Avocado Brownies, No-Bake

Avocado no-bake brownies

In my never-ending search for the perfect chocolate recipe, dairy-free of course, I decided to try something new.  There were two brownie recipes that I really liked.  One was baked, the other no-bake.  One used avocado, the other didn't.  Hmm.  How could I mash up the recipes?  I had recently purchased coconut flour because the store I frequent was out of flaked, which I use regularly so why oh why did they have to run out?  In any event, I had on hand avocados, coconut flour, an assortment of raw nuts, and my usual 5-pound bag of dairy-free dark chocolate.  With my I-Pad open to both recipes I mentally mashed up the ingredients and came up with this.  Viola.  It's so yummy.  

INGREDIENTS:
2 Haas Avocados
coconut flour
cacao powder (preferably organic and not cocoa powder)
espresso powder
raw honey (if you're a purist vegan, substitute Agave)
hot water
2 Majool dates
raw cashews
dairy-free dark chocolate chips

2 bowls, 4 x 4 pan, plastic wrap, food processor

First:  In the first bowl, mash or puree 2 avocados. Add one cup of coconut flour and 1/2 c cacao powder.  Stir well.  Heat 1/2 c water to very hot, not boiling.  Add 1 TBS of espresso powder.  Once dissolved, pour into bowl and stir well.  Add 1/4 c honey.

Second:  Grind 2 large Majool dates with 1 cup of raw cashews.  Put this into bowl #2.  Then, grind 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips.  

Third:  Add 1 TBs of the date/cashew mix & 1 TBS of the chocolate chips (ground) into the first bowl.

Fourth:  Add the remainder of the ground chocolate into bowl #2 then add 1/4 c honey.

Mixing crust and filling of brownies

5th:  Line your pan with plastic wrap.  Make sure you have enough to cover all sides.  

Pan for avocado brownies

Spoon bowl #2 onto the bottom of the pan and press firmly.  This is your crust.  Spoon bowl #1 on top of that.  Cover with plastic wrap and press until the mixture is flattened.  

Line with plastic

Place mixture into refrigerator for 2-3 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.  Cut into bars.  Keep remainder covered and in refrigerator or freezer.  

Yummy Avocado Brownies

A close-up of delicious Avocado no-bake brownies

One more photo just to get your mouth watering.

Rhubarb. Is it a fruit or a vegetable?

It's colorful, it's tasty, and it makes a great desert.  So, fruit or vegetable?  According to Wikipedia, who knows everything:

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a species of plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizomes. It produces large leaves that are somewhat triangular, with long fleshy stalks and small flowers grouped in large compound leafy greenish-white to rose-red inflorescences.

In culinary use, fresh raw leaf stalks (petioles) are crisp (similar to celery) with a strong, tart taste. Most commonly, the stalks are cooked with sugar and used in pies and other desserts. A number of varieties have been domesticated for human consumption, most of which are recognised as Rheum x hybridum by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable. In the United States, however, a New York court decided in 1947 that, since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits.^[1]

But seriously, who cares!?  It's delicious.  The other day my husband informed me that he loves rhubarb pie.  I had never eaten rhubarb in any form or even cooked with it so I didn't give it a second thought.  That is, until I saw it in the freezer section in my grocery store.  I bought two bags, just in case.  He added vanilla ice cream to the cart to make a simple rhubarb smoothie.  

To prove that I'm a good wife (that's a joke, he knows I love him), I did a little digging.  I found a good smoothie recipe (see below) but I also found something better - BROWNIES.  Who knew.  Now you do, too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c raw honey or agave

1/2 c coconut oil, softened

2 eggs or 2 flax eggs (2 TBS ground flax seeds soaked in 1/2 c water)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c cacao powder (not cocoa), raw cacao powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c finely chopped rhubarb (measure after chopping)

1/2 c dark or semisweet dairy-free chocolate chips

PROCEDURE:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line an 8x8 or 9x13 or similar pan with parchment paper. 

Mix wet ingredients then add dry.  

Bake for 20 minutes or slightly less if your oven runs hot.  

Chill before cutting and removing from parchment. 

ENJOY!

Rhubarb brownies hot out of the oven

Rhubarb brownies

I don't have a photo, but here is a smoothie recipe and variations.

1 c milk

1/2 c frozen strawberries

1/3 c frozen rhubarb

1 TBS ground flax

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp honey

Puree until smooth.  Variations:   Use almond milk or chocolate cashew milk.  Add a banana.  Leave out the flax seeds.  Use agave instead of honey.  If you use a banana may not need the honey.  

Here is a link to my granola bar recipe:  http://colleenwaitwrites.blogspot.com/2015/01/fruit-and-nut-bars.html 

Pumpkin Pistachio Cookies and Pumpkin Graham Bread

My love for all things pumpkin continues.  I think I've turned into a bit of a food mad scientist.  I think of a few ingredients and ponder what I can create with them.  Then, I Google the ingredients.  When something catches my eye, I look at the recipe and immediately start altering it in my head.  Switch this flour for that flour, this sugar for that, this fat for theirs, etc.  Below are two that I've recently been playing with.  The Pumpkin Pistachio Cookies are a big hit.  They are moist and not as sweet as a typical chocolate cookie.  The Pumpkin Graham Bread has a nutty flavor, very different from traditional pumpkin breads.  Hope you enjoy and let me know how you've altered my recipe to fit your taste buds!

PUMPKIN PISTACHIO COOKIES:

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c rolled oats, ground fine or oat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 TBS raw cacao powder
1/4 c chopped raw pistachio nuts
1/4 c finely ground raw pumpkin seeds
3/4 c sugar of choice. I use raw local honey.  Vegans may use Agave.
1/4 c warm (softened or melted) coconut oil
1/4 c natural applesauce, room temperature
4 TBS almond milk at room temperature or warmed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c pumpkin puree
*Optional, 1/4 c semisweet, diary-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.  Have a silicone baking pad ready.  Do not grease or spray with Pam. 
Liquid ingredients need to be warm to prevent the coconut oil from solidifying.

Mix dry then add wet ingredients.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Once well mixed, put the silicone pad into the oven.  Using a melon ball or cookie scoop, scoop the mix and put on the pad.  (I tried using a baking sheet and parchment paper but the cookies stuck. It was a big mess trying to place the dough onto the pad and then move it to the oven.)  Either leave the cookie as is or press down with two fingers.  Bake approximately 6 minutes then let cool for 2 or 3 minutes before removing from the silicone pad.  I use a metal spatula or let them cool a few more and just remove with my fingers. 

Pumpkin Pistachio cookies

PUMPKIN GRAHAM BREAD

I made some graham crackers last month and had graham flour left over. Had pumpkin left over from the pumpkin pistachio cookies.  Hmmm... put the two together??  

1/2 c oat flour, ground fine
1 c graham flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c coconut oil, melted
2 eggs (vegans sub with flax seed)
1/4 c + 1 TBS honey or agave (or maple syrup)
1/4 c almond milk, warmed
1/4 c ground/chopped pumpkin seeds for the topping

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray two 3 x 5 loaf pan with Pam.
Mix dry then wet.  Pour mixture into pan then press pumpkin seeds onto the top.  Bake approximately 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out dry.  Cool then wrap in plastic wrap.  

Pumpkin Graham Bread

Pumpkin Graham Bread, muffin

Graham cracker sandwich

Cookies for Christmas

1/4 c whole wheat flour
2-1/2 c graham flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS coconut oil
1/2 c almond milk, warm
1/4 c honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c brown sugar (raw or honey or agave)
1/4 c water, as needed

Combine wet, then dry in food processor.
Roll out on lightly floured surface about 1/8 inch.
Score for ease of cutting after baking.

Bake 350 6-8 minutes on silicone mat.

Graham crackers with strawberry chia jam

GoFundMe for NYC Marathon

Gluten-free flatbread

When I was a little girl my mother made this salad called 3-bean salad.  I hated it.  She made it with garbanzo beans and two other beans, red beans and something else I cannot remember.  Ever since, the word garbanzo immediately elicited a YUK face.  Fast forward a whole lot of years and I've been experimenting with all kinds of foods and, surprise surprise, I started making hummus.  I like hummus and have developed several recipes.  A short time ago I came across a recipe for chickpea flatbread.  Hmmm, I thought, I wonder if I could do something with that?  Sure enough, I did something with that.  

It's pretty easy actually. Or it can be difficult.  All depends on how much time you want to put into it and the tools you have available.  

The basic recipe is  1:1 chickpea flour to water plus salt, garlic, and herbs of choice.  I've used parsley and a mix of oregano and basil.  

First, I ground the dried chickpeas.  Took forever in my little Ninja chopper, but worked well.  Recipe called for baking it on parchment paper.  Tried it.  The bread stuck.  Next, I tried it on a silicone mat, preheated with a non-stick spray.  Perfect.  Only problem was my oven wasn't level so I had to prop it up with pot holders.   The next batch, I took the chickpeas that hadn't been completely ground and soaked them in water approximately 1 cup to 1 cup ratio.  Let them soak for about an hour then added garlic, salt, oregano and basil.  This batch was a little thicker and easier to pour onto the silicone mat.  Yum.  

This is a great substitute for regular bread if you are glucose intolerant or allergic.  Haven't tried without the garlic but I'm sure I will be doing some more experimenting.

RECIPE:
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS parsley or oregano and basil
1/2 tsp salt

bake on Silicone mat 375 15 minutes or until edges turn brown.  (preheat the mat)

Chickpea flatbread

Closeup of chickpea flatbread

Bonus photo.  Runner medalian

Goji Berry Muffin

Do you know what a Goji Berry is?  I had never heard of it until recently.  According to Wikipedia:  

Goji, goji berry or wolfberry is the fruit of Lycium barbarum (simplified Chinese: 宁夏枸杞; traditional Chinese: 寧夏枸杞; pinyin: Níngxiàgǒuqǐ) and Lycium chinense (pinyin: gǒuqǐ), two closely related species of boxthorn in the Nightshade family, Solanaceae. The family also includes the potato, tomato, eggplant, belladonna, chili pepper, and tobacco. The two species are native to Asia.^[1]

I've only eaten them dried. They have a mild flavor somewhere between a raisin and a dried cherry.  They are quite chewy all by themselves.  I've started incorporating the berry into my granola, #Runergy bars, pancakes, and muffins.  They are brightly colored, and mixed with pistachios or pumpkin seeds remind me of Christmas.  

Below is my Goji Berry muffin recipe.  Enjoy!!

1/2 c all-natural applesauce

1/2 c raw, local honey

1/2 c canned coconut milk

1 ripe banana

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1-1/4 c rolled oats (I use Quaker old fashioned)

1/2 c raw cacao beans

1 c dried Goji berry

Put all of the wet ingredients in a large bowl.  Grind the oats and cacao beans.  Chop half of the Goji berries (optional).  Add all the dry to the wet.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.  

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Options:  Use chocolate chips instead of cacao beans.  Add 1 to 2 tsp Espresso powder.  Leave out the chocolate/cacao and add another fruit like blueberries or apples.  Go vegan by using Agave, add chopped raw nuts such as almonds, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds.  

Goji Berry Muffin

Goji Berry Muffin hot out of the oven.

Cookie Please...

I have been doing a lot of baking lately.  Perfecting older recipes, trying out new ones.  I'm getting ready for my 6th marathon and I want to make sure my energy bars are 'just right'.  I also want to see how they travel.  On my recent mission trip to Panama I took several of my Fruit and Nut granola bars and they were delicious from home, to airplane, to El Valle, and back on the plane.  I'm sure my recipes aren't 'new' or 'revolutionary', however, I do know they are delicious! 

My newest endeavors have included spaghetti squash, a pineapple and coconut desert that's not quite ice cream, not quite pie filling - but YUM, and cherries.  Have you ever tried to pit a half-dehydrated cherry?  Still working on figuring that out.  Long story short, I didn't want to buy pre-dehydrated cherries because they are coated with sugar and other junk I don't want.  The grocery store I use featured cherries one day so I bought a big bag.  They were not pitted.  I've dehydrated frozen and they seep juice everywhere.  To prevent loosing any goodness I dehydrated them with the pits in, for 10 hours, then cut them in half, dehydrated another 2 hours, then removed the pit.  There's got to be an easier way!! 

Below are pictures and a few of my newest recipes. The explanations are pretty quick because I've gone into greater detail on similar blog posts.  If you'd like more details message me and I'll be glad to do a step-by-step how to.  If you want a cook-booklet, send $6.00 to my Paypal account (freedspirit05@me.com).  It's not fancy, but all the recipes are in one place.  

Spaghetti Squash

First up - Spaghetti Squash.  I've always wanted to make it but was a little afraid. I'm not a huge...okay so normally I dislike squash.  Avoid it at all costs.  However, in the attempts to broaden my horizons I tried it.  Simply cut the squash down the middle, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic, turn upside down (opposite of this picture) and bake at 350F for an hour.  Turn over and scrape the flesh with a fork and it looks like spaghetti.  It does have a bit of a crunch and needs salt.  I like to put my favorite red sauce on top, just like regular spaghetti.  It's good! Filling, too.  

Flat bread

Whole wheat flat bread

I bought a handy, dandy tortilla press to help me make flat bread.  You can make with any type of flour, white or wheat, with our without yeast. (the one on the left has yeast).  Simply mix together 1 coup flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cold water, 1 tsp olive oil, and a pinch salt.  Knead, roll into 1/2 inch sized balls, cover the press with plastic wrap and press.  Not too hard, you don't want it paper thin.  For a cracker bake at 225F for 45 minutes.  For a softer bread bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.  If  you use yeast, use my whole wheat bread recipe and let proof twice. Once in ball form, and once after pressing.  It will rise a bit and get a big air bubble in the center.  Make a pita type pocket bread. 

 

These are my post-run smoothies.  I do a wide variety, depending on my mood.  First take a dozen or so ripe bananas, peel, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.  Use one banana, and fruit of choice, add a handful of raw nuts.  Optional - a handful of raw spinach, 1/4 cup cacao powder, 1 Tbs natural peanut butter.  For the liquid add about a half cup of unsweetened regular almond milk.  About to the middle of the blueberries in the picture, enough to get the blender moving but not so much the smoothie is runny.  

 Apple muffin.  I had an apple and wondered what to do with it.  Did I want pancakes? No.  So, I took whole wheat pancake mix, added a cup of ground oats, an egg, some almond milk.  Then I took an apple, chopped it up fine.  Put some in the grinder and made apple sauce.  Ground up some almonds, threw that in.  Yummy!  Don't be afraid to get creative with your food.

Coconut delite

Coconut delite

I don't remember where I got the base recipe for this one.  I had a whole coconut and wanted ice cream.  Since I'm allergic to dairy I decided to make something yummy and cold.  Not quite a smoothie, not exactly ice cream.  Take a whole pineapple and cut it in circles.  With a paring knife cut just inside the rind to get rid of all the hard stuff.  Keep the center.  Put half the pineapple in a blender with 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Puree until relatively smooth. The coconut flakes will remain chunky.  Pour into two bowls and chill/freeze until the edges are frozen but the center is firm but not hard.  So delicious! If you have them available, add some fresh coconut flesh.

#Runergy bars

#Runergy Bars

These are my new favorite #Runergy bars.  It's a similar recipe as before but I put them in a silicone chocolate mold.  They are raw, not cooked, not even dehydrated.  I don't give this recipe away.  If you're in Florida (or Utah week of 7/19) message me and I'll sell you some! I eat them before and during my long runs (greater than 10 miles).

Pumpkin chip cookie

This is my son's favorite cookie.  It's on the blog. Type it in the search bar to find the recipe.  It's pumpkin and chocolate chip, dairy-free.

Fruit and Nut and Everything granola bars

These are the granola bars I travel with.  Fruit and nut and 'Everything' or Fruit and Nut plus cacao.  I don't give this recipe away either.  I sell them for $5.00 for the F&N, $7 for the 'Everything'.   I will say the Everything has espresso powder and is so good, I could eat nothing else all day every day for the rest of my life!

Cookies!! 

Cookies please!!  I love cookies.  On this blog I have a lot of cookie recipes.  I mix and match all kinds of ingredients.  That's the fun thing about food and baking.  Take a little of this, a little of that, start with a base dough and have fun.  I mentioned earlier that I wanted to make something with cherries.  I also had some avocados I needed to do something with.  The lighter cookie on the left is made with the 2-ingredient base - 2 ripe mashed bananas and a cup of oats, ground.  I then added my dehydrated cherries, chopped up, and chocolate chips.  Baked at 350F for about 10 minutes.

The darker cookie, doesn't it look red?  Well, it's the cherries.  
1 mashed avocado
1 egg
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup honey (or agave if you want it vegan)
1 TBs (or a little more) ground oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup dried cherries

My cherries weren't completely dried because I plan on making more granola bars.  The original recipe that I found called for apple juice.  Since my cherries were juicy, I didn't add it.  

Put all the ingredients, except the cherries in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add the cherries and blend another 30 seconds or so.  Now, here's the tricky part.  I put the first batch on silicone baking pad.  Nope. They stuck.  Use a non-stick pan and spray with cooking spray - liberally!  Bake at 350F 10 minutes, cool, the put in the fridge.  I also added 1/8 cup of ground cacao beans for a little crunch.   You could add chocolate chips, espresso powder, nuts, coconut, etc.

All of these recipes need to be refrigerated.  The granola bars will keep longer if they are dehydrated until crunchy.  I like them a little softer.  To be quite honest, they are so good they won't last long enough to worry about spoiling!  I tend to make a huge batch of everything then freeze.  I hope you enjoy making fun, delicious, and healthy recipes.  Message me with any questions.  If you try a recipe and you loved it, tell me.  If it didn't work for you, message me and we'll figure out what to do to make it yummy.  

Happy Eating.  Be sure to check out my book sale on Amazon!  

Today's Thoughts and a Recipe

Today didn't go as planned.  It happens.  I'm not terribly disappointed.  Last week my long run was an awesome 21 miles without stopping and I had hoped for a repeat and maybe push it to 22 miles.  Didn't happen.  At mile 8 my left ankle began to hurt.  Same ankle and same location as two weeks ago.  Because I'm leaving for Panama on a mission trip in four days and I have a marathon in a month, I decided to call it quits and walk.  It didn't hurt to walk so I didn't even think about calling someone for a ride home.  So, mile 8.5 I begin to walk.  Then I realize - I'm a long way from home!  Sure enough, I walk 6.5 miles.  It wasn't too hot (I had started at 5:30 am) so I wasn't miserable.  Things like this happen and I got the time on my feet, which is good for my training. I think praying during the entire 3+ hours really helped me stay positive, no, I know it did.

I prayed about such things as the state of this world, how people get so wrapped up in other people's business.  I don't really care who's doing what to whom or what someone I don't know is doing to their body, what this country is doing or if the sky is falling.  What other people do is between them and God. 

Let me re-phrase this:  I care, I'm simply not going to let outside forces manipulate my thoughts and behaviors. I had a long discussion with one of my children the other day about control.  Do what you can, not what you can't.  You have control over your own thoughts and words and actions. Nothing more. The rest is in God's hands.  The battle isn't between ISIS and the world, between this person or that person and the media, it IS between God and Satan.  I know for a fact who has already won (God) and, therefore, I don't sweat the little stuff - such as what other people/governments/media/political groups do or think.  

This does not, however, mean that you should not be involved and sit on your thumbs.  Do what you can, not what you can't.  Volunteer at a homeless mission, vote, plant seeds of the Good News, teach people truth, do a good deed, be kind and love one another, etc.  

So, read the news, listen to the media, listen to your family/friends/neighbors then think "What can I do that is positive?"  Gossip about him/her/the situation?  No.  Worry?  No.  Post inflammatory comments all over social media?  No.  

Do one good thing.

Then do another.

Love your neighbor.  

Trust in the one true God that has already won the war.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."


Now, back to today.  

I'm sitting here on my couch, feet up, craving chocolate.

I've got my compression socks on, feet propped up after my "long run" and I'm craving something sweet.  I eat a few jelly beans, but that doesn't do it.

Cookies!!  I want cookies, but not just any cookies because I'm allergic to dairy and don't eat store bought cookies.

Mixing up a batch. 

I decide to whip up a batch of double chocolate, espresso cookies.  Dark chocolate chips, cacao powder, espresso powder, and lots of love.

Almost ready for the oven.

You have to press them down because they don't spread.

Fresh out of the oven.

Yummy double chocolate chip espresso cookies!

RECIPE:

2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 TBS all-natural applesauce
1/2 cup plus 1 TBS coconut oil
1-1/2 cup agave or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
8 oz dairy-free dark chocolate chips
1/2 c cacao powder (not cocoa powder)
2 tsp espresso powder

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together wet ingredients then add the chocolate chips.  Add dry ingredients.  If the batter seems dry add more applesauce.  
Spoon batter onto parchment paper
Spray your fingers with non-stick spray and press the batter.  These will not spread out.  You can leave them in little balls if you want, just turn temp to 325 and cook a little longer.
Bake for 8 minutes, let cool, then enjoy with a cold glass of almond milk or other non-dairy milk.

Here are a few more pics of some recipes I've recently tried:

Spinach crackers

Frozen banana bombs

No bake vegan carrot cake

Hope you enjoyed the blog and the recipe!