Healthy and Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Yes, you read the title right. These are black bean brownies! They are moist, decadent, rich, and made with no flour!

This recipe makes enough for a 9 x 13 pan of brownies. You could be like Michael and I and cut them so large you only get 12 brownies out of the whole pan. Either way, it makes a whole pan's worth.

Ingredients:
4 c. black beans, cooked, rinsed, and drained (you can use canned or dried. I used dried)
8 medjool dates, soaked for at least an hour and pitted*
1/2 c. nut butter of your choice (I used tahini)
1 1/4 c. almond milk
1/2 c. unsweetened natural applesauce
1 c. cocoa powder
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
optional add-ins: chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts, etc.

* You may want to add in more dates depending on your personal preference. Since we like our brownies pretty rich and tasting like dark chocolate, I only added 5 plus a scoop of stevia. Feel free to taste your batter and add in more sweetener or dates if you prefer.

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Puree your black beans and dates in your food processor until it becomes a thick and creamy consistency. You may need to add a little almond milk to help this process along.
- Once your beans and dates are blended, add in all ingredients except any add-ins you may have. Process until mixed.
- Using a spoon or spatula, fold in your add-ins. I used chocolate chips.
- Spread batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan. I pressed a few chocolate chips on top as well.

- Bake for around 25 minutes, making sure to test with a toothpick. This may take longer depending on your pan.
- Let cool completely before cutting. You don't want these falling apart!

I can't believe how good these were! I've been experimenting with healthy desserts and I think I have a winner here. Michael pretty much inhaled a brownie when he came home earlier. When I asked him what he thought these were made from, he couldn't even guess. He was shocked to find out these are made mainly from black beans. Awesome!

Red Beans and Rice

I've been wanting to try out making red beans and rice for a while now. My Dad used to give us a boxed version of this, and it was SO GOOD! Well, of course I didn't think it was delicious the first few times I tried it, right, Dad? I think I mastered this, without nearly as much salt as the boxed version contains. This recipe makes a lot!

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry red kidney beans, soaked overnight

4 c. vegetable broth

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green pepper, diced very finely

2 small white onions, chopped

1 tbsp. liquid smoke

1 tbsp. Bragg's liquid amino acids

2 tsp. parsley

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning

1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

- Toss all ingredients into crockpot, give a good stir, and let cook on low for 24 hours.

...wait, what? 24 hours? You see, I originally planned on this cooking for only 8 hours. Right in the middle of this delicious dish being cooked in the crock pot, San Diego's power went out. I immediately thought of the red beans and rice (after wondering if Michael had left work safely or not, of course). I wasn't sure if I should quickly open up the refrigerator and put the contents of the crock pot inside, compromising everything else in there. I ultimately decided to unplug it and just let it keep cooking with it's lid on. I decided that if the power was out for TOO long that I would decide what to do with the food then. Instead of eating this for dinner that night, Michael and I rushed to the North Park farmers market to grab some dinner and head home for a night of reading and Scrabble...

I was able to plug the crock pot back in the next day and let it continue cooking. Once it's done cooking, serve over cooked rice (I chose long grain brown rice). The end result turned out perfectly.

Easy Black Bean Burgers

I love making bean burgers because they are super easy to make -- you can pretty much use whatever ingredients you have as long as beans are involved! I made this up as I went along, so keep in mind that these measurements may not be exact. I used black beans and almonds but you can probably use whatever nuts and beans you have on hand. I also usually use more veggies in my bean burgers but I was lazy at the time and only used onions.

Ingredients:

makes 6 burgers

1 16. oz. can black beans

1 c. almonds

1/2 white onion

2 tbsp. miso

2 tbsp. corn meal

2 tbsp. corn starch

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:

- Toss everything into a food processor.

- Let the food processor run for only a minute or two. You don't want it to process too long or it could get runny. Add more corn meal or corn starch if you feel it isn't thick enough.

- When you feel that it's the right consistency, let it sit in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

- Mold into patties and place on greased cookie sheet or frying pan. I chose to bake them. I cooked them on 375 degrees for roughly 15 minutes on each side.

- Serve with whatever toppings you like. I used some delicious Daiya mozzarella and some cooked onions. Michael, however, put ketchup on his. If you know me, you know I HATE condiments. Yuck!

I loved that I used a lot of nuts in these since it gave them a nice crunch. Sunflower seeds are my favorite to put in veggie burgers so I definitely recommend using those if you have any. I do wish I would've added more spices, although they were still delicious as is. These beans are nice to freeze up if you don't have any time to cook them or want to save them for later on. The possibilities are endless!

I wish I had some of these burgers right now. I'm sitting in the San Diego Airport hungry and cold! I can't complain, though. I'm headed to Ohio and it's snow covered. Yikes!

Easy Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

I've really been lacking in updates here. Sorry, folks! We've both been sick and I really have not felt like cooking. We've been eating a lot of frozen foods from Trader Joe's as well as Tofurky pizzas (note: these are THE best vegan frozen pizzas ever). This recipe doesn't really involve too much cooking so it was super easy to make while I wasn't feeling the best. Anyway, I like to make dishes like this at the beginning of the week so Michael and I can take small containers of it to work and eat for lunch. It's great eaten cold, room temperature, or warmed up. It's also very tasty with some tortilla chips! For the beans you can always use dried and for the tomatoes feel free to use fresh. I just used what I had on hand. If you don't want this much salad lying around in your refrigerator, just use less of everything.

Ingredients:

1 c. red quinoa

2 c. water

1 28 oz. can black beans (I forget the actual size. I know I used a big can)

1 16. oz. can chopped tomatoes, rinsed a little

1 white onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3/4 c. corn

3/4 c. spinach, chopped

1/2 c. lime juice

Instructions:

- Rinse quinoa then place in a pot with the water, bring to a boil, then simmer and cover. Let cook for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and fully cooked.

- While quinoa is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl and mix.

- When quinoa is done cooking, mix that in with the rest of the veggies.

- Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat!

I typically put some sort of vinegar in with my bean salads but I decided not to this time for whatever reason. I loved the lime flavor -- it gave this salad a nice kick. It's lasted us a while, too, which is convenient considering how we've been feeling. Now all I need is to feel well enough to clean the apartment....