The Truth about Black Bean Brownies

Ever since I heard about "black bean brownies," I knew I had to try them. I love brownies and I love the idea of getting more black beans in my diet. And the recipes I saw online for black bean brownies always seemed to include rave reviews. So I tried making a batch myself. The verdict? Hmmm...not so great. At first.

Straight from the pan, the brownies were (are) wet. There's no other way to describe them. But unwilling to throw away an entire batch of brownies, I decided to freeze them, and discovered that if eaten straight from the freezer, they are actually pretty good. Please note, however, that my husband was thoroughly disgusted after tasting them straight from the pan and was unwilling to try them frozen. 

But I really liked them (from the freezer), and decided to make them again, this time with white chocolate chips in place of the regular chocolate chips. As much as I enjoyed the first batch straight from the freezer, the second batch was infinitely better. The white chocolate chips kind of make the recipe. So much so, that my husband was intrigued enough to try them and now he is hooked, as is my daughter. 

I'm telling you, try these brownies but do NOT eat them until they are frozen or you will be disappointed.

Black Bean Brownies with White Chocolate Chips

Adapted from Meal Makeover Moms

• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.  Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and drop the remaining white chocolate chips on top.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into squares.

5. Once cooled completed, wrap in foil and freeze.

Homemade Hummus

Ever since I discovered how to make hummus at home, it's been a staple in our refrigerator. We've been making a lot of it lately, and I have to say, it hasn't gotten old. I don't follow a recipe, so it's slightly different each time I make it, but always good. I start with two cans of garbanzo beans, which I rinse and drain. 

To that I add a heaping scoop of tahini, salt, fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon) and paprika. Most people would also include garlic, but I'm not always in the mood for garlic-y hummus, so lately I've been leaving it out. I put all the ingredients in the Cuisinart and slowly add olive oil until the consistency is smooth and creamy. I then sprinkle paprika on top to make it look nice. And that's it. I dip vegetables in hummus, I use it as a spread on sandwiches, and of course pita chips are wonderful dipped in hummus. Because hummus is made of garbanzo beans, it's packed with fiber and protein, which tend to give it staying power.

What I was most delighted to discover this weekend was that my daughter enjoyed it too. On Sunday she asked me for hummus and sugar snap peas, and I just about fainted on the spot. She didn't love the sugar snap peas, but she certainly had fun with the hummus!

Snacking outside the box

I had a snack breakthrough this past week and want to share it with you here.  I've been very busy at work recently. With such a packed schedule I've somehow managed to continue packing lunches for myself, but dropped the ball on the afternoon snack. When 3 o'clock hit, I was generally hungy, grumpy and plotting where I could get a quick pick-me-up: a peice of coffee cake; a muffin; a cookie. Those were the kinds of foods I was craving because I wanted energy and I wanted it fast.

Unfortunately, eating a muffin or cookie every day mid-afternoon is not particularly nutritious, satisfying, economical or efficient: all things I value. And a string cheese just wasn't cutting it for me recently. Don't love the aftertaste.

When I was talking about this with my husband--yes, we discuss things like which snacks are most satisfying in the afternoon--he mentioned that he'd been eating raw almonds because they are healthy and tide him over until dinner.

Unfortunately, raw almonds didn't sound appealing to me.  I don't find them particularly satisfying, and with all the dental work I've endured, I don't love the idea of eating such a crunchy food so often. 

And then it hit me: almond butter (which I love)! That would be a great snack to try!

Sure, people may think it a bit odd to see me eating almond butter with a spoon, but I have to say, it has been a very satisfying snack this week. It gives me an energy boost, it tastes good, and it tides me over until dinner. Kablamo!

You could certainly spread almond butter on crackers, a banana or an apple, but I've been eating it straight from my tupperware. It's easy, efficient, nutritious and satisfying.

What are your favorite snacks and why?

Need Help Stopping When You're Full?

Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full. And love yourself. That was my vision for all my readers when I started this website five years ago. Pretty simple stuff, yet extraordinarily complicated for anyone who has spent time restricting food, eating emotionally or teaching themselves how NOT to listen to their bodies.

So I thought I'd share one little technique that I find useful to help me remember to stop eating when I'm full. Yes, I even need reminders sometimes too. A setting where I need some help is at one of my favorite burger joints: The Stand. Eating just half a burger usually leaves me feeling a bit hungry, and yet eating a whole burger generally leaves me feeling too full.

So when I'm really mindful while eating a meal at The Stand, I will cut my burger in half, eat the first half, and then cut the second half in half again. Doing so reminds me midway through the second half to put my fork (or burger) down and check in with my fullness signals. Unless I've arrived at the restaurant absolutely ravenous, I generally find that 3/4 of the burger is just right for me. I'm no longer hungry, yet not too full. I feel just about right.

I'm not sure why cutting the burger helps me out in this setting, but it does. Somehow it just forces me to check in with myself so I don't mindlessly eat that last 1/4 of the burger just because it's there. PLEASE NOTE: this technique is all about helping me stop eating when I'm comfortably full. It's not a diet-y mechanism (please, I hope you know that about me by now), but rather a way to help me end my meal at just the right spot.

When we were at The Stand a few weeks ago, I took this picture to show you what I left on the table at the end of the meal. It was just right, and I was so glad I cut that second half in half.

Trader Joe's Quinoa Duo with Vegetable Melange

If you looked inside my freezer at any given time, you'd likely find two bags of Trader Joe's Quinoa Duo with Vegetable Melange. I discovered it about six months ago, and have been eating it ever since. I have to say, quinoa is something I enjoy eating, but only if it's cooked right. And by "right," I mean "not by me." I don't know what I'm doing wrong when cooking quinoa, but most of the time it just doesn't taste very good. But I know it's supposed to be quite nutritious, and when other people prepare it well, I actually enjoy the grain. So I decided to try this particular pre-made quinoa from the freezer section of Trader Joe's, and it was love at first bite. It's absolutely full of flavor, color, texture and warmth. If you're looking for something new in your meal repertoire, I'd definitely give this a try.