Outrageous Brownies

Recipe from Chef AJ's 2024 book - Sweet Indulgence

As a previous presenter on Chef AJs podcasts, I was invited to preview a few recipes from her new book, Sweet Indulgence, due to hit the stands this week.  

First I tried almond date bliss balls, which were delicious, especially when rolled in cinnamon.  Today's quest was the Outrageous Brownie recipe, which is delightful.  The brownies are really fudge from a combination of date paste, made by soaking dates in unsweetened soy milk and/or water, and black beans.  Texture is added by the addition of rolled oats, and I highly recommend the optional topping of nuts and chocolate chips.  I substituted walnuts for the pistachios, mainly because I was out of pistachios, but what goes better with brownies than walnuts?!

The interesting thing about these brownies is that they are filling and taste good, but are not cloyingly sweet.  They smell just like any other brownies while baking, then have the right level of chocolate taste for me, due to the unsweetened cocoa powder. The second time I made them, they tasted much more like black beans than chocolate, so I might try increasing the date paste:black bean ratio to have a little more sweetness; and add some chocolate chips to the batter ;-)

Serves 16 

INGREDIENTS: 

15-oz can of salt-free black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1.5 cups cooked)

1.5 cups Date Paste (see recipe below - allow a few hours ahead of time; don't use store-bought)

3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (I used soy)

1 tsp vanilla bean powder

1/2 tsp aluminum and sodium-free baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats or oat flour

1 cup unsweetened or date-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips, optional

1/2 cup finely chopped raw, unsalted pistachios, optional (I used chopped walnuts)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place beans, date paste and plant milk in a food processor fitted with the 'S' blade and process until smooth.  Add the vanilla bean powder, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder and process again.  

3) Add the oats and process very briefly, just until combined.  It's ok if the oats stay whole.

4) Pour the batter into a 10" square silicone baking pan. Sprinkle with nuts and/or chocolate chips, if using, and gently press the toppings down with the palm of your hand.

5) Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 20 minutes) until the middle does not jiggle and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool before cutting, or you'll have to eat all the fudgy insides that come out on your knife!  Chef AJ enjoys these with a cold glass of her homemade Vanilla Almond Mylk (recipe in the book).

DATE PASTE:

This recipe makes 2.5 cups, so you'll have 1 cup left over to use on a muffin or cracker of your choice.

Combine 1 pound of pitted dates (~ 2.5 cups) with 1 cup of liquid (water, unsweetened plant milk or juice) - I used soy:water about 2:1)

Soak dates for hours or overnight until much of the liquid is absorbed (after a few hours in the fridge, hardly any was absorbed, but the recipe worked well)

Process until completely smooth.  Store any leftovers in the fridge or freezer.  

Spicy Black Bean and Beet Burgers

 From The No Meat Athlete Cookbook - Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine

Very good recipe - made quickly with precooked rice.  Evidently leaving the burgers uncooked in the fridge for at least an hour will help them hold together.  I wasn’t able to do that, and also didn’t pack the burgers by hand, so they didn’t hold together too well.  But the taste was excellent and will definitely try again.  Usually vital wheat gluten or soy protein is used to hold burgers together but this recipe uses all Whole Foods. 

Can serve with lettuce, tomato and onions; or cashew ranch dressing, mustard or ketchup.

INGREDIENTS:

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked brown rice

 1 Tbsp OO or 1/4 cup broth

2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning or Harissa

1 beet, peeled and grated

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

Black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2) Pulse the black beans and rice in a food processor until thoroughly combined.  Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

3) Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the oil.  Add the taco seasoning and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4) Add the beet, carrot, and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

5) Add the vinegar, tomato paste, and garlic and cook until the tomato paste has darkened and thickened, about 3 minutes.  If there is moisture left in the pan, use a slotted spoon when transferring the veggies.

6) Remove from the heat and add the salt; season with plenty of pepper.  Add the vegetable mixture to the bean-rice mixture.  Stir or mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. 

7) Using wet hands, scoop a mold the mixture in to 8 patties (or 24 sliders), each about the size of a tennis ball.  Preferably, refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.  Or can freeze them at this point for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.

8) Bake for 30 minutes, then flip and cook for another 10 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes - they’ll hold together better when they’re not straight out of the oven.

They can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.  

Barbecue spiced cauliflower with peaches, nuts and herb dressing

 From WSJ

4 servings

This was a very interesting mix of flavors.  I’ll probably play with the sauce a bit more next time.  I steamed the cauliflower instead of boiling it - why waste the good stuff?

Photos 8/4/24

INGREDIENTS:

2 heads of cauliflower, sliced thru the stem into 1” wedges

6 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1/4 cup BBQ spice rub or smoked paprika

2 Tbsp sugar

Kosher salt

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra to garnish

1 clove garlic

1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

4 ripe, firm peaches, sliced into 1/4 - 1/2” wedges

1 packed cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (I used toasted sliced almonds)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Steam the cauliflower to just shy of al dente, 3-5 minutes.  Drain and toss dry. 

2) Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium high or an oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 6 Tbsp olive oil, spice rub, sugar and a generous pinch of salt.  Grill seasoned florets until caramelized on all sides and soft throughout, 12-15 minutes.  

3) Prep sauce.  Place green onions, parsley, cilantro mint and garlic in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.  Add vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt and pulse a few more times until chunky.

4) Combine peaches and nuts in a medium bowl and toss to combine.  To serve, arrange grilled cauliflower across a serving platter.  Drizzle generously with dressing and top with peach-nut mixture.  Garnish with extra mint if desired.