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!

Homemade Chocolate Shell

I've been meaning to post this little gem for a while. I can't remember where I found this but I'm so happy I did! (You can do a search for homemade magic shell and get lots of ideas).

A hard coating of chocolate over a cold scoop of ice cream brings back happy childhood memories. From a scoop at home with "magic shell" to a chocolate dipped cone at the Foster's Freeze.

Let's quickly compare homemade chocolate shell to the well known Magic Shell from Smucker's.

Smucker's Magic Shell: Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Chocolate, Whole Milk Solids, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Contains 2% or less of: Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vanilla.

Homemade Chocolate Shell: Chocolate, Coconut Oil.

The Magic Shell didn't have as much of a big bad ingredients list as I expected it to. But it still has things you can avoid like added sugar and oil by making your own. Plus why buy it when it's super simple to make and you're in control of what ingredients go into it? Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp Coconut oil

Directions:
Put chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwavable glass container (I used my Pyrex measuring cup). Heat slowly in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted. Pour over your favorite ice cream and watch the magic!

PS: I really like the article linked to Soy Lecithin (above or click here). It explains the ingredient thoroughly giving you the information you need to decide whether or not you want to avoid it.

Chocolate Syrup

Flavored milk is no stranger to bad press. In fact, it's a main focus of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. And I happen to agree that flavored milk, chocolate or otherwise, should not be readily available to the kiddos, especially at school. If given the choice, most children will pick a flavored milk over plain milk. I did. And my almost kindergartener would likely too even though he loves plain milk and knows chocolate milk is a treat. It's too tempting and most kids would opt for a treat over real food if it was available to them.

I'm definitely with Jamie on getting flavored milk out of schools but I do believe that a cold glass of chocolate milk or mug of hot chocolate once in a while is good for the soul. And I know he does too - he has a terrific hot cocoa recipe in one of his cookbooks.

My approach to chocolate milk is the same as my approach to any treat I make for the family - healthier, occasional and affordable with a touch of convenience if I can get it. I don't think there are many people (in the USA anyhow) that wouldn't recognize a bottle or can of Hershey's Syrup. And not many more that haven't had it. Not unlike most big brand convenience products, Hershey's Syrup is one that a lot of people "just buy." Whether it's because it brings back good memories or because it's "Hershey's, and has to be good, right?" Hershey's is a family after all? Or maybe it's the fact it goes on sale often enough to get it pretty cheap. Whatever the reasons, it is definitely a product that gets purchased a lot. Personally, I think it's the strong branding it has maintained for decades. The illusion that it's as pure as its beginnings when Milton Hershey himself was making the products. And that's the problem. It's not what Milton was making, it can't be. Hershey's products are mass produced and need to be shelf stable. And some of their chocolate products aren't even chocolate. Anyhow, here are the ingredients for Hershey's Syrup (not listed on their website by the way):

High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, water, cocoa *, contains 2% or less of: potassium sorbate (a preservative), salt, mono and diglycerides *, polysorbate 60 (an emulsifier), xanthan gum, and vanillan, an artificial flavoring. *Adds a negligible amount of fat.

Starts with HFCS, and it's not until the fifth ingredient we find cocoa. I like to mention this because it helps remind me of how to make better choices, specifically with convenience foods. There are other chocolate syrups out there and here's one from Trader Joe's that is an improvement from Hershey's:

Organic sugar, water, organic cocoa, organic non-fat dry milk, organic vanilla, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, citric acid.

The point here is to learn to make better choices when buying convenience items. If you can't make it yourself, then pick the lesser of the evils. Take a few minutes (or more) to research.

And here is a simple recipe to make your own chocolate syrup if you find the time. I made it. It's fast and tastes great - no extra food additives needed. Give it shot if you can!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, add sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Whisk together gently.  Add water.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool.  Store in the refrigerator. 

For chocolate milk, add 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to 8 oz. of milk.  Heat for hot chocolate.

For milk shakes, combine 1 cup cold milk, 1/4 cup chocolate syrup and 2 cups (1 pint) of vanilla ice cream to a blender.  Blend.

This syrup also makes a yummy ice cream topping.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1968.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate. Oh yes. I love, love, love peanut butter and I love, love, love chocolate. So when I came across a "healthier" peanut butter and chocolate cookie, I was in. I found the original recipe at Honey, What's Cooking?

I thought these would make a great addition to our Father's Day gift for the hubby and a decent treat for the boys. So I headed to the kitchen and got started. I made a few changes based on my personal preference. I used all brown sugar and no white sugar. I also added a touch of sea salt and used a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips.

These cookies came out great. They are thick, chewy and chocolaty. My dough was thick and didn't spread much. I gave them a little push down a few minutes before they were done baking. Next time I may just shape the cookies into hockey puck like rounds and see how it goes.


Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 9 big cookies (using a two-inch scoop)

1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter, salted or unsalted
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Reduced Fat 2% Milk
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, flaxseed and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter. Add brown sugar, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add oatmeal mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Scoop cookies onto baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool (if you can) and enjoy!

You can find this recipe and lots of other sweet treats over at Sweet As Sugar Cookies. Check them out. Get inspired.

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This bread came out perfect! Taste, texture and appearance. Yum.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (adapted from One Ordinary Day)

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups Shredded zucchini
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup High quality unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Packed brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3/4 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and shred zucchini. In a large bowl combine oil, sugars and vanilla. Mix in eggs and shredded zucchini. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into a greased (I use cooking spray) 9×5x3 loaf pan, and bake for 55 minutes, or until done. Let cool then enjoy!

Chocolate shake, medium food in action

When I was pregnant with my second son last summer and working two jobs, my son, Gavin, was unfortunately introduced to the drive-thru and the chocolate shake. What was I thinking? Well, I was pregnant so I'll use that as my excuse and leave it at that.

My husband and I have always been great with how we feed Gav. Organic baby foods, whole grain breads, etc. But I broke our streak. And as I should have expected, Gavin took a liking to those junky shakes. I knew I had to find a replacement that Gav would accept ASAP.

Occasionally, we stop by Jamba Juice. Those smoothies can really get expensive so that's why I say, occasionally. I also understand the high amount of sugar some of them can pack, another good reason not to visit often. Anyhow, I remembered they have a chocolate smoothie. So the next time my son requested a chocolate shake, that's where we would go.

The request inevitably came and my plan was set into motion. As soon as he realized we weren't heading in the direction of the chocolate shake place, he protested. I confidently told him not to worry, we were indeed on our way to get him a chocolate shake. As we parked, he unhappily said "this is the smoothie place mommy, not where I get my chocolate shake!" Again, confidently and with excitement, I told him that the smoothie place makes chocolate shakes too! I must have been convincing because his concern subsided and after inside, he waited calmly for his "chocolate shake."

I was a bit nervous upon handing him the cup. He looked through the clear lid and after a second of concern on his face, his eyes lit up. The contents within looked like his familiar treat and then after the first sip, a big smile appeared. I smiled back at him and he said "mommy, it is my chocolate shake!" I said "see honey, mommy told you they made chocolate shakes here."

I got lucky. My son made the switch without an issue. Now, going to Jamba Juice is automatically what he expects when we go out for a shake. I'm proud of him and of me for nipping this potential taste for junky fast food in the bud.

And as an FYI, here's the nutritional info comparison:

	Calories	Fat	Carb	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd, 16 oz.	430	4	86	2	77	11
Fast Food Chocolate Shake, 16 oz.	580	14	102	1	84	13