Hiding Vegetables

When I was first recovering Doodle from Autism, she had a serious aversion to vegetables...really, have you ever met a child that didn't? What is a mother to do? When I started baking Gluten and Dairy Free, I decided to hide vegetables and protein in her favorite snacks to up her daily doses. Hiding vegetables is super easy. I ran some zucchini through my food processor until it was pureed. I then packaged this up into small batches and placed in my freezer for later use. Whenever I baked a batch of brownies, I threw in several packages of zucchini and Voila! Doodle was enjoying vegetables without even knowing it!

We love to make these brownies from Elana's Pantry modified to include zucchini. The zucchini makes the brownies turn out super moist, the almond butter gives Doodle added protein, and the Agave nectar ensures the brownies are sugar free. It's the perfect snack any time of the day! Here's my version of Elana's fabulous brownies:

1 16 oz jar Almond Butter
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Zucchini - pureed
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

1. Beat almond butter on high speed with a mixer until smooth. Add in eggs and beat thoroughly.
2. Add agave nectar, vanilla, and zucchini and mix until well blended.
3.  Add cocoa powder, salt, baking soda. Mix together.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Place in a seasoned, square glass baking dish (I use corning ware) and bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Doodle loves these brownies slightly warm with a scoop of my Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream on top. Mmmm - the ultimate bedtime treat on a hot summer day!

Dairy Free Caramel-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Tonight I am embarking on making 4 different pies for Thanksgiving - 2 for dinner at our house and 2 for dinner at a friend's house. I'm aiming to make all pies gluten and dairy free, as well. Last year, I made my first gluten/dairy free pie by adapting a recipe from the December 2008 Cuisine At Home magazine (my favorite cooking publication). I was pleasantly surprised by the results - it was rich, sweet, and decadent. Perfect Thanksgiving dessert.

Dairy Free Caramel-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ganache
3/4 cup Dairy Free Cream (I use Rich Whip)
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
6 oz Dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted, divided

Caramel Pastry Cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup hot water
2 1/2 cups Dairy Free Milk Substitute (Almond Milk)
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dairy free butter substitute (Earth Balance)

Whipped Topping
1 package Rich Whip
Powdered sugar to taste

Gluten Free Pie Dough - cooked for 10 minutes.

1. For the Ganache, combine dairy free cream and corn syrup in a sauce pan. Bring to boil. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour cream mixture over the chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk together until smooth.

2. Place Ganache in pie shell and top with 1 cup pecans. Press the pecans into the ganache.

3. For the Caramel Pastry Cream: boil sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat for the caramel. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon for 15 minutes or until light brown in color (like iced tea).

4. Whisk together milk substitute, brown sugar and corn starch together in a sauce pan over medium heat until blended. Add in egg yolks and salt - whisk together. Do not let mixture boil. When the caramel is done, slowly pour the milk mixture into the caramel - whisk constantly. Mixture will sputter.

5. Continue cooking mixture until combined and begins to thicken into a custard. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick. Boil for 1 minute.

6. Off heat, stir in butter substitute. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Spread over ganache. Cover with plastic wrap and press into custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight.

7. Prior to serving, whip Rich Whip according to package instructions, adding in powdered sugar as a sweetener. Top pie with whipping cream mixture and garnish with remaining pecans.