Thursday, 30 January 2014

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies - Vegan & Gluten Free

First thing first I want to state that I am not currently Vegan or Gluten Free.  That being said I LOVE experimenting with new healthy recipes and challenging myself in the kitchen.  These brownies just looked all around amazing so I decided to give them a go. The result was satisfyingly fudgy and absolutely delicious!






 This recipe is courtesy of Minimalist Baker my favorite blog for Vegan desserts!

Vegan Gluten Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

INGREDIENTS


  • 1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
  • 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 T water)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave (or sub honey if not vegan)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tsp raw sugar, ground to fine texture (or sub granulated)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup salted natural peanut butter (smooth or creamy)
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips + more for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan or a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini).

3. Prepare flax eggs by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients through baking soda and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.

5. If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny. Add almost all of the chocolate chips and stir.

6. Evenly distribute the batter into the 8×8 or muffin tins and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.

7. Measure out peanut butter in a mixing cup and add in powdered sugar – mix to combine.

8. To the brownie pan, add dots of the peanut butter powdered sugar mixture and swirl with a toothpick or knife. Sprinkle top with a few more chocolate chips or shaved chocolate.

9. Bake for 20-26 minutes if using muffin tins, or 35-45 minutes if using an 8×8 dish. You want the top dry and the edges to start to pull away from the sides. It shouldn’t be jiggly when shaken.

10. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before serving. They will be tender, so remove gently with a spatula or fork. If they’re too tender, let set in the freezer to stiffen so they’re easier to lift out. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. Plus, they’re vegan so it doesn’t really matter.

11. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.


Danielle

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

This weeks food highlights - Week 4

Adding to my cookbook collection is very exciting! I see it as an investment to my health and my culinary journey! Here are the two latest additions to my collection

1) Joyous Health - Eat and Live Well Without Dieting. 

'Joy McCarthy is a Holistic Nutritionist, author of JOYOUS HEALTH: Eat & Live Well without Dieting, professional speaker, nutrition expert on Global’s Morning Show, Faculty Member at Institute of Holistic Nutrition and co-creator of Eat Well Feel Well.'

2) Joy of Cooking - 75th Anniversary Edition. In my opinion this is a culinary bible that every person interested in cooking should invest in!

I'm so excited to dive into these books and try out new recipes to share with you. Oh and it's a complete coincidence they both have Joy in the title!


Top Left: Thai Coconut Curry Soup - Pure heaven in a bowl and my favorite go to soup
Top Right: Homemade Hummus (I recommend doubling the roasted garlic) & Veggies
Bottom Left: Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon, Oven Baked Onion Rings & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Glaze
Bottom Right: Lemony Lentil Soup with Dill and Feta & Spinach Salad with Shredded Yellow Beets, Avocado, Toasted Sesame Seeds & Glory Bowl Dressing

Glory Bowl Dressing from Whitewater Cooks
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tbsp tahini paste

*Mix well in blender or processor and keep in a mason jar ready to drizzle when ever you need a good kick of yum.

This dressing is unbelievable! Super creamy and tastes like there is cheese in it because of the nutritional yeast!

Danielle

Monday, 27 January 2014

It is Monday and it is cold!

Hello and Happy Monday! I'm excited it's Monday because it's my first of 3 days off! Sometimes having the opposite schedule to the rest of the population is kind of nice and sometimes it sucks. Haha.  I usually do my 'This weeks food highlights' post on Monday but I will do that tomorrow instead.  Today I just feel like ranting and posting a picture of myself all bundled up (the weather here is ridiculously cold and I would like a hot vacation right now!!) Sometimes I wonder why we live here.  I am generally not a complainer and am generally a lover of winter….however this winter is a different story.  It's been very cold for many many weeks in a row and I've had enough! The extreme cold causes Kevin to miss days of work since he works outside, makes us not able to do fun outdoor stuff like x-country skiing without freezing and makes us burn a lot of fire wood! Anyway that's my rant and now I will go back to sucking it up, staying positive and enjoying this Manitoba winter while it is here! I have a lot to be grateful for and there are worse things then the cold :)

Now I am going to make homemade sushi, drink red wine and celebrate a good friends birthday!




Danielle

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Make Up & Jewellery Station

My Mom bought me this lovely piece from an antique store when I was in University. It is now prominently displayed in our bedroom and is where all the getting ready magic happens in terms of accessorizing, doing my hair and makeup!



My talented hubby built me this a few year ago using plywood, fabric and
cabinet hardware!



I made this earring holder from a picture frame and a piece of cork



























Danielle



Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Monday, 20 January 2014

This weeks food highlights - Week 3

Last week was pretty meat free for dinners around here….except for the delicious deer smokies we chowed down on Thursday night! 

Last weeks menu:

Monday: Crunchy Cabbage Salad with spicy peanut dressing & Sautéed Bok Choy
Tuesday: Crispy Autumn Veggie Burgers with Slaw (I used some left over slaw from the night before and added avocados instead of mushrooms to my burgers)
Wednesday: Sesame Crusted Tofu (Reaffirming I'm not a huge fan of tofu) & Salad
Thursday: Deer Smokies courtesy of Sayer! Delicious!!
Friday: Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup (I took advice from a few different recipes and invented a delicious pot of garlic-ey, tomato-ey, chees-ey, basil-ey goodness!
Saturday: Delicious greek feast at Sayer & Carly's with Ian & Marney followed by Balderdash & Cards Against Humanity
Sunday: Kale Caesar Steak Salad


Fudgy Vegan Double Chocolate Beet Muffins - Give these muffins a try they are so yummy! I am not vegan but love trying new healthy recipes and these were fudgy and completely satisfying.



Danielle


Friday, 17 January 2014

New Trench Coat & MK Bag

I was spoiled this Christmas! Okay I feel this way every Christmas but as I get older I think I am appreciating gifts more and more. Plus I have had these 2 items on my wish list for a while now and I was so excited to receive both a tan trench coat and a Michael Kors bag! My Mom & Dad got me the trench coat (I sent them the Amazon link but didn't actually expect to receive it) and Kevin got me the bag (okay I bought it for myself at TJ Max on a great sale but he wrapped it and put it under the tree!!)

Oh and I almost forgot my brother in law got me a tripod so I can finally take better pictures outside. Yay!

Also it was a balmy -9°C here yesterday so I was actually able to take outfit pictures outside without freezing my bum off! Happy girl over here.







































Trench Coat - Sam Edelman via Amazon
Toque - The North Face
Bag - Michael Kors via. TJ Max

Danielle