Super Fudge Brownies

Who doesn’t love a warm gooey brownie?  I found this super easy and equally crave-busting brownie recipe from Silvana Nardone from Cooking for Isaiah.  It has become a staple dessert in our house. 

Ingredients

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup gf flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, oil and until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs.  Whisk in the chocolate mixture.  Fold in the flour and salt just until combined. Transfer into a greased 8-inch pan and spread to the edges.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until the edges pull from the pan and the brownie is set. 

Let cool in the pan set on a wire rack.

Zucchini Cakes

This is another fabulous way to use up all my zucchini from the garden. The recipe is really easy to make. It works well as a side dish or as a main course, depending on what else you serve it with. I think adding a dash of Tabasco or cayenne pepper to the recipe would be a great way to spice it up. I found it in an Eating Well Magazine a few years ago and adapted it from there.

Ingredients

1 large egg
2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 ground pepper
2 cups shredded zucchini (or summer squash)
1/2 cup Parma! Vegan Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in shallots, parsley, salt, and pepper. Place shredded zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel; gather up the ends and twist to squeeze out any liquid. (make sure to get it very dry or the cakes won't stick together) Add the zucchini and cheese to the bowl; stir to combine.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Pack 1/3 measuring cup with the mixture and squeeze out any extra liquid. Unmold the cup into the pan and gently pat it down to form a 3 inch cake. Repeat making 4 cakes.

Cook until brown and crispy about 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Bread

Every time I make this someone asks for the recipe, so here it is. The bread is sweet, moist, and delicious. The zucchini part even makes you feel a bit healthy. I make it every summer to use up the extra zucchini in my garden and freeze the loaves. The recipe came from my mom and I adapted it to make it gluten and dairy free.

Ingredients

3 cups GF flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup oil
3 cups grated zucchini (not peeled)
1-2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. Beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla and oil to eggs and mix well. Stir in grated zucchini. Add dry ingredients and blend. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into 2 greased bread loaf pans. Bake for an hour.

Avocado Tomato Brushetta

This brushetta is great for the gluten free because instead of serving it on toasts, you serve it on potatoes! Plus in the summer you can use all the fresh foods from the farmers markets or your garden.

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes, diced
3 medium avocados, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, diced or pressed
3 bunches of basil, sliced into chiffonades
3 jalapenos, finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

4 or 5 large potatoes, sliced into coins ~ 1/4 inch thick
olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients above besides the potatoes. Set aside. You can refrigerate for a few hours if you want to make it ahead of time.

In a bowl, toss the sliced potatoes in a little olive oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and placed sliced potatoes on the sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Place the potatoes on a serving tray and top them with the brushetta.