Gluten-Free Brownies

My blogging friend SnoWhite posted this recipe on her blog awhile back. I finally got to make them this week! They are so yummy and no one would ever guess that they have no flour in them. There is one special ingredient...Jacob tried to guess, but couldn't get it right...

Black beans!!

I know it sounds weird, but don't write it off til you try them!

Gluten-Free Brownies

1 can (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 T olive oil (I used vegetable oil because I was out of olive oil)
1/4 C cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 C chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x8 or 7x11 pan (I used 7x11).
2. In your blender, combine the beans, eggs and oil. Then, puree the mixture. Scrape down the sides several times to make sure everything gets evenly pureed.
3. Add in the cocoa, sugar, baking powder, pinch of salt and vanilla and puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides again to get everything mixed in.
4. Pour the brownie mixture in the pan.
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the brownies.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Hope you enjoy! The brownies will be gooey and have a different (but good!) texture.

Chocolate Fix

Today I have been craving something chocolate...like cookies or brownies. A piece of dark chocolate just would not do! Since I have food allergies and I have to use a special kind of flour (expensive flour I might add), I was hoping to make something that didn't use flour. So I googled "flourless brownies" and I found this recipe. I tweaked it a little to suit my taste and this is what I came up with to satisfy my chocolate craving!

Flourless Chocolate Brownies

• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 cup butter
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds (I used a mixture of almonds, pecans and walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Over low heat in a heavy saucepan melt butter and chocolate together. Take the pan off heat and add the sugar and vanilla. Let the mixture cool a little.

Whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture, then add the ground almonds (I ground up the nuts in my food processor. They were still a little mealy, but you don't want to grind them too much and make butter!)

Turn batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes (I baked mine for 30). The edges and most of the top will have set but it will still be a bit wiggly in the middle when shook. Allow to cool and then cut into 16 pieces and serve. Brownies will be fudgy and gooey.

Super yummy!!

As you can tell, I had a itty bitty taste. I'm waiting til Jacob gets home to have a big one! But I had to try them while they were still warm!

Green Smoothies

I love green smoothies! They give me so much energy! Some people think it's strange to drink spinach, but I promise, these smoothies are not gross! You can't even taste the spinach.

All I do to make them is throw a handful of fresh spinach in the blender with a half cup or so of juice (I like oj best). Blend that up really well then add any kind of frozen fruit and blend again until smooth. You can use fresh fruit instead of frozen, but add a few ice cubes to thicken the smoothie. Here are some of my favorite add-ins:

• frozen banana
• frozen strawberries
• frozen pineapple
• flax seeds
• fresh apple slices
• carrots (add at the beginning with the spinach & juice)
• yogurt
• sliced almonds

Depending on what you add, you can get up to 2-3 servings of fruit/veggies in this smoothie! Can't beat that!

I wanted to share some pictures from today too. Kaitlyn has been here all day and my little brother, Joshua came over this afternoon. They had fun playing together!

Yummy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This casserole is a big hit in our family and at church dinners! I've changed the original recipe a good bit to suit our tastes. I love that this recipe doesn't use cream soups (a rare find when it comes to casseroles!), so it's gluten free!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth (I use gluten-free)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 can Rotel (tomatoes & chilies), slightly drained
1-1/4 cups raw long grain rice
1 tsp each Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, paprika, & garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high. Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and place in baking dish. Note: the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add onions to baking dish.

Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

Add chicken stock, milk, sour cream and salt to sauté pan. Whisk together over low heat until blended. Add the raw rice and rotel to the casserole dish, then carefully pour the sauce mixture over top. Add the seasonings to the dish. Stir the mixture so that everything is evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45-50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before removing foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.

Approx 6 servings (the leftovers taste great too!)

Check out other great gluten-free dinner recipes here.