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LIGHT & LOCAL |
| • | Celebrating the onion |
When September rolls around, I think about how I used to head back to school (both as a student and later as a teacher).
So I decided to make some low-fat brownies and dedicate them to all the kids who are attending school this fall. I tested a vegan restaurant's brownie which received great reviews.
I promptly went to the health food store and bought all the ingredients. The dark chocolate, which is much better for you than lighter varieties, was super expensive — $3.99 a bar — so I paid $15.60 for 16 brownies. That's still cheaper than the equivalent at Starbucks — fresher and less fattening, to boot. And if you are going to make them for the special ones in your life, you get the best ingredient of all: love.
If you are like me, a great fan of dark chocolate, you would have loved these brownies. But, if you are like my boyfriend and my neighbor, you will hate them. I'll never forget her reply when I asked her how she liked the brownies. "Horrible," she said. Needless to say I was overcome with shock. I never got such a strong response for a little sample. What made it even worse was that my boyfriend had to drown them in whipped cream to enjoy them.
To redeem myself, I made these Redemption Brownies. I knew they were great because everyone that I gave them to had great big smiles on their faces and didn't utter anything but "uumm."
MY REDEMPTION BROWNIES
Toast walnuts, if using: Place in a pan and bake briefly while baking the brownies, just until walnuts are fragrant and golden.
Melt the chocolate and margarine in a 2-to-3-quart pan over low heat. Add the sugar, whole egg, beaten egg white, applesauce, vanilla and stir until smooth. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, salt and soda and blend thoroughly. Add the sifted ingredients to the liquid ingredients and mix well. Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray. Pour the mixture in the prepared baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven until brownies leave the sides of the pan, 22 to 25 minutes. If the brownies do not leave the side of the pan, bake no longer then 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and cut with a serrated knife. Sprinkle walnuts on top. Top with whipping cream, if desired.
Makes 16 brownies.
Per serving: 50 calories, 4 g fat, 15 g cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 12 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g protein
Variation: Thaw frozen raspberries and heat them with pure maple syrup to taste. Drizzle over the brownies and sprinkle the roasted walnuts over the raspberry sauce.
Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.
