The 'Whittle the Middle' Chocolate Cake

For those of you who have been reading me (not that I’m claiming to be a superstar blogger in any case!)  Know that I have also been battling with some sort of weighty issues on and off. Whenever the anxiety gets better of me, I resort to diet, and on good days stick to what I do best- cook and eat.  

For the uninitiated, I’ll let you know what the problem is - there’s this bong waistline sticking to me in its all glorified version for as long as I know myself. Now bong waistline is definitely not any other undistinguished thick waist you need to cry aloud about. It’s different.  It’s the ambrosial factors that contribute to its making. Think Rosogollas, Think Bhapa Mishti doi or even a plain jane Luchi can claim its share of fame in the making of a bong waist.

I said enough is enough, I give up the luxuries of a bong treat in an attempt to Un-bong the adage clinging to my cleavage. However the sweet tooth refuses to leave and the low carb sweet less avatar of me is least appealing especially to the onlookers or people on the receiving end of phone line (god save the souls of cold calling sales staff of Australia!).

 Heck! A bit of browsing and some scanning of the kitchen pantry post office and daycare pickup hours led me to this wonderful creation. Perfect for on its way-to-whittle the bong belly phase of my life. 

I’m not a claim to fame photographer and lil S’s patience came to a screeching halt as soon as the freshly baked , still warm from the oven ooey gooey chocolate cake was dusted with sugar. Need I say more on why I have only one lame picture sitting here?

Time to know what went into its making, its adapted from the iFood recipe : 

The 'whittle the middle' Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients 

2 large eggs

3/4 cup applesauce/or any fruit puree/pumpkin puree  which you may have at hand

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your baking tray. 

In a bowl, whisk all the liquids including eggs.

In another medium bowl, mix the dry bits now carefully add the dry to the wet. Only mix til its non- lumpy .

Transfer to the baking dish. This is a moist and sticky cake, so a springform works best. You can also try a regular baking dish with a butter paper lined base

Bake 40-45 mins at 180, till a toothpick comes clean.

Skip the ganache or icing if you too dream skinny (like me:))

Got Guilt Mommy? Pause.Have some Chocolate Truffles.

Yesterday I got a frantic call from a friend; her toddler is my daughter’s classmate at the playgroup.  We all met up at the time of admission and bonded well while our kids were adjusting to the new school environs.

Now If I have to sum up the purpose of the call in a word then I’d call it GUILT. C’mon let’s admit which one of us has not faced it, especially the working moms. Gosh we are smothered with it.

Going back to her call –This friend of mine quit work when she had a baby and now (after a good two and a half years later) thinking of joining the workforce back. That’s HUGEE, so I congratulated her and then I hear her whimpered voice, asking if she is making the right decision. She wanted to know if the daycare my daughter goes, is good enough for her child too. Will they love her and feed her milk the way she is used to having at home. I wish I could answer  a loud Yes, but I guess no establishment in the world can replace the mommy care. Right? I wish I could sum up my experiences in one single phone call and somehow explain that inspite of all odds it’s still all right to go back to work.

I have experienced it first-hand that being a working mom of a young kid is the hardest thing ever. I wish I could convince this harried and hesitant mom who is being so hard on herself that it’s all going to be okay, and that someday we would laugh about it all, even the tough days. There are no yardsticks  and no measuring tape …just like there is NO perfect mother . We are one of those moms who come home late. We work really hard, and like everyone else come home to put away the scattered toys and cook the family favorite and inspite of all odds we will read that bedtime story  and kiss the bruises goodbye. We will sometimes wear an unmatched earrings or an un-ironed shirt to work, just to trade off that time for baking every little ones favorite chocolate balls.  

Now scoot mom. Enjoy the mommy time. Bake this with your little one and bite. Since our world is so covered with guilt , at least these chocolate truffles make you forget abstinence and denial for once. And I promise that these Chocolate Truffles have half the calories and 75 percent less fat compared to regular truffles. Hallejullah!

Guilt Free Chocolate Truffles 

Ingredients

½ can black beans- rinsed and drained

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1/2 cup mixed nuts

3 tbsp honey

½ cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white flour 

2 tbs chia seeds (optional)

To Coat

2 tbsp cocoa and 1tbs powdered sugar.

Method

Combine all ingredients in preferably a processor and give it a whirr till it forms a smooth dough. The dough will be moist and sticky so chill it for a few hours before forming the balls. 

Once its chilled, roll it into small balls and generously dust  the balls in cocoa powder and refined sugar mixture.  Freeze for a firmer truffle. Enjoy!

Sondesh

Sondesh

This weekend I was off with my colleagues at a wildlife resort for 2 days , shouted screamed and yelled and did everything what calls for, but then I would intermittently retire to my room, do some reading and be back, ready for action …off late I have realized, that I need my better half by my side to complement the moody blues I have, the need to be alone and then with people in a cyclic order …sometimes I miss the lonely comfort of my single room apartment, where even the morning light has to put in a lot of effort to streak in, while I would lie in bed thinking the best way to take on the day via daydreams, those dreams have given way to the realities, not harsh but soft and gooey as a hot fudge with occasional ‘nuts’ thrown in for crunch and twist—do we call them ‘relatives’?:)

On my way back home, I spent about six hours in a bus, even though I was rendered motionless due to paucity of space, arbit thoughts kept dancing around my head all throughout…sometimes it took the shape of wire drawing on the back of paper napkins and at others I aimlessly kept flirting with ideas in my mind

Life was moving on wheels.

Today is Monday morning. Now at my office desk with rest of the people whirling past in a pleasantly fast pace, catching up with the days work, I can easily put aside the ‘dancing thoughts’, but I have an idea, its pleasant to watch the sudden burst of inspiration bubble, gathering the burst boils and culminating them once again, just like unused milk or scraps of cheese…which often makes way to something nice, hurried, but nonetheless savoured to bits.

That particular bit of food is what hubby made yesterday. Its sondesh. Fond memories of my childhood came flooding back at that first bite. Hubby has a way about him. The first thing I did after being back from my trip was to taste his labour of love. We had dinner post that. We watched ‘Friends’. Jut two days away from him—one look into his eyes it’ was hard to look away;) Eating the sondesh, watching friends, I thought how can I just have roller coaster days , may be my love to being completely alone has slowly made me hanker to be with him…two of us comprises ‘alone’ , thinking if its again possible to bookmark the moment. I know I cant, but I can indeed put the recipe of my hubby’s classic creation here—for all the bong husbands or husbands who have bong wives…to rekindle the romance….believe you it works like oysters for the bong belly:)

Sondesh