Chocolate Wacky Cake (No Eggs, No Dairy, No Clean-up!)

Chocolate Wacky Cake is the easiest scratch cake you will ever make! (No eggs, no milk, no butter, no clean-up.) Made exclusively with pantry staples, this surprisingly moist, delicious snack cake mixes up in a jiffy, right in the pan!

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Chocolate Wacky Cake was the first “scratch” cake I ever baked all by myself. (I think I was eight.) So named because it requires no eggs, no milk, no butter, and is mixed directly in the pan, Wacky Cake is a surprisingly moist, delicious chocolate cake that is easy enough for a child to make.

Wacky Cake is dead simple to make, but the origins of the recipe – also known as Crazy Cake, War Cake, Depression Cake, Magic Cake, and even 3-Hole Cake – are somewhat murky.

Wacky Cake is a recipe created for difficult times, passed down from one generation of frugal bakers to the next. There are references to similar cake recipes dating back over a hundred years; clear back to World War I, when War Cake could be found in a 1918 Food Administration Department pamphlet entitled “War Economy in Food,” under “Recipes for Conservation Sweets.”

After The War to End All Wars ended in 1918, Crazy Cake recipes made their way into 1930’s Depression Era kitchens, when budgets were tight, and milk, eggs, and butter were luxuries. Still later, mothers on the home front during World War II relied on this unusual cake recipe as a way to deal with wartime shortages, when milk and eggs were scarce, and other staples (like sugar and coffee) were rationed and in short supply.

Wacky Cake is the easiest scratch cake you will ever make. It is mixed in one pan with a fork. The trick to this cake is the three-hole method of mixing that allows the vinegar and baking soda to combine at the last moment and act as a leavening agent.

Six Simple Steps for Chocolate Wacky Cake

Start your cake now, and it will be ready to eat in less than an hour!

[Actual amounts can be found in the recipe card below]

Sift together the dry ingredients into a greased 8×8 (or 9×9) cake pan.
Form three wells in the sifted mix.
Fill the depressions with [1] Oil, [2] Vanilla, and [3] Vinegar.
Flood the pan with 1 cup of water.
Stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed. (Check the corners! I use a spoon to do the initial mixing, and finish by whisking it with a fork.)
Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes.

That’s literally all there this to it. If you work super slow, you might need 15 minutes to mix it up.

BONUS POINTS: No raw eggs in this batter! Go ahead and let the kids lick the fork!

So what does Wacky Cake taste like? It is an exceptionally moist, delicious chocolate snack cake. Surprisingly so, in fact. It’s perhaps not as quite as rich as a true, butter-filled Devil’s Food Cake, but it will definitely satisfy those chocolate cake cravings.

For 1970’s Kids Only: Remember Betty Crocker’s Snackin’ Cakes? Wacky Cake is a lot like those little cakes as far as texture goes, and it tastes something like a Hostess Cupcake without the cream filling, only a little softer and richer.

5 from 5 votes

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Chocolate Wacky Cake is the easiest scratch cake you will ever make! (No eggs, no milk, no butter, no clean-up.) Made exclusively with pantry staples, this surprisingly moist, delicious snack cake mixes up in a jiffy, right in the pan!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

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Course: Dessert, Sweets

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, chocolate, Dairy-free, eggless, vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Equipment

Ingredients

1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F [177°C].
Spray an 8x8 pan (or 9x9) with cooking spray.
Sift together dry ingredients into the pan.
Flatten the sifted dry ingredeints and form three depressions in the top - one large and two small.
Pour oil into the large depression, vanilla into the second depression, and vinegar into the third.
Pour water over the whole thing.
Stir with spoon or fork until thoroughly mixed. Be sure to check the corners.
The cake batter will produce bubbles on the top of the cake. Gently tamp the cake pan on the countertop once or twice to release gas.
Bake at 350°F [177°C] for 25-30 minutes, until the top springs back when touched.
Allow cake to cool. Wacky Cake can be served as is, or with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or iced with your favorite frosting.

Notes

Be sure to use natural cocoa if possible, and not Dutch-pressed (which is also sometimes called European-style or alkalized). Dutch-pressed cocoa is washed with a solution of potassium carbonate which lessens its acidity, and Wacky Cake depends on that acidity to strengthen the gluten and help the cake rise.

Nutrition

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I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup.
Check it out for more great recipes!

Looking for a good STEAM activity? Consider Wacky Cake as a great opportunity to demonstrate the power of baking soda and vinegar outside a volcano! (Whoohoo kitchen science!)

P.S. If you love baking cakes, be sure to try my scratch-made Triple-layer Strawberry Cake. It’s amazing!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Roasted Ratatouille {with Pan-fried Onions}

May 31 By Renée ♥ 12 Comments

Fragrant layers of bright zucchini, tender Japanese eggplant, and juicy romas – all roasted to perfection in a nest of herby, garlicky tomatoes and pan-fried onions.

No one makes ratatouille like I do. In fact, it seems like E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E puts their own flare on this simple summer vegetable medley. My personal spin? Pan-fried onions for extra sweetness and depth of flavor. SO GOOD!

Originally from the South of France, ratatouille is an amazingly versatile dish, both for the cook and as a meal. Traditionally made with a base of tomatoes, zucchini, onions, eggplant, garlic, and herbs, home chefs around the world add everything from potatoes to porcinis to the mix. Some cook it in a pot on the stove, others roast it in the oven. You can even make it in a slow cooker, or an Instant Pot! The whole idea is, once you have the basic recipe down, feel free to make it your own.

And here’s a little secret… (shhhhh….)

When it comes to making ratatouille, it really doesn’t matter how you put it together.

It’s true! Whether you choose to “fussy up” and camera-ready your ratatouille, or just throw everything in the dish and let the chips fall where they may, the fragrant flavors of all those fresh summer veggies and herbs will magically combine to create something your tastebuds will love.

Ratatouille can be enjoyed hot, cold, or somewhere in between. Serving suggestions are just as flexible, too: as is, over rice, on toast, in pasta, on a sandwich, and with eggs are just a few ideas. (One of our favorite breakfasts is leftover ratatouille with poached eggs.) Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

Ratatouille with Pan-Fried Onions

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 large sweet or red onion sliced 3/8" thick
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
14 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes (1 can, drained)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic about 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 Tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary or a small spring fresh, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 lb medium zucchini sliced 1/4" thick
1-2 Japanese eggplant sliced 1/4" thick
3 fresh Roma tomatoes sliced 1/4" thick

Garnish:

Fresh basil
Finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat skillet. When a water droplet sizzles on the surface, carefully place whole onion slices on the skillet. Allow onion slices to brown and crisp on one side for a few minutes, and then carefully turn them over using a spatula and brown the other side. Allow onion slices to cool, and then separate onion rings from one another and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and chili powder.
In a medium bowl, combine crushed or diced tomatoes, remaining olive oil (2 teaspoons), vinegar, garlic, fresh basil, and all but 1 teaspoon of the herb mixture.
Pour tomato mixture evenly into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate. (I use my cast iron pie dish.)
Arrange sliced veggies around the edge of the plate in a pattern that makes you happy. (I did tomato-zucchini-eggplant-zucchini-eggplant-repeat.)
Put the pan-fried onion mixture in the middle of the veggie-ring. Arrange more veggies in the middle, until you are either out of veggies or space, whichever comes first.
OPTIONAL: At this point, you can spray the whole thing with a little cooking spray or brush it with just a bit of olive oil to encourage browning if you would like. Doing so also seems to make the whole thing look better after it is done roasting.
Sprinkle remaining dried herb mixture over the top of the prepared ratatouille.
Bake in preheated oven for an hour, or until the sauce is bubbly and the veggies are tender (but not mushy!!)
Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan or Romano.

Notes

Weight Watchers: 1 serving (1/4 recipe) = 1 SmartPoint [2018]

Alternate (aka "non-fussy") Prep: Put the crushed tomato mixture in your baking dish. Top with pan-fried onions. Throw the veggies on top. Bake as directed.

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Recipe Notes:

This dish is best when made with the freshest veggies possible.
Be sure to slice your vegetables uniformly to all be approximately the same size and thickness so that everything cooks evenly.
Japanese Eggplant is more tender than Italian eggplant, and works better for this dish. However, if you cannot find it, you can definitely use Italian eggplant as a substitute. The important thing is to cut it in approximately the same size as the other veggies you will be using so everything cooks evenly.
Ratatouille and similar foods (i.e., spaghetti sauce, lasagna, and eggplant parm) usually taste better “the next day,” after flavors have had a chance to marry and mellow. I’m sure that there is a scientific explanation for this phenomena, but whatever the reason, keep this in mind if you plan to serve this dish to company. I often make meals like this a day ahead of time, refrigerate overnight and reheat to serve.

Garden Fresh Gazpacho

September 11 By Renée ♥ 31 Comments

Classic Spanish Gazpacho is the perfect summer soup – chilled, savory, and full of rich, robust, garden-fresh goodness.

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I remember the first time I ever ate gazpacho: I have to admit, I was dubious. Cold tomato soup? Really? I was twenty and I’d never eaten cold soup of any kind before. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to either, but I was at a luncheon hosted by a friend’s mom, and you remember what your mama always told you when you went to eat at other peoples’ houses, right? Anyway, when I tasted it, I found it to be surprisingly rich and savory, with slightly sweet overtones and more body than I expected from a purely vegetable-based soup.

Since then, I’ve worked to perfect my own gazpacho recipe, one little batch at a time. At this point, I think it’s pretty darn awesome.

Gazpacho Starter Kit 😉 For reference, the big tomato on the right side (at 3 ‘o clock) is about five inches across.

As far as I’m concerned, there is only one good time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) to make traditional tomato-based gazpacho: in the waning months of summer and through September, when the gardens and farmers markets are overflowing with warm, fat, vine-ripened tomatoes and shiny sweet peppers.

The picture above shows a single day’s harvest from our garden last week. Thanks almost entirely to Mr B’s dedicated gardening skills, we are flush with a wide variety of tomatoes, cukes, and peppers! In an effort to use everything at its peak of freshness, I decided to make a big batch of gazpacho to get us through a busy week. (Gazpacho will keep about a week in the fridge.)

Garden Tip: We plant marigolds in our garden as part of our organic pest control plan. You probably already know that they repel a number of creepy-crawlies, but did you know that they are edible? Marigolds have a slight citrus flavor, and can range from spicy to bitter, tangy to peppery, making them great for salads or as a pretty garnish on any savory dish.

Garden Fresh Gazpacho

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time3 hrs

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Course: Soup

Servings: Servings (1 cup each)

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Tomato Mix 1

4 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes peeled & diced 1/4"
1 lb. cucumbers peeled, seeded & diced 1/4"
1/2 lb red orange, yellow or green bell peppers, seeded & diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced 1/8"
1/2 lb. onion diced 1/4"
15-20 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-3 teaspoons Sriracha or other hot sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder optional **
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Mix 2

1 lb tomatoes roughly chopped (or cherry tomatoes)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lime - juice & zest
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine Tomato Mix 1 ingredients: diced tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, basil, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, Sriracha, and pepper. Toss thoroughly to combine.
In a blender jar, combine Tomato Mix 2 ingredients: Rough chopped tomatoes, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, balsamic, and Worcestershire sauce. Puree mixture until smooth.
Pour Mix 2 into bowl with Mix 1 and stir to combine.
Using a hand-blender, puree the two mixtures together until it reaches the desired consistency. If you like your gazpacho very chunky, you don't need to do this step. (See Blender Note below)
Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
Garnish with additional diced veggies, avocado, and/or sour cream. Serve cold.

Notes

This recipes lends itself easily to halving or doubling.

Nutrition

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Serve with hearty, rustic bread on the side.

** In my most recent batch of gazpacho, I subbed in a teaspoon of my Spicy Rockfish Dry Rub for the chili powder. Totally awesome – I highly recommend it!!

Blender Note: Some people like their gazpacho very chunky, while others prefer it completely pureed: the choice is yours. If you don’t have a hand-blender, you can definitely do the last step in your regular blender jar: just puree about half the total mixture in the blender and then remix everything together. That said, I prefer the hand-blender method because I think it allows for better control of the final product.

Final Thoughts: Like biting into the perfect BLT, for most of us there is only a narrow window of opportunity each year to enjoy truly great gazpacho. Certainly you can make it year round, but don’t try making gazpacho in February with my recipe. (How often do you read about bloggers expressly advising you not to use their recipe?) If you want great garden-fresh gazpacho, and you have a bunch of ripe, sweet tomatoes, then this is your gazpacho recipe. However, if all you have are those hard little red balls they sell in the grocery stores in the winter months, then look for a recipe that uses canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato juice. Hot house tomatoes and the like simply do not have the depth of flavor or sugar content to make it worthwhile. (Nor do they taste like actual tomatoes.)

Some things are worth the wait.

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Slow & Easy White Chicken Chili {5 Ways!}

November 8 By Renée ♥ 3 Comments

Today I’m sharing a simple, belly pleasing, stick-to-your ribs recipe that will take all of 20 minutes of your time to prepare. You can let the slow cooker do all the work for the other approximately 20 hours (for the Slow Version) or 2 hours (for the Lightning Version) that it takes to cook.

As written, this White Chicken Chili is relatively mild, but you can spice it up by leaving the seeds in the jalapenos and/or adding more of them to the mix.

Depending upon which approach you take to making this White Chicken Chili, it will take you between two and 24 hours to prepare, but your actual hands-on prep time remains constant – about 20 minutes. All five versions listed produce delicious, savory results:

Slow: 20 hours – recipe as directed: overnight soak, then slow cooker on low.
Moderate: 18-19 hours – recipe as directed: overnight soak, then slow cooker on high.
Moderately fast: 10-12 hours – “Fast Soak” beans. (See Fast Soak Instructions at the bottom of the post) Continue with recipe as directed, with slow cooker on low.
Fast: 5-6 hours – “Fast Soak” beans. Continue with recipe as directed, with slow cooker on high.
Lightning: 1 1/2 – 2 hours – Use canned beans. Continue with recipe as directed. Cook in slow cooker on high for at least one hour.

White Chicken Chili

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Servings: quarts

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 lb small white beans or 2 - 15oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 large onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
2- 4 oz can diced green chilis
1 - 2 jalapenos minced (for mild chili, removed seeds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 lb shredded chicken
6 cups chicken broth
1 lb cooked shredded chicken
Toppings: avocado slices lime wedges, sour cream, tortilla strips, and chopped cilantro

Instructions

Soak beans for 4-8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse.
In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until the onions are translucent and just beginning to turn brown.
Combine sautéed onions and garlic, soaked beans, and all of the remaining ingredients except the chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours (or high for 4-5 hours), or until the beans are very tender. (Add additional broth or water if necessary.)
When beans are very tender, use an immersion blender or potato mashed to mash some of the beans up. This will slightly thicken chili. (Don’t overdo it though or you will have bean puree!)
Add chicken about thirty minutes before the chili is done.
Serve with toppings on the side: avocado slices, sour cream, lime wedges, tortilla strips, and chopped cilantro are all good choices.

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How to FAST SOAK beans:

In a medium saucepan, cover the beans with enough water so that it is at least an inch above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat. Cook for one minute, and then remove from heat. Cover pot and allow beans to soak for one hour. Drain and rise beans before proceeding.

“To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.”
― Aristophanes, The Knights

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint

September 19 By Renée ♥ 65 Comments

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint is an exotic, warmly spiced stew that is easy to prepare, family-friendly, and oh so delicious!

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Ever since Mr B and I took our French-Moroccan cooking class last spring, I have been intrigued with tagine cooking. A North African stew made in a distinctive clay-pot slow cooker of the same name, tagine is an easy to prepare, family-friendly medley of warm spices, tender meats, fresh vegetables, and dried fruits. Moreover, tagine (the stew, not the clay pot) falls squarely into what I like to call the New Comfort Food.

Mr B and I have been blogging here for almost four years now (can you believe it!?) and in that time, GHW has experienced a lot of changes as we’ve refined our niche. However, if there is one thing that has been constant on GHW from the get-go, it is our focus on clean, mindfully prepared comfort food.

For us, comfort food doesn’t need to be the heavy, fatty and gravy-laden fare of our great-grandma’s time. (No offense to great-grandmas anywhere – your food was awesome!) This new generation of comfort food is about nourishing body and soul – with delicious food that is both good for us and environmentally responsible.

Fresh, healthy ingredients are the cornerstone of our New Comfort Food, and this tagine is chock-full of them. It’s a dish that I feel good about eating and feeding to my family.

Speaking of family – I think that’s what comfort food is really all about. It isn’t the carb count or the gravy on top – its family and friends and the memories we make with them around the table. That’s another thing I love about this meal: tagines are traditionally eaten communally, with diners gathered around the tagine eating by hand, using pieces of bread to scoop up meat, veggies and sauce. As far as I’m concerned, a family meal doesn’t get much better than that.

Guess what! You don't need a fancy Tagine dish to cook a Tagine recipe! It can also be easily prepared in a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or even a humble covered casserole dish with excellent results! 🌻 #moroccantagine #taginerecipe Click To Tweet

5 from 4 votes

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French-Moroccan

Keyword: chicken, tagine

Servings: -6 servings

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Equipment

Ingredients

Spice-rub for Chicken:

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon harissa dry spice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Tagine:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 ½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
6 - 8 Chicken thighs and/or drumsticks skin removed
2/3 cup dried apricots coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 medium carrots peeled and cut into ½” inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon harissa dry spice
¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts optional

Instructions

PREP (20-25 minutes)

Chicken: Combine spice rub ingredients in a medium bowl. With hands, rub mixture all over chicken, thoroughly covering all surfaces. Use all of the rub.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a stovetop safe tagine, Dutch oven, or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides; about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and let rest.
Onions: Into the same cooking vessel you used for the chicken, add sliced onions, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and just beginning to brown; about 10 minutes. Add minced ginger and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Transfer the prepared onions to a bowl and set aside.

TAGINE (1-2-3 & Done!)

Arrange browned chicken into the bottom of tagine, then layer on top (in order): carrots, chopped apricots and raisins, and prepared onions.
Whisk together chicken broth, honey, tomato paste, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, and harissa in a medium bowl. Pour broth mixture evenly over the top of your little chicken mountain.
Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low (just hot enough to keep it simmering), cover and cook until chicken is very tender; 35-60 minutes.(You can do this on the stove-top, but I prefer to cook it in a 325° F oven.)

SERVE

Remove from oven. Remove lid, fold in half of the fresh mint, and allow to cool for 15 minutes so that the mint infuses into the dish and the juices thicken a bit. Season to taste. Garnish with remaining fresh mint and toasted pine nuts (optional). Serve with warm bread or couscous.

Notes

Note that you do not need to have an official clay tagine to make this dish: it can also be easily prepared in a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, slow cooker, or even a humble covered casserole dish with excellent results.

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Short on time? With one small adaptation, this dish can go from stove-top to table in under an hour! Just substitute in boneless, skinless thigh fillets and cook it for it for just 25 minutes [Tagine – Step 3].

Extra time on your hands? I prefer to complete the cooking of my tagine in the oven. For crushingly melty-delicious, fall-apart tender meat, heat your oven to 300° F and cook in covered tagine for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

Prep Notes

Browning the chicken
Because my tagine has a ceramic base, I brown the chicken in my cast-iron skillet and then transfer the browned chicken to the tagine. If your tagine has a steel-clad or cast-iron base (or you are making it in a Dutch oven or other metal-based vessel) you can brown it on the stovetop right in the tagine.

Harissa
If you’re unfamiliar with harissa, it’s a North African spice blend made up of hot chili peppers and other spices, including coriander, cumin, and garlic. Harissa comes in a wet paste or a dry powder, with varying degrees of spiciness, and has a deep, roasted pepper flavor with just a hint of sweetness. I’ve chosen to use the dry spice for this recipe, but you can substitute the spice paste if that’s what you have on hand.

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So what is comfort food to you? Do you have any “new” comfort food traditions?
We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

Oven-Roasted Garlic Spears

May 20 By Renée ♥ 5 Comments

Garlic Spears are in season – get them before they disappear!

Garlic Spears – also known as “garlic scapes” – are the flower tops of the elephant garlic plant. They available for a few fleeting weeks in the spring and early summer at your grocery or local farmers market. They make a beautiful presentation and a tasty addition to your table.

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I have to admit that, until recently, garlic spears were new to me. How I missed out on them until then, I’ll never know, but before I even tasted them, I was hooked! In fact, when we brought this bunch home, I took ten times more pictures of them than I needed – look how beautiful they are!

Garlic spears can be eaten raw or cooked. When raw, they carry a pretty hot punch, and can be used to spice up things like baked potatoes or salads.

They can also be steamed, lightly sautéed, or roasted. Garlic spears have a very mild garlic flavor that mellows the longer they are cooked, and can be served alone, chopped into pasta or casseroles, or pureed into soup, sauce, pesto, or hummus.

We chose to keep things simple and oven-roast them, and the results were wonderful – far beyond expectation! I used this amazing Meyer lemon olive oil, which (while definitely not a requirement here) enhanced the flavors even more. The flavor was only the slightest bit garlicky: they tasted somewhat like asparagus, but closer to an artichoke. (I don’t like asparagus much, and I loved these, if that helps any.) Preparation could not be more easy!

Roasted Garlic Spears – Easy as 1-2-3!

1. Cut off the ends.

2. Toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet.

3. Roast in a 375° oven for 30-35 minutes, until the tips are lightly browned and the stalk is tender. Toss midway through roasting time if desired.

To serve, sprinkle with lemon juice.

Oven-Roasted Garlic Spears

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Garlic Spears (i.e., garlic scapes)
Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh lemon Juice

Instructions

Cut off the ends of the garlic scapes.
Toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet.
Roast in a 375° oven for 30-35 minutes, until the tips are lightly browned and the stalk is tender. Toss midway through roasting time if desired.
Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and Print this recipe!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Homemade {Dairy-free} Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

May 17 By Renée ♥ 32 Comments

The Richest, Creamiest Dairy-free VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM Ever ~ Made with Coconut Milk!

Mr. B loves ice cream, and last year I splurged and bought him a new ice cream maker for his birthday. (Well, to be perfectly honest, it was more for “our” birthdays – he’s only three days older than me.) It was definitely a great purchase!

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Our oldest daughter is on a dairy-free diet right now, so when she came over for dinner the other night, I whipped up this delicious coconut milk-based ice cream. It never made it from the ice cream maker into the freezer – it was gone too fast! And it was scrumptious with the fresh berry compote I made last week!

5 from 3 votes

Dairy-free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

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Course: Dessert

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
2/3 cups cane sugar
2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 whole vanilla bean
2 tablespoons vodka

Instructions

Combine egg yolks, coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a blender and process until smooth.
Pour mixture into a medium sauce pan, and heat over medium low just until steamy. DO NOT BOIL.
Slice vanilla bean down the middle, and scrape the inside into the hot coconut milk mixture. Whisk to combine. (I also put the vanilla bean pod in and fish them out before I put the ice cream mixture into the ice cream maker.)
Continue to cook until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a thin custard.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vodka. (This keeps the ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer. For alternative preparation, see note below.)
Refrigerate mixture about 2 hours, or until completely cold.
Pour mixture into ice cream freezer and prepare according to manufacturer’s directions.

Notes

Alternate "vodka-free" Preparation: 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract can be substituted in place of the vanilla bean and vodka.

Note that, if you are concerned about alcohol in your ice cream, vanilla extract contains as much alcohol as vodka. Either way, the vanilla extract or vodka MUST be added AFTER the mixture is taken off the stove. The alcohol helps to keep the ice cream from getting too hard.

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For soft-serve style ice cream, serve immediately. For a harder scoopable ice cream, place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Take out and place on the counter for 10 minutes to soften for serving.

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Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

January 6 By Renée ♥ 25 Comments

Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!

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This savory Blackened Rockfish with Kale Caesar Salad from Skillet was my favorite bite at the 2015 IFBC Culinary Expo. The spicy dry rub, seasoned with paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, has just the kind of kick Mr. B and I love. In fact, I loved it so much that I contacted the nice folks at Skillet Street Food asked for permission to share their Dry Rub recipe here, which they very kindly granted.

A fresh Caesar salad on the side (traditional or kale) makes the perfect companion dish, quelling the dry rub’s heat without putting out the fire.

Once you mix up the dry rub, pan-frying the rockfish is a snap! You can literally have this made and on the table in 20 minutes; less if you have the dry rub already mixed up.

Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!

Prep Time15 mins

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Course: Main Dish

Servings:

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh rockfish fillets or Pacific cod, red snapper or striped bass 1/2'-3/4" thick
1/2 batch Rockfish Dry Rub Mix
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until a water droplet sizzles on the surface, then add enough vegetable oil to lightly cover bottom of skillet.
Coat both sides of each fish fillet with the dry rub mix and place into the heated skillet.
Fry on first side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned.
Turn over with tongs and brown the other side for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the flesh is firm and opaque.
Remove the fillets from the skillet with tongs and drain on paper towels.

Notes

This pairs well with a Caesar Salad.

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Since first making this dry rub, I’ve tried the Spicy Skillet Dry Rub on Pacific Cod, red snapper and striped bass; as well as everything from everything from roasted vegetables to barbecued steak, and have never been disappointed.

Some of the ingredients for the dry rub were initially a little hard to locate, but once I figured out where to find them, it was a piece of cake.

Let me save you some time: you will find the ground pasilla pepper and ground New Mexico chili pepper in the Mexican/Hispanic foods aisle of most grocery stores (in my area, Winco, Freddy’s, and Safeway all stock them) or in your local Hispanic Mercado (i.e., Su Casa Imports, El Mercado, etc). I found the ground chipotle pepper in the bulk section at Winco. All of the dried ground peppers are very inexpensive and the recipe makes a lot of dry rub, so it will go a long way.

5 from 12 votes

Spicy Skillet Dry Rub

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

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Course: Condiment

Author: Skillet, Seattle, WA [IFBC 2015]

Ingredients

5 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoons garlic salt
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoons ground pasilla pepper
2 teaspoons ground chipotle pepper
1 tablespoons ground New Mexico chili pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard powder
5 teaspoons white granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes

Ingredient Substitution: If you don't have all the dried peppers on hand, just substitute 3 tablespoons of regular chili powder for the ground pasilla, chipotle, and New Mexico chili peppers.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

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Chocolate-Pineapple Meringue Kisses {Recipe}

August 18 By Renée ♥ 5 Comments

Light as air, these delicious little Meringue Kisses can hold a multitude of sweet surprises.

These little meringue kisses are incredibly simple and easy to make, and will satisfy any sweet tooth. Here, I’ve topped them with pineapple and chocolate, but you can let your imagination guide you. Other ideas include coconut, ground nuts, chopped dried fruit, a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, or candied ginger. Or sprinkle them with jimmies for the holidays – red, white and blue for the 4th of July, green for St Patrick’s Day, or yellow and orange for the fall holidays.

4 from 1 vote

Meringue Kisses

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Course: Cookies &amp, Sweets

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Top with your choice of:

Fresh pineapple chopped
Mini chocolate chips
Coconut
Ground nuts
Chopped dried fruit
Cinnamon sugar
Candied Ginger

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300° F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon sheet.
Beat eggs until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating eggs until stiff.
Fold in vanilla.
Fill a a pastry bag or resealable bag with the whipped egg mixture. Cut the tip (or corner) and pipe the whipped egg mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet. (Alternative method: Use teaspoons to drop mixture onto cookie sheet.)
Sprinkle topping of your choice onto each cookie.
Bake for 30 minutes and then turn off the oven. Leave the cookies in the oven for 30-45 minutes to allow them to dry.

How to prepare fresh or canned pineapple:

Press pineapple between sheets of paper towel to remove as much juice as you can, and then chop fine and press again. Or, avoid the whole chopping step by using crushed pineapple.

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Vietnamese Banana Tapioca Pudding {Chè Chuối}

August 4 By Renée ♥ 13 Comments

We first experienced Vietnamese Banana Tapioca Pudding (or Chè Chuối; pronounced “chair chewy”) while dining at Duc’s Bistro in Honolulu. (You’ll be reading more about Duc and his bistro soon.) The delicate tapioca combined with banana and coconut cream created a delightfully sweet finish to a delicious and thoroughly enjoyable meal.

Mr. B and I paid careful attention to every dish we enjoyed in Hawaii, and when we returned home from our 10-day trip, we had a long list of recipes we wanted to recreate. Duc’s Banana Tapioca Pudding, topped with velvety coconut cream, was second on our list. (To answer your question – those Shrimp!)

After a little research (and some trial and error), I’ve come up with a good reproduction of the original, albeit with a few significant alterations:

The version we enjoyed in Honolulu included Hawaiian Apple Bananas, which are difficult to find here in the PNW. This recipe calls for regular bananas, but if you have access to Apple Bananas, by all means use them instead. (Baby bananas can also be used.)
I believe that Duc’s dessert had a thin layer of sweet rice between the tapioca and the coconut cream, but I chose to leave this out to simplify the process; however, it does add an additional, very pleasing textural element, so if you want to include the extra step, it might be worth the effort to you.
I’ve also added a little toasted coconut, because it adds a lovely sweet crunch, and …. oh, who am I trying to fool? I just love toasted coconut!

Vietnamese Banana Tapioca Pudding {Chè Chuối}

Inspired by a dessert served at Duc’s Bistro in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: servings

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

3 cups water
1/3 cup small tapioca pearls
4 medium bananas
1 – 13.5 oz can coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons sugar

Garnish:

Finely chopped peanuts or cashews
Toasted coconut See below
Mint leaves

Instructions

Preparing Coconut Cream & Milk: (This sounds WAY more complicated than it really is.)

You will need 3 small bowls for this. In the end, you will have one bowl of coconut milk with a little coconut cream in it for adding directly to the pudding, one bowl of coconut cream with a little coconut milk in it for topping the finished tapioca mixture, and one empty bowl. Proceed as follows:
Open the can of coconut milk. (DO NOT shake the can before opening.)
Bowl #1 - Pour out the thin coconut milk/liquid from the can into this bowl.
Bowl #2 - Scrape the coconut cream from the can into this bowl.
Bowl #3 - Measure out 1/2 cup coconut milk from Bowl #1 and put it in this empty bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the coconut cream from Bowl # 2 and set aside.
Add the remaining coconut milk from Bowl #1 to the remaining coconut cream in Bowl #2. Stir until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside. (Bowl #1 should now be empty.)

Prepare Pudding:

Cut bananas into ¾-1 inch pieces. Set aside.
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add tapioca and reduce heat. Simmer for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tapioca nearly cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Do not overcook: at this point, the tapioca should be thick, and individual pearls should be clear on the outside, and have a very small dot of white in the middle.
Add the salt and the coconut milk mixture from Bowl #3 and to the tapioca stir to combine.
Increase heat to medium. When the tapioca mixture begins to simmer, add the banana pieces and stir. Reduce heat and simmer for until the bananas are tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla. Add sugar one or two teaspoons at a time, tasting between additions, until it is sweetened to your tastes.

Toasted Coconut:

To toast coconut, place ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut in a small ungreased non-stick pan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until coconut is lightly browned. Immediately remove from pan and cool on paper towels.

To Serve:

Distribute individual servings of banana-tapioca mixture into small bowls. Pour a thin layer of prepared coconut cream (from Bowl #2) over the top of each serving. Garnish with finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut, and mint leaves. Serve warm.

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Note: If you want your garnishes to sit up on top of the coconut cream (instead of sinking into it), allow everything to cool a bit before you finish placing the toasted coconut, etc.

Chocolate Wacky Cake is the easiest scratch cake you will ever make! (No eggs, no milk, no butter, no clean-up.) Made exclusively with pantry staples, this surprisingly moist, delicious snack cake mixes up in a jiffy, right in the pan!

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Six Simple Steps for Chocolate Wacky Cake

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup. Check it out for more great recipes!

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Fragrant layers of bright zucchini, tender Japanese eggplant, and juicy romas – all roasted to perfection in a nest of herby, garlicky tomatoes and pan-fried onions.

Ratatouille with Pan-Fried Onions

Ingredients

Garnish:

Instructions

Notes

Classic Spanish Gazpacho is the perfect summer soup – chilled, savory, and full of rich, robust, garden-fresh goodness.

Garden Fresh Gazpacho

Ingredients

Tomato Mix 1

Tomato Mix 2

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Pin for Later!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

Instructions

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint is an exotic, warmly spiced stew that is easy to prepare, family-friendly, and oh so delicious!

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint

Equipment

Ingredients

Spice-rub for Chicken:

Tagine:

Instructions

PREP (20-25 minutes)

TAGINE (1-2-3 & Done!)

SERVE

Notes

Prep Notes

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So what is comfort food to you? Do you have any “new” comfort food traditions? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Garlic Spears are in season – get them before they disappear!

Roasted Garlic Spears – Easy as 1-2-3!

Oven-Roasted Garlic Spears

Ingredients

Instructions

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The Richest, Creamiest Dairy-free VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM Ever ~ Made with Coconut Milk!

Dairy-free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!

Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Spicy Skillet Dry Rub

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and print this recipe!

Light as air, these delicious little Meringue Kisses can hold a multitude of sweet surprises.

Meringue Kisses

Ingredients

Top with your choice of:

Instructions

How to prepare fresh or canned pineapple:

Vietnamese Banana Tapioca Pudding {Chè Chuối}

Ingredients

Garnish:

Instructions

Preparing Coconut Cream & Milk: (This sounds WAY more complicated than it really is.)

Prepare Pudding:

Toasted Coconut:

To Serve:

I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup.
Check it out for more great recipes!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!

So what is comfort food to you? Do you have any “new” comfort food traditions?
We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!