Chocolate Vegan Brownie (& Fudge)

I am a chocoholic. I keep telling myself I need to join a chocoholics anonymous. Every time I see a new article in the news touting the health benefits of chocolate, I feel justified in continuing with my passion for the cocoa bean in all its shapes and flavors.
Being vegetarian is a challenge when it comes to making cakes and cookies and brownies. I experimented with eggless cake, and it turned out great.. slightly thicker (can I say denser?) than regular cake, but it did the trick. This is a recipe for an eggless chocolate brownie. I tried out different versions, and this was really del-i-cious. Its crisp on the outside and moist and chocolaty inside. If you don't like the outer layer being crisp, reduce the quantity of all purpose flour. To make this a low cal version, I have used olive oil instead of using butter.
To prevent sticking to pan, be sure to grease well, or line with parchment paper.




Ingredients:
All purpose flour: 1.25 cups
Olive oil: 1/3 cup
Milk: 1/2 cup (can be substituted by soy or almond milk to make it vegan)
Sugar: 1.66 cups
Unsweetened chocolate: 4 oz (8 pieces of bakers chocolate)
Water: 2 tbsp
Baking soda: 1.5 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Vinegar: 2 tsp
Walnuts: 3/4 cup

Method:
Heat oven to 350F.
Add sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl. Add the olive oil or butter and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Add the chocolate broken to pieces. Mix well to dissolve. If pieces remain, microwave for an additional one minute on high.
To this mix, add milk. Mix well.
Mix all purpose flour (can be substituted by maida) with salt and baking soda.
Add this mix to the chocolate milk mix. Do not over-mix from this stage, as it makes the brownies hard.
Add the vinegar mix. The mix has to be taken to the oven as soon as possible after this step, as the soda and vinegar start acting together as soon as they come into contact.
Add the chopped walnuts.
Transfer contents to a greased 9 x 9 inch oven safe bowl.
Bake for 17 to 18 minutes in the middle rack of the oven.
Let cool for a couple of minutes and cut into small serving portions.

This makes 16 potions except for people like me who only succeed in making 4 potions of the whole thing. A cool idea if you are expecting fewer friends is to make individual serving bowls and bake them as such, and top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and maybe a sprig of mint and half a strawberry if you are into garnishing.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving (1/16 of recipe or 42 gms)

Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 142
Total fat: 16 gms (25% of DV)
Saturated fat: 4 gms (20% of DV)
Monounsaturated fats: 6 gms
Polyunsaturated fats: 5.7 gms
Trans fats: 0 gms
Cholesterol: 0 mg (0% of DV)
Sodium: 5 mg (0% of DV)
Carbohydrate: 13 gms (4% of DV)
Dietary Fiber: 2 gms (7% 0f DV)
Sugars: 1 gm
Proteins: 3 gms

Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 8%

Percent daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet and may vary based on individual requirements.

Breakdown of caloric information:
Carbohydrates: 25% Fats: 71% Proteins: 4%

This is a good source of manganese, containing 0.6mg of Mn, which is 32% of DV

Chocolate Fudge:



This is an adaptation of the brownie which is more decadent, more sinful and oozes fudgy chocolate from within. If you prefer your chocolate that way, follow this method to the "t", and believe me, you wont repent (well, maybe you will, but only because you wont be able to stop with just one serving!!!!)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
   
2. In a oven safe 9 x 9 inch bowl, add 1.66 cups sugar and 2 tbsp water. Add 1/2 cup oil and mix well. Microwave for 3 minutes.
3. Mix well. Add 4 oz of unsweetened chocolate. Microwave for another minute. Mix well.
4. Add 3/4 cup of milk. Mix well to make sure the sugar is well incorporated. Microwave for another minute.
5. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking soda and 1.2 cups of all purpose flour. Do not over mix at this stage. Another important point to remember is to add all the flour in one (or maybe two) moves. This prevents you from mixing the flour over and over again. If you have small flour bubbles here and there, it doesn't really matter.
6. Add one cup of chopped walnuts. Mix.
7. Add 2 tsp vinegar. Mix well and move to oven as soon as possible after this stage.
8. Bake at 350F for 18 minutes.