Pigs in a blanket, fiesta salad, chocolate cake

I did not make all of this today. We were actually out at a party but I realize that I have been taking pictures and forgetting to blog so I am playing catch up now! I did make the cake tonight since M did not want to eat any of the treats at the party since he is so disciplined. I thought he needed a treat since I had both a brownie and a cookie.


Pigs in a Blanket
The pigs in a blanket are made from the Pigs Are Safe in the Barn recipe from vegweb.com. I used corn flour instead of cornmeal since last time I tried these it was too crumbly. I used SmartDogs since they are very low calorie yet have 9 grams of protein. I remember thinking they were awful the first time I tried them but they have grown on me over time and now I eat them quite often when I need something quick and easy.

Fiesta Black Bean Salad
This is a cold salad that I have made so many times and I always love it. I found the recipe online years ago but I was unable to find it to add a link so I will write out the recipe for you. The picture is not fabulous but it generally looks very brightly colored and festive if you bring to a party. I often make this and then just some plain polenta when I need to bring an appetizer. They go together well and this salad can be served at room temperature wihtout any problems. M uses it as a burrito/quesadilla filling with some brown rice and salsa since it takes good heated also.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups corn kernels (I usually just use frozen but I have used canned and fresh also. In the picture, I used Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (or any color pepper, I used green and red this time)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• black pepper to taste

Toss corn, onion, red pepper, and beans. Stir in chili powder and allow to sit at room temperature.
Whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, vinegar, lemon juice and pour over vegetables.
Stir in cilantro and seaon with black pepper.
Chill 2 hours before serving. (I never actually do this!)

Chocolate Cake
Last, but not least, chocolate cake for my husband. D and I had lots of sweets at the party so we just licked the spoons (it needed to be done, right?).
I used this Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe and made this Chocolate Frosting. I would say the "frosting" was more like a glaze or an icing but it taste good so no complaints. It was easier than having to spread. It just sort of dripped down nicely. The other frostings that I looked up required a cup of margarine or similar heavily fatty ingredients. This one just needed a few TB of oil.

Have a great weekend! I am off this week so maybe I will be cooking more. We shall see.