Getting Whole Wheaty...

Tonight, my mom and my older sister, Irene, are having over three lady friends (One mom with her two daughters that are in their late teens) for a movie night. They do this occasionally, and this time I thought I would cook for them. Usually I try to have some sort of theme (tea party, dips and crackers, hors d'oeurves, Italian foods, etc.), but this time I thought to just wing it, and use what I had.

For my birthday this year, my mom, knowing how well I enjoy making healthy muffins and breads,(often a little too healthy...i.e. sugarless and dry) bought me the King Arthur's Wheat Flour Cookbook. All recipes use the whole wheat flour, and a good portion of them are 'healthy'. This morning I busted the large book out, and plunged in. What did I decide upon? Nothing crazy, just delish! Double Fudge Whole Wheat Brownies and some homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I thought, why make all sweets? Why make all savories? How about a little of both. I know it seems dinnerish for a movie night, but I cut the pizzas in smaller squares so that they were very easy to pick up and eat on a napkin during a good Ginger Rogers/David Niven flick.

The brownies are out of the oven and seem the perfect balance between fudgy and cakey. I undercooked them a little, and as they cool the center will set completely. They will be best in about 24 hours, but I doubt they'll be too repelent tonight.

For the pizza, I made a cheesy cream sauce, added fresh basil and oregano, garlic. Then, I put some fresh spinach on top, chopped tomatoes (no seeds), toasted walnuts, and sauteed mushrooms. Light, but rich, creamy and savory, thin crust, lots of cheese on top...perfection, I think.

Honestly, pizza and brownies are not the easiest to make 'healthy' (even though it is very possible), and I made no claims that the pizza I made this evening was. But maybe by using little steps, such as using whole wheat flour almost whenever possible in all our baking, we can find a way to encorporate some health into our unhealthy cooking. When we eat pizza, we may not be losing weight, but at least our bodies are getting the fiber they normally wouldn't have gotten, had you used a white flour recipe. And if you eat way too much like me, and never fail to gain weight when you indulge, maybe you'll only gain half a pound instead of a whole pound. Who knows!

Whew! After a long day (I cooked homemade chili for dinner too!) I am ready to skip on over to the Barnes and Noble Starbuks with my chai tea (I bring my own; too cheap to pay $1.80 for a tea bag and hot water!), and put a 100 pg dent in my book.

Brownie Recipe Follows!

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Heat briefly until it is hot and beginning to bubble. This dissolves more of the sugar, giving you a shiny top on the finished brownies.

Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, espresso powder (if using), and vanilla. Cool until you can test it with your finger. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until it is smooth and slightly thickened, then add the flour and chocolate chips. Stir again until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, bake 30-35 minutes, or until center is almost set.

Cool. Best after 24 hours!