Forrest in Santa Monica

I didn't have to work on Tuesday (staff-only day), so I decided to take the day to explore some more of LA. With the help of some of my friends, I was able to visit....that's right. The world famous Santa Monica Pier. It was reminescent of Santa Cruz's boardwalk. There was a roller coaster, a ferris wheel, and arcade room, carnival games, and a great view of the Pacific Ocean, right along a long plank of wood. And it smelled amazing! Of ice cream, waffle cones, churros, some other fried delights. The pier was tantalizing to the eyes and noes. But alas, it fell short of the mouth.

By the time we all successfully met up (the bus took me right up to the pier), we were HUNGRY! and spotted this cute little restaurant, inspired by Forrest Gump. Bubba Gump was richly decorated with movie memorabilia including posters and quotes scribbled on the walls and tables. Our waitress even did a little trivia quiz with us, which Austen aced!! Our prize? the water. Kind of lame, but fun at the same time.

And the food? Forrest Gump probably cooked it himself. I got the grilled Fishwich which was extremely greasy and overwhelmed the texture and flavor of the sandwich. The bread was soft and the fish was flaky to the touch but to the mouth, it wasn't very flavorful. Austen's pasta didn't appeal to her either. None of us rightly finished our meals except for the Mels. Mm got fried shrimp and Melanie got a burger (but she didn't really enjoy it). Nonetheless, the decor and fine company made up for the meal. Then we walked around the pier, took pictures and ventured off to Third Street Promenade! I had loads of fun and only wished that we could have stayed longer and shopped more! The stored were absolutely large in a Mary Poppins kind of context. haha

...read on!...

Seeing Red

Yesterday, I had an adventure around Mei's apartment. While the day started out a dark brown, it ended red--in the best sense!
After having tried The Coffee Bean, I decided to check out the local Peet's. I ordered a cafe au lait, and rushed to grab any available seat. I was pleasantly suprised by the atmosphere of the little cafe. It was literally bustling. I didn't expect much at first because it was located next to a car wash and a tire shop across the street. While there was no patio seating, there was still ample opportunity to people watch. It also brought me straight back to the Peet's right by the Den up at school. The decor was very similar and the people that were there had similar purposes; to wind down even though it was the start of the day. Except for the kids that wanted to leave ASAP to catch Saturday morning cartoons, the people there shared my philosophy about breakfast. It's meant to be slow as a deep breath before the hectic happenings of a day takes place. ahhhh. Besides the eclectic gathering of people, I loved the HUGE display of pastries. Mmmm I wanted to eat them all.

Then, after lunch, I headed out to Westside Pavilion to do some window shopping which sadly became actual shopping. The good news? I got 2 (that's right TWO!) samples from See's. The bad news? $$ gone AND See's chocolate isn't all too yummy (waaay too sweet). After shopping for a while, I got hungry and so, I headed out along Pico BLVD to see what I could eat for dinner. And then, I spotted this :
A Thai restaurant; Chilli Thai. I've only had Thai food once in my life and thought, "heck why not again?" So I went inside and sat myself down. It was like Peet's in that the interior atmosphere and decor completely contrasted the outward appearance. It reminded me of a cottage and it was cutely decorated. All the tables had some sort of pink tablecloth underneath with a white lace placemat. Each table had a china set of dipping sauces and the wooden wall was lined with cottage-appropriate mirrors. After perusing the menu, I decided on the vegetarian red curry. Why red? Well, after looking it up on Wikipedia, red curry uses the red chili pepper so it should have a sweeter, spicier taste than the yellow curry. While all the curries (red, green, yellow) have similar ingredients, it's how it's prepared that also affects the overall taste and consistency of the curries.
Anyways back to the meal, when my curry came with a bowl of jasmine rice, I was glad because it was steaming and I was hungry. The melange of veggies were baby bok choy, baby corn, peas, carrots, basil, water chestnuts, and broccoli. The curry was sweet, creamy from the coconut milk, and slightly spicy with the heat being more of an aftertaste. It was good to say the least. The table next to me also got veggie spring rolls which looked pretty good. And next time I eat Thai food, I will go with a bunch of people so that I can order and taste more dishes!

And for dessert! I took a little walk to Red Mango and got a frozen yogurt with blueberries. Red Mango has a sweeter taste and thicker consistency than Pinkberry does and the blueberries were not fresh at all; they were frozen and not completely thawed. While the tagline is "treat yourself well" I did not feel like this was a huge treat. It was more of an "eh" and I would have preferred a different type of frozen delight. Nonetheless, it sufficed for my frozen yogurt craving, but I would not be venturing there again.

All in all, I had a good adventuresome day!

...read on!...

People Watching

Nothing goes better than a cup of caffeinated delight than an outside sitting area/ patio to watch people drink their drinks, chat, and do their own business. Having received a Coffee Bean gift card yesterday from Ryan, I went and got a cappucino there this morning with a book to read and a notebook to write.
The cappucino was just par. Perhaps, not even par; it tasted mostly of steamed milk with a subtle hints of expresso. But going out and watching the people was definitely worth it. I saw some old Jewish men chatting over a muffin (although they ddin't really eat it...kosher?), a bunch of Persian ladies eating eggs with their own salt and pepper, and an old man who ate his bagels with cream cheese and honey sans the actual bread on the inside.

People watching is like bird watching. I like being able to look at others, wonder what they are doing and make a story about them in my mind that fits my odd contextual universe. ...read on!...

it's good pho you

I have always mostly considered Vietnamese food a treat and for a while, whenever we went out with our mom, she would take us to eat Pho. And Pho actually tastes different depending on who prepares it for you. Back in Fullerton, a lot of the Pho restaurants were owned by Koreans so the broth had garlic, loads of onions and great hot sauces on the side. And my dad has been to some Pho houses in DC and he said that they were prepared by Chinese and so there was also a distinct flavor there. I'm not really sure how true Vietnamese food tastes like, but Le Saigon was pretty good.
The restaurant was small, but cozy...an intimate type of atmosphere. I'm not too sure where the French flair fell into play besides the menu (it wasn't the typical greasy, one-page Asian menus...you know what I'm talking about) and the BYOB concept. Oh and it was a bit pricey of a bowl of noodles...about $8, but it's LA. Nonetheless, what I absolutely loved about our dining experience with the cousins was not only their company, but also looking at what other people were eating.

BUT FIRST!! what we ate:
Tina and I both got soup noodle. I went for my Vietnamese usual: Pho with well-done brisket while Tina got a chicken-base Pho. She said that the taste is distinct from the typical beef broth and Mei concurred with that. There were onions, scallions, and cilantro with of course the side plates of bean sprouts, lime and basil. It was really good! The beef was creamy and literally melted in your mouth and the noodles were thinner than what I am usually used to and it held the broth pretty well. It was flavorful, but didn't leave a nasty aftertaste in the mouth like some other places that I have been to. It was also really filling--I wasn't able to finish it.

Jill also had noodles, but it was a dry dish that also came with imperial rolls, grilled pork, and that vinegary sauce to pour over the noodles. It had peanuts, or else I would have tried it! It looked really good though and of course, we finished the evening with yummy Pinkberry. I like my yogurt with just blueberries. Why blueberries you may ask? Well, because that's the most individual pieces of fruit per order. haha but pinkberry is always really generous with the toppings. mmm.

Anyways, like I was saying, I saw some other people were making their own rolls with rice-paperlike wraps and choices of their fillings which included bean sprouts, carrots, basil, meat or tofu and it looked really good. Perhaps this is a lesson to step out of my comfort level and try new things out of my "usual" or "ordinary". Perhaps this was the French aspect of the restaurant in their way of saying "c'est la vie" ...read on!...

Brownies for Mei

Mei is the personification of a workaholic. She's always busy doing things...her own things, other people's things; play things, boring things; all sorts of things.

So I thought it was fine time to do something for her too. I went to Ralph's where I used my free Betty Crocker's Cake Mix coupon to get a box of good old brownies and transform it into a healthier batch of chocolate goodness.

+= :D

Following the directions on the box(mostly), I cut out an egg, replaced it with a scoop of yogurt, put in almonds and some yummy strawberries. The end result was a really moist, perhaps too moist, fudgy creation. It also had a nice fudgy taste to it. I thought it was good, but I wished it was more solid. HAHA but these brownies would go extremely nicely with a glass of milk and a Gilmore Girls Marathon. oh dean ...

...read on!...

4 things i <3 about the 4th of jULY

4th of July...Independence Day...long weekend(an oxymoron during summer when all days might as well be considered the weekend)

This year, it was more than that! It was Cheryl's briday shower and it also encapsulated all things that I like about the 4th of July :D

1.the beach

we began our adventures at the beach. Originally, we planned on spending the day in Malibu, but after hours of playing Mario Cart on Wii, the morning became noon, which became afternoon. Yes, the day got off to a lazy, hot start, but all was well--going out too early would mean longer exposure to UV rays. As we drove out with our dinner destination in mind (DUKE'S), we passed Malibu beach (which was already packed!) and continued driving until we hit Topanga beach. We brought out our cooler filled with water and grapes and lounged about for a while and soaked in some good, natural vitamin D. :D

2. FIREWORKS!
The fireworks show began in our mouths as we headed out to Duke's for some drinks and scouted out an ideal table to sit and watch the real fireworks. The decor of Duke's was more than appropriate. The beach smoothly transitioned into the interior of the restaurant, which was lined with windows facing the ocean. The servers were clad in casual beach wear with leis but the atmosphere was more of an upclass casual. While Duke's offered classic beach shack dishes(fish&chips, nachos, burgers...), the quality was far from it!

We ate and drank as we watched the waves crash and planned last minute details for Cheryl's wedding.

What did we eat? well:

the wine we had was a rocky rabbit sauvignon blanc. it was fruity, light and delicious with the fish

Appetizers:

Calamari sticks which were reminescent of cheesesticks, breaded and fried to a light crisp texture. I never really noticed how rich the actual squid could be!

Poke rolls were something new to me as I have never really had Hawaiian cuisine before. They were raw ahi sauteed with onions and wrapped in rice paper. i wonder what the sauce was...

Salad:

Hearts of Palm and Papaya. Light and delicious. I also learned that hearts of palm are white asparagus!

Entrees:

Mahi Mahi cooked firecracker style in tribute to the festive occasion. It was a filet of mahi mahi roasted with a chili, garlic, tomato rub with an avacado, black bean and onion salsa. I liked that the spiciness was actually an aftertaste.

Huli Huli chicken...a pseudonym for one of the best, fruitiest terryaki chickens that I have ever had! and it came with a rice and pinapple salsa. It was good! and there were definitely accents of some sweet fruit in the marinade. What I also loved was that this dish looked into Hawaiian culture and its Japanese influences.

Mango BBQ Ribs. Need I say more? Sweet, spicy (but not hot), and the ribs literally fell off the bone. I love pork. yes i do. pork chops, tenderloin, ribs.

Dessert:

HULA PIE! well, what is it?! it's a huge slice of ice cream cake: a thin oreo cookie crust, a huge mound of macadamia nut ice cream (with actual nuts in it!) covered with fudge, whipped cream and almond slivers. an extreme version of an ice cream sundae.

oh and the actual fireworks show was a huge bang! we did leave out table spot to go back out to the beach and held each other as we oooohed and ahhhed :D

3. BBQ'S!

the next day as the rest of the crew went to the spa, I helped yee ma prep for the BBQ which was a fusion of Korean and American styles. We went to the Korean supermarket to pick up the key ingredients (aka the meat) and was assisted by the butcher to create more authentic flavors to the meat as well as some advice on side dishes.

We had potato salad, spicy-tart cucumbers, radishes, as well as bought seaweed, anchovies and squid, Korean short ribs, chicken, roasted veggies, corn, and dry-rubbed spare ribs. It was good.

4. Family

<3

...read on!...

good eats

so right now, i'm watching good eats on the food network and thinking about the good eats that i have had over the past 2 weeks.

GOOD EATS #1

Friday, 6/20--Boba and Corner Bakery

So I took a bus, train adventure to the OC and hung out w/ X and SK. mmhmm it was fun and tasty! It was extremely hot that day and all we really wanted to do was drink boba at Tastea, read magazines at Borders, stay in air-conditioned environments and eat Corner Bakery. Everytime we hang out, we go to the block. and everytime we go to the block, we have to eat at Corner Bakery. And what did we get?...the usual! Santa Fe Ranch Salad and a Chicken Pomodoro Panini. But it was late, SK had to go, so we took it to go...

The Santa Fe Ranch Salad (which I like to eat without the ranch part) is a large lettuce salad tossed with chicken, corn, tomato, onions and of course tortilla chips. MMMM :D

The Chicken Pomodoro Panini was melted cheesy heaven. The bread was nice and toasty with grilled chicken, mayonnaise, cheese, spinach and tomato.

Then I went over to X's, we chatted the night away until it was the am and watched memoirs of a geisha. i was extremely content that day :)

---

GOOD EATS #2

Thursday, 6/26--Tina's Bday and welcome mommy dinner

So I had been craving sushi and Japanese food for FOREVER! and so that night, Jill took us to Hide Sushi on Sawtelle. It was pretty good. Usually there are lines out the door, but that night, we decided on an early dinner so when we got there, there were plenty of tables available. The five of us had loads of sushi and a grilled yellowtail collar which was meaty and delicious. But here is the break down:

I got an unagi, cucumber roll. The special unagi sauce was slightly sweet and the eel was roasty and creamy. I really like eel and cucumber and sushi rice so this was my cup of tea...speaking of tea though, I didn't like how the restaurant didn't offer any kind of tea! but that was ok, b/c

My mom got a chirashi, like her usual. It came with octopus, salmon,
tuna, yellowtail, egg, and shrimp. it didn't have roe like it usually does, and it gave a lot of rice. but the little sushi that was offered was really fresh.

Mei got a tuna and salmon sashimi dish, Tina got a salmon-skin handroll, and Do got a tempora dinner. The portions were not large, which I appreciated, and the prices were reasonable but there weren't the typical Japanese appetizers and the menu was a bit limited. The restaurant was also cash only but all in all, it wasn't bad Japanese food. Especially because i wanted it for a while!

The rest of the weekend was also delicious. Mommy, Do and I went to the LA Farmer's Market where we shared a bibimbap and each ate delicious home-made ice cream cones. mmm and then we had a typical Taiwanese breakfast of long thingie, fried thingie and wrapped thinige (in Do's lingo), we ate at Red Ant, had shabu shabu with Jessica and Calvin and this weekend felt long in a good way, and it was yummy :D So mommy and Do went back today and I miss them already :(

until next time! this weekend has been...

GOOD EATS! dun dun dun!

...read on!...

viva la havana!!!

mmm Cuban food. I have never had Cuban food before, but I did do a bit of research on Wikipedia before heading out to Versailles with Jill and Omid. While the restaurant shares its name with the grand French palace, it doesn't fall short of the name on taste. The little restaurant had a rustic/traditional feel to it...it was decorate with a red motif(...communism??) and had a strong ethnic flavor.

SPEAKING of flavor!! i thought it was delicious!

Versailles offers many traditional Cuban dishes including the "Moors and Christians" black beans and rice, beef stews, and uses authentic spices. After perusing the menu several times, I debated between the roasted shredded pork dish and the house-specialty chicken dish. I eventually settles on the shredded pork which I was completely satisfied with. But, I will definitely return to sample the other offerings on the menu. Not only were the flavors rich, but the portions were HUGE! And it all came with some fried plantains and black beans



This is the dish that I ordered is called Lechon Asado which is a Classic Cuban-style Roasted shredded pork that was marinated in Versailles' garlic mojo criollo sauce. It had a tangy, yet sweet and smoky flavor that went well with the sweetness of the white onions and rice.

Jill ordered an oxtail stew(Rabo Encendido), which was really tender and seasoned really well. The combination of spices included some sorts of pepper but it wasn't hot spicy. It definitely had strong Hispanic flavors to it, but my palate is for sure not broad enough to differentiate what those ingredients were. It really made for a hearty meal that's for sure! I personally really like oxtail stew, especially my mom's which is braised in red wine, sweet soy sauce, olive oil, and star anise. Mmm look at those huge bones. don't you just want to suck on them?!?!?

Omid stuck with his usual, Lomo Salteado which is kind of like beef stew. It was chunks of bite-size rib-eye steak simmered in a tomato-based sauce with onions and bell peppers with fried potatoes on the bottom. I think it's very similar to the Puerto Rican beef dish that I had with Jessica but this dish was a bit more hearty. I liked the texture of the beef: it was really tender and slightly chewy. The tomato-base sauce also had the undertones as the oxtail stew (which are probably base spices used in Cuban cuisine). I only had a bite, but it was really rich and delicious :D

MMMMM and the fried plantains were yummy :D they were like soft, firm, banana chips. And then afterwards, Jill and I saw a production of High School Musical done by several of her students. It was a great fete considering that all of the performers have Autism or Aspergers!

...read on!...

food for thought

This weekend, I fed my stomach and eyes with cousin Jessica!

We shall begin with the literal foods first:

Friday: PERUVIAN FOOD! at a hidden little restaurant in Eagle Rock. We ordered a ceviche mixto, half of a Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, and a Lomo Saltado.

The ceviche was extremely light and refreshing and consisted of fish, clams, shrimp, and octopus all marinated in lime juice. The marinade also had a hint of cilantro and spices so it was sour but slightly sweet with a little kick.

The chicken was really moist and yummy and the lomo saltado was beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes and french fries. It was good. and all of it came with a green mayonnaise and a spicy brown sauce. yummy :D

Saturday: .HUNTINGTON LIBRARY~! (the other kind of food)

Jessica, Calvin and I visited the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and it was really fun! The estate is extremely large and each garden/exhfbit felt like a portal to a whole different world. We looked at the mansion, the Japanese Gardens (according to ni, parts of Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed there), the Chinese Gardens (which are yet to be completed), the Rose Gardens, the Statue Gardens, and the Library. Huntington bought the Gutenberg Bible for $50,000 in 1911! Can you believe that?! I hardly could! He was extremely wealthy b/c he owned the railroad system and he married his aunt. those two facts are a bit unrelated but oh well.

My favorite part would have to be the Japanese garden. I was suprised at just how large and extensive it was! It included a bonsai garden, a dry landscape one, a huge koi pond, bridges, and a tea house. It was aethestically pleasing, breezy, and seemed to cover a lot of cultural aspects of the small island country.

Then we ended the day with Pho and Pinkberry. Pinkberry good :D

SUNDAY: DIM SUM w/ ting ting and zhou.

the classic stuff. it was good to eat and nice to see them. ting ting had a very nice dress on. but i didn't have my camera, so no pics :(

...read on!...

dinner date with the cousins in LA!

Enough of my recipes...tonight we ate at Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese BBQ restaurant that provided a unique dining experience...basically you cook your own food! It was yummy and it was fun to chill with aja and mei :D It's located near Pico and Westwood along with a lot of other restaurants and a frozen yogurt shop that rivals the deliciousness of Pinkberry, called Red Mango.

We ordered a spicy tuna salad, basil chicken, miso beef, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and garlic fried noodles. And of course, it came with an appetizer dish of bean sprouts, daikon radishes, eggplant and spinach--all seasoned with an Asian taste. The dipping sauces provided also nicely complemented the meats--there was a sweet soy sauce, a spicy-vinegar, and a citrus-y soy sauce. I liked the spicy one the best.

I liked that we were able to cook our own food. Also, the grill provided excellent warmth, but I wish we had better direction from the servers. Although it was fun, we did burn some of our meats :( however, it didn't take away too much from the dinner because the company was great! We sat at the counter and we could see the cooks busily preparing dishes from behind the bamboo counter. The restaurant also had a really relaxing ambience, especially because the light was dimmed. All in all, it was an excellent first outing in LA!

...read on!...

strawberry scones

A continuation from last time...the dessert portion that became breakfast :D

Strawberry Scones

Ingredients:
-2 cups of flour
-1 tablespoon of baking powder
-½ teaspoon of salt
-2 tablespoons of sugar
-5 tablespoons of unsalted butter (COLD and cut into chunks)
-1 cup of heavy cream
-1 cup of fresh strawberries diced up

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar)
3. Using 2 forks, chop up the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs
4. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream
5. Fold to incorporate and do not overwork the dough! Then fold in the strawberries.
6. Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle and cut the dough into triangles or squares
7. Place the scones on an ungreased sheet and brush the tops with some heavy cream
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. AND THEN EAT AND ENJOY. Yummmm :D

...read on!...

dinner and dessert for mommy <3

So I told my mom that I would cook for her last night because she always comes home so tired. But in order to cook something...I had to plan a menu! and it was:
Eggplant Rollatini with homemade roasted tomato sauce and Strawberry Scones for dessert (and breakfast!)

I began this cooking adventure busing and barting to Berkeley to go and buy groceries. I had lunch at Cafe Intermezzo with my sister and we had a massive veggie delight salad. Then we walked to Berkeley Bowl (top chef season 1 shopped there haha) to get ingredients for the roasted tomato sauce:
Ingredients:
-3 lbs of tomatoes (I used large ones and roma ones)
-1 medium onion
-2 large carrots
-4 cloves of garlic
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-thyme, basil, rosemary

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut tomatos in 1/2 (remove the stems), slice the onion and chop the carrots into bite size pieces. Smash and mince the garlic.
3. Toss the vegetables together with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper and herbs.
4. Lay the mixtue onto a large flat baking pan with tomatos face down. Bake until the veggies are tender (45-60 min).
5. When tender, remove the skins from the tomatoes and put the mixture (juices and all) into a blender. Pulse until desired texture.

Then I placed the sauce into a pot, and tasted it...reseasoned it. I also added eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms for an extra chunky sauce. and then I moved to work on the eggplant rollatini:
Ingredients
-large eggplant
-1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
-1 egg
-1 clove of minced garlic
-salt, pepper

Procedure:

1. Slice eggplant length-wise so that they are about 1/4 inch thick
2. Season w/ salt and pepper then steam them until they are pliable...pat dry
3. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheeses, egg, garlic and salt and pepper
4. In a baking dish, cover the bottom of the dish with the sauce.
5. Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture onto the eggplant slices and roll them up. Place the rolled eggplant onto the sauce in the baking dish, seam side down.
6. Continue until no more eggplant slices! Then top the eggplants with some more sauce.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, I made spagetthi noodles to eat with the sauce and the rollatini. It was good :D But i wasn't able to take any pics b/c my hands were occupado. haha
and now...for dessert! Strawberry Scones:

or maybe another time!

...read on!...

blueberry muffins

Ok, so muffins are usually notorious for being extremely delicious but also extremely fatty. BUT! with this recipe you can have the best of both worlds :D

This recipe also came with an adventure! So Melody didn't go to school today so I had to entertain her. We went on a walk and after our walk...we baked! Except we didn't have muffin holders so we made a loaf of blueberry bread instead.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of flour


• 1 teaspoon of baking soda


• 2 teaspoons of baking powder


• a pinch of salt


• 3/4 cup of sugar


• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil


• 1 egg


• 4/3 cup of blueberry flavored yogurt (2 6-oz containers...we used yoplait)


• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans or chocolate chips or all of those!

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F


2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.


3. In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, and yogurt.


4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.


5. Fold mixture 10 times. AND ONLY 10 TIMES!!


6. Add the nuts/chocolate chips/both to the mixture and fold 3 more times. It'll look like flour-y mush but that's correct! RESIST THE URGE TO MIX ANYMORE!


7. Pour batter 2/3 full into greased muffin pans.


8. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top and until it aces the toothpick test.

FOR BREAD....

1. Steps 1-6 are the same.


2. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan


3. Bake for 45 minutes.

it looks like this: and it tastes moist and yummy and blueberry :D

...read on!...

blueberry brownies

This recipe is just as rich and delicious as regular brownies, but it's extremely low in fat (no butter or eggs) so you can eat it with even more enjoyment!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of flour
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons of corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup (a 6 oz container) of blueberry flavored yogurt
• OPTIONAL: chopped walnuts and chocolate chips....quantity to your desire :D

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl (sugar counts as a "dry ingredient" in this recipe)
3. Make a little well and pour the yogurt in it.
4. Mix together with a fork (or your hands). At this point, you may also add the walnuts and chocolate chips. It will be EXTREMELY thick.
5. Pour batter into a 8x8 baking pan and spread evenly.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes (until you can stick in a toothpick and only have a couple of crumbs on it)
7. Set out to cool, cut, and EAT!!!!

You can substitute the blueberry-flavored yogurt with any fruit flavored kind you like. Another variety to try is making it with vanilla yogurt and adding crushed oreos. it's really good because it comes out chewy. :D

...read on!...