Fake Out Brownies

After mentioning these sneaky brownies elsewhere, I was asked to post the recipe. And I'm glad to do it. This recipe comes from Jessica Seinfeld's book 'Deceptively Delicious.' I can't tell you how much I love this cookbook, and how much inspiration for veggie hiding it has given me.

One thing about these brownies...let them cool before you eat them. The spinach flavor doesn't totally go away till they're cool.

Enjoy!

Gather:
Nonstick cooking spray
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate ( I used chocolate chips)
1/2 cup carrot puree (After peeling and trimming the ends, steam for 10-12 minutes and then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
1/2 cup spinach puree (Steam for 30 to seconds, then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread (I used butter)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites 3/4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame (or do it in the microwave, just watch it closely). In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

133 calories per brownie, 3 grams fiber

Five Layer Mexican Dip

This week I'm hosting over at Craving Ellie in My Belly - and I chose Ellie Krieger's Five Layer Mexican dip (link to original recipe here). Just a side note, I'm not sure how this is FIVE layers...I counted three. Maybe four, if cheese is a layer. Anyhow...

I wanted to make something snack-y, because the biggest snack day all year is coming up - SUPER BOWL!

Did you know the Super Bowl is the highest chip consumption day of the year? True story. So, it makes sense to make something healthy to dip those chips into. I mean, I love onion dip as much as the next person, but my love handles tell another story...

So, how does this stack up to other dips? I loved it! I tried to feed it to the G-Rex, but being two years old, it was a little spicy for his palate.

And, it's very pretty. I love pretty food. I threw a little extra cilantro on top to make it pop. Sorry to all the cilantro haters out there (p.s. what is WRONG with you?).

I made very few modifications to the original recipe. I left out the jalapeno (Thank God. I had no idea how HOT chipotles in adobo are. Holy heat, Batman).

I did find the dip to be a little watery after being in the fridge for a while - SO - either serve it immediately, or omit the extra water the black bean portion of the dip calls for. And drain the black beans really, REALLY well. I'd probably even pat them down on a paper towel.

Without further ado, I bring you:

Five Layer Mexican Dip (courtesy of Ellie Krieger and foodnetwork.com)

Gather:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups corn kernels (10-ounce box frozen corn)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

How to:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese. Serve with baked chips.

Per Serving:

Calories 140; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 0.7 g) ; Protein 5g; Carb 16 g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 6mg; Sodium 245 mg

Green Curry Chicken Soup

This soup - well, it's awesome. Warm and exotic - and did I mention low calorie? YES. It's a win - win, baby.

If you want the recipe, I've posted it over here today... you should totally go check it out!

Not Fried Zuchinni Fries

Does anybody else have zucchini coming out of their ears?

I guess it's that time of year. I hate to let it go to waste, but if I bake and eat another loaf of chocolate zucchini bread...well, let's just say it won't be good.

I remember a long time ago I used to get fried zucchini at Red Robin. They were basically like tempura spears of zucchini served with marinara. YUM.

But, I don't deep fry - for two reasons - I don't like my house smelling like a fast food joint and, though delicious, deep fried foods aren't good for you... I know. No one ever told me that either. HA HA.

I found a couple of baked zucchini fry recipes and tinkered around. I decided to make mine in rounds, rather than spears.

Why? Cause I'm lazy, that's why.

Gather:

2 zucchini
1 egg white
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
jarred marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut 2 zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds. Whisk egg white in a small bowl, and add 1⁄4 cup milk. Combine 1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1⁄2 cup breadcrumbs and the herbs in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, and then roll in breadcrumb mixture. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and place zucchini on sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara for dipping. Makes about 32 fries.