cooking ala mel

Simple Chewy Brownies

April 15, 2011

It’s been a while since I’ve had a simple brownie. No nuts, no frosting, no chocolate chips, just a dense, chewy, fudgy brownie. Because the next week is going to be extremely crazy due to tests, I knew I had to make things today while I had a bit of free time. Brownies needed to be one of those things. Especially since my freezer bowls for my ice cream maker aren’t completely frozen yet. It’s obviously fate that I was supposed to make these brownies today (and now I’ll have something to crumble into the ice cream when the bowls ARE frozen – huge plus).

I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder; these are definitely intensely dark brownies – I was surprised by the coloring. I’ve been meaning to find a recipe that’ll satisfy Alex’s tastes for brownies; he likes boxed mixes (yuck). I think this is simple enough that it should be just what he likes. Edit: Alex doesn’t like them; he needs the butter to be satisfied. He told me I wasn’t a baker (ouch). This is what happens when I try to make it a little lighter in calories (although I really enjoy them). Next time, I’ll try using butter and applesauce instead of oil and applesauce. We’ll see if he notices then.

I love how nicely these cut. I usually have extremely crumbly brownies because I’m too impatient to let them cool. They still weren’t ENTIRELY cool when I cut them, but just look at those squares! Perfect.

Simple Chewy Brownies

adapted from KAF

3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

2 cups sugar

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Spread mixture in a parchment lined (over the edges) 11×7 in. pan (or other size works too). Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

April 15, 2011

Oh yes, another smoothie post (don’t worry, normal foods are coming soon!). This one is purely fruit flavored, though – I wanted to get some fruit into Alex, so I figured making myself a smoothie without all the green stuff would be something he’d more likely try for a snack. I was right. 🙂 He was a bit upset with me that I put flax seeds in it, though, and he doesn’t like greek yogurt (although you really cannot tell the difference in this smoothie), so he made a bit of a fuss. He doesn’t know I also put walnuts in it, though. Heh. Have to sneak in protein and those good fats somewhere!

This smoothie was delightfully refreshing. Using frozen strawberries really gave it the perfect chill. I only have half a mango left now; I can’t decide whether I should make another batch of a smoothie or just enjoy it on its own.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

makes about 2 cups

half a mango, peeled and seeded

4-5 large frozen strawberries (or 10 small ones)

1-5.3 oz. container of vanilla greek yogurt (I like Brown Cow)

about 1/2 cup milk (I used vanilla rice milk)

2 T walnuts

1 T flax seeds

1/2 frozen banana, peeled (for sweetness)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Green Kale Smoothie

April 13, 2011

I feel like this is the start of a slew of posts on smoothies. I’m definitely okay with that, though – they’re so perfect for a quick snack or post workout meal that’s SO full of nutrition. It’s a great way to get some leafy greens, too. I usually don’t have any veggies during the day unless I have some carrot sticks with my lunch, since I usually snack on fruits and yogurt before veggies. Wanting to redeem myself with my first disaster of a smoothie with kale, I decided I’d do a very slight variation of the green spinach smoothie.

I used a pear, an orange, a frozen banana and a pinch of ginger for this smoothie. I had a bit of fun trying to peel my frozen banana; next time I’m definitely going to chop up the bananas first and put them in a freezer container to make it easier. I was afraid the kale would have a bitter flavor in comparison to the spinach, but it really didn’t. It was just as fresh and sweet as the spinach smoothie.

I also got a few mangoes today at the farmer’s market on UB’s campus that they have every Wednesday. It was a perfect pairing to this smoothie. I may have to make some sort of mango smoothie soon!

By the way, aren’t these glasses the cutest? I got them with a gift card to CSN stores for our new apartment (we move in June 1 – I cannot wait!). Today was the first time I used any of them; I love how sturdy they are.

Green Kale Smoothie
1 pear, cored
1 orange, peeled
1 frozen banana, peeled
2 cups kale
1/2 t ground ginger

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
It’s a bit thick, so a bit fruit juice or water might be a good idea if you want it to be thinned out.