Thursday, December 4, 2014

Quinoa Brownie - Cake

No matter how well you eat, how carefully you toe the dietary line before the big slew of December holidays, sometimes you just need something rich, chocolatey and downright sinful to end your day. In all honesty, my day isn't complete without some kind of sweet treat, be it a bowl of cocoa and brown sugar oatmeal or a baked apple with honey and crispy rice cereal on top. Dessert shouldn't be something eschewed in entirety - life has to be worth living, after all!

For the days I'm dying for a chocolate cake, though, all too often I feel myself being pulled back towards my younger years when I would eat almost a quarter of a triple layer chocolate fudge cake, with ice cream, as an "after movie snack" (of course, my friends would all eat one too). Rather than completely give in to that train wreck habit again, I've come up with some just as divine-tasting, easier on the system desserts that eating everyday can actually bring joy to body and soul. This dense, moist, brownie-esque cake for example contains whole grain black quinoa, silken tofu and coconut milk - with only 2 tablespoons of oil and no flour. With the tofu replacing eggs, it's cholesterol-free as well as 100% vegan and gluten free. All that aside, though, it tastes like anything but a superfood - in fact, it (along with my Soy Awesome Cookies) was the most widely accepted tofu dish I've ever served to a mixed crowd! 

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Quinoa Brownie Cake

Quinoa Brownie - Cake
Adapted from Cooking Quinoa
Makes one 8" pan, 16 pieces
½ cup raw uncooked quinoa (any colour, I used black)
1 ¼ cups water
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup unsweetened coconut beverage (the thin, milk substitute - not the canned kind)
125g (½ cup) silken tofu
2 tbsp canola oil
½ tbsp baking powder
1 tsp gluten-free vanilla
  1. Combine quinoa, water and 2 tbsp of the sugar in a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand with lid on for 5 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8” square pan.
  4. Place all the ingredients (including cooked quinoa) into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
  5. Pour into the prepared pan. Rap sharply on the counter to dislodge any large air bubbles.
  6. Bake 35-38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 86.3
Total Fat: 2.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 11.1 mg
Total Carbs: 19.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 1.8 g

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