Brownie Bites - Pseudo Cupcakes/Muffins

I know... the title is confusing... I still don't know what to call these, so just make it, try it and call it what you will.

This is a recipe with no butter, eggs, sugar or flour. Not many will like it, but if you try to cook healthy, you'll love this. Fair warning! :)

This recipe makes 12 bites/cupcakes/muffins

Ingredients:

Rolled Oats - 1 3/4 cup - Don't use steel cut oats, it doesn't work
Egg Whites - 3 or 1/4 cup if using the liquid variety
Unsweetened Cocoa - 3/4 cup - I used the dark variety, feel free to use the regular kind
Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp - if you feel adventurous, try adding Kahlua Vanilla instead
Plain Greek Yogurt (Fat Free) - 1/2 cup - you can also use Fat Free or Low Fat Plain Yogurt instead
Vinegar - 1.5 Tbsp - (optional)
Baking Powder and Baking Soda - 1.5 Tsp (Optional)
Salt - a pinch - 1/4 tsp
Hot Water - 1 cup
Stevia - 6 Tbsp
Semi- Sweet Chocolate Chips, Sliced Almonds, Peanut Butter Chips - optional
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Finely Ground Espresso Powder - 1-2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
3. In the food processor, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips, sliced almonds and peanut butter chips
4. Blend until you get a smooth mixture
5. Pour mixture into muffin pans/cupcake liners. If you are using baking soda, powder and vinegar, only fill about 3/4 of the liners/pans. If you are not using these ingredients, you can fill up to the top
6. Place the muffin pan on the top rack for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove, add chocolate chips, sliced almonds or any other topping that you want and return the pan to the oven (optional). Bake for an additional 5- 10 minutes
7. Check for texture and see if they are done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, they're done. 
8. Shut off oven, take the pan out and let it cool on the cooling rack.

CAUTION: Do not try to take the muffins out right after you take them out from the oven - they will disintegrate. 

NOTE: I have made this recipe with and without the baking soda/powder and vinegar and to be honest, I liked it without these ingredients. If you are a chocolate fan, the espresso powder will bring out the chocolate flavor in this recipe. 

Once the muffins have cooled down, you can follow these additional steps to convert them to cupcakes 

1. Heat some bittersweet chocolate in the microwave oven in an oven safe dish for about 1-2 minutes. 
2. Add nuts, chocolate chips or anything else you want in the frosting and mix well. Use a butter knife to spread the topping on the muffin/cupcake. 

Here is how it looked - I didn't do the topping/frosting. Kept it simple. Chewy muffins, ready to be gobbled up!

Pasta with Tomato/Red Wine Sauce

I've been meaning to use wine in cooking for a while now, but never got around to it. But, a recent post by someone I know inspired me to finally do it... This recipe is actually my husband's creation, he is a budding chef himself :)

Ingredients:
Carrots - sliced into 1 inch rounds
Tomatoes - 3 or 4, diced
Basil flavored Olive Oil
Onions - 1/4
Spring Onions - 2 stalks
Garlic - minced
Oregano
Bordeaux Red Wine - 6 oz
Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. 
2. Heat a pan and add the basil flavored olive oil
3. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions and garlic and saute until onions have carmelized
4. Add carrots and spread them across the pan. Cover and sweat.
5. Add 1 oz of red wine to the pan and cover the pan once more
6. After about 3-5 minutes, once carrots are tender, add chopped tomato to the pan. Add 1/2 of the remaining red wine and cover the pan. 
7. Once the sauce starts to simmer, add the rest of the wine and continue to cook the sauce in the covered pan until the wine evaporates and the sauce thickens.
8. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, toss and make sure it is evenly coated. 

Yummy pasta with red wine sauce is ready to serve!

It's not a great picture, but here's what it looked like - tasted great!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I've tried this recipe a couple of times now and each time, I love the twist the corn gives to this classic  winter recipe. It's healthy, low fat and yummy!

Ingredients:
Butternut squash, cubed - 6 cups
Roasted corn - 2 cups
Spring Onions - 4 stalks, diced
Garlic - 2 cloves
Salt, pepper - to taste
Olive oil - per preference
Spices - cumin, coriander powders - to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the butternut squash evenly. Sprinkle salt and lace with olive oil. Sprinkle the diced spring onions evenly. 
3. Wrap the cloves of garlic in aluminum foil and place in a corner of the cookie sheet. 
4. Roast the squash, garlic and onions for about 30-45 minutes until the squash is tender.
5. If you have regular corn, roast it on stovetop while the squash is in the oven. An alternative is to buy frozen roasted corn and just defrosting it so its ready to be added to the squash later.
6. Once the squash is taken out of the oven, let it cool. Allow the garlic to cool and mince. 
7. In batches, add the squash, onions, garlic and corn to the blender until smooth consistency is achieved. 
8. You can now return the mixture to the pan on stovetop and add your spices or just have the soup as is. 
9. Another optional step is to bake croutons and add to top of soup before serving. 

Yummy, creamless soup that's perfect for a cold fall/winter night.