Black Bean Brownies -- alternative to buttery, rich, made-from-scratch egg-type brownies

I am nervous today about the election, so I tried a 2 ingredient recipe for very simple brownies. 1 can of no-salt black beans 1 box of family-sized brownie mix

Dump the entire can of black beans (no-salt from Whole Foods, 99 cents) into a blender, I love my little Ninja for this. Pour the smooth bean contents into a bowl containing one box of family-sized brownie mix. Stir about 40 times, pour into sprayed pan (I used a 9" x 14") and bake at 350 F for about 28 minutes or as directed on the brownie box.

These brownies look great and are delicious!

For a richer brownie see "Cleveland Treats" or "Cleveland Treats:Sweet Recipes on amazon.com

Cleveland's Signature Dessert in Two New Books

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rosa Shine Raskin

Address: 451 Lassiter Drive, Highland Heights, Ohio 44143

Phone: (440) 461-4125

New Books: Cleveland Treats and Cleveland Treats: Sweet Recipes

Cleveland, Ohio - August 31, 2016 – Cleveland's signature dessert, Coconut Bars are included in two new books published this summer by Rosa Shine Raskin. The first, Cleveland Treats, includes nature photography of the Greater Cleveland area along with treats to eat. The second book, Cleveland Treats-Sweet Recipes, is a subset of the larger Cleveland Treats. Both cookbooks contain color photographs.

The motivation for the books was the author's nephew born with 30 food allergies and earlier that same year, Raskin's husband had to be taken to zero fat after a heart attack at the age of 49. A treat for everyone is included in the variations of the recipes, which include low-sugar, fat-free, dairy-free, and/or gluten-free versions. The modified recipes took months of trial and error to create. The variations of a recipe are presented with the traditional version. When the author's nephew liked a recipe, he would say “Auntie Rosie, put it in your cookbook.” He was 3 years-old the first time he asked his aunt to document the invented dessert. The books were published this summer, 20 years later.

Recipes include Russian Tea Biscuits, Baked Brown Bread, Lady Locks, Banana Cake, Pies, Dutch Apple Squares, Eier Kichel and Cleveland's own version of cassata cake, etc.

Print copies of both books are available from Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com.

Cleveland Treats - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988414724

Cleveland Treats-Sweet Recipes - https://www.amazon.com/dp/098841473

Cleveland Treats - http://www.createspace.com/5388841

Cleveland Treats-Sweet Recipes - http://www.createspace.com/6464784

Granola

It is easy to make granola using ingredients we keep in the pantry. I use old fashioned oats, ground or chopped nuts, a bit of maple syrup, and dried fruit.

I start by placing parchment paper on a cookie sheet, spray the entire sheet. Place about 1/2 of a small box of old fashioned oats and toast in the oven. After 15 minutes, I add about 1/2 to 1 cup of ground nuts over the oats in the pan

I squirt the mixture with some maple syrup (not too much as we do not want our granola to be too sweet). I continue toasting the mixture in the oven, using a metal spatula, I turn the mixture once during the toasting process.

When I see the level of browning I prefer (about another 15-20 minutes --  I do not want the granola to be too hard), I add about a handful of dried fruit such as cranberries, cherries or blueberries, and toss the mixture. We love it warm or at room temperature.

When it is cool I place it in a gallon storage bag.

Enjoy!

Alternative to Sugar

Looking for an alternative to sugar and tired of using applesauce?

Try adding a ripe, sliced banana to your oatmeal. For a pumpkin pie, the banana is processed to a creamy consistency and may be substituted for the sugar in a pumpkin pie (previous post on this blog). The pie will have a bit of a banana flavor and my family loves anything banana.

The oatmeal includes dried cranberries and a teaspoon of real vanilla extract for that added zip we need some mornings. The great thing about oatmeal is it holds you until lunch!

For those of us on diuretics, oats are a source of magnesium and bananas have potassium.  Great for breakfast or a snack anytime, ?Sometimes we add small pieces of fresh apple as a garnish, enjoy!

Tart Cherries

Tart cherries are doing very well this year at my Mom's house.

The tart cherry is a fruit that is melatonin-rich, used for pies, syrups and concentrates, and are the cherries sold in cherry pie filling. It is the preferred cherry in Europe and the one used in famous desserts such
as Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, Black Forest Cherry Cake, see
http://www.europeancuisines.com/German-Schwarzwalder-Kirschtorte-Recipe-Black-Forest-Cake-Cherry-Kirsch

They are available sweetened and dried like raisins at stores like COSTCO and my husband loves the dried ones as a snack. The tart cherries seem to help him sleep longer.