Today I found myself in a very unique position for a Sunday: I was at home/in town and had absolutely no plans (save for a much needed morning yoga class). Even more, the man was out all day working on a consulting project, so not only did I have the day to myself, I had the abode to myself.
Weird.
The morning started off well. I got up in time to get to yoga (and find a place for my mat) and got my sweat on. After that, it was time to grocery shop. Grocery shopping solo is far different than grocery shopping with my partner, let me tell you. Suddenly I had so much TIME! Time to look at the shelves. Check out special and new products. Compare labels. Heck, get (almost) everything on my list. It was wonderful.
A free day at home also meant a free kitchen. Hello, November – it was snowing all day, so true to (lazy) form, I chopped up a bunch of veggies and threw them in the slow cooker and am calling it dinner (and the man will like it or he will go hungry…).
What’s a lazy dinner without dessert? Not any dinner I want to have, that’s for sure. So with all of the extra time I had today, I did some blog cruising, looking for inspiration for a healthier brownie recipe. You don’t know me well enough yet, but I abhor recipes. They’re just not my style. Which is why I infrequently bake and more infrequently cook for people other than myself.
Anyway, these bad boys didn’t turn out half bad! I’m gluten free, so blending up oats is my go-to gluten free flour substitute (remember the lazy?). Oats are full of soluble fiber and they have a nice nutty flavor. They’re also pretty dense, which I think is great for brownies. Greek yogurt is a great substitute for fats in baking if you’re trying to lighten things up (though I did keep in a bit of coconut oil – it’s a treat, after all).
Play around with these and let me know what you think!
These are not my brownies, but they sure look good! Mine are in the oven!
Healthier Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats (certified gluten free if you’re sensitive)
1/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (or regular, if it’s what you have on hand)
1 cup Stevia for baking (or 1 ½ cup sugar/sugar substitute)
2 tsp baking powder (make sure it’s corn free if you’re intolerant)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp melted virgin unrefined coconut oil
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup milk/non-dairy milk of choice
OPTIONAL: 1/4-1/3 milk chocolate chips, added after blending (see update)
Directions
Grease an 8 x 8 inch backing dish with coconut oil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add all of the ingredients into a high-powered blender, starting with the liquid (makes it easier to blend). Blend on high until all ingredients are combined and oats are smooth.
Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and let sit for about ten minutes. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once the brownies have cooled, cut and serve (I recommend topped with Lifeway original frozen kefir, but I’m SUPER bias).
UPDATE: After feeding these to the man, he enjoyed them but said they could have been sweeter/more chocolate-y. I told him they were supposed to be a healthy treat and to stop whining. At them same time, if you’re going to eat a brownie, you might as well enjoy it, right? I updated the recipe to include an optional 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips to be stirred into the blended batter. Enjoy at your pleasure!
When you have a free Sunday, what do you do?