Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

I enjoy baking but I LOVE cooking. Baking always seems to get a bit tricky and if you aren't paying close attention and making precise measurements, you could end up with a complete disaster. When I cook, I do my thing, I let my mind wander and most of the time I don't even closely follow the recipe. Cooking is my therapy and I love spending time in the kitchen.

This Lemon Almond Ricotta cake though...I loved making it! It came together seamlessly, the recipe was easy to follow and the end result was incredible. A friend made this cake for my birthday last year and I knew it would be the perfect end to our Easter meal. It might even be my new favorite Springtime dessert! Lemon and almond go together like a dream and the ricotta creates such a nice balance. Using almond meal instead of flour gives this cake a unique texture that I love. Our Easter meal was complete when we finished with a delicious slice of this gem of a cake.

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

recipe from Honey and Figs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste equivalent amount

zest from 2 lemons

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature

2.5 cups almond meal

10.5 oz. ricotta cheese. 

almond flakes

Freeze whisk attachment and mixing bowl.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 20 cm. round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. 

Beat softened butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and pale, about 5-6 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add almond meal and beat on medium to combine. Gently fold in the ricotta cheese. 

Remove bowl and whisk from the freezer and beat egg whites and the remaining powdered sugar (1 cup) until soft peaks form. This took me 8-10 minutes. Fold stiff egg whites into the cake batter and gently combine. 

Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with almond flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then cover with tin foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until cake is done, the top is slightly browned and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from the springform pan. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Salad, Jalapeno Lime Slaw + Roasted Okra

YOU GUYS. Mark fired up the smoker this weekend for the first time this Spring and we enjoyed the most delicious meal on the screened in porch. The weather was incredible and our azaleas were in full bloom. I love love love love love this time of year! 

We bought a pork butt from Harris Teeter and rubbed it with a brown sugar coffee rub from Trader Joe's. Mark smoked it for several hours and it was perfect. Along with our pulled pork we had sweet potato salad, jalapeno lime slaw and roasted okra. 

Gina's Sweet Potato Salad was a winner! I only used about 1/4 of a Vidalia onion because the one that I found at the grocery store was huge. I also opted to only use the green parts of the scallions and used only 1/4 cup of mayo. We try to stick with sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes so this was a yummy way to get our potato salad fix- and even better the next day! 

This Jalapeno Lime Slaw has been a long time favorite. It's so easy to toss together and has few ingredients but big flavor. The only thing I swap in this recipe is honey instead of sugar. We love this salad! 

Nothing fancy for the okra. Just washed, trimmed and tossed in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I baked this at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing every five minutes.

For more dinner ideas, you can check out my hashtag on Instagram, #eatmooredinner! 

Skinny Lemon Bites

I just can't quit with the snack bites. The possibilities are endless with these bite sized treats and I find that they are the perfect snack to have around for a quick energy boost during the day or to curb a sweet tooth at night after dinner.

These skinny lemon bites are perfect for Spring! I love the light, bright flavor of lemon- especially in the warmer months! With only four ingredients, you can whip these up in no time. I doubled the original recipe and added lemon zest for even more lemon flavor. I have been storing these in the freezer and they taste like lemon sugar cookie dough! The perfect healthy springtime treat! We can't get enough.

Skinny Lemon Bites
recipe adapted from House of Yumm

1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp. lemon zest
2.5 Tbsp. honey 
1/4 tsp. pure lemon extract

Place cashews, oats and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse until there are no large pieces left. Add the honey and lemon extract and pulse until combined. Scoop out the mixture with a teaspoon and form into small balls. Chill in refrigerator or freezer and enjoy!

{What Will Ate} Apple, Pear, Carrot + Orange Juice

I was hopeful that our house would make it through the Winter months without getting sick, but near the middle of February, Will was a sniffly mess and Mark and I followed closely behind him. Thankfully, he bounced back quickly and with a lot of good rest and TLC, he was back to himself in no time.

I have never given Will juice because of the added sugars and general junk that is always added in. He drinks milk with his meals and water throughout the day and that is it. When he was sick, I wanted to make sure that he was taking in extra fluids and staying hydrated. I pulled out my juicer and came up with this tasty concoction. He loved sipping on this during his sick days at home and I felt good knowing that he was getting all of the good nutrients. 

If you have a juicer, try this combo! It's bright and refreshing and especially tasty in the morning.

Apple, Pear, Carrot + Orange Juice

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into quarters

1 large D'anjou pear, cored and cut into quarters

2 large carrots, peeled

1 large orange, peeled

Juice ingredients according to juicer manufacturer's instructions. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

What We Ate

My food photos aren't always beautiful, but our meals are always fresh and tasty. All of our meals don't always make it to the blog in their own post, but we've had some great dinners that are worth sharing. Hopefully this will give you some ideas as you plan your meals as well. 

I've been trying a lot of new recipes over the past couple of weeks, many of which have been fantastic! I made it a goal at the beginning of 2015 to do less recipe searching online and more in the pages of my cookbooks. I have so many beautiful cookbooks that I forget about because it's so easy to search my most recent pins or saved blog posts from my weekly reads around the web. 

Weeknight Lemon Chicken Skillet Dinner from Cooking Light

Baked Wings, Crash Hot Potatoes and Ina Garten's Winter Slaw (from her newest cookbook- a new favorite on my shelf!)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Niman Ranch Burgers, Mashed Avocado with Lime + Fresh Salsa for dipping.

Pizza...my most favorite weekly splurge meal. I start with my Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe and like to get creative with our toppings. This pizza is topped with roasted garlic, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, kalamata olives and mozzarella. 

Salt + Vinegar Roasted Chicken, Sauteed Broccoli Rabe and White Bean Salad with Crispy Pancetta that I could basically eat every day for the rest of my life. SO GOOD. 

Valentine's Day 2015 was spent at home and that's just how we wanted it. We grabbed steaks from the butcher at Block + Grinder and they were incredible. I served them with Mushroom Risotto and Roasted Asparagus. 

Chicken Picatta (my favorite way to cook chicken breast), Sauteed Chard + Another round of Crash Hot Potatoes 

Spicy Eggplant and Sausage Zucchini Pasta, from Inspiralized. This meal was beyond delicious. My spiralizer is my favorite piece of kitchen equipment right now and I can't seem to get enough. If you have a spiralizer, Inspiralized is one of my favorite resources for recipes and healthy eating in general. I just got her new cookbook in the mail last week and I can't wait to continue in my spiralizing adventures. 

I hope you all are making something delicious this week! 

{What Will Ate} Pear + Avocado Pops

My sweet little eater has entered a bit of a picky phase. I have learned that everyday in the world of baby/toddler eating is different and some are more frustrating than others. On top of that, Will also has some teeth coming in in a few spots, making mealtimes even more of a challenge. BUT HE IS SO CUTE. Right now, he is especially loving anything soft and anything that's really cold.

Popsicles and smoothies have been a favorite around here lately! Smoothies are a great way to sneak in extra veggies and protein and popsicles are all around great for a teething toddler. The flavor combos are endless. 

Creamy avocado and sweet pear make a perfect pop! Avocado is full of good fats and nutrients and pear adds just the right amount of sweetness. This is a treat you can feel good about giving your little ones. 

Pear + Avocado Pops

1 large organic avocado
1 organic d'anjou pear

Cut avocado in half, remove the pit and cut into large chunks, set aside.  

Cut pear into large chunks, leaving the skin on. Steam for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. 

Place steamed pear and raw avocado in a blender or food processor (I did this all in my Beaba Babycook) and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight. 

Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Popped Quinoa + Sea Salt

A little piece of dark chocolate is almost always the perfect sweet fix for me, even if it just means a palmful of chocolate chips. Dark chocolate has a permanent spot in this house!

Chocolate bark is so easy and so fun! I've never experimented much with it but after making a batch this weekend, I am a believer! I spotted this recipe on Cooking Light's Instagram account last week and knew I needed to make it. It turns out that popped quinoa is, in fact, and thing and it is one of the most surprising bites! I'm currently making a list of other things that I can add popped quinoa to. POPPED QUINOA. I just love it. 

This bark is the most incredible (and incredibly easy) sweet treat ever. It's rich and decadent and basically takes no time at all to make. Pistachios and sea salt make lovely chocolate toppings and the popped quinoa...well, you just need to try it for yourself. It's toasty and poppy and adds a fun little crunch. 

Mmmmmm. I love this stuff. 

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Popped Quinoa + Sea Salt

1 Dark chocolate bar (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao)
Handful unsalted pistachios
2 Tbsp. quinoa, popped
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To pop the quinoa, heat a small, heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat. Add 3-4 pieces of quinoa and cover, wait for them to pop. Once you hear them pop, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons. They will pop very quietly and quickly. Remove from the burner and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

In a double boiler on medium-low heat, melt the chocolate. Pour melted chocolate onto the parchment prepared baking sheet and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with pistachios, quinoa and sea salt. 

Transfer sheet to the refrigerator and let harden for a few hours or overnight. Break into pieces and enjoy!