Gluten-free, chocolate-tofu brownie sundae

I wish I could bottle this kind of happiness---a cat in a barrel of catnip. It was a dream come true for my cat, Pumpkin, when I discovered that catnip had inadvertently come up in whiskey barrel planter outside my front door. I'm not quite sure how the catnip got there but I have grown catnip in other places in my yard in past years.

I've never seen him so eager to go outside on his leash now that he knows the catnip is right outside the door. He reaches up for the door knob on the front door to give me a not-so-subtle hint that he wants his catnip fix for the day.

While my cat's fix is catnip, mine is chocolate or carob. But getting my fix, while being on a low-carb diet for eliminating a yeast overgrowth, can be a bit tricky. Ingenuity and cravings prompted me to come up with my chocolate-tofu brownie sundae. It's all low-carb and has no gluten, eggs, sugar or milk. You also can substitute carob for the chocolate if chocolate creates issues for you.

Sounds like it's missing all the good stuff but no, it actually tastes delicious. Admittedly, I haven't taste tested it on anyone but myself. But it has all the texture and chocolate or carob taste of a brownie to me.

Chocolate-Tofu Brownie Sundae
Ingredients for the Brownies:

1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour

1/2 cup each soy flour and coconut flour

Option 2: Just use 2 cups of garbanzo bean flour and skip the soy and coconut flours. It still works.

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. baking cocoa or carob powder

Optional: 1 T. ground cinnamon

Optional: 2-3 T. chocolate vegan rice powder to up the protein content

1 1/4 cups water (possibly more)

2 T. olive oil

Pan spray

Ingredients for Tofu Pudding Sauce:

1 package Silken tofu

Optional: 3-4 T. chocolate vegan rice powder (This will give the pudding sauce a firmer texture.)

Optional: 1 tsp. cinnamon

2 drops chocolate or plain liquid Stevia

2 T. baking cocoa or carob powder

1/4 cup soy or hemp milk (I use the unsweetened versions.)

Directions for brownies:

Mix all the dry ingredients in large bowl. Add the olive oil and water. Stir to blend. Add more water if needed as the flours will absorb a lot of moisture. The batter should have the consistency of cake batter. Allow the batter to rest for up to an hour while the mixture thickens.

In the meantime, preheat the oven at 480 degrees. Heat a large glass baking pan (9 X 13 inches)

for 10 minutes prior to baking. The pan should be sprayed and drizzled with 1-2 T. of additional olive oil.

Once the pan and olive oil are heated, add the batter and place in the oven to bake for about 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into serving size pieces.

Directions for the pudding sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend. Chill before serving.

To assemble the sundaes:

Spoon some chocolate or carob sauce in a serving dish. Then add a piece of "brownie." Spoon in some additional sauce and top with another "brownie." Finish with another dab of sauce. Garnish with tasted seeds or nuts if tolerated.