BAKING ALTERNATIVES

Mmmmm,
I love the smell of cookies and cakes baking in the oven. I especially love the aroma of chocolate anything baking in the oven.
Even though the traditional methods of baking are delicious, they are however not the healthiest.  With all of the saturated fat from the butters/margarine, the non nutritious white flours and fattening refined sugars, no wonder the obese popularity has grown to new levels.  It's like a heart attack in a cookie, cake or pie or brownie, or...yum????

Well, the YUM! factor is still possible, with a few little twists and turns.  Here's a brownie recipe that's EASY, gluten free, moist and delicious. And best of all they're actually good for you.  They're made with black beans for fibre, to keep you regular and full for longer, so a little of the yummy bites goes a long way, chocolate for its antioxidant properties and eggs for protein. When I tried these for the first time I could hardly wait to share them with my husband and son and in laws(who live right around the corner).  They all agreed that these chocolaty squares ARE moist and delicious, and passed the YUM test, even though they are made with black beans!!!  Best part of all, you can't even taste the black beans amongst all of the chocolate.
You can easily make these into a vegan treat.  Just omit the eggs and replace with an equal measure of silken tofu. Or you can add in a little grated zucchini and sneak in some veggies. The kids will never know!  I love this recipe and make it often, maybe for this years Easter celebrations.  Easter's all about CHOCOLATE anyways.....right!!!

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES


INGREDIENTS

cooking spray
1oz. organic dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

1 - 398ml can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 eggs
1 egg white
heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup local honey

optional
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or grated zucchini or for a triple chocolate treat, add in some semi sweet chocolate or carob chips.


INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350degrees F. Spray an 8" baking pan with cooking spray.
Melt dark chocolate in saucepan with 1 Tablespoon of water on low heat.

In food processor, add melted chocolate and all of the remaining ingredients.

Process until smooth.

At this point stir in nuts or zucchini if you choose to do so.
Pour into baking pan.

 Bake for 30 minutes until top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool slightly and serve warm. Or cool completely, these can be served both warm or cold and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. If they last that long.
Makes approx. 9 - 2" squares.


BAKING ALTERNATIVES


Some of these alternatives are not limited to baking only but can be used in everyday cooking as well. For example the vegetable oil can be substituted with a healthier oil like a cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

BAD INGREDIENT                          GOOD SUBSTITUTE

vegetable oil                                        unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana,
                                                           nut butters, coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil

whole eggs                                          egg whites ( use 2 whites for 1 whole egg)

eggs and oil                                         silken tofu (see future post for a recipe)

refined white sugar                               honey, maple syrup, agave ( be careful of
                                                           the liquid substitutions as they may alter
                                                           your recipe by making it too runny), sucanat,

white flour                                            whole wheat flour, oat flour, spelt flour,
                                                            corn flour, brown rice flour
                                                            soy flour, kamut flour

white rice                                              brown rice

cow's milk                                             coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk, or my
                                                             favourite almond milk, flax milk, nut milks