Bestest Brownies Evah

I came across this brownies recipe and just *had* to try it: brownies made with sweet potatoes?!?!? Whhaaaaaa?? Yeah, I had great doubts too, but these puppies will seriously surprise you (and get you instantly addicted, yep).

As usual (can't help it), I modified the original recipe a bit because:

1. I ran out of olive oil;
2. I prefer cooking with maple syrup rather than honey;

Ingredients

• 1 medium raw sweet potato, peeled and grated (using the larger holes of the grater) - approx 2½ cups of shredded sweet potato (FYI: the purple peel ones are sweeter)
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tsp REAL vanilla extract (not the fake stuff, ew)
• ¾ cup of maple syrup
• ½ cup of coconut oil (melted in a bowl over hot/boiling water, avoid the microwave)
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 generous tbsp coconut flour (because there's more moisture in my version, the recipe can handle a bit more but don't over do it, this stuff sucks up lots of the moisture)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
2. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Combine grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and melted coconut oil in a large mixing bowl and stir together until well incorporated. 
4. Add dry ingredients into the wet mix until blended (ie don't over mix).
5. Pour the mixture into a baking tray (preferably 8x8 or 9x9 inches) either greased with a little coconut oil or lined with parchment paper (my personal fav non-stick choice).
6. Cook for 35 minutes. Check middle with a toothpick and cook a little more if need be. 
7. Fend off family members and neighbors attracted by the scrumptious smell emanating from your kitchen.
8. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing the brownie cake form the tin. Let it cool down before cutting into desired size.
9. Try not to eat it all within 24 hours...

As an extra, you could melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and drizzle/spread it over the top. You could also top them with fruit (raspberries, strawberries, mango, blueberries... anything really). Or you could even top them with store bought "gluten-free" icing (it may contain no gluten but the sugar/fat levels are waaaaayyyy up there). Personally, I prefer them as is.  <:)

raw chocolate Easter... yetis??

I grabbed this super simple recipe from the Earth Diet a while back, finally got around to making it with the kids during Easter weekend.

You're supposed to roll this goop into balls but that's just boring and they end up looking like deer or rabbit droppings, which brings a new spin on "look what the Easter bunny left behind!", héhéhé. Why not mold them into fun shapes instead? This year, Ester and April Fools happen at the same time, so I was originally going to make Easter fish but opted instead for the abominable icemen. Oh yeah!

We had to add a little more maple syrup to the recipe, and a bit of coconut oil (instead of cacao butter, had none) to help with the molding. We put them in the freezer for a couple hours, removed them from the molds and voilà! Raw Easter chocolate Yetis!

Much better looking than the deer/rabbit droppings!    ;)

To make 'em "hairy", dip them in maple syrup, then roll them around in coconut. Raw, healthy and fun to make/eat.

Spring in my kitchen

I've had it with winter. Not quite sure why this year more than others but it's gotta end. Snow, cold, slush, boots, mittens, giant winter coats and nasty static cling, enough! In a futile act of defiance, I started wearing tank tops... in February. Pfff, what was I thinking?

By early March, my need to play in the dirt got too intense, there was no way I was going to hold off 'til late april, no way. So I started re-potting all the plants in the house. When I went to the store for supplies (ie dirt, and lots of it), I found these great little "plant and grow" narcissus kits (what can I say, I'm a sucker for liquidation sales). It was perfect! I wouldn't have to wait for the crocus and tulips to show, I'd bring spring inside! And it'd be a fun project with the kids, too.

We set it up on the sunniest windowsill (kitchen) and within days (two, tops), it was already poking its first shoot trough the dirt. We were all quite impressed at how fast it grew, at least a few inches per day. I sat next to it for a while at lunch once and I'm sure i saw it grow a bit, honest. And then, the moment we were all waiting for: it bloomed... Oh. My. God. THE STENCH!! I walked into the kitchen and though the cat had peed on the floor, or the rats had escaped their cage and used the kitchen as a giant litter. It was beyond gross.

As I moved around, sniffing the air, searching for the source, I finally realized the horrible sinus raking stench was coming from the freshly bloomed narcissus. Aw man! But wait, get this: it's not the kind with just one flower at the end of the shoot, oh no no no! It's a pod full of small ones, and there are 4 such shoots, so far. If this one tiny bloom is stinking up the entire kitchen, what's it going to be like when its 12 other pod-lings bloom too?!?!? Wrong, just plain wrong. People grow these things indoors on PURPOSE?! Really!?!? Have they no sense of smell?! Fuck this, bring back winter. Indoor spring at the yellow house has officially been cancelled due to unforeseen stinkage. *sigh*