Double Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl

So I made brownies...

At first it was a bit of a sloppy mess of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter.

But then things came together, as they usually do. 

I had to restrain myself from eating all the batter with my fingers. 

Originally I thought about trying to persuade you that these are healthy brownies,

that the marshmallow fluff is relatively low in calories,

that they're made with a little bit of almond flour,

which, combined with the peanut butter, practically makes them protein bars...

But then I decided you wouldn't really believe me. (They're made with a stick of butter, after all, and plenty of chocolate. )

And, more importantly, none of that really matters. 

Because, when you need a brownie, 

you need a brownie. 

And after this week, I definitely need a brownie. 

I think you do too. 

Double Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Swirl

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal/flour
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 9 by 9 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and 1 cup chocolate chips. Remove from heat, and whisk in cocoa power, sugar and salt until sugar is partially dissolved. Then whisk in vanilla extract, egg and flours.

Mix in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan.

Spoon marshmallow fluff into a microwave bowl and cook for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and stir until combined.

Use a spoon to drop peanut butter/marshmallow mixture across brownie batter, then use a knife to incorporate.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely before cutting. They will be messy and fall apart a little, but they are totally worth it!


Adapted from Chocolate Moosey.

Pasta e Fagioli with Kale

I like slow Sunday afternoons like today,

with some stew simmering on the stove

and some slow dancing in the kitchen with my love to this song.

I think Sunday stew is going to become a regular around here. 

Sunday afternoons/evenings can be stressful and a little sad for me, both with dreading the week of school work ahead and the prospect of Adam leaving to drive back to Charlotte on Sunday night. 

But, there's something about inherently relaxing about chopping vegetables, watching them meld with broth and tomatoes and spices, then breathing in the rich aroma that seeps into every room. 

With all the things of the world that I cannot control, this is one thing that I can. One good thing I make with my own hands. It calms me when my brain gets full of worry and "what-ifs."

This is Italian comfort food, the kind of thing that Italian peasants ate hundreds of years ago.  Pasta e fagioli means pasta and beans. Here, most people actually pronounce it "pasta fazool," which is how you'll hear it referred to in that iconic Italian love song That's Amore. ("When the stars make you drool, just-a like pasta fazool, that's amore.")

My dad calls it beans 'n greens, and I've been eating some variation of it for a long time.

My favorite version is from an authentic Italian restaurant in Myrtle Beach called Umbertos that my family has been going to for the past fifteen years.  My dad even insisted on taking my grandmother there before she passed away. 

It's simple to make at home, and forgiving in the way that most soups are. Throw some vegetables,  broth, and spices in a pot and let them simmer until they become a whole that is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. It's Sunday [soup-day] magic.

Wishing you some peace this afternoon, friends.

Pasta e Fagioli with Kale 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cans cannellini beans
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup dry macaroni*
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
1 cup water
salt & pepper
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving.

*You can use any kind of pasta you like. I tried gluten-free brown rice pasta this time, and it turned out great!

Directions:
In a large dutch oven, melt butter and olive oil. Add in onions and carrots. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until carrots are slightly soft and onions are translucent.

Add garlic and cook another minute. Add thyme, basil, rosemary, bay leaf, beans, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and wine.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 25 minutes.

*At this point, you can proceed with the next step to add the pasta and kale, OR you can let the soup simmer on the stove on low for an additional hour or so, and then add the pasta and kale about 10 minutes before serving.

Add in macaroni, kale, and 1 cup water and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.

Adapted from Marshall's Abroad

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

It's that time again.

All my favorite bloggers are posting pumpkin things.

I also want to eat all the pumpkin things.

Here are a few that I've been lusting over:

Whole wheat pumpkin spice muffins

Pumpkin cheesecake pillow popovers

Healthy maple glazed pumpkin muffins

Pumpkin spice cheesecake bars

So, as I'm sure you're wondering, why add another pumpkin recipe to the already-pumpkin-overloaded-interwebs?

Well, I happen to think this particular pumpkin recipe is a keeper. I found it five years ago and have been making it every October since without fail.

This is a healthy-ish version of pumpkin bread made with whole wheat flour, less sugar, and less fat than most recipes. I also seem to add or substitute one ingredient for another every time that I make it, but it always turns out well. This time I substituted healthier olive oil for the canola oil and added in some superfood flax seeds into the streusel topping.

This recipe makes 2 loaves, which I like. I usually keep one for us and give the other one away.

This weekend, I gave the other loaf to a friend's parents who were hosting us for the weekend. They LOVED it. In fact, her mom called the pumpkin bread "the highlight of the weekend."

Told you it was a keeper.

This bread is not overly sweet. If you've got a sweet tooth, you could add additional sugar, or do as we did and smear a slice with some honey walnut cream cheese. YUM!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons flax seeds (or pecans or walnuts or pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup brown sugar
scant 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare 2 nine-inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, milk eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

When there are about 10 minutes left on the timer, start the streusel topping.

In a small bowl, combine oats, flax seeds, sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon.

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the cold butter into the mixture until it is crumbly.

Remove the loaves from the oven. Sprinkle evenly with streusel and bake for another 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.


Pumpkin bread recipe adapted from Live Better America

Streusel Topping recipe adapted from Eat Live Run