Dualism...

Well, here's a double post. Life has been hectic and I guess I finally fit something in that I wantedto do (or rather 2 things).

First, I visited the Nourish Inc. Restaurant in Lexington Mass. It's all about sustainable eating and the like so naturally a good deal of vegetarian, vegan, and pescetarian options grace the menu. I had a deliciously spicy, savory, Vegetable-Tofu Tagine over Whole-Wheat Couscous. My better half had a turkey burger (I know, she's not vegetarian, but it did look good). We split a serving of Phyllo Rolls stuffed with a light cheese and vegetable mixture - reminiscent of Spanikopita. Despite a very tempting Carrot Cake Special, we sided on two cups of excellent loose-leaf tea (green and Rooibos) for desert.

Sound good? besides the many tofu, tempeh, and sustainable options involving fish, our waiter was terrific; attentive and helpful if not a bit overly influential. But hey, that's part of the job, no?

There's even a healthy selection for the carnivorous consumer.

http://www.nourishlexington.com/news

So, now part deux...

I haven't baked for a while, so seeing the dismal remnants of a tropical storm outside my window, I decided to whip something up for my dad who just the other day said he had a hankering for brownies. I saw an excuse to experiments and declared Carpe Diem!

So over at Vegan Dad I think it was (but I may be wrong) I found a link to these Brownies.

They're fudgy, sweet, and perfect. They seem so healthy, but the enormous quantities of chocolate make me wonder...

Ah well, they taste good!

Have Cake Will Travel's Chocolate Brownies

(Butterscotch (or White) Chocolate Fudge Brownies)

Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups (263 g) mix of nondairy butterscotch (or white chocolate) and semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

I used solely Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, by the way...

1 cup (255 g) sweet potato purée

And I used Pumpkin Puree, too - Cans are just so convenient
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil
2 tablespoons soy creamer or nondairy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (60 g) light spelt flour
2 tablespoons (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (88 g) mix of nondairy butterscotch (or white chocolate) & nondairy semisweet chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lightly coat an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with spray.
In a large bowl, combine melted chips, sweet potato purée, oil, creamer or milk, and extract.
In a medium bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
Fold dry ingredients into wet, being careful not to over mix. Fold in optional extra chips.
Place and level batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 28 minutes.
Let cool in pan, on a wire rack. Let cool completely in fridge before
slicing.
Enjoy cold, store in fridge.

Yield: about 12 brownies