Yummy Black Bean Brownies

When you think of Brownies, does it conjure up feelings of wicked delight?? It does for me. 

They  are one of my favourite desserts, and  are best when they are  rich and gooey and deliciously fudgy and the best kind of food for fixing the worlds problems. 

So it is always nice when I can find a recipe that not only ticks the above boxes, but is actually good for me too. How can that be?

Well thanks to a fabulous blog that transforms all these comfort foods into delicicios healthy treats. A blog that keeps me inspired on the sweets front every single day; Chocolate Covered Katie, is always a source of inspiration when I want to cook something healthy yet sweet and chocolatey. 

When I receieved an email from her blog on Friday for Black Bean brownies, I knew I just had to try!  These had no flour and no egg, but somehow still maintained that gooey goodness of a brownie. You can check out her recipe here. I have made a couple of amendments, mainly based on what I had in the cupboard, and just a few things  I like to throw in.

I also doubled the recipe to make a full tray, and I think this worked better. So go and try them now, you wont regret it!

Oh and you generally cant get Black Beans at the supermarket, but I managed to pick up some organic ones at my local health food store for $2 a tin, and today at a Mediterranean supermarket I found some for 0.75cents a tin, so they are definitely around!

Black Bean Brownies

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. 

Line a square or rectangle cake tin with Baking paper

2 cans of Black beans - drained of the liquid and thoroughly washed

1 cup of quick oats 

4 tbsp of Cocoa - I used Cacao powder (better for you!) 

1/2 cup of rice bran syrup (you can use maple, honey, or another  sweet syrup )

2 drops of Stevia  (or use 2 tbsp of sugar here) 

1/2 tsp of Salt

1/2 tsp of Baking powder

1/2 cup of coconut oil (or Rice bran oil) 

3 tsp of Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp of Desiccated Coconut

2 tbsp of Macadamia or other nut butter

1 tablespoon of Chia Seeds

2 tbsp of Cacao Nibs (adds some crunch)

1/2 to 2/3 cup of Dark Chocolate Chips 

(Some additions: 

- Add 1/2 cup of Slivered almonds/pecans/walnuts for a crunchy difference

- 1/4 cup of cranberries for a fruity flavour 

- 1/3 cup of cooked beetroot !) 

Add all of these ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. I used a blender as that was all I had and it still turned out lovely. I imagine it would be even better in a food processor. Pour into bowl and add the Chocolate chips and Cacao nibs and then pour into the tin. {Today I had white chocolate chips so I had 1/4 cup of them and 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips- Yum} 

Bake in the oven for 18 minute -22 minutes depending on your oven. Keep checking until it is the right consistency for you. Ours was quite fudgy which is the way I like it! 

Leave to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices.  

Cut yourself a big slice, boil the kettle, make a cup of tea and then sit back and enjoy the chocolately goodness! Bliss!!! {And all good for you too!! }

Oh and do yourself a favour and check out Katie's Blog, you wont regret it! 

Today I am linking up for FYBF over with the gorgeous Grace  over at With some Grace ...... 

Until next time life is too short for crap coffee

The joy of the ANZAC biscuit!

At this time of year I crave comfort food... The warm days, followed by the crisp evenings are one my favourite things about Autumn... as well as my favourite holiday; Easter.. 
Although this year, please, please, please tell the Easter bunny to come and go already!! 
I am hating the chocolate temptation every time I walk into, well just about anywhere... Those Eggs have some kind of magical power ... saying "buy me buy me, eat me, eat me !!" Why oh why does Easter chocolate taste so much better than regular chocolate! It must be a nostalgic reminder of our childhoods... thats all I can think of anyway! 
Makes me think the Easter bunny does exist after all and he likes to punish me every year.. 
So to curb my egg eating frenzy, I have turned to the beloved Anzac biscuit to save the day! They are my favourite biscuits. They have so much going for them!  So easy to cook, so fast and so god damn tasty!  This weekend  seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my Anzac on .. so I got all domestic and decided to cook numerous batches of them... My house now smells like a biscuit factory!! mmmmm Least it doesnt remind me of the chocolate eggs!! 

With my Anzacs this year  I am" trying to be healthy"(except for the eggs)  so have changed up the ingredients a tad... and I was more than pleasantly surprised with how they tasted... They were lick your lips delicious !! I will definitely be  making  them again! And I dont feel so bad as they are relatively low in sugar.. and have healthy oil as apposed to regular butter!! 

Ingredients 

Makes about 30 medium sized

1 cup of Wholemeal or Spelt Plain Flour

1 Cup of Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup of Coconut Sugar 

1/2 cup of Desiccated coconut
2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds

125gm of coconut oil

1-2 tablespoon of Rice Bran Syrup 

1/2 teaspoon of Bicarb soda 

2-3 Tablespoons of water 

Method
Preheat Oven to 175 degrees. 
Mix Flour, Oats, Sugar, Coconut and Chia Seeds. 
Heat the Coconut oil over the stove or microwave (or if you are lucky and live in the tropics you won't need to heat the oil at all as it will already be a liquid). Add the Rice Bran Syrup and 2 tablespoons of water. Lastly add the bicarb soda, and stir until well mixed. Stir the liquid mix through the dry ingredients, if still crumbly add another tablespoon of water. Note: If the ingredients are too dry the biscuits will fall apart.. so more wet is best!  Also you can cut down on the sugar or syrup as they were very sweet... 
Roll into balls and place on lined tray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Once out, leave on the tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack! 


Then all you have left to do is get stuck into one (without burning your tongue of course!!)

Go ahead, give them a go ... you won't regret it.. and you just might never  go back! 

I am linking up with the adorable and gorgeous Son at Life Love & Hiccups.... 

Until next time , life is too short  to drink crappy coffee... 

Who doesn't love a good old Pancake....

I thought today I would share a recipe... This one is passed down from Darby's Grandma, on his dads side... Most times when I go to stay with her, she makes these and they taste delicious... I can never stop at just one or two or three.... but they are on the healthy side (or you can make some healthy swapsies and they would be) so I don't feel so bad!! She has been making these since Darby's dad was a wee young thing... so she has perfected this recipe over a long period of  time! 

Me on the other hand thought I'd give it a go, not sure I perfected it on the first attempt but they still tasted mighty fine. Darby cleaned  his plate and then asked for more! Still have a couple of weeks to go until Shrove Tuesday, so I will be making these a lot!!!

These pancakes are different from the regular kind, as the main ingredient is rolled oats, so that makes them super healthy to me, basically like replacing your morning porridge ... and you have to be organised because you need to soak the oats overnight with the buttermilk... but that's as easy as it gets!!
  

SWEDISH PANCAKES

Ingredients

1 and a half cups of buttermilk 

1 and a half cups of rolled oats} Soak oats overnight in buttermilk 

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of sugar (I used one tablespoon Coconut Sugar and the rest Stevia - a naturally derived sweetener you can get from the supermarket)

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of melted butter  (here I used Coconut Oil! It gave it a slight coconut flavour! yum!)

Half a cup of Plain Flour

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder 

(Half a cup of Blueberries optional)

Method

Lightly beat eggs and mix into the buttermilk mixture

Stir in Sugar and then in melted butter (oil)

Fold in flour, baking powder and pinch of salt 

Batter should be fairly thick but pourable. If too thick, add more buttermilk 

Cook in a non stick pan sometimes adding a teaspoon of butter (or alternative ) to pan.

Serve with sliced bananas, berries and yoghurt.. and if you are anything like me you will need lashings of maple syrup to make it perfect!! If you are cutting out sugar, these are decadent with ricotta or marscapone cheese as well!! They are perfect for breakfast or an  afternoon snack... Super filling, super healthy and now just try and stop at one!! 

Lashings of maple syrup is the only way to go for me!!! 

Let me know if you give them a go and share any tips you have!?!! Or any other good pancake recipes! I'd love to hear!


Until next time.. Bon Appetite! 

Today I am linking up with the delightful Jess at Diary of SAHM for 

image via 

Recipe : Crunchy Granola Suite!

Ok so I'm not referring to the classic Neil Diamond tune... although I don't mind a bit of Neil from time to time. My dad's love of Neil has certainly been passed down in the genes to me!
So what is this new found obsession with, Well  I have developed a love affair with Granola... (along with my recent  date ball obsession!) This has gone hand in hand in my new lifestyle as a ' vegetarian' and cutting sugar out - the processed white nasty kind of course! 

So Granola has become my favourite breakfast cereal as well as my snack of choice,  literally I could eat it at every meal as it is soo yummy and pretty darn healthy too! So you are entitled to eat  as much as you like right??? I give you permission..  Well not really,  although it is hard to stop at one, two or three handfuls!

I have tried a few recipes and have made changes here and there to suit my likes and dislikes, each time it seems to taste different but no less delicious. This one is a modified version of  the Alicia Silverstone Granola from her Kind Life Diet (Thanks Laura) 

Crunchy Granola
These are estimate amounts, I tend to throw things in and not measure very accurately. It also depends what ingredients I have on hand, it is very easy to improvise and use whatever  nuts take your fancy. 

2 Cups of Rolled Oats (organic if available)

1/2 cup of Rolled Quinoa (if desired)

1/4 cup of Sunflower Seeds

1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds

1/8 cup of Sesame seeds

1/8 cup of Chia Seeds

3/4 cup of whole almonds

1/2- 1 cup of shredded coconut 

1 teaspoon cinnamon (to desired taste)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of Maple Syrup

1/4 cup of almond butter

1/2 cup of Coconut Oil  and a little Flaxseed Oil - Or Sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt (I use Himalayan as it is really tasty)

Sultanas, Cranberries and Apricots optionals at the end , even a few Dark Choc Chips!

OK so here are the steps to creating the perfect crunchy Granola!! 

- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees , Spray an oven tray with an Olive Oil spray and line the tray with baking paper . Mix together all of the dry ingredients except for the fruit. Melt the Coconut oil in the microwave until it forms a liquid. Mix with Maple Syrup, Vanilla Essence and the almond butter.  Add the wet ingredients to the rolled oats/nuts and mix together. Make sure everything is coated in the liquid, not saturated in it, but well covered.  Place on the baking tray evenly (you may need two trays if you have been over generous with the ingredients!) Put it in the oven  and  cook for for 30 -40 mins, giving it a flip over every 10 mins so the granola cooks evenly! It should be a gorgeous golden brown colour all over  when it is done. Sometimes it may need a few more minutes. I make sure it is really well cooked , the nuts should taste toasted when you eat them.. yum yum!!!  Once cooked, add the fruit/choc chips if thats your thing. 

Let it cool and then put it in an airtight container and watch it disappear. I am generally making a batch of this once a week! 

So sit back, relax, maybe  put a little Neil Diamond on and enjoy......


Until Next time ..... (and Ill talk coffee once more! ) 

Cooked to perfection (photo is not great!) 

Recipe: Good for the heart, good for the soul

Over the last 3 weeks I have flirted with becoming a vegetarian, and am proud to say I have managed to get through without a morsel of meat passing through my lips in that time.  Oh oops, memory lapse, I did slip up last week and had a burger - with meat eek- although I did make the conscience choice  to ask for no bacon!!!  

But that's 25 days or so of no meat! Laura is having a positive influence on me, or really the book she loaned me (while she was travelling the world) - The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone!

As part of these  lifestyle changes  I have also made an effort to cut down on sugar as well and have replaced it with natural alternatives. My cupboard is now filled with an array of products I didn't know existed a few short months ago. My favourite weekend activity is now visiting Health Food Stores/Organic grocers to look out for new products... How my life has changed in 3 weeks. I am laying low on the coffee too (ho hum) but only as a temporary measure until I'm feeling a little better. 

I have been struggling to find inspirational vegetarian savoury meals to cook, but of course I was keen to try anything that was in the desserts section ...There were plenty of tempting healthy (and sugar free ) options, better try them before I judge.. and I am happy to report I found a recipe that is simple, easy, delicious and Darby and I both love them..... Plus as an added bonus, I have replaced these for chocolate, so that's got to be doing my heart and cholesterol a favour!

I was introduced to "Date balls"  at a cooking demo I ran at work,  The recipe is  really adaptable so I have altered the recipe to what I have at home and what I like (as there are a number of  versions around)  Each time it seems to be bit different depending on what ingredients I have on hand.... Sometimes they have heaps of ingredients and other times it is a lot more simple! All I know is they have been fantastic for my sweet cravings and afternoon crashes and have done wonders to my skin and hair, not too mention fibre and adding good fat in my diet - its just hard to stop at 1 or 2 balls. 

Date Balls: 
(Apologies in advance for my more than average pictures - when I have my new iPhone4S I hope to be able to take much better ones!!) This recipes makes about 15 medium size balls!!! 
8-12 Fresh Dates (from the fresh fruit and veg section in the supermarket) 
1/4 cup of Sunflower Seeds
1/4 cup of Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup of Raw Almonds
2 Tablespoons of Raw Cacao
Handful of Dark chocolate chips (depending on like) 
2- 3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
1-2 Tablespoons of Almond/Cashew butter (Peanut butter if you don't have either)
2 Teaspoons of Chia Seeds
2 Teaspoons of Sesame seeds
1 Teaspoon of Flaxseed oil 
1 Cup of Shredded or dessicated  coconut (depending on what texture you would like)
Sea Salt/Vanilla Extract Optional depending on taste.

Ok so you will need one of those little bullet, mini food processor things.. I picked mine up from Kmart for $15 - already money well spent!!! 

Firstly put in the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and blitz for 5 seconds, then add dates (make sure you remove the big pips in the middle!) cacao powder, choc chips, maple syrup, Chia, Sesame Seeds, Flaxseed Oil, Almond Butter and almonds - I add salt here as I am addicted to the sweet salty taste (and I have low sodium levels, so any excuse!) The mixture should take on a pasty, thick  consistency. Roll into small, medium or large balls and roll in the coconut. Stick into some zip lock bags and into the freezer! 
Wait until they are chilled and Enjoy!!! 
These babies don't last long in our house!!!!

Date Balls -  The finished product 

Ready for the freezer!