My name is Alexis and I am addicted to chocolate. I honestly don’t really care about any other food “vices”. I had to give up my coffee drinking habit a few years ago because caffeine makes me anxious. (I know there’s caffeine in chocolate, but it doesn’t affect me the same way). I drink pop a few times a year. I decided to give up potato chips and French Fries for 2016 and I haven’t had any yet this year. (I don’t count tortilla chips as potato chips because they go with dip. Yes, I’ve eaten them). I conquered my sour candies addiction about a year ago. I barely eat desserts because it’s just too chancy with my nut allergy, so I’ve learned to go without.

So chocolate is my only vice. You can come over any time, and I probably have some kind of chocolate in my cupboard. Nathan even has some chocolate at his house for me too. I like dark chocolate and I generally eat a piece of it every day in the late afternoon during that afternoon slump. If I’m at a conference, you might see me eating a piece after lunch.

So when I saw that you could combine pulses with chocolate, I was all in. This is actually the second black bean brownie that I’ve tried. The first one was a recipe from Happy Herbivore. I made it twice, but I didn’t like the consistency. (It could also be that my oven was off by one hundred degrees. Since I got a new oven, my baking has improved exponentially. Go figure)

Anyway, this recipe is from Dana Gunders “Waste-free kitchen handbook: A guide to eating well and saving money by wasting less in the kitchen.”
I’ve been interested in learning about food waste because it’s going to be one of the next big food issues. We’re always talking about how we need to produce more, but we rarely talk about consuming less or wasting less. Both of these strategies could help feed a global population. I saw a movie called “Just Eat It” a couple years ago, and I can’t forget a startling fact from that movie. If you buy four bags of groceries, one of those bags is wasted, which is a huge waste of resources and money.

Black bean Brownies

2 cups cooked black beans
½ cup quick cook oats (can be purchased at Bulk Barn
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup agave nectar or maple sugar (my friend Jill substitutes raw honey for agave, but I don’t know what the proportions would be for that)

¼ cup coconut oil, light olive oil, vegetable oil or melted butter (I actually forgot this, but it didn’t seem to make a huge difference. I’ll add it next time)

2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used President’s choice, which are vegan for the vegan peeps in the crowd)

½ cup shredded coconut (optional. I did not do this)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan.

In a food processor, combine the beans, oats, cocoa powder, brown sugar, agave, oil, vanilla, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips and process until almost smooth. There will still be small pieces of chocolate chips in the batter. (Stir in the coconut if using)

Scrape the mixture into a prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with some crumbs attached.

These were pretty tasty. I can’t tell you what the nutritional profile of them is or anything. They tasted like chocolate and not like beans to me. I’d make them again.

Here is the Happy Herbivore recipe if you want to try it- http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/vegan-blackbean-brownies/