Brownies!

So, I've been baking lots of brownies.  I was so gung-ho about my brownie challenge, but the weekend I'd planned to bake cakey brownies turned into something other than a bake-fest.  I hadn't been feeling so great, so I decided to cut out wheat, sugar, and cow's dairy for a bit.  (Its hard to recipe test when you can't try anything!)  So, I postponed the cakey brownies until I was feeling better.  I assisted the chef at a food and wine event retreat at Good Commons in Vermont over the last weekend in April, and I used that as a starting point for learning to eat without.  I've never been a huge sugar or wheat person, but lately I've found them creeping increasingly into my life.  One of the difficulties of working around a constant supply of snacks is paying attention to when I'm really hungry and feeding myself with nourishing foods instead of what is already in front of me. 

Long story short, I made those cakey brownies from a basic Food Network recipe when I was feeling better.  I hated them!  The recipe called for so many eggs.  I felt like the method was all wrong too...I almost made scrambled chocolate eggs.  They were definitely moist and cakey, but they also lacked a rich chocolate flavor.  They're not even picture worthy, so instead I'm sharing this:

Since I've changed my diet a bit, I've decided that my next and final brownie post will be about finding the perfect brownie recipe for the way I'm eating now, which is mostly gluten-free and using sweeteners like maple syrup instead of evaporated cane juice.

Next weekend I'll be heading back up to Good Commons to be the guest chef for a meditation retreat.  On the menu is Peter Berley's vegan chocolate chip brownie (from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen) served with homemade vegan mint ice cream, which is in the running for the winning recipe, but I need to test it again to know for sure.  (You can never recipe test too many brownies, right?)

Until then, happy baking!