When I was in my early twenties and my waistline could handle this sort of thing, I made daily trips to one of the many coffee houses in my hometown. You’d be hard-pressed to walk two blocks in Vancouver without finding some sort of specialty coffee store. Yes, we are a highly caffeinated, but friendly lot. You know you are a regular at the coffee shop when the barista has your drink ready for you, your name written on the side of the cup, by the time you reach the front of the line. Grande cafe mocha with nonfat milk and whipped cream, please. The nonfat milk cancels out the calories from the chocolate syrup and whipped cream. If you have evidence to prove otherwise, I don’t want to hear about it.

When I spotted this mocha frappe by Deb of smithbites, I was whisked back to those lazy days of my youth (my goodness, I’m getting old). To make things even better, Deb adds a touch of brandy and a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Are you sold yet? I was ready for a really good coffee drink, but was not prepared for the-coffee-drink-to-top-all-coffee-drinks. Deb, you are a magician.

A few weeks ago, someone (you may know her—her name’s Ree) posted a recipe for iced coffee concentrate. Make a batch of this and store it in the fridge to have on hand so you can make the perfect iced coffee or Mocha Brandy Frappe at a moment’s notice.

For the chocolate sauce, you can use a store-bought version or make your own. Since there was extra cream in my fridge and chocolate that would be eaten by the fistful if I didn’t find another use for it, I went the homemade route. Just bring the cream to a boil, pour it over chopped chocolate and whisk. Yep, it’s that easy.

This is all you will need to make this addictive frappe. Oh, and a little ice.

Place chocolate, brandy …

Coffee concentrate …

Milk (soymilk or another kind you prefer) …

And cinnamon, cayenne pepper and vanilla syrup (if using) into a blender. Whiz for about 15-20 seconds to mix well. That’s right, I said cayenne pepper. Don’t you dare skip that step. Trust me.

Add ice and process for approximately one minute or until well blended.

Top with real whipped cream. Smithbites labeled this step as optional, but I couldn’t resist using my handy whipped cream dispenser. My kids sat nearby, assuming the baby bird position, until filled each of their mouths with a generous squirt of whipped cream.

Sprinkle with a little chocolate, put on your sun hat and loll about on the patio as you sip on this heavenly drink.

I suggest you run over to Deb’s blog, Smith Bites, where she and her husband (affectionately referred to as The Professor) whip up inspiring recipes several times each week.

Printable Recipe

Mocha-Brandy Frappe

by smithbites on June 20, 2011 in Drinks, Malts/Shakes June 20, 2011 DrinksMalts/Shakes

See post on smithbites’s site!

0.00 Mitt(s) 0 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 3

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DIY Mocha Frappe with a twist: brandy!

Ingredients

• ½ cups Chocolate Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Brandy
• ¾ cups Cold-Brew Coffee Concentrate (coffee Must Be Cold - Hot Coffee Will Dilute Flavor)
• 1 cup Soy Milk (or Your Choice)
• ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Simple Syrup (Optional, See Note)
• 2 cups Ice

Preparation Instructions

Place chocolate, brandy, coffee concentrate, milk, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and vanilla syrup (if using) into a blender and whiz for about 15-20 seconds to mix well.

Add ice and process for approximately one minute or until well blended.

Pour into glasses, add straws and serve.

Optional: top with real whipped cream.

Smith Bites note: If you make your own chocolate sauce and use a 60-70% dark chocolate, you may need a bit more sweetener. If so, use a simple syrup or a teaspoon or two of superfine sugar. If you’re using a milk chocolate or a semi-sweet chocolate to make your sauce, you probably won’t need any additional sweetener.

 
 
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Dara Michalski is a doll and a sweetheart who clearly knows her way around the kitchen. She blogs at Cookin’ Canuck, where she shares her flavor-packed recipes and fun, engaging writing. The photography’s pretty incredible, too.

 
If ever there was a recipe made for me, this would be it. Bacon, chocolate AND a savory dish? I’m all over this. Before trying it, I never even tasted mole rice. I’ve heard delicious things about it and of course, had multiple people suggest it to me since it has—duh—chocolate in it. But I held out, and now I’m sort of glad I did since my first experience was a homemade one, and an incredible one at that. The minute I spied Andrea’s recipe for Mole Rice, I knew it would be mine.

Oh, and as a side note, I definitely thought (like years ago) that mole rice was pronounced “mole”—like one of those scary litter critters in the ground. Um, no. I later learned that (maybe in college?) it was pronounced “mo-laaaay” and proceeded to say the word in my head for about two weeks straight in disbelief.

All embarrassing mispronunciations aside, let’s get cooking.

Here is everything you need: bacon, a red pepper (chopped), an onion (chopped), chicken stock, sesame seeds, allspice, semisweet chocolate (chopped), tomato paste, mushrooms, rice, garlic, dried oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, fresh green onions and fresh parsley. It seems like a lot, but it’s super simple. And please don’t mind my trashy mid-defrosted tomato paste in a plastic bag. Keeps perfectly in the freezer. Try it.

First up, toast your sesame seeds, cumin, allspice and oregano. Oh my. Smells so good.

Next, and obviously my favorite part: fry your bacon in a large skillet. I chose to chop mine up first just to skip a step later and so it would cook a bit quicker. Once it is crispy and the fat has been rendered, remove it with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel.

Add in your onions, peppers and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft.

Now add in your mushrooms. Cook those until they are soft too, about five minutes or so.

Once the vegetables are juicy and fragrant, add in your tomato paste, chicken stock, toasted spices and chopped chocolate. Bring that whole shebang to a boil.

As the mixture is boiling, add your rice. I used the brown jasmine rice from Trader Joe’s and it was phenomenal.

At this point, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30-35 minutes. Stir once or twice during cook time to make sure the rice is absorbing the liquid, and if it’s absorbing it too quickly, add more stock. I can’t even tell you how incredible your kitchen will smell.

Once it’s finished, remove it from the heat and let it sit for five minutes or so as it comes together. I interpreted this instruction as “grab a fork and eat as much as you can before serving it to others.”

After 5 minutes, stir in the bacon then drop some sliced green onions and torn parsley on top. I also think cilantro would be a fabulous addition, but I pretty much put cilantro on every single thing I eat daily. It might just be me.

Serve that goodness up! This was hearty enough for me to eat simply as a meal, but it would be a great side dish for a number of recipes. My husband ate some with enchiladas one afternoon and then again with grilled chicken at dinner. The only way I can describe how fantastic this is, is to tell you that it absolutely bursts with flavor. So robust and so layered. If you couldn’t already tell, we adored it.

Thanks so much to Andrea for the wonderful recipe, and for sharing something incredibly delicious that pushed me outside of my cooking comfort zone. Be sure to check out Andrea’s blog, Recipes for Divine Living, where she shares more of her passion for food.

Printable Recipe

Mole Rice

by Andrea on July 1, 2012 in Rice, Sides July 1, 2012 RiceSides

See post on Andrea’s site!

4.75 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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I love the flavor of the toasted spices and chocolate in this recipe, not to mention the bacon. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ½ teaspoons Cumin
• ¼ teaspoons Allspice
• 3 strips Bacon
• 1  Red Pepper (or Color Of Your Choice) Chopped
• 1  Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 cups Mushrooms, Sliced
• 2-½ cups Chicken Broth
• 6 ounces, weight Tomato Paste
• 1 ounce, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate, Chopped
• 1 cup Rice, Uncooked
• Salt And Pepper
• Green Onions, Chopped For Garnish
• Fresh Parsley Chopped For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Toast/cook sesame seeds, oregano, cumin and allspice in a skillet over medium heat for 30-35 seconds. Set aside.

Cook bacon and set aside. To the same skillet with bacon drippings, sauté red pepper, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt and pepper until softened. Add mushrooms and cook until soft.

Increase heat to high and add chicken broth, tomato paste, chocolate and toasted spice mixture. Bring to a boil; add rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook till tender and liquid is absorbed, 30-35 minutes. Stir rice after 15-20 minutes to make sure it’s not sticking and has enough liquid left to cook completely. Add more stock or water if needed.

Once rice is tender, turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in chopped bacon; check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.

To serve, top with chopped green onions and parsley.

 
 
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.

When I find quick, simple, yet healthy meals to feed our little family (that my girls like!), I do a little dance of joy. This recipe for Moroccan Eggs submitted by TK member Katie is exactly that.