Monday, November 23, 2009

Lasagna and Brownies...

Let's start out with dessert shall we? These are a little thin just because the pan I used was a bit too big. That just meant bigger portions! yipeee! My favorite brownie recipe comes from Vivacious Vegan with whom I can't find on the internet anymore so below is the recipe. If you prefer your brownies more fudgey than cakey this it it! Then the show stopper on this one is that I swirled in some pumpkin butter! Ohhhhh yaaaaaaahhhh! (you can't tell too much because I was playing safe). I saw this done at Vegan Visitor last year and I finally tried it. I'm going to make a thicker brownie next time and swirl in more pumpkin butter. If you love chocolate(I do) and pumpkin butter give this a try. It's a nice twist for the holidays.

This was the first time in I don't know how long since I've made lasagna. I've been craving it for the last week. I thought I would try something a bit different with it. I made two sauces, a marinara with veggie crumbles and a bechamel sauce(white sauce). I also made half of a tofu ricotta with spinach mixed in. The layers were tofu ricotta, bechamel, marinara and noodles. My husband loved the marinara but could do without the bechamel. I have to agree with him on that. Personally I could do without the veggie crumbles too just cuz it's too "meaty" for me.
Brownie Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soymilk
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi/sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 inch square pan.
Put the oil, maple syrup , soy milk and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula. Don’t overmix.
Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Put the batter in the pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes.
Don't overbake.
Cool before cutting.

6 comments:

  1. Brownies AND Lasagna! Oh what a post! YUM! :)

    Thanks for the well wishes, always!! :)

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  2. i think you just listed two of my favorites: lasagna & brownies! mmmmmm! i do love my brownies more fudgey than cakey - so i'm gonna have to make these gluten-free and enjoy 'em like crazy! love the idea to swirl in a little pumpkin butter awesomeness. so delicious!

    your lasagna looks perfect, and i think you're got me craving some now. ah ha ha! i can see how the crumbles may make it too "meaty", and now i'm wondering if just a white sauce with a lasagna made with pumkin or squash or something would be yummy, too?! oh man - now you've got me thinking!

    dan & i are really enjoying The Kind Life Cookbook, and i think it would make a wonderful gift for a non-vegan. although they may start considering veganism after reading the book. it's not preachy or "in your face" with the veganism, but alicia does get in to why veganism is most glorious and she does explain a little about animal cruelty, how dairy and meat = sadface and bad for the environment, your health, etc. but it's in a really gentle and kind way - not a "PETA" kinda way. i don't know if that makes any sense. :) we love the recipes because they're not overly complicated, don't require a million ingredients that may be hard to get (although there are some "super hero" recipes that call for a few things one might find at their local asian market), and all the recipes we've enjoyed so far have been soooo goooooood!

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  3. I have been craving brownies for approximately 800 years and I have no idea why I haven't gotten around to making them yet! Thanks for this delicious looking recipe.

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  4. Brownies! yumm!
    Debra @ Vegan Family Style
    ps. check out the new giveaway on my blog!

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  5. Ohh, brownies.... Funny how I suddenly have a ferocious craving for chocolate...! ;) Love how chewy and fudgy these look!

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