the food faffer

So, after a long break from blogging… I’m back. And what is it, I hear you ask, that had the ability to pull me out of my deep, dark cave of procrastination? The humble brownie. Well, I say “humble”… but this version would fit better in the “rich”, “decadent”, “noble”, “exalted” categories. Oh, and did I mention that they’re gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free?? That’s right: they’re healthy!! That little fact alone justifies me having made a double batch of these puppies not once, not twice, but thrice in the past week!! Usually, I’d simply wave my “research” flag while making such a confession… but they’re so good (and sooooo healthy!!), I don’t even care if you judge me for my week of over-the-top-brownieness!!

I’ve had this recipe saved on my computer for a while, but it’s taken me until now to make them. I found it on a blog by Meg Kat, but I think she’s stopped her food blog now. (I found the page here when I was looking for the original post.) In her recipe, she says to use “oil”. The first time I made these, I used canola oil. Seemed like a common brownie ingredient. But I wanted the texture of the finished product to have a little more density… it needed some oomf!! So, the second time I made these, I used coconut oil. (Peet softened it in the microwave for me before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, just to make sure it blended in evenly). Bingo!! The brownies were still moist, but had a whole new level of gooey fudginess. (Excuse me while I mop up my drool!!)

I must admit, I was surprised to see cornstarch in the ingredients. I was nervous this would make them turn out a little too cakey… so I substituted half the cornstarch for extra cocoa. The major benefit of doing this? They came out really dark and chocolatey!!

The only other change is that I used brown rice flour instead of white rice flour, simply because that’s what I had in the house.

Oh, and whose idea was it to set the standard pan size for brownies as 8 x 8?? Who makes brownies in such a small pan with a view to sharing them?? Maybe that’s the point… maybe all you 8 x 8 brownie pan peeps are secretly eating them when you’re home alone, destroying all the evidence before family, roomies and/or house guests come home!! All that to say, the quantities below are double the original recipe and baked in a 7 x 11 pan. They come out pretty shallow. I tend to double the quantities here and make them in a 9 x 13 pan (I still bake those for the same amount of time).

Anyway, enough with the kitchen commentary… go make the best vegan, gluten-free brownies you may ever eat… and if you need any more convincing, just talk to my friends Ben, Matt, Phil, Bernie or Heather… or, needless to say, Peet!!

Best Flippin’ Vegan Brownies
(Serves 2-12 people, depending on how generous you’re feeling!!)
(From Meg Kat, with some tweakings…)

2/3 cup brown rice flour (or whatever your fave gluten-free flour might be)
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli semi-sweet)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease/line a 7 x 11 pan.
2.  In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cornstarch, cocoa, baking soda and salt, making sure to get rid of any lumps.
3.  Add the applesauce, oil and vanilla, and stir until everything is combined into a lovely, yummy, gooey mass of brownie batter. Taste, just to make sure it’s OK.
4.  Stir in the chocolate chips, taste to make sure it’s still OK, then transfer it all to your pan.
5.  Bake for 30-40 mins, depending on how well you like your brownies to be cooked through.
6.  While they’re baking, use the time to clean your bowl and utensils… with your tongue!!

These taste great while still warm… they taste great at room temperature… gosh, they even taste great straight out the fridge!! Enjoy…

Not sure if any of you lovely peeps noticed, but I’ve been faffing with the look of my blog. Do you like it? (Please, only respond if you have something nice to say!!) I love it!! I have to give a HUGE shout out to our friend Shane who’s responded very graciously to my elementary questions and numerous fix-it requests. He has the patience of a Pope waiting for beatification.

Anyway, after all my tweakings this week I was in a bit of a dilemma as to what my next post should be. I feel like I’ve done a whole lot of cooking lately, and taken a whole bunch of pics… hence I have a whole host of recipes I’m desperate to share!! However, our friend Chris has been asking me for this recipe for several weeks now, so I figured I should oblige. If nothing else, it gave me a reason to make it again on Saturday for a bunch of us to enjoy photographic purposes!!

I saw this on A Hippie with a Minivan and, apart from loving the name of this particular blog, the recipe caught my attention because it’s gluten-free. Not that I want, or need, a gluten-free diet… but I’m always happy to reduce my intake of the stuff that often causes me to wake up in the wee hours of the morning feeling more congested than the gates of Buckingham Palace after a royal wedding. And who would’ve thunk it: black beans… in a cake?!! I’ve also become a huge fan of coconut oil, too, and replacing the butter with it doesn’t appear to have any detrimental effects whatsoever. Now, if I gave Peet the option of “butter” or “no butter”, there are no prizes for guessing which one he’d go for. But even he freely admits that this cake is fabulous.

A word of warning: within minutes of this cake going into the oven, it fills your home with the most chocolatiest smell ever. It’s probably one of those perfect items to be baking when you have people coming to view your house that you’re trying to sell. And to seal the deal, try offering the lovely couple a slice. Seriously!! And… if you just so happen to mention that it’s kinda healthy, maybe they’ll give you your asking price. OK – so that might be taking it a bit far, but you get the idea!!

I usually like to tweak recipes that I find, but I pretty much follow the original version of this one. Why mess with perfection? I don’t even bother to ice the cake – it’s so moist, it really doesn’t need anything. Just a dusting of powdered sugar is enough. Having said that, I often serve this as a dessert with a spoonful of unsweetened berries on the side (frozen berries that have thawed out and created a glorious pool of berry-ness). When the chocolate sponge soaks up some of those juices… well… you just have to try it to believe it!!

Black Bean Chocolate Cake
(From A Hippie with a Minivan, with a couple of minor tweaks…)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (my cans are 15oz)
5 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs coconut oil (or butter if you can’t live without it!!)
3/4 cup demerera sugar (or Sugar in the Raw will work)
6 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs water

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease/line a 9″ cake pan.
2. Mix together the cocoa, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, whisk the coconut oil (or butter) until it’s soft and fluffy. Add 2 of the eggs and whisk well after each one.
4. Put the beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt into a blender or food processor and blend/process until the mixture is smooth. Add this mixture to the coconut oil/egg concoction and mix to combine.
5. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients and the water and beat on high for 1 minute until smooth.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 mins. The top of the cake should be rounded and firm to the touch, and the cake should be pulling away from the sides of the pan.
7. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins in the pan, then release and allow to cool completely on a rack.

Enjoy!!

Due to popular demand, I’m posting the recipe for one of my favorite versions of potato salad. Peet and I had a multitude of people over at the weekend… and, after consuming a copious amount of this stuff, there were several requests for the recipe… and I’m nothing but compliant!!

This mayo-less, sour cream-less side dish originally caught my eye because I was needing a potato salad recipe that could sit outside on a table for much longer than its dairy/eggy relatives. Not that I would want to leave this out for hours on end… but I can definitely have my paranoid moments when it comes to guessing how long mayonnaise has been basking in 80ºF temperatures.

The added bonus of this version is that my friend Bernie can’t stand mayo or sour cream. So this one works for her. I think. (Bernie, am I remembering correctly that you like this??) Unfortunately, her hubby, Shane, doesn’t like mustard… so I’m still on the look-out for a version that satisfies both palates. Let me know in the “Comments” if you have something up your sleeve that’s been tried and tested…

I used the tri-colored fingerling potatoes this time, mainly for presentation purposes. I’ve used pretty much any variety of spuds in the past, and the dish has never let me down. If someone put a gun to my head, though, I’d probably default to fingerlings (colored or otherwise) simply because they retain a sturdy, creamy texture when cooled to room temperature. Also, they can sometimes be tricky to find in the stores (especially if you live in Memphis), which must mean they’re more special, right??!!!

This dish is equally wonderful whether it’s served warm or at room temperature. Just make sure you toss the tats in the mustard mixture while they’re still warm in order for the maximum flavor to be absorbed into the potatoes as they “rest”.

So, to the recipe…

Dijon Potato Salad
(From Food Network’s Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, with some tweaks…)
Serves 12… generously!!

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh herbs of your choice
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
5 lbs fingerling potatoes, unpeeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Put the potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 15 mins, until a sharp knife can be inserted easily. Drain the potatoes and tip into a large bowl.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the onion, mustard, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the mixture has a thick, pourable consistency and add to the potatoes, tossing to coat.
3. Serve warm or allow to cool to room temperature… and enjoy!!