Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Yum! Brownies!!!! Who doesn't love brownies? My friend Manne loves brownies. So when I was invited to hang out with him, his son, and his son's friends, I knew I had to make brownies. Because let's face it, kids won't say no to brownies, either.

This recipe is super easy, and a well stocked vegetarian/vegan/Asian household should already have the ingredients on hand. So if you've already got everything on hand, why not just make these brownies right now? :-)

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients

3 oz firm silken tofu, a little less than 1/4 of the package (I couldn't find silken tofu in firm, so I used regular firm tofu)
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Puree the tofu, nondairy milk, and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure you get everything.
3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to vigorously mix in the sugar. Add vanilla.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstartch, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to fold and mix batter until smooth. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth out the top. It's OK if the batter doesn't sink all the way into the sides and edges of the pan, as it will spread during baking.
5. Bake brownies for 30-32 minutes, remove from the pan, and let the brownies cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving

Optional

1. Chocolate Chip Deluxe Brownies: Fold 3/4 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
2. Walnut Brownies: Fold 1 cup chopped walnuts into the batter.

It's very important that you let these brownies cool. While they're warm, they are still very sticky and aren't good to work with. If needed, pop them in the fridge and have the fridge do all the work.

As for the taste, they taste like the brownies I used to make as a kid. They are very yummy, chocolate-y, and satisfying. Let's hope a group of 11 year olds agree with me.

First cookie attempt

It's that time of year again....FINALS. Which means finding new ways to procrastinate. I went with the tried and true method today: baking! Plus, I've been craving cookies/brownies/sweets for 2 weeks now, I figured I'd go ahead and just give in and bake. I was going to make cupcakes for cinco de mayo, but that turned into a bust. So today, I took my cookie book, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, a try. The cookie of the day?

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used light vanilla soy)
2 TBS cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used regular all purpose whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and oil for about a minute. You want the sugars a bit broken down. Add the nondairy milk and cornstarch and beat vigorously until there are no clumps of cornstarch left. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Add half the flour, the baking soda, and salt and mix well. Mix in the remining flour. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or lightly greased. Space cookies about 2 inches apart and flatten them down a bit with your fingers. Note: cookies won't flatten out, so be sure to flatten them manually.
5. Bake 10 minutes for soft, chewy cookies, 12 mintues for crispier ones. When they're done baking, let the cookies rest on sheets for about 5 minutes before tranfering them to wire racks to finish cooling.

If you don't eat the dough, you can make over 2 dozen cookies. Even if you eat some of the dough, you'll end up with over 2 dozen cookies....

The texture is cake like, with a satisfying "whole wheat crunch." If you've ever had whole wheat pancakes, the texture is similar. It almost reminds me of an oatmeal cookie.

So the verdict? Vegan cookies are gooooooood.

French Apple Tart

Ina's apple tart is ALMOST vegan - just a simple switch of butter to margarine does the trick. These are so good, I dare you to only eat one little square. (Please ignore the blue...just follow the recipe) :-D

Ingredients
Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 1/2 stick cold margarine, diced (try putting in the freezer for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup ice water
Apples:
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick cold margarine, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 TBS Calvados (apple brandy), rum, or water

Directions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tortellini Salad Primavera

This pasta is AMAZING. It's so light and refreshing, perfect for this last burst of spring weather here in Texas. And it's yet another great way to use up veggies in your fridge. You can use any type of pasta for this, but if you can find a vegan tortellini (I'm sure Whole Foods will have it), do it! This is also a great meal on its own, with a regular green salad on the side. But this has so many veggies in it already, you may just want a nice crusty slice of garlic bread.

Ingredients
1 16 oz package of tortellini
8-10 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
half a bunch of broccolini (Or broccoli chopped up in bite size pieces)
10-12 cherry tomatoes
one small handful of cilantro or mint, chopped
one small handful of bean sprouts
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds
1 ripe avocado, sliced into small pieces
Dressing
1 garlic clove
pinch of salt
2 TBS lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions.
2. About 30 seconds before the pasta is done, add asparagus and brocollini. Cook for 30 seconds.
3. Drain and run under cold water.
4. For the dressing, use the flat side of a knife to mash the garlic clove and salt into a paste.
5. Whisk together the garlic paste, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add more salt if needed.
6. Toss the pasta, asparagus, broccolini, and cilantro with half the dressing.
7. Add bean sprouts, tomatoes, nuts, and avocado.
8. Add more dressing as needed.
9. Gently toss to distribute ingredients.

So lemony, so refreshing, so yummy! You will love this one!