"Cake" and Ice Cream Treat - gluten free!

There is nothing earth shattering about this recipe.  People have been putting ice cream on cake for decades - maybe even centuries!  Why not?!?  And substituting a brownie for cake is not a new idea either.  But.....you knew there was a "but" coming....... making a gluten free chewy brownie that is the most delicious thing ever on its own, and THEN topping it with homemade ice cream is indeed a wonderful .

These brownies are so good - even if you are not gluten free, you will love them.  They have NO flour in them at all, and no refined sugar.  So how could they be good?  Well I don't know, but they are!  My neighbors are my taste testers and they said these are the best brownies they have EVER had.  Seriously - the BEST EVER!!!!  I was so delighted.

So they are delicious AND good for you - a real success in my book!  These turned out a bit thin because they needed to bake in an 8x8" pan and all I had was a 9" square - but even that did not diminish the flavor - they are just a little on the skinny side!

After I passed out samples, I packaged the rest and put them in the fridge - and quite honestly forgot about them.  I know - it's hard to imagine but I did....that is until tonight.  I decided to send dessert to one of my neighbors, so I put one of the brownies in a glass custard cup, topped it with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, and drizzled slightly warmed Trader Joe's caramel sauce over the top. It looked beautiful and it was enjoyed with rave reviews.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEWY BROWNIES
adapted from Easy Flourless Muffins, Bars & Cookies

6 T. coconut oil
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips (I used about 50/50 of each)
2 large eggs
2/3 c. coconut sugar (133 g)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. unsweetened cacao powder (you can use cocoa powder (20 g)
3 T. arrowroot powder (21 g)
1/4 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 and line an  8 x 8" square pan* with foil with two sheets of foil (one on top of the other forming a +) so the brownies can easily be removed when done.  Grease the foil with coconut oil or cooking spray (I like the coconut oil cooking spray!)

Place the coconut oil and chocolate into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until they wre melted.  Stir continuously so the chocolate doesn't burn.  When melted, remove from the heat. to cool slightly.

Beat together the eggs, coconut sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes smooth and pale.  Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.  Reduce the speed to low and add the cacao powder, arrowroot powder and salt, mixing until well combined and scraping down the sides as needed.  The batter will be thick and smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a greased spatula.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely..  Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer.

And remember, you can get creative with these brownies and add your favorite ice cream on top to make them a special occasion.  And let's face it - every day is worth celebrating, right?!!?

*I didn't have the correct size pan at the time, so used a 9 x 9" pan following all of the directions. The brownies came out delicious, they were just really thin.  Next time I will be prepared! :)

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Einkorn Banana Bread with Natural Streusel Topping

Still experimenting with einkorn flour.  I really like the taste of it.  It has a slightly sweet taste and doesn't seem quite as heavy to me as whole wheat or white whole wheat.

This bread turned out really well.... nice and moist with a cinnamon goodness.

EINKORN BANANA BREAD WITH CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

adapted from The Einkorn Cookbook

1 3/4 c. (218 g) Einkorn all  purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 6 pats/segments
3/4 c. (120 g) coconut sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
1/2 c. whole milk Greek yogurt (I use homemade)
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/4 c.  (40 g) coconut sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.  In a food processor, place the butter and sugar and blend well until combined. The mixture should pull away from the sides and form large mass of dough.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and blend each until absorbed.  Then add the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt and vanilla and process again until combined.  Add the flour mixture and blend just until combined. Do not over-process once the flour is added.  Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

The batter ready to bake - covered in coconut sugar and cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon and pour over the top of the batter.

Fresh out of the oven

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center is clean when removed.

Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then remove from pan and let finish cooling on a wire rack. This is delicious!

Sooooooo good!!

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Healthy Whole Wheat Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

I never thought my first really "healthy" new item would contain chocolate - but that makes all things better and bearable, right?  The funny thing is - I am not really a chocolate fan. But there is something about zucchini and chocolate.  And they pair beautifully with whole wheat pastry flour (ground soft wheat berries).  Yes I really have gone back to basics and even ground my flour for this recipe.  It was easy and the feeling that it was so fresh just made the whole experience that much more fulfilling.  I know that sounds kind of  strange, but I really did feel like I was doing something good for me through every step of this and I am excited about learning more and experimenting.


The original recipe was already pretty healthy, but I took it up a few notches with the flour, the coconut sugar, the coconut oil, and the Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

adapted from  Whole and Heavenly Oven
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. whole wheat flour (used soft wheat berries - ground)
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. tightly packed shredded zucchini
1/2 c. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and King Arthur burgundy chunks

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Gently fold flour mixture into liquid mixture until just combined. (batter may be very thick).  Fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.

Brimming with healthy goodness (ignore the floating chunks of chocolate...)

Divide batter between greased muffin cups and smooth tops.  Bake muffins at 425 for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking an additional 15 minutes.

Cool muffins in pan 5-10 minutes and then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.  Muffins may be frozen up to one month.

Can you see how wonderfully glossy they are? That is all natural...

Definitely good enough to eat...

See??? Absolutely good enough to eat every bit!

Things I learned this week:

• Neither the coconut sugar nor the coconut oil gave the muffins a coconut flavor, but they did have a beautiful sheen to them when fresh out of the oven.  One more thing about coconut oil - there are two very different kinds.  Regular and/or organic coconut oil has a mild coconut flavor. There is also a variety called "organic expeller pressed".  It has absolutely no coconut taste or smell and is often used for frying.  I actually love the flavor, but for those who don't, it was well hidden, probably from the chocolate and whole wheat flour.

• I really love grinding my own flour. Yes, you have to plan ahead a little, but just a little. It doesn't take more than a few minutes.  I love the nutty freshness of the flour and the fluffiness.  I weigh it when I have those measurements so I can get the exact amount.  I really really love it and look forward to trying a variety of berries, including ancient grains like einkorn and kamut.

• The Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips have no soy, dairy or preservatives and taste wonderful - no after taste.  I ordered mine from Amazon but have recently seen them in all of the local grocery stores and health food stores.  And they are about the same price everywhere.

• And on the subject of organic..... I am quickly learning that just because it is labeled organic does not mean it contains the best ingredients. They may be individually labeled like "organic corn syrup"  but let's face it, corn syrup is one of those things that we are all better without if possible.  So I now really read the labels. And milk is one of the most confusing products.   So I am reading labels even more carefully and doing the best that I can.  I am not going to go crazy over it, but will try to be as healthy as I can be while I have control at home. Enough said!

These are equally delicious frozen and reheated - I could not even tell the difference!

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