My Tuesday Twister posts are my weekly round-up of what’s going on in my kitchen and our lives, as it pertains to GNOWFGLINS. We try as much as possible to make use of “God’s natural, organic, whole foods, grown locally and in season.” So here we go – I’ll catch you up on what’s twisting in my kitchen this week!
To participate in the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, visit this post. See you there!
Let’s see … what did I do this week?
Well, I’ve been fairly busy with the eCourse and am really happy with the response so far. I’m humbled by everyone’s trust, and excited to work with everyone who has signed up. You still have until Monday, February 22 to sign up. This Friday, I’ll be releasing a video from inside the eCourse.
Here are the cooking things I did.
- Sprouted Grain Sourdough Bread – I used entirely sprouted grain for my sourdough bread. I even fed the starter with it (partially). Jeff loved the bread; so did we all. I used a no-knead recipe, but I thought it was a bit doughy on the inside. I’ll try using sprouted spelt flour again soon – but this time, with my kneaded recipe.
- Peanut Butter Cups – More of these! Jeff specifically asked for them, so I had to make them. I think they would make a good Valentine’s Day treat, too. I’d like to get some little candy molds to make them pretty and you know what? They would make a good food gift for a birthday, holiday, or Christmas. I figured out how to re-liquefy the chocolate layer. Add a smidge more coconut oil, bit by bit, while reheating and it will smooth out again. And I didn’t mention last week – but I totally omitted the nut meal (from Avivah’s original recipe).
- Buckwheat Pancakes – I used buckwheat flour in my basic soaked pancake recipe (not up here yet), in order to get a good gluten-free recipe down for the eCourse. They were delicious. We even had them as flatbreads for peanut butter sandwiches and to have alongside a main dish. Flatbreads are good for scooping and dipping and we often use leftover pancakes this way.
- Brownie Experiments – I tried two times to make a soaked brownie recipe, but both times I ended up with more like chocolate cake. So… I’ll be working on that. There are a couple recipes in Nourishing Traditions I’d like to try next. We’re after ooey, gooey and chewy. Do you have any suggestions?
So, that’s it for me – what’s twisting in your kitchen? To participate in the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, visit this post.
About Wardeh
ABCs of Grain Mills. Free PDF tip booklet. 
Take the guesswork out of what to fix, what to buy and what to prepare. This week:
Class materials compiled into easy downloads: 
I look forward to seeing if you get luck with the brownie recipe. Those peanut butter cups sound great, I’ll have to try them with almond butter one of these weeks.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog post… Menu Plan Monday – Week of 2/14/10 =-.
Rebecca – That’s a great idea – I’d like to try almond butter, too.
Hey — wondering if brownies would work better with sprouted rather than soaked flour? I haven’t tried it yet, but was just reading last night in NT about sprouted flour, and that’s the places she suggests using it — in cookies and baked goods — where soaking doesn’t work well.
Have you tried them with sprouted flour?
.-= Katy@ThoughtForFood´s last blog post… One of myriad ways you can make your own yogurt =-.
Katy – I agree! That’s typically where I use sprouted flour – cookies, cakes and brownies. It is wonderful in those types of recipes! I have a brownie recipe I usually follow but it lacks eggs and oil; that’s what I was trying to remake. I was also trying to remake it gluten-free and soaked for the ecourse.
I recently made this recipe of a friends:
http://thaitrait.blogspot.com/2009/12/cards-gutter-v-and-bean-recipe.html
I subbed a few things, I used sprouted flour instead of the almond flour, and I used Rapadura, and subbed and extra 1/2 cup of cocoa powder rather than chocolate chips. But they were absolutely delicious, and my family had no idea the main ingredient was NT black beans.
Yum.
.-= Marianne´s last blog post… Menu Plan Monday =-.
Twitter: fritchbeetle
says:
Wardeh, have you tried flourless chocolate cake recipes for chocolate brownies? Every time I’ve had a flourless chocolate cake, it always reminds me of brownies.
Here’s a few:
http://www.cacaoweb.net/flourlesschocolatecake.html
http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2008/12/27/flourless-chocolate-brownies
Or you could try the Flourless Carob Cake recipe from NT but use cocoa powder instead of carob powder. Also, I’d suggest trying once with the eggs separated and one with the eggs *not* separated to see which you like better.
.-= gilliebean´s last blog post… Wet Grass =-.
Marianne – Thanks! It is hard for me to imagine beans being in the recipe, so it helps that you tried it and recommend them. Hey, are you going to go to the Fat Rendering Party for the Eugene WAPF chapter? It is on Feb 27th, I think, in the afternoon. I was thinking about trying to get away for it. Kelly (also from Eugene – we all connected on the Where Do You Shop? post) mentioned it to me.
gilliebean – No, I haven’t tried the one in NT, but someone on FB recommended that, too. I think I should definitely try it. Thanks for looking those up for me.
Wardeh,
Here are a couple of brownie recipes that my family REALLY likes.
The first, using evap. cane sugar are just like the good ol’ brownies that are made the “normal” way.
The second, are slightly more dense, but still very chewy and rich.
Brownies Sweetened With Evaporated Cane Juice
12 tbsp butter
6 tbsp coca powder
1 tsp postum (optional)
3 eggs
1¼ cups evaporated cane juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh-ground sprouted wheat flour
A pinch of sea salt
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In a saucepan melt the butter then add the cocoa powder and postum. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, evaporated cane juice and vanilla for 2 minutes. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and sea salt just until combined.
Pour into a greased, square baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
Sprouted Wheat Brownies Sweetened With Dates
12 tbsp butter
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp postum (optional)
1 cup dates or raisins
¼ water
3 eggs
6 tbsp raw honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh-ground sprouted wheat flour
Pinch of sea salt
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat, stir in the cocoa powder and the postum. Set aside to cool. Puree the dates or raisins with the water in a food processor or blender. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, date puree, honey and vanilla for 5 minutes. Stir in the chocolate mixture until well combined. Fold in the flour and salt just until mixed.
Pour into a greased, square baking dish. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched about 22-24 minutes.
Copyright © 2010
By Tiffany Perez
Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.
All Rights Reserved.
Wardeh, thanks so much for all the great info you share. A sprouted bread recipe (sprouts are not dried or ground into flour) I tried last night turned out amazingly light and tasty. See this website for recipe:
http://whatwearecookingnow.blogspot.com/2008/11/100-sprouted-wheat-bread.html
I used less yeast than the recipe called for and added some of my sourdough starter to the mix
Thank you for sharing the recipes, Deb and Tiffany! So fun to find new things to try. I appreciate you taking the time to share recipes that you know and love.
Wardeh, I love how brave you are at experimenting with recipes! While I’ve made my own bread for a while, I confess I have done zero experimenting. I didn’t realize that buckwheat was gluten-free. Did I misunderstand you, or am I correct in assuming that is what you were saying?
Have you considered making brownies with carob powder? I have acid reflux and can’t eat chocolate. Sad, isn’t it.
Amy – That is true; buckwheat is gluten-free. It is not a variety of wheat at all, which is confusing considering the name it bears.
Regarding the carob, I use chocolate and carob interchangeably – although I tend to use less carob than chocolate because I feel the flavor is stronger. So if you’re wanting to try a brownie recipe, give carob a try!
Divina – Hello! I’m happy you stopped by and look forward to seeing you in the eCourse.
I found your blog through Just Making Noise. I want to join the e-course. I’ll be enrolling tomorrow. Lots of good information here. Glad to have found this.
Wardeh,
Katie
I have tried the black bean brownies, too, and they are shockingly amazing. No one guesses what the secret ingredient is. That being said, I am working on a soaked brownie recipe too!
Best, most amazing brownies ever, and gluten free…http://www.elanaspantry.com/brownies/ I use honey instead of agave and sometimes peanut butter instead of almond butter.
Hi Wardeh! I enjoy your blog, and have turned my students on to your upcoming e-course (I teach a six week series on traditional food preparation here in San Diego).
I have an amazing brownie recipe that I received years ago from my cooking instructor. It is oohy gooey delicious, and I just substitute sprouted spelt flour.
3 sticks raw pastured butter
3 1/2 cups Sucanat or Rapadura
8 pastured eggs
3 Tbsp. vanilla
2 cups sprouted whole grain flour (I like spelt)
5 cups melted organic chocolate chips
2 cups walnuts (optional)
bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
YUM!
This recipe makes a large batch because they will be devoured quickly!!!
Best wishes for your upcoming classes,
Annie Dru