Butterscotch Brownies

If you haven't added organic whole cane sugar (also knows as sucanat) to your pantry yet, I encourage you to do so. Organic whole cane sugar is basically "sugar before it hits the factory" as I like to say. It's dehydrated cane juice so it still has the molasses and important minerals intact.  Whole cane sugar is a fantastic 1 for 1 substitute for white sugar in most recipes.  It's perfect for so many baked goods like cookies, coffee cakes, any baking that brown sugar would taste good in.  You can also use it as a sweetener for your tea or coffee.   In the midst of my experimenting with this sweetener I discovered that if you have a recipe that calls for brown sugar you can use 1 cup of rapadura mixed with 2 tablespoons maple syrup as wholesome substitute.  Sometimes it can be a bit too strong for chocolate recipes (such as brownies) so you have to kind of play with it a bit.

I've had many ask if it's the same as raw sugar and the answer is "no".  Raw sugar (sometimes called turbinado) is white sugar with a bit of molasses added back for color.

Rapunzel is my absolute favorite brand and can be found at your local health food store.  If you want to buy a larger quantity you can buy a large bag (OK, huge...33 pounds) and split it with friends.  Azure Standard is the company I like to order from.

So, last week I got this craving for butterscotch brownies (oh, yes, I'm done with the cleanse!) and then proceeded to make them over and over until I found the recipe that was the closest to what I was envisioning. We had some friends here re-laying our deck and I continued to come out with brownies and asking them to test them for me. So, I will admit, it was a group effort. These brownies aren't the prettiest in the bunch, but are buttery, sweet, dense and wash down nicely with a glass of milk.

Butterscotch Brownies

yields 8-10 brownies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup organic whole cane sugar, or sucanat

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (freshly ground preferred

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and then stir in whole cane sugar. Let cool for a few minutes and then whisk in the egg and vanilla. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pecans. Pour butter mixture over flour mixture and fold until combined. Pour batter into a buttered 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool 45 minutes before cutting (if you eat them before 45 minutes they have a tendency to fall apart, but really, who can resist warm brownies just out of the oven?)

Sauteed Beets

I will admit, I have never been a huge fan of beets. I've tried many methods of cooking them but they never had the flavor I was looking for until yesterday. I was talking with a friend (yes, we were actually having a conversation about beets) and she told me how she cooks hers. I tried it last night and loved it. The beets are tender, buttery, and sweet. I cooked the greens along with them and it made an easy and delicious side-dish.

Sauteed Beets

Serves 4

3 beets with tops attached (green leaves)

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoons sea salt

fresh cracked pepper

Cut beets off from stems and leaves and cut each in half. Place beets in large pot with water. Bring to a boil and boil until the beets are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove beets and after they have cooled a bit, peel them and them cut into small pieces. Also, at this time, chop up the leaves.

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the beets, greens, and salt. Saute for a few minutes until the greens have wilted. Sprinkle a bit of cracked pepper on top.