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Fudgy Passover Brownies

I dread Passover every year, from a gastronomic perspective. Sure I like a good gefilte fish as much as the next person, but I hate not being able to cook legumes (peanuts, lentils and beans), whole grain pasta, rice and oats and I miss using some of my favorite condiments - like soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso paste, etc.

I don't keep Kosher for Passover, but Adam does, so really it only effects my dinners. Adam, however, is observant Ashkenazi-style for the whole 8 days, and as a relatively health conscious individual with a large appetite, he often suffers. He says he lacks energy and feels constantly hungry and dissatissfied.

Not this year! I have promised him that this will be the best Passover of his life. I have a slew of new recipes that are guaranteed to knock your matzo balls off, thanks to my new favorite health food store "Herbs and Nutrition" around Bloor and Bathurst. If you live in the Toronto area, check it out! Great selection and prices.

Since discovering that quinoa is okay at Passover (it's a seed, not a grain) a few years ago, I have made many chicken curries and stir-fries with it at Passover time. But this year I found organic puffed quinoa cereal and organic quinoa flour and this has opened up a whole host of options for baking and cooking.

Yes, you can now find ready-made Passover items in the grocery store, but they tend to be full of trans fats and refined flours, not to mention they are ridiculously expensive and taste like crap. These are all 100% healthy and yummy!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting my new recipes. Here are the first few...

Fudgy Passover Brownies
2 tbls coconut oil
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups quinoa flour

Melt coconut oil and chips in bowl set over simmering water. When smooth and fully melted, remove from heat and add sugar, eggs and vanilla and stir well. Fold in flour and stir, just until mixed. Divide batter into 2 8x8 pans* that have been greased with coconut oil and spread out with knife until top is even. Bake at 350F about 20-25 minutes, until centre is set.

Glaze
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbls coconut oil

Melt chips and oil in bowl over simmering water, When smooth, pour over brownies. Place in refridgerator until set. Cool and cut into squares. Each pan should make 16 brownies.

*These will be thin because there is no baking powder or soda, so if you want a thicker brownie, pour all the batter into one square pan and bake a bit longer.

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