cooking ala mel

Brownie Batter Dip

March 29, 2012

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, with lots of presentations and exams. After five Poison Prevention presentations at local elementary schools, it really made me miss my days of being a camp counselor at Camp Invention.. and I totally forgot about all the crazy things kids will think up just to be able to share something.. gotta love it! Our presentation was Phineas and Ferb themed, so that was a good bit of fun.

With my last exam of the week today, and the next one not until Monday, I finally had some time to relax today and just enjoy myself. This, of course, means that I’ve been rewatching some Downton Abbey. I’ve been going through withdrawal. So of course, relaxing means you need a tasty treat.. but not necessarily unhealthy..

…Enter this brownie batter dip. It has a secret ingredient that packs it with protein and fiber, and you’d never know what it was by the taste of it – chickpeas! It’s also sweetened with dates, so it has no added processed sugars, which is always great. I’ve noticed lately that when I have the tiniest bit of added sugar, I can really feel that sugar high, so this was perfect. Fruit never bothers me! 🙂

I made half a recipe of this because I also wanted to try out another dip (which will be following shortly), so I used one can of chickpeas for both dips. I was a bit nervous about how this would taste, so I was glad to have only half a recipe.. but now that I’ve tried it, I won’t worry about making a full recipe next time; this was absolutely delicious!

This dip really tastes like brownie batter. It’s nice and sweet with a deep chocolate flavor, and I studded it with chocolate chips also for an extra boost. It’s a great dip for graham crackers, apple slices, pretzels.. or you could slather it on pancakes (I did this with almond flour pancakes – it was like cake for breakfast!), or eat it by the spoonful.. I’ve done it all, and it never disappointed me! And you totally can’t tell that they’re chickpeas in there. Alex agreed, and he hates healthy stuff, usually.

Brownie Batter Dip

adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 1/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted

6-8 T cocoa, to taste

2 T almond butter (or another nut butter)

2 T coconut oil

1 T vanilla

1/4 t salt

2 T dark chocolate chips

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dates until chunky. Add in the chickpeas, almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Add in the salt and cocoa, and blend until well mixed. Add in the chocolate chips and either stir or pulse a few times to break up into coarse pieces.

Serve with graham crackers, pretzels, apple slices, eat it by itself, spread it on pancakes, toast.. you name it, it’ll probably be delicious!

Simple Chocolate Ice Cream

March 20, 2012

The weather has been absolutely beautiful for the past two weeks. We’ve been able to keep our sliding glass door open (with the screen) and finally let some fresh air into the apartment. I’ve been able to wear shorts. And sandals! All I want to do is ride my bike (which has very sadly flat tires at the moment.. I need to pump ’em up) and eat ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

I had a good bit of time between classes today after I did some Insanity so I decided to whip up a quick batch of ice cream. I threw open the sliding glass door so Tesla could listen/watch the birdies and set to work. This came together in about 15 minutes (including freezing time). And then I went outside to take pictures for the second time this week! YES!

I’d just like to exhibit how much Tessy loves watching the outside world through the screen. He hasn’t slept at all during the day for the past three or four days because he’s so busy staring out there. Considering he usually sleeps his entire day away, this is a bit crazy.

But anyway.. back to the ice cream.

I made this with coconut milk (no lactose – woo!), greek yogurt (a bit of extra protein), Swerve sweetener (sugar free, yeah!), cocoa, and vanilla. I wanted some refreshing ice cream, but if I’m making it myself, it’s going to taste delicious and still be not so bad for me. This did the job.

I’m not sure if it was the creaminess of the coconut milk, or the taste of the Swerve, but as I was eating this, it reminded me of a big, fluffy, chocolate marshmallow. If you even know what I’m talking about. I’ve never had a chocolate marshmallow, so I probably don’t even know what I’m talking about. But it was totally marshmallowy. In a chocolate marshmallowy kind of way. I am so glad for this warm weather. Let’s hope it’s here to stay, so my ice cream maker can feel loved again (and my belly will be happy, too).

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a quart of Tropical Tradition’s Gold Label Coconut Oil!

Simple Chocolate Ice Cream

serves 4

1/2 cup Swerve sweetener (or sugar)

scant 1/2 cup cocoa powder

dash of sea salt

2 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

2 t vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Swerve (or sugar), cocoa powder, and salt. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, until the cocoa powder begins to dissolve. Whisk in the greek yogurt, and continue whisking until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Note: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can also just put it in the fridge for 20 minutes, take it out and stir it, and put it back in for 20 minutes, repeating the steps as necessary until it’s the right consistency.

Whole Wheat Bread

March 18, 2012

The last time we went grocery shopping, we were able to get everything we needed from Aldi.. all except for the double fiber bread that I usually get. Because I couldn’t justify going to another store just for one item, I decided I’d try to make my own bread that is just as delicious.

I wanted to make sure it had a decent bit of fiber, so I added both wheat germ and wheat bran, for some fiber and nutty flavor. Because it’s made of whole wheat flour only, it didn’t rise as much as you might expect, lending to a slightly more dense bread, but the flavor is fantastic. You can’t beat fresh, homemade bread.

I always forget how easy it is to make bread. Sure, it’s slightly time consuming, when you consider the two rising times, but the hands on time is only about 15 minutes.

15 minutes for crusty, delicious, homemade bread? I think I’m going to have to make this a lot more often.

The recipe makes two loaves, but if you know you aren’t going to eat two loaves, you can take the other half of the dough when you split it and freeze it. Then all you’ll have to do is let it defrost in the fridge, bring it to room temperature, form it into a loaf and let it rise again before you bake it. I did that. I’m probably going to need to make it before the week is over, I’m sure.. yum.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a quart of Tropical Tradition’s Gold Label Coconut Oil!

Whole Wheat Bread
makes 2 loaves
1 cup warm water
2 t active dry yeast
1 t honey
1 cup milk (I used lactose-free, fat-free)
2 T coconut oil, melted
4 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup wheat germ/wheat bran mix (roughly half of each)
1 T + 1 t Swerve Sweetener (or sugar)
1 T salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Stir in the yeast, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. Add in the melted coconut oil and milk; stir. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, wheat bran/wheat germ, Swerve, and salt. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture while running your stand mixer at low speed fitted with a dough hook. Knead using the dough hook until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add flour, 1 T at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel (or oiled plastic wrap), and allow to rise in a warm place, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, and divide into two pieces. With each piece, form the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball, and shape into a rectangle. Fold one third of the rectangle down, and then fold the other third on top of it (like you would with a letter). Pinch the seams closed. Fold this again in half, lengthwise, and pinch the seams closed. Turn the loaf over, seam side down, and place into a parchment lined or well greased loaf pan.

Cover the dough with the towel (or oiled plastic wrap) again, and allow to rise until it comes over the edges of the loaf pan, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF while the dough is rising. Once risen, slash the dough with a sharp knife down the center. Place the loaf into the oven, and lower the temperature to 375ºF. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until deeply golden on top.

Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, remove, and cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. Keep well wrapped at room temperature (you can freeze it for a few months, too).

Note: If you’re unsure of how to fold the loaf, here’s a great tutorial over at The Kitchn.