Black Bean Brownies

I finally made black bean brownies. And guess what? They are good! Good, good, good!

I will admit I was skeptical. That's why it took me so long to give the recipe a try. I'll also admit to telling my six year old and husband I was just making (regular) brownies. It wasn't until after they asked for seconds did I tell them it was black bean brownies they were eating (and loving). There was a brief pause and a couple of strange facial expressions then they went back to eating them.

These brownies are easy to make. You throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, blend it all up, fold in chocolate chips, pour into the pan and sprinkle with more chocolate chips then bake. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool! The smell of yummy brownies will fill your kitchen (and entire home if it's as small as ours). That's why waiting for them to cool is tough, they smell so good. Initially, I thought getting 16 brownies was going to yield a teeny tiny brownie rather than a decent size piece but I was pleasantly surprised. They aren't huge but they aren't tiny either. However, I think it's safe to assume most people eating one will go back for a second.

The texture of the brownie is more cakey than fudgy in my opinion. It's cool to me that blending down black beans eliminates the need for flour. And, it's amazing to me that you cannot taste them. Chocolate can really turn anything into a dessert. Again, I was skeptical but these are good. I encourage you to give it a try. Oh, one more thing, when my youngest got home from school, I offered him a brownie. Before I could hand him one, my older son told him they were black bean brownies - he instantly said yuck and didn't want one. I knew that would happen that's why I didn't say anything initially. Funny, too, my little guy loves black beans but in a brownie? Nope. Not yet anyway. I'll get him next time!

Black Bean Brownies
Makes 16
Original recipe here.


Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) canned organic black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of ground coffee
1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, divided (I used both)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.

Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in a food processor until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.

Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!

Popcorn

Recently inspired by my cousin and a friend that has her own popcorn business, I've kicked up the popping here at home. I've always liked popcorn. Not the buttery stuff you get at the movies or the fake tasting kind from a microwave bag but plain with a little salt.

My cousin, Della and I share a love for coconut oil and seeing all her talk (gotta love facebook!) about her popcorn made with coconut oil and salt, I decided to make a batch of my own. I normally skip the oil by throwing some kernels in a brown paper bag and then putting it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Season with a little salt and it is good to go. But popping with coconut oil is right up my alley and between my cousin raving about it and me helping my friend pop and package her popcorn in a commercial kitchen, I was ready to give it a try. The results were yummy!

Popcorn can be nutritious. It's a whole grain and contains a bit of fiber. Did you know most of the nutrition in popcorn comes from the hull? Yeah, the part that often gets stuck in your teeth. The hulls contain polyphenols - antioxidants that prevent damage to cells. Although, there is some debate about how much we actually benefit from the antioxidants in popcorn because how much we absorb may not be significant enough. Regardless, if not slathered in butter, excess oil, excess salt or a fake sugary or cheesey topping, it is a healthy snack option. Popcorn is also very economical. A 28 oz. bag of organic popcorn kernels was only $1.99. That makes for a lot of popcorn. Conventional kernels are probably cheaper but being that I'm avoiding GMOs as much as possible, I opt for organic.

I talk about and use coconut oil often. But this was my first time popping with it. It was easy and tasted great. So great in fact the entire batch was gone in less than 24 hours. It wasn't oily but could have been I suppose if too much oil was used. I highly recommend popping with coconut oil if you haven't already done so. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Organic popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons Coconut oil
Sea salt

Using a large pot with a lid, heat up coconut oil over medium high heat. Add kernels, cover with lid and wait for popping to begin. Continuously shake pot back and forth to avoid burning (I wear oven mitts). Remove from heat once popping slows down and/or stops. Sprinkle with salt while popcorn is still hot.

Coconut Oil

$5.99 at Trader Joe's

Use of coconut oil is on the rise. From my research, prior to the eighties, coconut oil was commonly used. Some time after that, it was attacked by the oil industry. The attack is believed to have been started by the American Soybean Association. The corn industry also joined in. Big surprise. Eventually coconut oil was put aside for products like soybean oil, vegetable oil and margarine. It was believed they were better for us because they were lower in saturated fat than coconut oil.

From what I gather, early studies were done on partially hydrogenated coconut oil, which creates trans fats. Virgin coconut oil, is not the same thing. Much of the saturated fat in coconut oil is in the form of lauric acid, a saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of good cholesterol. It is also found in breast milk.

Even though coconut oil fell out of favor and was deemed an "artery clogger" for a while, it has made its way back to the top. I mean when Trader Joe's offers a private label version of the good stuff (organic, virgin), it's gotta be okay, right? Insert a tiny bit of sarcasm in that last statement. Seriously though, I think there's enough evidence that proves coconut oil is good choice. Be sure to pick the virgin oil and if you get a chance, Google it and read more about its many health benefits.