Vegan Brownies (with Pumpkin!)

The thought of vegan baked goods frightens me. But, when I saw a vegan chef win Cupcake Wars (I can't stand this show yet my DVR is set to record it) a few months ago I was inspired.

Tonight I tried to bake vegan brownies. I used a recipe from All Recipes, but it called for an ungodly amount of oil (1 cup-- yuck!) so I changed it up a bit. The end result was okay.... the brownies are more cake like and less fudgy that I like, but taste pretty good. The pumpkin is barely noticeable, so in the future I might replace it with smooshed banana or apple sauce (and then I could cut down on the sugar as well!) Also, I might cut down the oil to even 1/4 cup and up the water and/or fruit component.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar (I used more like 1 3/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup dutch cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup coffee
• 1/4 cup water
• handful of dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350, grease 9 x 13 pan. Combine dry ingredients and then whisk in wet ingredients. Spread half the batter in the pan, sprinkle with chocolate chips, and spread with other half. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

Peach, Pecan, and Bourbon Crisp

So, at some point this summer I made an amazing peach (I told you I was obsessed) crisp. I don't remember at all what I made, but just that I put bourbon and brown sugar in with the peaches, and crushed pecans in the "crisp" portion. And it was delicious.

Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey

Earlier this year while perusing a cook book, I came to the realization that I have never tasted a fresh fig. This is obviously absurd, so I bought a pint the very second they came into season. I toyed over what recipe to try them in, and I ended on this one from love and olive oil because it looked simple, gorgeous, delicious and most importantly fast (I'm extremely impatient after all).

The end result was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Who knew figs, goat cheese, honey, and pepper could make a girl so happy!?

Peach Crumb Bars

Peach-mania 2011 continues. It wasn't enough to make peaches and cream pie, bourbon peach crisp, stone fruit pie, baked peach oatmeal, and a peach cherry upside down cake-- My favorite fruit of the summer has found its way into yet another dessert.

I was on dessert duty for this week's "vampire night" and I was not only inspired by the sweet taste of summer I call peaches, but by this recipe from Smitten Kitchen (originally from AllRecipes). Obviously I swapped out blueberries for fresh peaches, and I made some other changes to enhance the new flavors.


Crumb Crust:
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks butter
1 egg

Fruit Filling:
6 peaches, cored and diced (peels on because I like the texture, and as previously mentioned, I am lazy)
6 TBSP corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x13 pan. Comine ingredients for crumb crust until crumbly (mine was like a mixture of pea-size lumps and grainy/sandy stuff). Press half of mixture into bottom of pan. Combine peaches with lemon juice and zest and toss with dry ingredients until coated. Distribute evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbly stuff over the top and pop in the oven for 45 minutes. Cool completely and then transfer to refrigerator. Once chilled, cut into pieces and enjoy!

These bars are buttery and crumbly (as advertised) and are sweet but not too sweet. I also love how the nutmeg enhances the natural sweetness and flavor of the peaches. I am pretty sure I could eat the whole pan!

Stone Fruit Mini-Pie

I may have a problem;  I cannot stop buying peaches. I could eat them three meals a day, but somehow I cannot eat them fast enough, which means I constantly have overripe peaches on hand and need something to do with them.

A few weeks ago, I had a few of these yummy fuzzy babies in my bowl, along with some plums (which I always buy and then never want to eat) so I threw together a mini-pie.

I had half a pie crust in my mini-pan, along with two diced peaches, a diced plum, two tablespoons of brown sugar, and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg (my other obsession).

Yum. Especially a la mode, but that's another story.

Grilled Eggplant Goat Cheese Salad

My eggplant crop has been relatively prosperous this season, and I have been searching the interwebs for new and exciting ways to use it. This recipe at Love & Olive Oil seemed especially promising.

The unique combination of flavors is really interesting, and the smoky char from the grill adds something special. This, according to my mother, is the "best eggplant dish ever", but also seems to be a perfect storm of flavor. If one ingredient was missing, or another added, the whole balance would be off. So just try it as is! You can serve it while the eggplant is still warm, or allow it to cool. It's pretty great both ways.

• one small eggplant, sliced and sprinkled with salt 
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP fresh mint, roughly chopped
• 2 TBSP (give or take) pine nuts, toasted
• 2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper

Allow salted eggplant to sit until some moisture is drawn out. Brush with oil and put on a hot grill (medium heat) for 6-8 minutes, turning half way. The eggplant should still have some structure to it, but have nice grill marks. Remove from grill and put on a serving plate. Drizzle with oil and balsamic, add all the goodies (mint, pine nuts, and goat cheese) over the top, and sprinkle with your good friends salt and pepper. Enjoy!

**photos to come

chocolate nanner bread

I have made this before and it was just as delicious this time. The perfect way to distract myself from the fact that my honey was stuck in a hurricane all weekend. It is quite possibly the best banana bread I've ever had, not just because it's chocolate or the fact that it's socially acceptable to eat it for breakfast even though tastes like cake, but because the consistency is to-die-for. Oh, and there's no butter in it so I trick myself into thinking it's "healthy!"

http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2011/03/chocolate-banana-bread/

There are no photos because I ate it too fast. :)

Spicy Pork Burgers and Chard with White Beans

I am so far behind in blogging that I have actually made both of these recipes (or something resembling them) twice now! Disgraceful!

The pork recipe as follows is how I made it the first time-- the second I didn't really pay attention to the amounts of each spice and herb I was throwing in, though it had pretty much the same end result. They are flavorful and have a little kick but are not overtly spicy (as in, you could definitely take add some cayenne or up the amount of red pepper flakes if so desired). The fennel and sage give the burgers the distinct Italian sausage flavor that is so good. In the future, I might try this with a mixture of pork and turkey, or even just ground turkey to make an even leaner burger.



Burgers:
1 lb ground pork
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
provolone cheese

Mix all ingredients (except cheese, duh), and form into patties (3-4). Grill 5 minutes on each side, throwing the provolone on with a minute to go so it gets nice and melty. Top with lettuce and tomato (I have also topped it with garlic seared chard which was delicious) and put on a toasted sesame bun. Enjoy!



Chard

1 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 TBSP olive oil (I used basil oil because I have some and why not)
a big bunch of swiss chard, diced
two tomatoes, diced and salted
1 tsp Italian-ish seasoning blend. I used "Bouquet Garni" by Penzey's
2 tsp dried parsley
S&P
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed. I wanted to use cannellini but all the store had was northern

Sautee onion and garlic in EVOO until translucent. Add chard and toss to coat with the now infused oil and yummy onions and let wilt. Add seasonings-- especially salt to draw some moisture out. Then, add diced tomatoes and the beans. As soon as it's warm throughout, stuff your face with this superfood!

The second time I made this recipe I actually used canned crushed tomatoes and turned it into a pasta sauce for some angel hair pasta. It was delicious. I love the flavor and texture combinations-- sweet tomatoes, creamy beans, crisp and bitter chard. And you can eat this guilt free because of all the nutrients that are jam-packed into every bite. Tim even asked for seconds! On a vegetarian dish!