Vegan Raspberry Truffle Brownies

These brownies are my new passion.  I have made them 3 or 4 times in the last month and I pretty much make them only for myself.  I keep them in the fridge at all times so I don't go on a godzilla like rampage through the kitchen looking for sweets.  These brownies are all I need.  And to top it all off, they are practically good for you.  And I am not saying that in a euphemistic kind of way.  These brownies are low in fat, high in dark, dark chocolate, and are made with whole wheat flour.  They are as healthy as brownies can be, but they REALLY taste like raspberry truffles.  The secret is purposefully underbaking the brownies so they maintain a kind of gooey texture and then chilling them so that it tastes rich and fudgy with very intense flavors.  Enough said. Now bake my friends. Bake!!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies (adapted from the Post Punk Kitchen)

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup fruit spread (I used my home made strawberry jam)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used half whole wheat and half all purpose flours)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup frozen raspberries (use frozen not fresh because the berries will just get smashed anyway)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray

Melt the chocolate in the microwave and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the jam, sugar, and apple sauce.  Stir in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.  Mix quickly because the chocolate is going to try to clump up and harden.  It is okay if it does, because the brownie will still taste AMAZING.

Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until a stiff dough forms. Fold in the raspberries.  The batter will be thick!   Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 16-18 minutes and promptly remove from the oven to cool. Don't worry about testing to see if its done, because it won't be (that is the key!).  Cool completely and then chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.  I keep these brownies in the fridge in between eating sessions to maintain their fudgy texture!  

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

Mmm...we had these tonight.  I am excited to share them.  This was one of the first recipes I ever tried when I started transitioning to the dark side...I mean, more vegetarian food.  It is one of those meals that everyone enjoys, no matter who they are or how strongly they adhere to the "meat at every meal" concept.  It is another of those cheap, fast, easy, and nutritious meals that I like to keep in my arsenal, and is very flavorful and filling.  I vote sweet potatoes the chameleon of the vegetable/tuber family-- they can become anything you want them to be.  In this recipe I had some extra corn and sweet peppers on hand so I added them to the recipe, but feel free to adapt as needed.

Sweet Potato Black Bean burritos (adapted liberally from allrecipes.com)

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced,
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 cup water
2 TBSP chili powder
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
2 TBSP soy sauce
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (I peel and cube sweet potatoes then simmer them in a little bit of water until they are very soft, then mash with a fork)
6-8 flour tortillas
shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat oil in medium skillet and saute onion, garlic, and peppers until soft.  Add in all the spices and sauces and cook for another minute or two.  Add in the beans and then mash the beans in the skillet until about 1/4 of them are mashed.  Add in the water and corn and simmer for another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens a bit.  Remove from heat and cool for 5-10 minutes.

Divide the bean mixture and the mashed sweet potatoes evenly among your tortillas and top with cheese. Roll into a burrito.  Don't worry about closing up the ends of the burrito.  So I guess its more like a fat taquito.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until you achieve desired crispiness!

White bean spinach soup

This is the fastest, easiest soup, and it is SO DELICIOUS.  I had it tonight.  It was finished in less than 30 minutes.  If you have fresh spinach and a few cans of white beans, you have a meal.  I had it with blueberry muffins on the side.  Without the sprinkling of cheese on the top, it is completely vegan!  The creaminess of the soup comes from pureeing some of the white beans and adding them back into the soup.

Italian white bean soup with spinach  (adapted from "Good Housekeeping Vegetarian Meals")

1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans cannelini beans or other white beans
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp dried thyme
2 cups of water
10 oz baby spinach (if you use normal spinach, just chop it first)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional, but so so good!)

In large saucepan, heal oil over medium heat.  Add onion and celery and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme, and water.  Heat to boiling and then reduce heat so that the soup simmers, uncovered for 15 minutes.  With slotted spoon, remove two cups of the bean/vegetable mixture into a separate bowl.  Puree the remaining soup in the saucepan with either an immersion blender or by blending it in parts in a blender or food processor.  Return soup and reserved bean mixture back into the saucepan and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted (about another minute or two).  Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.  Serve with Parmesan cheese if you choose.

Coconut dal

This meal is better than it looks.  Please don't judge these lentils from the poor lighting or amateur status of the photographer.  I take all my photos with my iphone.  You are lucky I even took a photo at all.  Most of the time I remember halfway through the meal and then my plate doesn't look appetizing at all.  Also, I used the "wrong" kind of lentils.  I just used plain old greenish brown lentils.  When you use yellow or red lentils the dish looks like sunshine on a plate. This coconut lentil dish is superb and simple and hearty and inexpensive-- all the things you can ask for in a meal.  And its also easy and doesn't require finesse or weird ingredients-- bonus!

Coconut dal (adapted from Yummy Supper)

1 1/2 cups of dried lentils (yellow lentils look prettiest, but if you don't mind the color, just use brown)

4 1/2 cups veggie stock or water

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

2 TBS olive or vegetable oil

2 cups diced onions

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or cayenne, or a 1 small fresh chili, minced

1 cup coconut milk1

Cook lentil is water or stock with salt and 1 tsp turmeric.  When the lentils are tender, drain, but keep some of the cooking liquid.  In a separate pan, saute the onions with vegetable oil, garlic, cumin, 1 tsp of turmeric, and chilis or red pepper until the onions are golden, stirring constantly.  Add a little bit of the coconut milk to the onion mixture to get all the good bits off the bottom of the pan. 

Mix onions with cooked lentil and reheat slowly.  Then add the rest of the coconut milk.  continue heating a few minutes more.  You may add more coconut milk or some of the reserved liquid if the dal is too dry or thick.

Hummus, the cheater way

 

Hummus is one of my favorite dips.  I am a serious late-night snacker, so it is important to have good snacks on hand or else I go crazy and just carry around a bag of chocolate chips and an open cereal box (preferably those sugary ones that portray themselves as being part of a balanced breakfast).  For the past few months we have been gorging on Costco hummus, but we can go through a carton of that in about two days, so I decided I would start making hummus again to save money, and because its nice to act on a craving of hummus at 11 pm without having to go to the store.  Hummus is intimidating for a lot of people because of a little ingredient called "tahini" which is exotic and expensive.  But what to do if you have no tahini?  I have found a near perfect cheater ingredient that I always have on hand and that makes fabulous hummus-- peanut butter.  Since tahini is just sesame seed butter, a good natural peanut butter makes a remarkable substitute, especially in this recipe which calls for garlic, lemon, and cumin (nice strong flavors).

Cheater Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBSP natural peanut butter
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/4- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP olive oil

throw all ingredients in a food processor and whirl away until nice and smooth.  You can adjust the ingredients to taste or add more or less olive oil to control the fat count.  If it is too thick, stream in a little water and puree for a few more seconds.

The Best Chili (Vegan or not!)

I have been reading this awesome book "Eat and Run" written by Scott Jurek an ultrarunner.  It is the story of his path to greatness in both food and feet.  He intersperses his personal account with vegan recipes and running tips.  I highly recommend it.  I have just started testing his recipes out, and this first one completely "bowled" me over.  In his book he cites this recipe as the one that convinced him that he could be a happy vegan.  It is a vegan chili made with a myriad of chunky vegetables, three kinds of beans, bulgar wheat (which makes it feel especially "meaty"), and lots of warm spices.  It tastes fantastic.  I dare you to take it to your next chili cook-off.  I bet it could beat the pants off of any of those plain jane chilis.

Minnesota Winter Chili

2 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
8-10 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 TBSP chili powder
2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato puree
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Add the oil to a large pot and saute the vegetables until tender (about 10 minutes).  Add the spices and saute for another minute or so.  Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Stir and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Season with salt to taste.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.  Watch it disappear!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Raspberry Muffins

And you thought that the only recipes you would get on my blog would be savory.....

well, here is my sweet (albeit mostly healthy) side!  When you have freezer bags full of handpicked raspberries, you find a way to put them in everything!  This was originally a recipe for chocolate chip muffins, but I decided to jazz it up and replace most of the butter with plain yogurt (my favorite secret muffin ingredient), substitute whole wheat flour for white, decrease the sugar, and add in whole raspberries and dark chocolate chunks.  Its like a healthy smooch.  And the kind of muffins that you secretly hope your daughter won't like because its more for you! Here you go:

whole wheat chocolate chip raspberry muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBSP butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup plain yogurt

1/3 dark chocolate chips

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg until combined.  Beat in yogurt and vanilla.  In separate bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently.  Fold in chocolate chips and raspberries.  Fills about 12 muffin cups.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.