Walnut and Date Brownie Bites

And the healthy keeps on coming!  Do I have a treat to share with you.  Gluten-free? Check.  Vegan? Check. Five ingredients or less?  Check.  Have people asked for the recipe?  Check.  And this tastes like a brownie? Well, let's just say you will not be disappointed.

There was minor collateral damage to the making of these goodies...but I was able to dodge a microwave fire and only had to deal with the stench from BURNT Walnut and Date Brownie Bites for a day...more about this later.

The mentor recipe named this treat Two Minute Baked Brownie Balls.  I'll admit that the Two Minute lead-in interested me, and I was also attracted to the healthy ingredient profile, especially the absence of white sugar. Though maybe not Public Enemy #1, sugar is scorned as unhealthy.   It encourages inflammation, tooth decay, weight gain, unstable insulin levels, and on and on and on.  There is not much good press on white sugar.  You know this, and I know this.  We do what we can to make small changes in our ingestion of this ingredient, right? I could probably try more...

So how can one bake-off brownies in two minutes?  Using the microwave of course!  I don't know about you, but my use of the microwave is relegated to warming up already cooked food or heating water to boiling.  On occasion, my husband poaches eggs in the microwave and they are spot-on in their taste and texture, but beyond this, our microwave sits idle.  Conclusion?  I should have known better.

Honestly, I did ponder that 1 minute, 40 second bake time.  But I decided to bake off just a couple and save the others for the oven.  What happened was that I set the microwave to bake two brownie bites for 1 minute.  But by about 37 seconds, smoke was rushing (no racing) out of every crevice in the machine.  One of my first thoughts was, "We've selected a new Pope!"  The white smoke was thick and twirling, headed towards the ceiling, and I was sure the smoke detectors were going to wail at any moment...
Opening the microwave and pulling out two sizzling and charred 'stones', I tossed them into the kitchen sink where (luckily) the soaking mixing bowl put an end to the mother load of smoke.  "So that's what molten metal sounds like when it's submerged in water," I thought.  Continuing, I opened the kitchen door and turned on the fan above the range... and smoke alarms were silent (thank you lord).

Having done the dirty work for you, know that I only want you to bake these in the oven.  And you wanna know a secret?  You really do not have to bake them at all.  They can be eaten raw!
Easy peasy just got better :)

Notes

1.  Bake these (ahem...in the oven) or don't bake them at all.  Either way is fine.

2.  I used a silpat mini-cupcake pan to bake these, greasing each spot first with a bit of coconut oil.

3.  I used a scale to weigh out each brownie bite (only the best for you!).  So my yield was 17... well, subtract two due to the untimely death due to frying...

Walnut and Date Brownie Bites
Yield: 17, each weighing 20 grams

1 and 1/2 cup walnuts
12 Medjool dates, seeds removed
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2.  Place all ingredients into food processor and blend until mixture resembles a small, fine, sticky crumb.

3.  Use hands to shape and press the mixture into balls.  Place on baking tray lined with parchment or onto a silpat.  Remember, I used a greased, silicone mini-muffin tray.

4.  Place into the oven and bake for 8 minutes, or decide not to bake.

5.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.

6.  These are best delivered straight to your mouth, but with a bit of restraint, they also look sassy in a mini-muffin paper liner.

7.  These are chocolate-forward, soft, brownie yum-yums.  And you've done all you can to tend to everyone's dietary needs.  Yay!

8.  Hmmm... I am wondering how these would taste covered in chocolate...as in Walnut Date Truffle?

Split Pea Soup with a bit of Chia

What's not to love about a soup that has been around for ages, commanding attention during the winter when there's not enough daylight and the temperature plunges?  Split Pea soup is notorious for its undeniable earthy aroma, its fab color, and the ease with which it can be modified to accommodate many dietary profiles. Because I left out the expected ham hock (ummm...not so very difficult for me), this version is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free!  Wow!  And, with the addition of chia seeds, the fiber content, level of omega 3's and 6's, and low glycemic index work to enhance the nutrition of an already pretty healthy soup.  And I'm willing to wager that those of you who prefer the meat-y version would still give a happy nod of approval of this entrée on a Meatless Monday.

The use of my slow cooker made this recipe hands-off for about 6 hours, and that allowed me to concentrate on dessert (hurray!).  How does a melt-in-your-mouth tray of Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars sound?  Sooo yummy!  But that's for another post.

Notes

1.  Though I used a slow cooker, this recipe could be made in a dutch oven or other large pot with a lid.  Follow the mentor recipe for timing.

2.  It seems that I never have marjoram.  So I used the same amount of oregano.

3.  I added a tablespoon of chia seeds to the soup when it was done (but still in the slow cooker).  After stirring them in, I waited a couple minutes because this is when the magic happens.  The seeds became gel-like since they are able to absorb many times their weight in water.  And the bonus?  This thickened the soup.  Thank you soluble fiber!

4.  I did not process the soup at all.  I liked the textural appeal... thick and chunky!  But feel free to 'whir away' to a delightfully whipped soup if that's your thing.

Split Pea Soup with a bit of Chia

(yield: 6-8 substantial servings)

For the soup:

2 cups dried green split peas, looked over, rinsed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

2 celery ribs with leaves (or not), chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of pepper

6 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon chia seeds

For the garnish:

peppadew slivers

kalamata olive slivers

Directions

1.  Into the slow cooker, place the split peas, onion and carrot pieces, celery, garlic, oregano, basil, cumin, and pepper.  (You may be wondering where the split peas are in the photo above, but they are at the bottom of the pot as I placed them in first.  Look closely at the right and left edges to see them.)

2.  Slowly add the vegetable broth to the pot.

3.  Cover and set the slow cooker on high for 5-6 hours, checking and stirring as needed.

4.  Towards the end, add in the chia seeds and give the soup a stir and few minutes for the seeds to absorb fluid.

5.  Serve adorned with a garnish blend like slivered peppadews and olives and enjoy with some hearty bread.

6.  Bring on the Polar Vortex!

7.  Leftovers should be refrigerated and eaten within a week.