Artichoke Spread and Texas Chocolate Cake!

Face it, the best things about food are sometimes appetizers and dessert. I could live on just those two courses for probably about 1/2 the week. The other 1/2 of the week, I'd think all I'd been eating is junk food. But hey, it happens.

The artichoke dip was originally going to be an artichoke bruschetta modeled after a few online recipes, including one I found at allrecipes.com. I figured all I had to was work that vegan magic and it would be a quick and easy make-ahead appetizer. Like all recipes, it evolved a little when I was dabbling and I decided it was too good as a spread or a dip to pop it under the broiler. If you make this, it's your choice. We had it alongside traditional tomato bruschetta, served with crostini.

Artichoke Spread

1 6 oz can artichoke hearts, drain and chop finely
1/4 cup red onion, diced finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp nooch
1 Tbsp sundried tomatoes (the oil kind) diced finely
1/3 cup vegennaise
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and refrigerate for an hour or so before serving. On to the dessert!

My mom had this brownie recipe that uses 1 cup of butter and 4 eggs. It made these incredible brownies, but with that many eggs, I haven't tried to veganize it. I haven't had the brownies for years, but they came really close to this recipe from Bigmouth Strikes Again. I did the 1/2 recipe, using 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 ener g, baked in an 8 inch square pan, without nuts because...ewwww. They came out great! They're not overly sweet or densely chocolatey and they have a terrific texture. Thanks so much for the recipe! By the way, check out her website for a more flattering picture.

Fresh cherries are in season here and I'm trying to make the most of them. Stay tuned!