Quinoa Brownies

Gluten Free Quinoa Brownies

A friend of mine gave me this very interesting looking recipe (thanks Steph). She got it from a friend of hers so I'm not exactly sure where it originated. It's genius really. No flour, starch or meal of any kind. Just cooked quinoa! It seems too easy, I know, but it tastes soooo good and it gets health points for using whole grains with plenty of fibre and protein (we can ignore the 6 Tbsp of butter for now). I am wondering how the same recipe would work if I used brown rice in place of quinoa. It would definitely be cheaper. I'll give it a try and report back.
(Reporting Back: not as great as I had hoped. The brown rice didn't blend as well so there were obvious chunks of rice in it. still tasted great, but the texture was off)

quinoa in blender

I did so much baking before Christmas that I was kind of getting sick of it. Now that most of the residual Christmas treats have been gobbled up, I'm starting to get back into experimental baking. I have decided that working (part time as an educational assistant) is just not worth the chest pain and exhaustion for now, so I am going to look for something I can do from home. So far, no luck.
When I do have some energy, I will use it too cook, clean and bake! (my husband doesn't complain)

I'm also trying to make my food a bit healthier (it is January, after all)... stuff like sneaking quinoa into a brownie, tossing ground flax in my muffins, making oatmeal cookies, and adding a little less sugar (I really can't afford the fancy agave syrup that healthier individuals might substitute). It's kind of a relief after the butter laced shortbread and fudgy, sweet indulgences of the holidays. You can only keep that up for so long!

So for us, it's lots of veggies, whole grains, and quinoa brownies!

(makes one square 8x8 baking pan)
Ingredients

1 cup Cooked Quinoa
3-5 Tbsp Milk (start with 3 but add more if the mixture is too thick for the blender. I used 5)
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
6 Tbsp Melted Butter or Margarine (or canola oil)
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions

Line an 8x8 square baking dish with wax paper (or just grease the dish).
Blend cooked quinoa, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
In a bowl, mix sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add dry mixture to the blender and blend until well mixed. (add the extra milk here if needed)
Scrape batter into prepared dish.
Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool. Cut into 9 pieces.
Top with icing, melted chocolate or whipped cream. Or just eat as is!

put wet ingredients in a blender

blend until smooth and creamy

mix dry ingredients separately and add to blender

blend well (add more milk if too thick)

pour into prepared pan

bake at 350 for 35-45 mins

cool, cut and serve

I think these could make some pretty sweet cupcakes too. They have a cake-like texture. I'll put that on my mental "to try" list along with these delicious looking oreo cookies from Gluten Free Gobsmacked!
http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/gluten-free-homemade-oreos/

Chewy Brownies

I love pretty much anything chocolate. When I make a pan of these delicious brownies, I have to freeze them right away to keep myself from nibbling on them everytime I pass through the kitchen.  I have served these brownies to guests many times and they can't even tell they're gluten free.

My mom had this old brownie recipe she had cut from a newpaper or magazine when I was young. It was always our go to recipe for brownies, so when I found out I had celiac, we had to find a way to make an equally delicious gluten free version. The recipe only contains 1/2 cup flour, making it a little more forgiving than some of our other recipe alterations. We added an extra egg and 1/2 tsp baking powder (the original recipe had 2 eggs and no bp) and some kind of GF flour blend. I soon realized that you can use any flour blend for this recipe, but I find that a simple rice and tapioca flour blend (1/4 cup each) works great (and keeps things cheaper).

I like to sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the brownies just after they come out of the oven. They will melt after a few minutes and you can spread the chocolate around with a knife to make a great icing. In this batch I chopped up some mini oh henry bars and mixed them into the batter before baking. You can do the same with any chocolate bar or chopped nuts if you like. These brownies are dark, fudgey and chewy... you won't be dissappointed! 

(makes 1 square baking pan)

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup GF Flour Blend (I use half tapioca flour and half rice flour)

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 cup Oil

3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Nuts or chopped chocolate bar (optional)
1/3-1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (for icing - optional)

chopped oh henry bars

Directions

Stir together sugar, cocoa powder, flour and baking powder.
Beat in oil, eggs and vanilla.
Stir in nuts if using.
Spread into greased square baking pan and bake at 350 F for approximately 30-40 minutes. It will be done when the middle is set (doesn't jiggle at all when touched).

before baking

after baking

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Wait until melted completely (5 mins or so) and spread with a knife like icing over the brownies (optional).

Let cool a bit more and cut into pieces and serve with ice cream.
Wrap in plastic and freeze leftovers individually. To reheat, remove plastic, place on a plate, and microwave.