hello all! i'm sorry i haven't been updating often at all still.. i'm in the process of: switching jobs and finishing my degree. so, as of right now i have four jobs and a full course. luckily i only have three final exams, but that means three 5000 word papers as well.. anyways, last night i had a craving for brownies, and this is the recipe i came up with. availability of ingredients will definitely depend upon location..
ashley's vegan dark chocolate brownies
1 full (almost) bar 90% cocoa dark chocolate (my lindt bar was missing three squares, it was perfect)
1/2 bar camino coconut dark chocolate
1 small tub coconut spread
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
4 flax eggs**
2 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp espresso
1/4 cup unsweeted shredded coconut + topping (optional)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
**4 flax eggs: add 12 tbsp water to 4 tbsp ground flax seeds, stir, and allow to sit while you prepare your other ingredients
preheat oven to 350 F. grease a 9 x 11 baking pan - you may line with foil if you find necessary, mine didn't stick too bad and i didn't use foil.
place the chocolate and coconut spread into a glass bowl (or double boiler) above simmering water - make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. stir until both are completely melted and remove the bowl from the pot. let this sit for a few minutes.
in a small to medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
in another medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flax eggs, vanilla and espresso. pour the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture. whisk until completely incorporated. add the flour mixture all at once, and mix to incorporate. add the shredded coconut and almonds (optional).
pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. at this stage, turn your broiler on, and cover the brownies with coconut - you want this coconut to be a light to medium brown. be very careful not to burn. take out, allow to cool, and enjoy.
my favourite part of this recipe is its versatility - you can virtually flavour these chocolate brownies with anything. earlier this month, i made these with mint dark chocolate - they were to die for!
again, i'm sorry for not keeping you updated, but i did make a delicious batch of stuffed peppers last night, which i'll share tomorrow :)
take care, animal-friendly followers,
xx ashley
i believe that "staples" are necessary in every kitchen - in a vegan kitchen, they can help to add variety and make preparation a less daunting task. in my kitchen, i would say that i have about five necessary staples (outside of the usual flour, peanut butter (all natural), raw sugar, etc). i thought i would share my list with you..
1. dried fruit: i was never a fan of dried fruit until i adopted veganism. now, i always make sure to have plenty of raisins, prunes, dried cranberries and dried mangoes. these can be added to breakfast, or just eaten as a nutritious, energy-rich snack.
2. oats: as i stated in an earlier post, i love breakfast. oatmeal is my favourite breakfast food, because it curbs my hunger throughout the day. i generally just keep quick oats on hand, that way i can use them for a batch of cookies, or to make a quick bowl of oatmeal.
3. canned beans and nuts: because most dietary protein is absorbed from consumption of meat and eggs, it is necessary for vegans to have alternative sources of protein. the most effective form i have found is in canned beans - usually i just buy a three-bean medley to maintain a bit of variety. additionally, i always make sure to have a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans that can be quickly turned into a salad or burger. additionally, i keep a variety of nuts on hand - pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews - in order to fulfill my daily protein needs.
4. vegetables and fruit: this seems a given. my outlook with regard to fruit and vegetables is to maintain two fridge drawers full at all times. this allows me the variety necessary to satisfy my hunger, but does not lead to rotten, wasted food. my favourite vegetables include broccoli, asparagus, kale, spinach, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. my favourite fruits include apples, bananas, grapes, watermelon and honeydew. although nowadays i'm sure frozen fruit and vegetables are equivalent to fresh, i tend to peruse the fresh section much more often - i am usually hurried when cooking; therefore, i often prefer to start with (close to) room temperature ingredients.
5. spices: this is another given. because (when starting out) there is often less variety in vegan cooking, spices tend to make a world of difference. for example, sometimes i will make hashbrowns two ways: first, i will make a traditional hashbrown with roaster-type spices (dill, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.). then, i'll make hashbrowns again the next day, but this time i will take a spicy approach (cayenne, chili powder, chili flakes, etc.). by having a variety of spices, you can really increase your dish quota tenfold.
i realize that some of these staples seem obvious - this is usually the case with staples. for example, having a kitchen without flour would seem odd, but many people tend not to cook from scratch anymore - this leaves flour virtually unnecessary. therefore, i have included some obvious ingredients within my staples because nowadays you just never know...
what are your kitchen staples?
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
