Mocha Toffee Cheesecake

I was craving chocolate. Maybe it was the drop in temperature. Maybe it's that I crave chocolate all the time. Either way, this cheesecake does the trick! While it's not vegan-friendly, it is a fun twist on traditional cheesecake. I must warn you, though, you may eat the whole thing in one sitting and stab anyone with your fork who tries to have a piece. Although, if you can share, this is a great recipe to share with friends.

Here's what you'll need:

For the graham cracker crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup dark cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup toffee bits
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture to the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes and cool.
• Beat cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa until smooth.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add instant coffee granules and vanilla, mix well.
• Stir in toffee bits and mini chocolate chips.
• Pour cream cheese mixture into cooled graham cracker crust.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven to a wire rack and loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a butter knife. Cool for 1 additional hour. Place cheese cake in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Melt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler and pour onto the top center of chilled cheesecake. Spread melted chocolate onto the cheesecake leaving a 1-inch boarder. Sprinkle toffee bits on top of chocolate before it hardens. Return cheesecake to the refrigerator until chocolate it set. Refrigerate any leftover cheesecake.

Recipe adapted from HERSHEY'S Kitchens.

Pineapple Chipotle Salsa

I needed a dish to take to a bonfire Friday night and wanted something easy that wouldn't heat up the kitchen. I opened my fridge, saw a bag full of jalapeno peppers, and was inspired to spice it up with salsa! This recipe makes a lot -- about 4-5 cups, so it's perfect for sharing.

Caliente!

You really can't mess this up, so go ahead and play with the flavors and level of heat. As written, this recipe has a nice kick with a smoky aftertaste from the chipotles. I also had to chop stuff with my food processor in two batches to avoid overflowing.

Here's what you need:

• 1 pineapple, cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 3/4 cup red onion, roughly chopped
• 15 ounce can black beans
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

Directions:

• Put pineapple, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, chipotles, and onion into a large food processor. Process until chunky. Do this in batches if necessary.
• Transfer processed fruit and veggies to a large bowl.
• Rinse black beans and add them to the bowl.
• Stir in cumin, salt, and cilantro.
• Serve with chips or over grilled tofu.

Banana Nut Pancakes with Fresh Whipped Cream

These pancakes made my house smell wonderful for days! I wanted to make something breakfast-y for the blog and thought pancakes were a naturally vegetarian dish most people love. I also don't know anyone who doesn't like banana bread, so a marriage of the two seemed to make sense. I didn't want the pancakes to be too banana-y, so instead of mashing them up in the batter, I sliced them and dropped slices of banana into the batter as the pancakes cooked. However, if you want your banana throughout your pancake, feel free to experiment! But seriously, look at how warm and gooey these are with chunks of banana in every bite!

Oh, and did I mention the whipped cream? Yeah, I topped these babies off with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream... commencing food coma...

Anyway, these are hardy pancakes, and this recipe make four fairly large ones. One should be enough per person, especially if coupled by some fresh strawberries as shown in the photo. Enjoy!

Banana Nut Pancakes

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 cup organic whole or low-fat milk
• 2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

• Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add walnuts and mix gently.
• Heat a lightly oiled nonstick pan or griddle over medium.
• When the pan is hot, add 1/2 cup pancake batter. Sprinkle 1/4 of the banana slices over the batter and top with another 1/4 cup batter. Cook until the batter begins to bubble, about 3-4 minutes.
• Flip the pancake and cook for another 2 minutes or until the batter is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and top with 1/4 of the whipped cream (recipe follows).

For the whipped cream:

• 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbs. powered sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Place a large bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Once cold, add heavy whipping cream, powered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.