Mint Chocolate Brownies

 

I don't know what it is about the winter, but it makes me instantly crave mint-chocolate flavored and/or scented goodies.  West Soy's chocolate peppermint stick soy milk is always is my cabinets after Thanksgiving and stays there until I drink the whole supply dry (which usually doesn't take long).  Whether it's mint tea, soy peppermint mocha lattes, minty soap, mint chapstick, mint lotion...I have it and I love it, especially during this time of the year.  I decided to make these brownies for Dave and his co-workers because those army men have big appetites!  I took a little tip from my mom when making these and doubled the brownie recipe.  It's something she has always done, even with boxed recipes, and her brownies were always the best of the best.  The biggest, the richest, the fudgiest, chewiest, and most delicious brownies of the bunch hands down.  So, I followed her footsteps and did the same and I swear each brownie weighed about a pound each.  These definitely need a glass of (soy) milk on stand by!  I doubled the recipe for the mint glaze since I baked my brownies in a 9x13 pan (like I said, those guys have big appetites!), but next time I think I'll have to do it quadruple it so there is a thicker layer.  This recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but I doubled it to make some big ole' brownies in my 9x13, so you can make enough for you and a friend or two, or to feed an army...take your pick!  Just be sure to enjoy!


Mint Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from My Baking Addiction, adapted from The Joy of Baking

Brownie Layer:

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 4 ounces (114 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Layer:

• 2 tablespoons(28 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup (115 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

• 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1-2 tablespoons crème de menthe

• green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Glaze:

• 3 ounces (90 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Garnish:

• chopped Andes Mints (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Set aside.

Brownies:
In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer:
In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze:
In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

To Serve:
Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares. It is a good idea to wipe your knife between cuts with a damp cloth. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or else frozen.

Makes about 30 1-inch (2.5 cm) squares.

BLT and OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings

I positively love, love, love this BLT.  Did I say I love it?  Because I really love it. This is probably one of my favorite sandwiches I have encountered since I gave up meat.  Easy and delicious, what could be better? In my opinion, Fakin' Bacon is one of the best gifts to vegetarian/vegan food lovers and to put it all together into a BLT is like heaven between two slices of bread.  I once had an "Advanced BLT" from the a vegan friendly cafe which solidified this as a winner in my book.  The addition of avocado, onion, basil, and tomato basil vinaigrette really complimented the base flavors of the sandwich.  I would have definitely added the extra "oomph" to this sandwich this time had I not found that my avocados turned...and by the time I was making it I really didn't feel like going to the grocery store.  I mentioned it before, the early night fall can really make me a lazy bones sometimes. But, there is always next time to add all the extra goodies..because I will positively be making this again sooner than later. 

And now, on to the onion rings.  Dave was on his way home and grabbed himself some take out for lunch and was pleasantly surprised to find a teensy weensy little onion ring in his order of fries..which got me thinking (who am I kidding, I'm always thinking about food).  Once I got Appetite for Reduction in the mail I began reading it from cover to cover.  I 'post-it' all of the recipes I want to try first and the OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings had already made their way on that list the second I saw them.  I knew I wanted them to accompany my sandwich, and what a perfect side they were!  And, an added bonus is that they won't be the complete demise of your New Year's resolution (that is if you haven't already given up on it yet like most have)!  I would eat french/sweet potato fries and onion rings with my meals all the time if I could, but I hate the way they make you feel weighed down and heavy afterward when you get them from most food establishments. So, why not indulge without feeling it afterwards?  Yes please! Yum, yum, yum and more yum.


Vegan BLT:

Ingredients:

• 2 slices sandwich bread (your choice)
• Vegan mayonnaise (I use Veganaise) 
• Romaine lettuce
• Tomato, sliced
• Vegan bacon (I prefer/recommend Tempeh Fakin' Bacon) (3 slices cut in half, but it's entirely up to you)

 Additional add-ons

• Avocado
• Onion, sliced
• Basil
• Tomato-basil vinaigrette

All of the ingredient amounts are basically to your taste preference.  For instance, I've never been much of a mayo person, so I only use a little, but it's entirely up to you!  That's the beauty of this..it's so simple and easy to adjust to your particular liking.

Directions:

• Spread mayo to each (or just one) side of the sandwich bread (toast the bread first if you'd like)
• Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and cook up the "bacon" on medium heat for a few minutes on each side.
• Layer the tomato slices, lettuce, bacon, and any other additional ingredients onto the bread.

Voila! 

OMG Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients:

• 2 vidalia onions (about a pound), or other sweet onion like Walla Walla

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons corn starch

• 1 cup cold almond milk

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• Cooking spray

Direstions:
 
Slice onions into 3/4 inch thick rings. Separate the rings and place in a bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or something, to keep the onioniness out of your eyes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed 12×18 baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Now you’ll need two bowls for batter and breading. If you’ve got large, wide cereal bowls that’ll do the trick. In one bowl, dump in the flour and cornstarch. Add about half of the almond milk and stir vigorously with a fork to dissolve. Add the rest of the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar, and stir to incorporate. Set aside.

In the other bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and salt. Drizzle in the oil and use your fingertips to mix it up well.
Assemble the onion rings:

Get a conveyor belt going. From left to right, have the onions, the flour mixture, the breadcrumbs mixture and lastly the baking sheet. Dip each onion slice into the the flour, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the breadcrumbs bowl and use the other hand to sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs over the onion, to coat completely. This may take a bit of practice. Carefully transfer each onion to a single layer on the baking sheet.

Make sure you use one hand for the wet batter and the other for the dry batter, or you’ll end up with club hand.

Spray rings lightly with cooking spray and bake for 8 minutes. Flip, and bake another 6 minutes. Rings should be varying shades of brown and crisp. Taste one to check for doneness. Serve as soon as possible. With ketchup if you must.

Servings per recipe-4
Calories-220
Cal from fat-45
Total fat-5g
Sat fat-1g
Trans fat-0g
Total Carb-38g
Fiber-3g
Sugars-5g
Pro-7g
Chol- 0mg
Na-520mg
VitA-0%
VitC-10%
Ca-6%
Fe-10%

Adapted from: Appetite for Reduction

White Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

 Happy Weekend! And Happy Birthday to Tanya (who these cupcakes are for).  Dave is active duty in the military and one of his co-worker's wives' birthday is tomorrow so being the thoughtful husband he is, he thought he would surprise her with some of my cupcakes!  I had made their daughter's princess birthday cupcakes last month which were a huge hit, so I was extremely pleased he came to me again for more.  This was my first time making the white chocolate whipped cream frosting and I had to stop myself from 'taste testing' the whole bowl because it was soooo good.  I wanted to do something a little fancier than your basic butter cream and I think this frosting definitely was a more "adult" flavor than your typical sugar-laden frostings (not that there is anything wrong with those!) and thought it would really compliment the red velvet nicely. And it did! Dave and I both taste tested extras and I really loved the combination of the rich flavors. YUM!  I have to say, I always breath a sigh of relief once the cupcakes are transferred from my hands to the receiver's.  Not to mention it is always nice to see the excitement on people's faces over these little confections!  It was great because I also got to put my new piping tips to use, so I decided to pipe little stars on half the dozen and and used a 1m tip for the others.  These would definitely make a great Valentine's Day treat with the red velvet and little chocolate heart accents too!  Heck, I'll make any excuse to bake something scrumptious. :)

For the whipped cream:
6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

For decorating:
4 oz. chocolate (I used bittersweet), finely chopped
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the white chocolate whipped cream, place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Melt, stirring occasionally.  When the chocolate is almost melted, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil.  Once the chocolate is fully melted, transfer the bowl to a counter, pour in the hot cream and let it sit for one minute.  Then stir gently with a spatula until the chocolate is smooth.  Let the chocolate sit until it reaches room temperature – the chocolate can’t be the least bit warm when it is added to the whipped cream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup cream only until it holds the softest peaks.  With the mixer on high speed, add the white chocolate all at once and continue to beat just until the mixture holds firm peaks.  Transfer the cream to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

While the cream is setting, make the chocolate decorations.  Spread a piece of wax paper on a flat work surface.  Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.  Allow the chocolate to cool for several minutes (I probably waited 10-15 minutes).  Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic squeeze bottle (a plastic bag with the corner cut off would also work).  Carefully squeeze the melted chocolate onto the wax paper in the desired shape.  Allow to set completely.  Carefully peel off of the wax paper.

Frost the cupcakes with the now set white chocolate whipped cream, top with chocolate sprinkles, and garnish with chocolate decorations.  Store in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Frosting and garnishing idea adapted from: Annie's Eats

Mac Daddy & Buffalo Tempeh

 This was my first attempt at veganizing my all time favorite, mac n' cheese.  When I was little, every time I went to my grandparents I would beg my Grammie to make her baked mac n' cheese for me and I would basically lick the bowl clean.  Hence, my little set back from considering myself vegan.  I couldn't tell you the last time I had milk, I can't bring myself to eat eggs...but there is just something about the cheese that really makes it a challenge for me.  I know in time, I will get over it..just like I did when I was 13 and had idea from out of the blue to become a vegetarian after being traumatized by "Meet your Meat."  How anyone could eat these poor animals who felt such pain was beyond me, and I put a stop to it then.  And as a kid, I ate any and all meats that were put on my plate...and I hate to say it, but I barely ate any vegetables because I just did not like them (corn and mashed potatoes don't exactly count for much).   But, somehow I got the willpower and knew I did not want to be a contributing factor to animal suffering and that was that.  I was a vegetarian.  It was a challenge at that age and now is so second nature to me that I could never imagine going back to an omnivore lifestyle.  Many ask and no, I never crave any meat, ever.  So hopefully the same will happen with cheese over time (I highly commend anyone who is a vegan because it isn't an easy feat, from my point of view anyways).  

Despite my worsening sickness, I did not want to spend my day off in bed all day so I took a trip to Whole Foods and stocked up on ingredients I found that I needed after recipe searching through Veganomicon and Appetite for Reduction.  I'm really excited to get the ball rolling on cooking my way through my new vegan cookbooks, hopefully making the transition process easier.  As Dave's mom likes to say, "We have vegan training wheels."  One day, I hope to take those bad boys off and go riding off into the sunset on my big girl bike into my own new world without animal products of any kind. 

I have to say, I did like this recipe.  I didn't LOVE it, but I won't be letting the leftovers go to waste. Unfortunately, Dave really didn't go for this one (which is a shame because he loves buffalo and mac n' cheese so I was hoping to win him over with this one) so looks like I'm on my own in finishing it off!  It obviously isn't going to taste exactly like traditional mac n' cheese (although I realllllly, and unrealistically, hoped it would) but I did like the taste.  If I try is again I would like to find a way to give it a creamier texture because that's the thing I love the most about mac n' cheese and what makes it so comforting and delicious in my eyes.  I'll probably try adding some sprinked Daiya cheddar on the leftovers to give it a "cheezier" taste..it just needs a little boost.  As for the tempeh, ehhh...I'm a little on the fence.  It really absorbed the flavor of the buffalo nicely (and quickly)  but the texture was different to me and I'm sure I'll just need to get used to it.  It did surprise me though because I tried a buffalo tempeh sandwich that was absolutely delicious, inspiring me to try this.  I did find a recipe that calls for breading the tempeh first (to make them more like buffalo wings) which might cure my tempeh texture conundrum. Not that it's a big deal, but I would have preferred to use some Gardein chicken strips with buffalo sauce or some buffalo marinated tofu.  Trial and error, that's all!  I am glad I tried this recipe though...because I would rather have a different version of mac n' cheeze than live in a world without it at all.

EDIT: After reheating some left overs, I added some sprinkled cheddar Diaya cheese on top and it made a HUGE difference..definitely added a nice "meltiness" to the mac n' cheeze..next time I will be sure to incorporate it  throughout the whole dish.

Mac Daddy with Bufflo Tempeh layered on top.

Mac Daddy: (Veganomicon)

Ingredients 

---

Cheez Sauce (double this recipe):

• 3 cups vegetable broth 
• 1/4 cup All Purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 3 cloves garlic, Minced 
• Pinch of Dried thyme (crumbled in your fingers) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

 Macaroni:

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 
• 1/2 pound extra firm tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  

Directions:

---

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare your Cheezy Sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• When the pasta is ready, drain and set aside.
• When sauce is ready, begin assembling.
• Combine the broth and flour in a measuring cup and whisk with a fork until dissolved (a couple of lumps are okay).
• Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Place the oil and garlic in the pan and gently cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add the thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the broth, turmeric, and nutritional yeast, and raise the heat to medium. Use a whisk to stir constantly. The mixture should start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes; if it doesn’t, turn the heat on a bit higher.
• Once the mixture is bubbling and thickening, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes.
• Add the lemon juice and mustard.
• The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese.
• Taste for salt (you may need more), turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep it warm until ready to use. The top might thicken a bit while it sits, but you can just stir it and it will be fine.
• Crumble the tofu into an 8x8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Mash the tofu with your hands until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add the salt, olive oil, and lemon juice, then stir.
• Add 1/2 cup Cheezy Sauce to the tofu and stir.
• Add the macaroni to the tofu, along with 1 1/2 more cups of sauce, and stir well.
• Smooth the top of the pasta mixture and press it down with a spatula to level it.
• Then pour the remaining sauce over the pasta and smooth again.
• Bake for 30 minutes; the top of the macaroni should be slightly browned.
• Let sit for 10-20 minutes to thicken up.

Buffalo Tempeh: (Appetite for Reduction)

Ingredients:

•   8 oz tempeh, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup cayenne hot sauce
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

Directions:

• Steam the tempeh for 5 minutes, this will loosen the tempeh and allow it to absorb the marinade flavors 
• Mix together the marinade ingredients in a medium size bowl.  When the tempeh is done steaming transfer it to the marinade.  Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes, up to an hours.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray the pan with a bit of non stick cooking spray.  Add the tempeh slices and reserve the marinade.  
• Cook tempeh for 10 minutes flipping often until it has browned a bit.  Ad the remaining sauce and turn up the heat to high.  Let the liquid boil and cook down for about 5 minutes.    

 PS:  Please excuse the sub par photos on this post!

"Chicken" Enchiladas

 So today was a particularly long day at work because I am starting to get sick, which is an extremely rare occurrence.  I almost contemplated waiting to make these until I could muster up some energy but I am really glad I got myself to go through with it!  Wow..I mean, wow, these are GOOD.  Talk about a nice warm and filling dinner to deal with the cold New England nights.  Personally, I'm not crazy about these winter months (mainly because it gets dark so early which makes me feel particularly unmotivated), but I do appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons around here.  No matter how long you live in this area I don't think anyone ever quite gets used to the frigid weather, which is why people turn to hearty foods that make them feel warm and cozy inside..and this sure did it for me.  It's bursting with flavors and even though it takes a little bit of time to whip up, it is definitely worth it.  I found that using my food processor helped a lot and probably reduced a lot of time for chopping.  Instead of using real chicken breast I substituted 2 boxes of Quorn's "chicken" breasts (8) in the recipe and it even got a thumbs up from Dave.  Next time I plan on getting vegan cheese by Daiya and vegan faux chicken (Quorn's has egg whites in them) to see how they come out.  The homemade sauce has the perfect amount of spice and savory flavors to really give these a kick.  I happen to like spicy foods so I also doubled the amount of chili powder and threw in a little extra jalapeno, which I think also really added to them.  I will definitely be making these again!

 

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine (I used 2 1/2)
1 tsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder (I used 6)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 8 Quorn faux chicken breasts)
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the onion, jalapeno and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.  Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible.  Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside.  Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture.  Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro.  Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.  Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla.  Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray.  Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F.  Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.  Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from: Annie's Eats