Attack of the Sweet Tooth

Today I was sitting on the couch and they were cooking something with ginger and I thought of making ginger green tea. I started simmering my ingredients and went to get my ginger out of the fridge, but I realized I was out!!! AHHH!! So I went across the street to the store. I walked in and was immediately consumed by the smell of fresh baked pastries. I had to have cake. Right then. I though about buying a loaf of angel food cake and covering it with strawberries and eating the entire thing immediately, but instead, I bought some vanilla extract and chocolate chips and decided to try to make something myself.

Ginger Green Tea
I started by making the tea. Simmer 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water, the zest of 1 lemon and 1 inch piece of grated ginger. Meanwhile, simmer 8 cups water and add 6 green tea bags and 1 peppermint tea bag. Let it cool, add to a pitcher, and fill with ice. Then add 1/4 cup of the syrup and stir. Yum!

I also decided that before I ate cake, I should probably eat dinner. I wanted something light and fresh so I made a lemon veggie pasta

Lemon Veggie Pasta
1/2 package whole wheat linguine
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
1 cup peas
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh mint
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the linguine according to the instructions. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat and add the onions. When they start to get translucent, add the garlic and and red pepper. After about 2 minutes, add the remaining veggies. Add the salt and pepper, and when the veggies are just cooked through, add the lemon juice and the mint. Turn off the heat and stir in the ricotta. Add the pasta and eat it!!!

I want to preface this next recipe with a disclaimer. I hate baking. I'm awful at it. I tried baking cookies, and it didn't work. At all. I usually screw up break and bake cookies. So I'm really proud about this recipe. It actually worked, and it tastes good!! The wheat flour gave it a weird texture so next time I'll try a different kind, but regardless, the sweet tooth was satisfied. :)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (if you can use brown rice flour, or whole wheat pastry flour to get a better texture)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 pureed banana
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

For the icing:
1 (12.3 oz) package extra firm silken tofu
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp powdered suger
1 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 2 8 inch round cake pans and dust them with cocoa powder. Combine the brown sugar and oil in a large bowl. Add the applesauce, banana, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Whip the egg whites until they have doubled in volume and are white and fluffy. Gently fold in to the rest of the batter. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Equally divide the batter between the two pans and bake them for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. When they're done, take them out and let them cool. I put mine in the fridge on a cooling rack. I left them there long enough to make the pasta, and they were perfectly cool by the time I was done.

For the frosting, blend all the ingredients in a food processor. Put this in the fridge too. Frost the cakes with a layer of frosting between them and top with more chocolate chips. Enjoy!!