Granola Bars and Tofu Brownies

Yes, I am a Hippy thank you :). Blame my parents. My host family here seems to really like the concept though, especially my host mom (although I´ve yet to have someone, spanish or american try my granola bars without asking for the recipe :), see below). The tofu brownie (they are amazing btw, and have practically no fat :) ) inspiration came from how good chocolate tofu mousse, I decided to try tofu pumpkin pie (which people actually liked better, judging by how much they ate, than regular pumpkin pie, made with the same spices!) which also turned out fabulous, and the other thing that I saw online while looking for those recipes was tofu brownies. Add to all this the fact that my host mom went a bit tofu crazy (she bought 4 packs at once and said that I should cok them all because Tita should eat less meat and more protien) (and they have Mori Nu here, which is the only type of ´Silken´ tofu I know of, which you must use to make desserts, the other kind really doesn´t end well, ie doesn´t get smooth and still tastes like tofu...yuck!). Ok, so without further ado (because I have a dibujo tecnico, aka Drafting examen tomorrow, So I really to get back to studying :O) Here are my famous, sought after, and amazing recipes. I seriosuly urge you to try them. Whats the worst that could happen? And the best that could happen is you discover some even BETTER tasting alternative for a loved american dessert (and granola bars just rock, everyone knows that).

Cakey, Super Chocolately, Tofu Brownies

Put in a blender until verrryyyyy smooth:
1/3 cup Flour
One pack Mori Nu Silken Tofu (yes the brand IS important!!)
2/3 cup cold water

Put this is a pot on the stove, and heat until thickened (about 10min). Thats what hte recipe says at least, I decided that at already seemed pretty darn thick to me, so I heated it up enough to melt the chocolate and called it good.

Add:
1 Cup Chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips, they don´t exist here sooo yeah)
1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2tsp Vanilla

Stir until the chocolate is all melted. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, stirring occasionaly (hence why I didn´t heat it up so much :) ).

Stir in:
1/2 Cup Oil

In another bowl sift together:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda

Fold the wet mixture into the dry and add chocolate chips or chunks or nuts or whatever you want (I put in more chocolate chunks, and they really add some nice extra chocolateyness :) ).

Spread into a greased baking pan, Cook at 350 Degrees F (175 C) for 35-40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool as much as you can wait for and ENJOY.


Super easy Granola Bars

In a bowl combine:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs Cinnamon
Aprox 1Cup chopped nuts
Whatever dried fruit you want (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
Flax seed (opt, but really does add something :) ).

Put the mixture in the oven for about 15 minutes on low (250 degrees F) heat until it gets some toasty color.

While thats toasting on low heat on the stove mix together:
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey

Heat until it starts to boil, then remove from heat and add:
1 tsp Vanilla extract (lucky ducks, you really have that in the EEUU!!)

Put the toasty mixture back in its bowl and pour the sugary ´glue´over it. Stir very well so everything is coated then put into a prepared (covered with wax paper or parchment paper) normal size brownie pan (take your pick it doesn´t really matter :) ). Put another piece of wax paper on top (or double the first one over the top) and press HARD HARD HARD until very compact (you might want to put a towel over them, they are hot at this point). Let cool completley, then cut up and enjoy!

Did anyone notice that I add a lot more notes to my entry when I have a bunch of studying I should be doing? :)

Hope you enjoy the recipes, let me know how they turn out! (And yes I really do challenge you, go buy some tofu and try the brownies, If you like regular brownies I swear you won´t be dissapointed :) ).