May 1, 2010

Unbelievable Black Bean Brownies!

Looking for some ideas for black beans, having cooked up quite a few, I came across this recipe at 101 cookbooks. Now I did end up changing it up quite a bit. I usually have agave nectar in my kitchen but I was totally out so I opted to use organic sugar. Also, there was no coffee (gasp!) to be found! So a few changes were made to suit my empty pantry. I used what organic ingredients I had, I am still in the process of switching all items out.

These brownies taste like regular gooey chocolate brownies made from the normal stuff brownies are made from! I was truly amazed at the texture and taste.

Unbelievable Black Bean Brownies

Adapted from: 101cookbooks.com

4 oz organic cacao powder
2 oz raw organic cacao butter
1 cup organic butter
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup toasted carob powder
1 tablespoon organic vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with canola oil
using your Misto oil sprayer. If you don’t have parchment paper you can directly spray your non-stick baking pan with canola oil.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter along with cacao powder, grated cacao butter, and 1 cup of the sugar. Heat until butter and sugar is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor or Vita-mix place beans, 1/2 cup of the pecans, a 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Blend until beans are smooth, approx 2 minutes. Batter will be thick.

In a large bowl mix together the chocolate mixture and bean mixture. Then add the remaining pecans, carob powder and salt. Mix well.

In an electric mixer with whisk attachment beat eggs until thick and foamy, add remaining sugar and mix to combine thoroughly. Reserve 1/2 cup of egg mix, and pour the rest into the chocolate mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Pour batter into parchment lined pan, smooth out the top. Pour 1/2 cup remaining egg mixture in a random design on top of batter. Use toothpick to create a marble effect.

Bake for 30 minutes or until brownies are set. Cool in pan before cutting and store in refrigerator.

Ciao!
Posted 19th May 2010 by Chantel Beauregard

About the Author: Chantel Beauregard

I am a Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner, Nutritionist, Clinical Herbalist, Certified Nutrition Coach and a self proclaimed Culinary Archeologist. I studied Nutrition Science at Stanford University. Growing up, my friends always said our kitchen smelled like syrup. I of course interpreted this as a good thing, and it was. I enjoyed the smell of my Mom’s kitchen. To me it was a mixture of onions, garlic (two of my favorites) fenugreek, the sweetness of saffron and rosewater. Exotic spices from Iran were always in the house. Strange looking vegetables or fruits like artichokes and pomegranates. I grew up with “Persian influence” my mother would say. My Grandmothers kitchen was different. It either smelled of her famous chocolate cherry cake, KFC, or canning tomatoes. All of which smelled good to me. If we were visiting on a day it smelled of chocolate cake you could guarantee a peek at Grandpa through the kitchen window sneaking a second serving of chocolate cherry cake as we pulled out of the driveway to head home. One of my fondest memories. Most of the memories I have growing up include food. Very good food. And I think food should do just that. Take you somewhere, remind you of something wonderful, transport you to another time when all you had to do was pick up the fork and enjoy it! Don’t get me wrong choosing the ingredients and preparing what is on that fork is fun too! (Ever go foraging for watercress in a mountain creek?) But for those who are eating it, no other thoughts should be in their mind, other than the places that fork is about to take them. Here at Culinary Archeology I emphasize healthful eating personalized to YOUR genetics, design, lifestyle, environment, and health concerns. I help you build the confidence and skills to eat, cook and bake nutritiously intuitive, with purpose and creativity. My meal plans offer effective strategies and tools to improve health, including weekly food and shopping schedules, healthful recipes, and recommendations about cooking and food storage methods, as well as steps to achieve mindful eating, making food choices easier and fun, every day. I became a Certified 3x4 Practitioner because I know that there is no single right diet that applies to all of us. We have different genetic backgrounds, different preferences, and different lives. And until you get your nutrition right, nothing is going to change. By changing your diet , you can change your entire physiology. I am here to teach strategies and give tools to find out what is right for each person, individually.