget the gelatin in the coffee.  Gelatin is high in glysine and "Glycine is recognized as an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter, and promotes natural sleep."    http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml


Consume your beverage with a little homemade cream of tartar (potassium) capsule and magnesium and you have it made.

Hearth and Soul Hop
Whole Foods for the Holidays

"Hot" Chocolate

I'd be hard pressed to think of anything more cozy and satisfying on a cold morning than a cup of real hot chocolate....except maybe real hot chocolate with a large glob of whipped cream.

Allow for 1 cup of fresh milk per person, but only make what you will use immediately...it doesn't carry over well, in my opinion.



Ingredients:
Fresh Milk
Cocoa powder
OG Sugar or sucanat
Salt
Vanilla


If you are meticulous, you can measure the dry ingredients exactly and mix together until fairly smooth, then add to the milk.  If you are like me, you will just eyeball it, tossing straight into the milk and call it good.  I use 1 part cocoa powder to 2 parts sugar...mostly because it's easier to remember that way.  I add a small pinch of salt for one or 2 glasses and a large, 3 finger pinch for anything above that. Heat at "egg" temperature, a low medium heat and whisk until the cocoa is melted into the milk.  You don't HAVE to use a whisk but it really, really makes it easier and go faster.  Add vanilla at the end.  Watch out for extra ingredients like HFCS in the vanilla.  It's done when the side of the pot feels comfy in your hand.  Any more than that will kill the enzymes in the milk.  

Simple Lives Thursday
Fight Back Friday

Freezer "Fudge"

I modified a friend's recipe for "healthy chocolate" to make this:


Freezer "Fudge"

1 cup coconut oil
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup cane sugar
2 TBS Gelatin
1 cup cocoa powder 
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 -1 tsp unrefined sea salt



Melt coconut oil and maple syrup together on low heat.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to pan and stir until smooth.  Add vanilla and stir.

Pour into a greased, wide and shallow pan like a lasagne pan or broiler pan.  Spread evenly. Chill in the freezer for about an hour.  Slice and enjoy.  I forgot to grease my pan but used a metal spatula for scraping up off the bottom.  Wonderfully decadent with a nice "bite."  Actually.......reminds me of a tootsie roll.


.

Gluten Free "Potato Flour" Brownies

Adapted from a recipe on the back of a Ener-G potato flour box.

GF "Potato Flour" Brownies
(These really should be called rice flour brownies...but oh well)

Add ingredients one by one, mixing/beating thoroughly before adding the next ingredient.

4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil (originally melted butter, but I prefer the oil in this case.)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 TBS gelatin (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS potato flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
OR
2 cups sucanat or whole cane sugar
1 cup rice flour (brown or white)
3 tsp homemade baking powder
pinch of unrefined salt

1/4-1/2 cup coffee beans or chocolate chips (optional)

Bake in greased 9"x13" cake pan for 35-40 minutes @ 350*F.  Preheat if using a standard size oven, not necessary if using a toaster oven. Cut into squares. Pan size doesn't have to be exact, a smaller pan will make a thicker brownie......and fits in my toaster oven better.

A brownie with a glass of milk makes an awesome snack...or light meal even for To-Go food.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 cups Sucanat-whole cane sugar

1 cup cocoa powder
3-6 TBS butter
1 large pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla




Boil water and sugar together 1-2 minutes and turn stove off.
Add cocoa, butter, and salt stirring continuously until smooth, preferably with a whisk.
Add vanilla and store in a glass jar in the fridge. It should make 1 full pint...or a little more if the water didn't evaporate as much.

It is important to use butter for it's emulsifying properties. Use less butter if you just want to keep the syrup blended (or you're running low) and use more if you want to make the sauce more fudge like. It's better to leave it out and stir before using, than to substitute coconut oil. Coconut oil will just leave "chunkies" at the top. Ask me how I know......