SINFULLY TASTY RASPBERRY BROWNIES WITH ALMOND AND PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

SINFULLY TASTY RASPBERRY BROWNIES WITH ALMOND AND PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
This is my entry for Purva Daawat’s Christmas Feast Event at http://purvasdaawat.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-feast.html
I make these types of desserts rarely since my husband and I are watching our carbs. This time I had an occasion to prepare a decadent brownie. We were invited to our friend’s place for dinner. I wanted to prepare something sweet for their kids and came up with this one. I have used a regular brownie recipe here, just tweaked it a little bit by adding some frozen raspberries and using cashew nuts with the walnuts and icing the brownie with a simple almond and peanut butter fudge sauce. These brownies tasted awesome with ice cream. Chocolate and raspberries! How can anything go wrong with that :)

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE BROWNIES:
All-purpose flour, 1 cup.
Unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ cup.
Sugar, ½ cup.
Vanilla essence, ½ teaspoon.
Eggs, 2.
Butter, 1 stick.
Cashew nuts, ½ cup.
Walnuts, ½ cup.
Raspberries, fresh or frozen 1 cup.
Baking powder ½ teaspoon.

FOR THE ICING:
Almond and peanut butter or regular creamy peanut butter ½ cup.
Heavy cream, ½ cup.
Sugar, 1 tablespoon.

PREPARATION:
Chop the walnuts and cashew nuts into small pieces and keep aside. If frozen raspberries are used, thaw them overnight in the fridge. Mix the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking powder together. Melt the butter and put it into a bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla essence, and the eggs to the butter and keep beating it together until a creamy consistency is obtained. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix everything well. Now add the chopped nuts and raspberries and mix once without mashing the berries. Grease a baking dish with any nonstick cooking spray and pour the brownie mixture into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the brownie, if the toothpick comes out clean, it means the brownies are done and they can be removed from the oven, if not bake them for 5 more minutes and remove.

Meanwhile for the fudge, microwave the almond-peanut butter for 30 seconds. Add the heavy cream to the butter along with the sugar and keep mixing it until a creamy consistency is obtained. If needed, more cream can also be added. Pour the fudge over the brownie while it is still hot and let it cool for an hour. Cut them into big pieces and serve with ice cream.

SPICY BROCCOLI SALAD

SPICY BROCCOLI SALAD
I like my broccoli to have some color and crunch in them. I used to cook them for 30-40 seconds in the microwave with some salt. In this recipe, I have used mild spices and zinged up the salad just a little bit. I have baked them for a few minutes, so the broccoli still retain their color and crunch. Again, this is just another idea of spicing up the salad. Any amount of spices can be added here according to individual taste. Even any regular salad dressings can also be added after baking them. Each one of you is sure to have some variations like this one. Any suggestions to make these salads yummier will be most welcome. Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Broccoli, 2 large heads.
Chili flakes, 1 teaspoon.
Any type of seasoning mixture, 1 teaspoon.
Garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon (optional).
Salt as per taste.
Dried parsley flakes, ½ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Break the broccoli into large florets and wash them well. Pat them dry with a paper towel and put them into a bowl. Mix chili flakes, seasoning mixture, garlic powder, dried parsley leaves, and salt together. Add this mixture on top of the broccoli and mix everything well. Grease a baking sheet with any cooking spray and arrange the florets on the sheet leaving sufficient space between each of them. Bake them at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes and remove them for the oven. Serve them hot or cold. This salad tastes yummy both ways.

THREE RECIPES IN ONE POST

THREE RECIPES IN ONE POST
I have not posted anything for almost 2 weeks. Though I was taking photographs of any new dishes I made, I hardly had time to post them. Maybe my New Year resolution should be to be post as many recipes as I can and be in touch with my friends’ blogs. I have a recipe with fava bean, a cabbage soup, and the recipe for the banana nut cake which I had posted previously. Now for the dishes:

FAVA BEAN CURRY WITH METHI LEAVES
I have been trying all varieties of beans available in the supermarkets and I like the taste and texture of some beans. Fava beans are one such. It has a mild buttery taste that is perfect for gravies and dry curries. Any amount of spices can be added while cooking them as its taste balances quite well with the heat level. I have made a dry curry here to go with rice. The same curry can also be made into a gravy, just switch off the stove before the curry becomes dry and you have an excellent side dish for rotis.

INGREDIENTS:
Fava beans, 1 cup, soaked overnight, even canned beans can be used here.
Methi leaves, 1 big bunch.
Onion, medium-sized ones, 1.
Chili powder, 2 teaspoons.
Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Garam masala, 1 teaspoon (optional).
Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Cook the soaked beans until they are tender. The beans can be cooked over stove top for an hour or with a pressure cooker for up to 4-5 whistles. Wash the methi leaves and chop them finely. Dice the onions. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute until it turns brown. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Now add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, fennel seeds and fry everything well under low flame for a minute. Add 1 cup of water to the mixture along with the cooked beans and salt as per taste. Cook closed for 8-10 minutes until the curry is dry. Now add the chopped methi leaves and cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove. Serve hot with rotis and rice.

SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP
This is a soup that I make sometimes for dinner to go with dinner rolls or garlic bread. I love the texture of savoy cabbage in soups. It gives a delicate flavor to soups than regular cabbages. I have used only the cabbage in this soup. If needed, any vegetables like carrots, green beans, or zucchini can be here added. While making soups, I add sea salt instead of regular table salt. The taste of sea salt takes the soup to a whole different level. Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Savoy cabbage, 1/2 of a big head.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Canned tomatoes, ½ cup.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Chili powder, ¼ teaspoon.
Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon, (optional).
Sea salt, as per taste.
Chicken broth or vegetable broth or water, 3 cups.

PREPARATION:
Chop the onion and savoy cabbage into small, fine pieces and keep aside. Crush the garlic coarsely. Heat a pot with some olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and cabbage and sauté for a minute. Then add the crushed garlic and sauté for a few more minutes until the cabbage is well cooked. Add 3 cups of water or broth along with the canned tomatoes, chili powder, seasonings, salt and cooked closed under medium flame for 5-7 minutes until the soup turns thick. Serve hot with any types of bread.

BANANA NUT CAKE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
Bananas, 3.
Sugar, 1 ¼ cup.
Butter, ¼ stick.
Egg, 1.
Half and half, 1 cup.
All-purpose flour, 1 ½ cup.
Baking soda, 1 teaspoon.
Almonds, ½ cup.
Dry fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins, ½ cup.

PREPARATION:
Mash the bananas into a fine pulp. Chop the almonds and dry fruits into fine pieces and keep aside. Take a bowl and add the melted butter and mashed bananas into the bowl. Break an egg to the bowl and add the sugar. Mix everything well until the sugar has melted along with the egg and butter. Add the half and half and mix everything well. Sift the baking soda along with the all-purpose flour and add it slowly to the mixture and mix everything. Now add the chopped almonds and dry fruits and fold it together. Grease a baking dish and pour the mixture into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes and let it cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.

BANANA NUT CAKE- MY VERSION

BANANA NUT CAKE- MY VERSION
My husband loves the Banana nut loaf from Wegmans. I tried to make the same at home and it turned out pretty well. I am posting the recipe of this cake as I have used a standard recipe for the banana nut loaf. I made a few changes from the original recipe like substituting whole milk with half and half, used almonds and dry fruits instead of walnuts, and also added a teaspoon of cardamom powder. The taste of this cake was so great. We had a few slices and I packed it off to my husband’s office. It was a big hit there and he came home with an empty box :) I guess that’s the exact compliment every cook wants; empty dishes….I have not used any icing here as the cake itself was very rich. It can be had with ice cream (we did that, yum!). The picture posted here does not speak for the cake, I guess I need to improve my photography skills :(