Wicked Awesome Brownies

No really...that IS what we call them.

A little bit crunchy, a little bit chewy, and a whole heck of a lot of chocolate. Wicked. Awesome.

Disclaimer: there is nothing low-fat about these babies. Sometimes you must not mess with perfection.

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (that's about as healthy as it is gonna get)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8" square pan using spray oil or melted butter and dusted with flour.

Combine chocolate and oil in saucepan and stir over LOW (take your time) heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Let cool for five minutes.

Transfer chocolate mixture into mixing bowl and beat eggs in, one at a time.

Add both flours and baking powder and mix well. It will be thick.

Spread carefully and evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Top will be dry and cracked. Test with a knife and you should get a slight amount of gooey deliciousness on the tip when you pull it out.

Remove from oven. Run a knife around the edge and let cool on rack. This is very important as these brownies will crumble if not cooled COMPLETELY! Not that I would know as I am never in a hurry to eat these...no, no, I am not...really...

Oh shut up.

Enjoy.

Wicked. Awesome. See, I told you.

Just tempting you with some stuff I made lately...

http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonMeringueTart.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sour-Cream-Streusel-Coffee-Cake-5807

Homemade Fat Free Yogurt Cheese!!

If you are like me, cheese is a problem.  Yup, I love cheese...any kind of cheese.

After perusing the internet (yes I was googling cheese, so what) and happening across this little recipe: http://www.danone.ca/en/recipes/cheese.aspx  I though I would give it a go.

So...I dug out a coffee filter (the cone ones work really well) and followed the recipe. I used my favourite fat-free organic yogurt brand (ummm, errr, sorry Danone) and got started. I placed the filter and yogurt in a wide mouth glass so I could drape the top of the filter around the top of the glass to hold it suspended in place. Covered it and put it in the refrigerator last night.

This morning, I lifted the filter and (now) cheese out of the glass and dumped the cheese out into a small bowl.  The liquid at the bottom of the glass and the filter gets discarded obviously unless you know of some fantastic way to re-use them.  Oh heck, compost the filter...you'll feel better.

To this beautiful yogurt cheese I added 1 tsp each of Epicure's 3 Onion Dip Mix and Epicure's Herb and Garlic Dip Mix and stirred it up. Of course you can easily use any herb or spice mix...have fun! I love Epicure's blends (http://epicureselections.com/) because they are so easy and convenient.  Headed off to the gym and upon my return I tasted my delicious fat free herbed yogurt cheese. Voila:

Nice hey?  Yeah, lucky I took a picture.  All I can say is it is a good thing it is fat free....nom, nom, urp...

The flavour possibilities are endless.  I think it is safe to say I will be experimenting! Enjoy!!

Note: I have continued to make this...out favourite uses Greek Yogurt (yum) and the herb/spice blends depend on how we are feeling that day. I have since replaced the cone filter with cheesecloth, which I wash a re-use.

Pretty Quinoa Salad

Found a big bag of Organic Quinoa (organic and pre-rinsed for convenience) on my latest Costco adventure...cooks faster than rice and better for you.  Love it!!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah):

Considered a "super-food" by many, Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain (an average of 16.2%, compared with 7.5% for rice, 9.9% for millet and 14% for wheat). It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and is high in magnesium, potassium and iron and a good source of phosphorous, calcium, vitamin E and several B vitamins. Quinoa is also gluten-free and easy to digest. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans.

Quinoa is not a true cereal grain but technically a fruit of the Chenopodium family. Quinoa’s relatives include spinach, beets and Swiss chard. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of its cooking characteristics.

 Pretty Quinoa Salad

(adapted from Michael Smith, Chef at Home)

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• pinch salt
• 1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 cucumber, washed and diced
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• The zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa well in cold running water. This will easily rinse away the natural bitter coating on the seeds. Drain and toss into a small pot. Add the water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid, turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool until lukewarm.
   
2. Meanwhile get all the colorful veggies ready. Toss them into a bowl and when the quinoa is done, add it as well. Add the lemon and olive oil, toss well, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Have fun with it, mix and match different veggies, add in some cooked chicken or turkey...change up the dressing...keep it light and colourful.  Good tasting and good for you!

Enjoy!

Salmon Ceviche

Ceviche is basically a way of cooking foods in citrus juices. Yes, don't worry, it is perfectly safe and absolutely delicious!

Hubby and son recently had a very productive salmon fishing trip on the west coast so I made up a batch of this to test out the oh so very yummy fresh salmon they brought home.

Ingredients:

Approximately 8 ounce piece of raw salmon, skinless and boneless
3 limes
1 tomato, diced
I small red onion, diced
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, fine diced (optional for you but not around here)
1/2 chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste



Instructions
Slice the limes in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl (glass or stainless is always my preference when dealing with raw foods). I use a stainless steel reamer. Pick out any seeds that are in the juice.

Add the olive oil, chopped tomato, onion, minced pepper, and cilantro/parsley (or both) and mix it up.

Slice the salmon on the diagonal into 1/4" thin slices. Make them bite size so cut them into smaller pieces if necessary.

Add them to the bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Stir gently to coat all of the salmon. Let it sit (cook) in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

Serve it with a slotted spoon along side of a crusty baguette.

Yummy, pretty, easy, and super impressive!!

Chili Lime Salmon with Watermelon/Blueberry Salsa

I love to top a flavourful and spicy piece of grilled salmon with the perfect fruit salsa. It is a delicious and fresh contrast in flavours. Serve it on a need of your favourite basmati rice and voila, a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! Enjoy (we did last night, yum)

Chili Lime Salmon with Watermelon/Blueberry Salsa
Made it up last night, honest.

One salmon fillet per person.
Rub olive oil on each piece, all sides
Generously sprinkle with VE Chili Lime Sansel on all sides of fish pieces.

Let sit for a half hour in the fridge while you mix up the salsa.

Fire up the grill to medium/high heat.

Watermelon/Blueberry Salsa:

2 cups diced seedless watermelon
1/2 cup fresh whole blueberries
1 chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
1 tablespoon VE Fruit Salsa Mix
Salt & Pepper to taste

Toss together in a small bowl and refrigerate to allow flavours to intermingle and have a good time :)

Reduce grill heat to medium and grill salmon for about 4-5 minutes per side. Don't over cook salmon, just cook until the inside changes colour but it still glossy.

Serve over steamed basmati rice and a generous scoop of your prepared salsa on top.

Pour yourself a lovely chilled glass of white zinfandel (its all about colour on my table) and dig in!


For substitutions to the Epicure blends suggested in this recipe, contact me!

Layered Mexican Fiesta in Your Mouth!

Yes sir-ree...it is a FIESTA in your mouth...so much so that I didn't take a picture quick enough on Sunday. They ate it all too quick!


1 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup low fat soft cream cheese
1 Tblsp Epicure's Poco Picante Salsa Mix or substitute a low-sodium Taco Seasoning Mix, adding more or less to taste.

Mix the three together and spread on the bottom of a plate. You want to make a layer about 1/2" thick. At this point you can set it in the refrigerator until just before serving. About half an hour before serving you create the following layers.

On top of the cream cheese mixture, sprinkle one cup of shredded lettuce (iceberg works best, nice and crunchy).

Next layer, sprinkle a half cup of shredded cheese -- cheddar or monterey jack or both!

Next layer, one seeded and chopped tomato.

Sprinkle with sliced green onions, sliced olives, and chopped pickled jalapenos if you dare. Be creative...add your favourite toppings. How about some chopped cooked shrimp? Maybe some colourful bell peppers?

In the end, when all the creative juices have run dry and you are pretty much drooling, garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro or parsley.

OLE! A FIESTA for your mouth. For real!

Serve it with tortilla chips (multigrain baked ones if you want to feel less guilty but whatever) and an ice cold cerveza (beer) on the side.

I guarantee it won't last long.