Longer than I’ve been alive

Earlier this week my unit threw a huge retirement party for one of my coworkers.  She has been a nurse for 33 years.  33 years! Can you even imagine?!?

Naturally, she had a ton of colleagues friends to give her a royal send off.  Staff members who had long since retired came to wish her well (they were joking that they were in Florence Nightingale’s class).  It was such a special thing to see, so I can only guess how much it meant to her.

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When I was hired, there were rumors of her (then alleged) retirement plans, but it was still super hush hush hearsay only.  Once it became official, the party planning committee was on it – full steam ahead.

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It was catered by some BBQ restaurant and the cake was from Porto’s Bakery.

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Look how beautiful!!  [and that’s coming from a person who has no interest in sheet cake]

I was warned in advance that the catering would not be very vegan friendly (isn’t that thoughtful?).  I mean, yes, I was bummed that they weren’t getting anything plant-based, but I was happy that it actually occurred to the nurses planning the event to make sure I knew to BYOB.

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Bring Your Own Brownies.

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I brought my own food, too (above), but the baked goods were for everyone to enjoy.  They were vegan, but not advertised as such.  All I did was pop the tin on the table (next to the massive cake) and let people nibble what they wanted.

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I went with the deliciously reliable babycakes – a book that has never failed me in the desserts department.

A few of my coworkers requested (yes, requested) chocolate brownies, so I chose babycakes’ agave-sweetened brownie gems.  However, I didn’t want to make individual gems, so I decided to just try the recipe in a pan.  My alterations didn’t stop there though.  In an effort to make the recipe lower in FODMAPS, I completely revamped the flours.

Here’s what I learned from messing with a vegan, gluten free recipe: don’t.

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Good news?  The brownies were delicious.

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Bad news?  They were meant to be individual “gems.”  Because I used a pan, the brownies on the edges were perfect, but the inside portion was too gooey and crumbly.

I have no idea how brownies can be fluffy and crumbly as well as gooey, but they were just that.

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It wasn’t that much of a problem really.  The recipe still yielded over a dozen yummy brownie bites for me to bring to work, but next time I will follow the directions (using muffin tins).

This story doesn’t end there though.

The beauty lies in what I did with the leftover portion…

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Brownie Crumbles + Banana Soft Serve = Chunky Monkey Ice Cream Cake (vegan-style)

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Are you ready for this?

Frozen Brownie Banana Cake (vegan, low FODMAPS)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/4 cup garbanzo/fava bean flour*
  • 2 tbsp arrowroot
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup vegan sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs

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*The changes I made to the original recipe to make it lower FODMAPS included using vegan sugar in place of agave, water in place of applesauce, omitting xanthan gum, and reducing the amount of bean flour.  To make it FODMAPS free (for the elimination phase) you could use 1 cup brown rice flour only (no wheat or bean flours).

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In separate bowls mix wet and dry ingredients, then combine them and pour into a baking pan.

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If you want brownie bites, use a muffin tin to make individual gems (this way they will cook through uniformly and hold together).  But if you are going to make an ice cream cake, just bake the brownies in a pan (because it doesn’t really matter if they are crumbly or not).

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You will have to fight for the batter leftovers – they are THAT good.

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Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.  [For more gooey brownies, only bake for 25 minutes]

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Wait for them to cool and then scoop and stuff into ramekins.

For the top layer of ice cream, you blend frozen bananas with almond milk.  You may want to add some sweetener if your almond milk isn’t sweetened (such as agave syrup, medjool dates, or maple syrup).  Maple syrup would be the FODMAPS free option, but they are all vegan.

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I used 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 frozen banana for each ramekin.

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Then I simply poured the ice cream on top of the brownie layer and it was ready to go!

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Kyle dug in right away, but the rest went into the freezer for later.

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Half way through, I tried to “borrow” his frozen brownie banana cake to take a picture…

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He told me that was like separating a mama bear from her cub.  Dangerous.  Very dangerous.

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How long have you been at your current job?  Can you imagine being there 33 years?

I love my job, but that amount of time seems ridiculously long.

Have you ever turned a flopped recipe into something even better than the original?

I am too cheap to throw anything away so I try to save anything that doesn’t go as planned.  Case in point, this recipe.

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Comments (21)

  1. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    That looks absolutely delicious! I think I could even eat that topping alone! Haha but I would never turn down brownie.

  2. Alissa @ Not Just Apples

    Oh my word, that sounds amazing!

    I’ve been at my job for 5 years now, but I have only stuck with it for so long because it’s so varied! I totally admire people that do the same thing for so long…

  3. Lee

    I am in-between jobs right now, but the longest that I’ve been at a job is 3.5 years. I have a few friends that have been at their jobs for 10 years though (we’re in our early 30s) and that seems like a long time!

  4. hippierunner

    Vegan ice cream cake is genius!

  5. julie

    i’m always amazed when i meet someone and they’re like oh i’ve been teaching here for 50 years. i’m like

  6. julie

    ….continued..

    WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT. you were teaching and i was like my parents didn’t even meet yet haha

  7. janae@hungryrunnergirl.com

    33 years! That is incredible. Between your brownies and that sheet cake, I am now starving for lunch ha! This is my 3rd year at my current job!

  8. Suzanne

    14 Years! I have 11 left to retire and I wont even be 50 yet!

  9. Chels R.

    those brownies look so yummy and fudgy!

  10. Christine (The Raw Project)

    Wow on the retirement, but my mom had been a nurse longer and still working! A little depressing listening to her on how politics and health problems have changed over her career, she noticed only three of 35 patients on her floor currently are older than her, many are too young for the health problems they have. 🙁

    Anyway, this looks absolutely amazing, awesome job!

  11. lynn @ the actor's diet

    babycakes just opened down the street from me! that means i won’t be baking their recipes – just buying…

  12. TeenyLittleSuperChef

    Hot damn, those brownies with soft-serve look tasty! It’s so fun when a seemingly failed recipe turns into something magical. I only wish all my flops could be turned into gems. Unfortunatly burned to a crisp pancakes can’t always be resuscitated… or can they. Do tell me you have a cure for such ails, Nurse Elise 😉
    (your hubby’s a babe, by the way)

  13. Lou

    Yes! Awesome idea… that’s what I love about cooking, you can turn F%*&k ups into masterpieces.

  14. Kamaile

    Ive been at my current job (exec asst) for 16 years in March. 33 years as a nurse is so commendable, to think how many people she has helped! Ummm you wouldn’t be air quotes borrowing my brownie either! 🙂

  15. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

    Well you certainly get an A for effort to veganize and low fodmaps the recipe.

    I cannot believe what that woman has likely seen, experienced, and done as a nurse..for 33 years. A childhood friend’s mother of mine was an ER nurse for about 25 years and the stories that woman could tell.

  16. Elise (Post author)

    he is isnt he!? haha.

    sorry i cant think of a way to bring crispy pancakes back to life though.

  17. Jan

    I’ve been a court reporter for 30 1/2 years! And, unfortunately, because of the economy, yes, I can imagine doing it for 33 years! However, my job is easier and more pleasant than ever because I work with your grandma!!

    And your banana/chocolate brownie stuff looks AMAZING!!! Maybe I can get my husband to eat healthy desserts! For him, dessert is a right, not a privilege, and must be had EVERY night!! So thanks for the recipe!

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  19. janetha

    ahahahah i just had to click out of reader to tell you that photo of kyle made my morning. hilarious.

    that stuff looks delicious! who cares if it’s crumbly!

  20. Melissa C

    Elise, I just made this recipe last night for some friends and it was a huge hit! They don’t have dietary restrictions and could not tell that it was gluten free and vegan. I will definitely be making this again 🙂

  21. Elise (Post author)

    Yay!! I love it!!

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