Applesauce brownies and an easy bean salad

Today I felt like making brownies but I didn't want anything with oil in it. Luckily, applesauce can stand in for oil and does a pretty good job.

Applesauce Brownies
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar-like substance)
3/4 cup flour (I used 1/4 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix applesauce and sugar together, then add the rest of the ingredients. Spread into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. I made mine into brownie cupcakes and they didn't take as long. Unfortunately, I didn't divvy up the batter well enough and they are all different sizes, so I didn't take any pictures of their ugly little selves. They taste good, though.


I also wanted to make some sort of salad with the black beans I had in the cupboard because I am tired of having peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. This is really easy:

Easy Bean Salad
1 can black beans (rinse them to cut out some of the sodium)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 diced carrot
1/2 cup total of any veggies you like (I did peas, corn, onion, green beans, and chopped broccoli)

Toss them all in a bowl and put them in the fridge, it doesn't even need any dressing, but you can use some if you like. This would be good on some whole wheat pita I think.

On another note, I finally found a pair of jeans that fit me. I have been searching forever. I have lost about 20 pounds since I graduated a few years ago and haven't found any new jeans since then, so all my clothes are too big and a lot of stores don't sell small enough sizes. So thank you store at the Hollywood Highland Center
whose name I already forget.

Cardamom Biscotti and more

Here are some cardamom biscotti I made tonight. They are fat free and I thought they were really good, especially considering I had never made biscotti before. They had the right amount of sweetness, too, unlike the last thing I made.

Cardamom Biscotti
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together egg replacer and water, then mix in dry ingredients. Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. You will probably need to add more water to get it to dough consistency. Shape dough into two loaves 1" high on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let loaves cool for 5 or 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2" slices. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip cookies over and bake for another 10.



In the mail today, I got the Softies book I ordered. It's a book that has patterns for 25 cute little plush creatures. I have always liked crafts but I'm not much of a sewer. Many of the projects look good for beginners. I can't wait to make one of the little guys.


Check out the book here and the blog dedicated to them here.

Chai Muffins

So here is my first recipe post. Unfortunately, what I made didn't come out perfectly, but that's okay. I will try again later. The recipe is for a Chai Muffins, which is an adaptation of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen's Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake.

Chai Muffins
1 cup strong chai tea
1/3 cup quick oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free)

Mix all dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Spoon into 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

The thing that might need changing about these is the sweetener (maple syrup). You might need more than what I listed. When I made them, I only used about a tablespoon of sweetener (for some reason) and they aren't really sweet at all. Sugar or honey would work fine, too.

Made with sugar free syrup these muffins are only about 75 calories each.