Easiest Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe my mom always makes when she's short for time and wants to serve something homemade, or shall I say semi homemade!  It's super easy, and you can make the recipe in a loaf pan, bundt pan, or cupcakes.  Obviously the cooking time will vary.

Easiest Chocolate Cake
1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix + Ingredients to prepare cake mix (eggs, oil, water)
1 box Jello Pudding, Chocolate Flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray loaf pan (or whatever you choose to use) with non-stick spray.  Follow the back of the cake mix to prepare batter. Add, vanilla and pudding package to the batter.  Mix well.  If you choose to make the cake even more chocolatey, add chocolate chips now and mix with a spoon till well incorporated.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.  Lower oven to 325 degrees and bake another 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

If you use any other pan, see back of cake mix bow for baking times.  A bundt pan should take about 50 minutes or so.

Enjoy!!

Miso Glazed Eggplants

Something I really enjoy when I go out to eat sushi is the miso glazed eggplant.  I've been wanting to try making it at home for a while now, but when I saw these mini purple eggplants at the farmer's market this past weekend I had to buy them!!  I knew just what I was going to make with them too!!  The recipe below is adapted from one I found using the Epicurious free iPhone application!!  As a side note, I actually use this app a lot and find it to be very helpful and easy to use!

 Miso Glazed Eggplants
(makes 3 servings)
3 tablespoons white miso paste
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon water
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3 Asian eggplants, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing on eggplants


Preheat broiler. Whisk miso, vinegar, water, sugar, and ginger until sugar is dissolved.  Brush a baking sheet with oil and arrange eggplants, cut side up, in pan.  Brush tops of the eggplants with 2 tablespoons oil.  Place under broiler, 5 inches from heat, for about 5 minutes.  You should see the eggplants turn pale golden and soften.  


Brush eggplants generously with miso glaze, and broil for 3 more minutes.  Brush again with miso and rotate pan 180 degrees then continue to broil until eggplant is tender and the glaze is golden brown.  Serve and enjoy!

Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Pudding

This has become my new go-to breakfast!! It's delicious, at least I think so.  And if you don't like it my way doctor it up with a smashed banana, peanut butter, agave, coconut, berries, raisins, nuts, and whatever else you can think of!!  The best part about it is you can make it the night before and just pop it into the microwave at work with a little extra water and it becomes just-off-the-stove fresh again!!  This recipe makes enough for 2 breakfasts, you can double the recipe to make more!  Also each serving, if you follow the recipe exactly, has about 335 calories and 15 grams of protein, this equals a great start to your day! Try it!!

Quinoa Oatmeal
(makes 2 servings)


1 cup skim milk (110 calories, 8 grams of protein)
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (360 calories, 14 grams of protein)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or good vanilla extract (try another flavor extract if you want to be different)
1 cup water
2 packets of instant oatmeal, not prepared (200 calories, 8 grams of protein)
6 packets splenda (you can substitute sugar or agave, to taste)
* If you want you can use any flavor oatmeal and omit the sweeteners, or not!

Place the first 3 ingredients in a medium pot and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until milk is mostly absorbed into the quinoa.  Watch the pot carefully because it might overflow and you must stir every few minutes.

To the pot add the oatmeal packages and sweetener along with 1 cup water (for a super creamy texture substitute milk for the water).  Stir ingredients well until combined.

Divide into to air-tight containers and store in the fridge for the next morning.  To heat up in the morning add about 1/4 cup boiling water to the mixture, stir and then microwave for 2 minutes.  Eat and enjoy!!