double chocolate vegan brownies

photo later

I have been reading more Gena Hamshaw. I have always enjoyed her blog so when I saw her cookbook  (Food 52) at the library I immediately checked it out and ran home. These brownies are really good and more cake-like than my protein brownies. More dessert-ish. Yummy.

2TB warm water
1 TB flax meal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups Monkfruit sweetener  (Gena used sugar but I wanted to see if I could eliminate the sugar. Monkfruit erythritol sweetener is a 1:1 replacement ratio)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 TB instant c espresso powder
1 1/4 cups non dairy milk
1/2 cup oil (your fave. I used olive oil.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vegan chocolate chips
handful of pecans

1.Preheat oven to 350. Oil an 8x8 pan. Next time I will try a 9x12 for flat brownies)

2.In small bowl mix water and flax meal.

3, In large bowl mix flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and espresso powder

4. Whisk together liquid ingredients with flax meal. Add to dry ingredients.

5.Pour batter in prepared pan.

6. Place chocolate chips and pecans on top. Press into brownies.

7. Cool for about a half hour and cut into squares. 

7.Bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Side note .. check out Dr Greger's post about erythritol as a powerful antioxidant.

Roasted broccoli with avocado pesto

What an amazing cooking day this has been!!!!! Out of all the recipes this is my fave I could eat it all day long. Broccoli!!! I love you wild thing! it all began at the book sale today. it was 10. bag day..whoopie! Straight to the cookbook, art and fiction sections. I found Brandon Brazier's book Thrive foods. how have I missed this book in my life? Wow! I have many recipes marked to try. My hubby gave this a 10! (and he's not even fully vegan yet) Get the book ...now!

Broccoli
3 pounds broccoli, florets and some stem. I didn't measure and its OK.
2 TB melted coconut oil (normally I try to omit the oil, but don't do it...it's a main player)
salt and pepper

Sauce
1 medium avocado
5 or so garlic cloves (the more the merrier!)
3 cups packed fresh parsley (mega vitamin C and K and don't forget iron)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 heaping teaspoons dulse
you can use salt and pepper- I didn't


1.Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper
2. Toss the broccoli with the melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes  turning halfway through.
3.While broccoli is cooking make the sauce. Mash avocado and drop into a food processor. Give it a whirl. Then add everything else. Whip it together. It should be a smooth paste.
4. In a large bowl toss the avocado sauce into the hot broccoli. then arrange on serving plate and garnish with parsley.
5. Devour

Made this another time and put it on Engine 2 vegan raviolis. Yum.