Oreo Chocolate Brownies

These are delicious. I still had about half a box of pumpkin oreos left after I made my mini-cakes the other day, and was trying to think of a creative way to use both them and the millions of chocolate chips that happened to be in my pantry. These seemed to be the simplest solution-a simple but delicious and moist brownie with lots and lots of crumbled oreo and chocolate baked right in. These might be good with nuts too, or any other cookies you have. The chunkier the better with these.

Oreo Chocolate Brownies:

•1 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

•1/2 cup cocoa powder

•3/4 cup sugar

•3/4 cup canola oil

•3/4 non-dairy milk

•2 tsp vanilla

•1/2 tsp almond extract

•1 tsp baking powder

•1/2 tsp salt

•Lots of chocolate chips

•Lots of crushed or cut up oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the sides of a 9-in square baking pan.

Mix flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In another bowl, combine the oil, sugar, extracts, milk, and cocoa powder. If mixture is too dry, add a bit of water. It should resemble pancake batter.

Fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the cookies and chocolate-as much as the batter can hold! Pour into pan and bake 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean-don't overcook!

These store best in a sealed container in a refrigerator- the cooler temp helped to hold everything together. Enjoy!!

Tomato Basil Pilaf with Roasted Peppers and Balsamic Reduction

This looks much fancier than it is, I promise. But it tastes absolutely amazing! Balsamic reduction is ridiculously easy to make and adds an instant touch of class. I don't know if it's the oil or what, but the rice ends up tasting mysteriously creamy and rich, almost like a risotto. This recipe should make a enough for two.

Tomato Basil Pilaf with Roasted Peppers and Balsamic Reduction:

•1 cup cooked brown basmati rice

•1/2 red onion, sliced

•1 medium tomato, diced

•Small bunch basil, finely chopped

•3 tbsp olive oil

•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

•1/2 cup red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)

•1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

•Salt to taste

•1 red and one yellow bell pepper

•2 tbsp olive oil

•Pinch of salt

•1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

To begin, roast each of the peppers over an open flame such as a gas stove until they are blackened. Then, peel off the outer layer and cut the remaining pepper into slices. Put each slice on a baking tray and coat with about two tbsp of olive oil and a bit of salt. Put in a preheated 350 degree oven and let cook while you make the rice, about 10-15 minutes.

Sauté the garlic with 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Mix in the tomato and basil and cook about two minutes. Add the rice, vinegar, wine, the rest of the oil, and the salt. Mix together, and let the mixture cook over medium heat for another minute or two.

To make the reduction, simply put the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat and let cook until it becomes thick, about 5 minutes.

Put the pepper slices on plates, and add the pilaf. Drizzle over with the balsamic reduction and enjoy!

Pumpkin Everything Mini-Cakes

Nothing says "fall" like cooking with pumpkin. I was overwhelmed by all the pumpkin and halloween-themed items at the store, and I figured I'd pick up a few that looked good and see what happened. These are very thick, almost like a muffin, and have a pumpkin oreo baked right inside (normal oreos should do  the trick if you can't find any). They are pretty easy and a lot of fun to make, making them a great autumn treat! Also, surprise! There's no sugar in the dough, which means they're healthy, right?

Pumpkin Everything Mini-Cakes:

•2 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat, but all-purpose will work)

•1/2 cup vegetable oil

•1/2 maple syrup

•1 can pumpkin pie filling

•1 tsp. vanilla

•1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

•1/2 tsp baking powder

•1/2 tsp baking soda

•1/2 tsp salt

•1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

•One pumpkin oreo for each cake, plus crushed ones for tops (can find at Trader Joe's)

•1/2 cup pumpkin butter

•Rice whip or vegan frosting equivalent

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Set aside

Combine oil, syrup, and vanilla in another bowl and mix well. Add flour mixture and combine, then stir in the pumpkin. Mix in chocolate chips.

Mixture should be thick and cakey. Put a spoonful of the mixture in each section of a cupcake pan, then put an oreo on the top of each spoonful and press down. The pan should look something like this:

Then put enough dough in each section to completely cover the oreo. They will rise a bit, but not as much as a normal cupcake, so fill them to about the top. Spoon a bit of pumpkin butter onto the tops of each cake, then bake about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. When they come out they should look like this!

Let them cool and then cover with whip cream, frosting, crushed oreos, or whatever else you want and then serve right away!

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Olives

Sometimes, you just need some bruschetta. This is a great one to make if you have an excess of tomatoes-it makes for a satisfying lunch or an amazing appetizer. This recipe will make about 5-6 pieces, but is easily doubled-or tripled! The olives add a little extra flavor and I love them, but you can leave them out if olives aren't your thing.

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Olives:

•3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped

•7-10 leaves fresh basil

•2 tbsp. olive oil

•2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

•Salt to taste

•1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced

•5-6 thick pieces baguette or similar bread and olive oil to coat

Lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil and put in a preheated 350 degree oven until lightly toasted.

Mix together tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Put bread on a plate and top with the bruschetta mixture and olives. Serve immediately.

Almond Oat Strawberry Bars

These bars are a lot of fun because there's really an endless opportunity to be creative. They also don't have any sugar or flour! They make for a great and filling breakfast or snack on the go. The following is a recipe that I use, but feel free to add any of your favorite nuts, fruits, jams etc. Whatever you have around or think would be good should work!

Almond Oat Strawberry Bars:

•1 cup almonds, ground

•2 cups oats, ground

•1/2 cup walnuts, ground

•1/2 cup shredded coconut

•1 tsp. cinnamon

•1/2 cup applesauce

•1/4 cup maple syrup

•1 cup jam (I used strawberry, but go crazy!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by grinding up all your nuts/oats and mixing them in a bowl. I used a coffee bean grinder to do this, but a food processor would probably work better. Add coconut and cinnamon. Add applesauce and maple syrup and mix well. You may need to add a bit of water or a bit more oat flour if your mixture is a bit too wet or dry. It should resemble thick cookie dough.

Once you have a nice mixture, spread about 3/4 of it on the bottom of a pan. I use a bread loaf pan for this recipe, but you could use half a cake pan if you don't have a loaf pan on hand. The dough stays in place without spreading out during the baking. Spread the jam on top of this layer, and then cover that with the remaining dough. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Whole Wheat Penne with Fresh Pesto and Grilled Broccolini

The only kind of basil they sell at Trader Joe's comes in a huge box, so I had a lot of leftovers after making bruschetta the other day. My friend gave me a great idea to use up the rest of the basil: make a pesto! This is a great idea for a simple but delicious meal that can be made quickly. The broccolini and onions give it a classy touch.

For the Pesto:

•One large bunch basil

•1 cup pine nuts, ground

•One Tbsp. olive oil

•About 1 tbsp. lemon juice, to taste

•Pinch of salt

For the Vegetables:

•One bunch broccolini (regular broccoli works too, cut into smaller pieces)

•Half a red onion

•Olive oil and salt as needed

For the Pasta:

•Enough whole-wheat penne for two

Boil water and add pasta. 

Chop the basil into fine pieces-a food processor would work well, but I don't have one so I used a large knife instead, which worked fine and gave it a nice texture. Toss in the ground pine nuts and beat into the basil throughly with a fork. Once combined, add the oil, lemon, and salt. Taste and adjust the last three ingredients according to preference.

Cut the broccolini and onion and grill together with oil and salt in a skillet over high heat until broccolini is lightly browned and the onions become a bit transparent. 

When the pasta is done, strain out the water and mix well with the pesto. Put onto plates and add the vegetables on top. Enjoy!