Allergy friendly brownies

I've been trying to find a decent brownie recipe. I've tried tweaking my favorite recipe with no success -- particularly when trying to make them dairy, egg, corn, soy and wheat free! Essentially the only part we can actually have is the baking cocoa. Doesn't make for very exciting dessert!

My sister emailed me this recipe that she found online. It was pretty close to being just right, so I made some little changes and here's the result! Don't tell anyone, but, for brownies, these are very nearly a health food.

The secret ingredient here is a vegetable -- zucchini. I've found part of the secret of using it in cakes and not having the "vegetable" aftertaste is to shred it pretty finely. A hand shredder will work in a pinch, but if you have a food processor with a shred attachment, you'll get the best, most consistent results. These I added a handful of dark chocolate chips to as well -- we're allergic to the soy, but when the rest of the brownie was allergy free, that tiny amount is well-tolerated. Coincedentally, if you're worried that you'll taste the zucchini, these made it through the company picnic and a meeting without anyone guessing they contained vegetables. Well, maybe not "made it through". It was more of a clean dishes came home type of scenario! And they also passed the ultimate vegetable detetectors -- the 5, 6 and 9 year old...

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 c olive oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 c baking cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 packed c. shredded zucchini

optional:

1c chopped nuts and/or 1 c dark chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting (since we're allergic to the corn in powdered sugar, I simply blend a little white sugar with a tiny drop of tapioca starch until it was powdered and used that for dusting)

Combine oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to oil mixture. Add zucchini and mix. Turn into an oiled 9x13. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool. Best after cooled and set for at least a few hours.

To make these wheat free, I subbed out the flour for 1/2 c almond meal/flour and 1 c of a gluten free flour mix I had on hand. Next time I will also cut the sugar down to 1 c -- something with the more delicate taste of the wheat free flour made these much sweeter with no wheat.

Did you know brownies are best the day after and at room temperature? Apparently that's the actual "how to serve a brownie" directions. The flavors meld when they have a chance to set. These are no exception -- the flavor is deeper and the texture is more of a dense brownie after setting overnight.

Since this is zucchini season, this is the perfect cure for too much squash and too little sugar. Turn it chocolate, I say!

Baked Beans Recipe

Since we're going into prime BBQ season (I know that should be summer, but for some reason it usually falls in the fall (get it? FALLS in the FALL? I know, pathetic attempt at humor.) for us. So, one of the first recipes I set out to recreate after we discovered all our allergies was baked beans. I've always been really, really picky about baked beans. I like them sweet, sometimes a little spicy. Coincidentally, EVERY mainstream brand contains corn or soy or both. On top of that, 2 of our boys are allergic to tomatoes, so that effectively cuts our choices down, to well, none.
My favorite brand growing up was Bush's Baked beans, so I used that general flavor as the mark to shoot for. After wading through hundreds of baked bean recipes online, I took several that looked close, combined them and voila! One baked bean recipe that everyone can eat and no one complains about. We have a standard put beans on low in the morning in the crock pot and let them go all day, then spend the next week eating them habit going on now. Beans are amazingly good for you. And, did I mention, cheap? Usually we use a combination of several types, and usually don't hit the same combo twice. The most common is probably pinto and great white northerns. Sometimes kidneys make it in there too. There's not really a rhyme or reason why. Pintos because you can buy them in ginormous bags at Sams Club and great white northerns because a lot of baked bean recipes have them and once we tried them, we loved them. Now, I usually double this so we can have leftovers. I've found I can cheat and make them up fast if needed, but the flavors are best if they have time to slow cook, so if at all possible go for the crock pot method. We also have played with adding a little spice and changing them around a little, so I'll add those variations as well.

Jessica's Baked Beans
1 1/2 pounds of dried beans, soaked/cooked until tender
1/2 lb bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 c brown sugar, loosely packed
1/3 c molasses
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste

to reach desired consistency:
gluten free flour (rice flour, tapioca flour (I like that the best), etc.)
up to 2 c water

Fast method: I use my kitchen shears to cut the bacon into small pieces. Fry in the bottom of a large pot with the finely chopped onions (why bother dirtying more than you need to?). Add remaining ingredients and cook until heated and bubbling. Add water and flour as needed to reach desired consistency of sauce.
Slow cook method (this brings out the flavors better than the fast method): Fry onions and bacon and add to soaked beans in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Usually I add about a cup water. Cook 6-8 hours, adding water and flour at the end to reach desired consistency.
Note: Since every gluten free flour requires a different amount, I just add it slowly by the tablespoon and let it cook for a few minutes before adding more. If gluten isn't an issue, I'm sure regular flour could be used as well. The consistency is completely arbitrary. The kids and I like them thick, so we can use potato chips to scoop them up. Bryan prefers his thinner and I usually could get away with not adding any thickening agent. And watch reheating them -- they invariably soak up moisture and almost always need extra water added upon reheating.

Variations:
A little kick: Add a can or two of chopped green chilies, depending on your family's taste.
A different sweet: Sub out 1/4 c of the brown sugar for an 1/8 c maple syrup or honey.
A different kick: I find the pepper crusted bacon is a great way to spice them up. The kids don't like them as much, but Bryan and I do!
A little more bacon: I originally started with a ratio of 1 lb bacon per 1 1/2 lbs beans. I found you can cut the bacon (and hence, the fat) in half pretty easily. BUT, if you want a stronger bacon flavor, up to a pound, or down to a 1/4 lb works well.
Sausage: In a pinch I used some breakfast sausage instead of bacon -- just like 4 links. A little different flavor, but everyone liked it.

We eat these weekly -- with brats, burgers, BBQ sandwiches, you name it. Bryan's also invented a green chili and lemon bean recipe that we quite like. I'll have to have him actually show me what he puts in it...

Hummus Wrap Recipe

So, I randomly created a recipe I'm a little obsessed with. My brothers had some bacon that needed to be used up the other day. I also had a little hummus floating around. Just for fun, I threw the two together in an almost homemade flour tortilla with some fresh tomatoes, avocado slices and spinach and finished it off with a little goat cheese. Yes, I know that sounds strange. But it has a unique taste that I loved! Today I was out of hummus (I used a dry mix last time in an effort to clear my cabinets. Not bad, but it had that "dried and reconstituted" flavor.) This is the fresh recipe I made instead:

Hummus
1 can low sodium garbanzo beans (save fluid)
the juice of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of red pepper flakes

Just toss it into a food processor and blend until creamy. Add reserved fluid as needed to desired consistency.

Yep, it's that easy. Now, traditionally hummus has tahini in it. I'm not a huge fan, and, on top of it, it's hard to come by here in this tiny town, so I just skip it.
Oh, a side note, if I haven't mentioned it before, the tortillas I use are La Flor. Here you can buy them at the grocery store (only one, Smiths, carries them). They are uncooked, usually near the deli meats in the refrigerated section. For us, we love them because they a) taste like homemade without the hassle and b) only have like 4 ingredients so they are very allergy friendly. We're totally hooked on them now!
Here's the "actual" recipe I created:

Bacon Hummus Wrap

1 flour tortilla, pan warmed
2 strips bacon, cooked (I put mine between 2 sheets of paper towel and microwave for about 1:30. The paper towel soaks up the fat and the strips are perfectly flat for sandwiches!)
3 tomato slices
3 avocado slices
Handful fresh spinach
About 1/4 c hummus (more or less to taste)
Sprinkle goat cheese

Toss it all in the tortilla and enjoy! And speaking of hummus, I should share the garbanzo bean Greek salad recipe sometime...

But, the boys are upstairs taking an un-nap right now. In other words I sent them up for nap time and they went. But now, from the wild giggling I'm hearing, I think it turned into a dog pile. As a side note, why does everything boys do turn into a dog pile? I mean seriously. I just don't think girls are walking along, see another girl on the ground and feel the instinctual need to jump on her. Boys however, do feel this need. I have witnessed this. A lot. The 3 boys are dog piled on the floor and the baby just walks over and throws himself on the top of the heap. Why? Why is this fun to the male species? I have the strangest urge to try it for myself...maybe us girls are missing something...

Keep it simple...

One of the things you learn immediately when you deal with food allergies is the concept of clean eating. The fewer the ingredients, the higher the possibility it's allergy free. Processed foods are instantly off the radar. Take today's lunch for example, a fillet of Tilapia, pan seared in olive oil with lemon pepper. Yum! And brussel sprouts...I have no idea how the childhood jokes came about. Properly prepared, brussel sprouts are amazing! One of my favorite ways is to heat a pan with a little olive oil. Cut the sprouts in half so they'll cook faster. Add them to the hot oil and toss to sear them slightly. In your pan lid add just a little water -- literally just a tablespoon or so. Add to the pan and cover immediately. Let them quick steam for just a few minutes. When tender remove from heat and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, or garlic salt. so good! Now, does this look like the plate of someone who's deprived? I added a bowl of cherries (my mother in law just gave me a cherry pitter. Why have I not bought one sooner? We are eating cherries like they're going out of style!) and a glass of iced coffee.

I workout about an hour after lunch and coffee helps my asthma! And it's just terrible to add a cup of deliciousness to lunch! I add a little almond milk and a couple squirts of some irish cream agave nectar. Coffee as a helpful partner in fighting exercise induced asthma is getting increasing attention. Even if you don't struggle with asthma, having coffee before a workout (now, we're not talking a caramel macchiato or the like...just regular, preferably black or close to it) can help you get more out of your workout! Studies are currently looking at how it affects asthma and the ability to help you workout longer and harder. I say, bring it on! The last study that made me this happy was the one that said dark chocolate really is a health food...