Black Bean Brownies

I've been wanting to try these forever and we finally made them for FHE tonight. My kids all gobbled them up- but they also barely know what a real brownie tastes like so that helps ;) We made chocolate frosting and topped them with strawberries to counteract the beans.

Black Bean Brownies

Servings: 9

Dense, fudge-y and ultra-healthy, these brownies are a great alternative to traditional brownies! It's amazing how they taste like chocolate and fudge and not beans! Chef's Notes: Rolled oats run through the food processor may substituted for the instant oats. Use optional sugar if your bananas are still green and not very ripe.

Ingredients

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 whole bananas
• ⅓ cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
• ¼ cup instant oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.

RAWSOME

I've been reading about Raw eating again. There's so much to learn about it, but it's something I really enjoy doing. Today I learned that it's best to buy "unsulphured" dried fruit- I've always wondered about that. I also learned that prunes have way high antioxidant levels (even more than blueberries). We eat a lot of dates around here but I've never tried this easy little treat. Just stuff a date with a nut or any type of nut butter. Perfect little snack.

Another healthy tip is to eat garden potatoes raw with salt and a splash of vinegar. I LOVE all vinegars. 

Oh and you can chew lemon peels for better breath.

I gave the kids a short Raw foods lesson and then they each made one recipe.

Charlie LOVES dates so made these:

Cashew Maple Oatmeal Squares

10 Medjool dates

1 C raw cashews

1/2 c raw oats

1/4 maple syrup

cinnamon

salt

Blend. Roll into balls, then roll in coconut. Freeze.

Chocomole

5 ripe avocados
1.5 cups dates, soaked in water for 1 hour
2 cups raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
Raw organic honey (optional)

Directions:

1. Mash avocados until creamy.

2. Add chopped dates and vanilla. Mix well to bring everything together.

3. Add half a cup of cacao powder, mix well, taste, then add another half cup of cacao powder, and repeat until the pudding is chocolate-y enough for you. Be sure to take it in steps like this, as adding too much cacao can make the pudding somewhat bitter.

4. If the dates don't sweeten the pudding to your satisfaction, add a little raw organic honey, and give the pudding another good mix.

For extra texture and flavor, sprinkle a few raw organic cashews on top. Yum!

Enjoy this healthy and delicious chocolate pudding, courtesy of Jason Mraz.

**I just dump all the ingredients in the Vitamix and blend. Done.**

Treaty Treat

We make these regularly. They are fantastic. Tim especially loves them. 

Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies

These mini cookies are soft yet crunchy, delicate, moist, bite-sized, and most of all, they taste just like carrot cake in cookie form!

Ingredients:

• 2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cup shredded carrots, packed
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature (I used half agave)
• 1 cup coconut oil, warmed for about 25 seconds in microwave
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F and line 1 baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick mat. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats in a large bowl. Add in the nuts, coconut, raisins, and shredded carrots. In a small bowl mix the maple syrup, softened coconut oil, vanilla, and freshly grated ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Drop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Shape into a ball with hands. Bake for about 12 minutes and cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack.

Yield: 30 bite-sized cookies.

Nutritional info: (per cookie): 54kcals, 2 grams fat, 8 grams carbs, 1 gram fibre, 1 gram protein, 5 grams sugar.

Music From Heaven

Our friend Jody told us to make these homemade bagels and they were tasty tasty. Here is the recipe if you want to try them. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yum. Jane enjoyed the part when you drop them into a boiling water bath while they were still in dough form.

Jane is in the most beautiful stage right now. She is so happy and cooperative and helpful and sweet. 

She will be baptized when she turns eight in January, so we have been spending time with her preparing for that. She is genuinely studying and working hard to understand what being baptized means for her. She memorized this really long scripture about baptism and I didn't even know she was doing it.  She came up to me and said, "mom, watch this" and then recited it to me. I was shocked and asked her how she learned it and she told me it was because she reads it to Scarlet every night before bed (they share a queen size bed) so now she knows it by heart. Cuteness.

Another cute Jane moment was last Monday. We do history on Mondays and we were having a rather mundane lesson on ancient Egypt, nothing overly exciting. When we finished, I was tidying the table and getting things ready for the next lesson and Jane, out of now where, gives me a juicy hug and says, "I'm so happy I get to be in home school." If you educate your kids at home, then you know how good that kind of moment feels. It was a victorious feeling. 

On Saturday Tim and I took Jane out on a special date. We went to see a strings trio called the Ivory Strings. The trio is a violin, cello and piano. Our friend Rachael is the violinist and she was thoughtful enough to invite us- she knew Jane might be interested in seeing the cellist. Anyways, it was an amazing evening. Rachael and the cellist are in the symphony so we knew it would be good, but we didn't fully understand how good. It was unreal good. They played in someone's home so it was an intimate setting and the music was heavenly, literally. One song in particular that changed my life was called, Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla, arr. Jose Bragato. We looked at their music during the intermission and I seriously didn't know music with that many notes existed- the page was just black and covered with notes! I was so happy that Jane had the chance to experience such an inspiring evening and that we got to share it with her. 

We Tried This Today

Comforting Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Pecans 

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup regular oats
• 3 cup almond milk
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 th tsp nutmeg

Toppings:

• Chopped pecans (approx 1 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp Earth Balance
• Pinch of cinnamon
•  

Directions: In a medium sized pot, heat the oats and almond milk over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Stir in the pumpkin. Heat over low-medium for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add in the spices and vanilla and heat for another 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into a bowl and add toppings. Serves 1.

Note that I have no sweetener in the oat mixture. I prefer to add my sweetener on top of the oats as I find you can taste it better. The oats on their own will not taste great, but the topping bring it to life. You can also add a banana to the oats while cooking if your prefer them sweeter.

The toppings:

I love adding 1 tbsp of almond milk on top. It cools the oats down slightly and gives it a wonderful consistency like cereal. It’s fun swirling around all the flavours, and of course, the maple syrup is key here.

I also loved the 1/2 tsp of Earth Balance on top. It really gave the oats a nice savoury flavour and went well with the sweetness of the maple syrup.

Woah Marvelously Woah Good

From ohsheglows again!

 I am so not a natural in the kitchen, so when I find healthy recipes that taste good and that even I can make perfectly, then it must be a good recipe.

I made this for  the treat after Jacob's super duper FHE lesson tonight. He did such a sweet job at teaching all of us. Near the end of the lesson he said that he wants to go on a mission and after adoring him the whole time he taught us, I wasn't so sure I liked him saying that. I had a nice little cry at the thought of him leaving for 2 years someday and then we had tasty fruit pizza. 

Ingredients (8-12 slices)

I doubled the crust part but not the avocado part. This made enough crust for one cookie sheet and there was lots of avocado whip left even though it was not doubled.

Cinnamon-sugar pizza crust

• 1 cup + 3/4 cup white bread flour, divided 
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 2 & 1/4 tsp pizza yeast (no proofing required)
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2/3 cup very warm water
• more flour for kneading dough

Avocado-Lime Whip

• 4 avocados
• Fresh lime juice from half a lime (approx 1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1-2 tbsp coconut milk (We didn't have any so I left this out)
• 12 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s)

Fruit

• Fruit salsa: Chop up a mixture of strawberries, mandarin oranges, mango, kiwi, and raspberries. Add in blueberries too. You will want about 2-3 cups of the salsa.
• Fruit layer: Mandarin, strawberries (sliced), blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi (sliced), mango (sliced), and whatever else your little heart desires! Peach would be good too.

Instructions

For crust

• 1. Preheat oven to 500F. I did 425 F In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, plus the salt, sugar, cinnamon, yeast. Stir well. Now quickly add 2/3 cup very warm water along with 3 tbsp oil. Stir well. It will be very sticky but not to worry.
• 2. Now add in 3/4 cup- 1 cup more flour, gradually, as you stir. Once the flour is in, grab the dough and place on floured surface.
• 3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding flour as it gets tacky. After 5 mins the dough should be smooth and not tacky. Form into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesnt dry out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. You can punch out the air halfway through.
• 4. After rising time, punch air out and spread into an oiled pizza pan I used a cookie sheet or you can place it directly onto a preheated pizza stone. Sprinkle with lots of sugar and bake at 
• 500F 425 for 14-15 mins. until golden. Cooking time may vary so watch carefully.

For avocado whip

• In a food processor, add in the avocado, lime juice, and agave. Process until smooth. Now add in the vanilla, melted coconut oil, and coconut milk. As the last step, add in the icing sugar very gradually until the consistency you want is achieved. Cool in fridge for about 30 minutes before using. Spread over the base of cooled & cooked pizza crust.
• The avocado whip is AMAZING! I couldn't believe how good it was. I made lots of extra fruit salsa and we just dipped fruit in the avocado whip after the pizza was gone. Its will be my new fruit dip recipe from now on.

For Fruit

• After you have spread on the avocado-lime whip, it is time to layer on the fruit. I started with an outer layer of fruit salsa, followed by a layer of sliced fruit. After those two layers, I did a very small layer of sprinkled coconut, followed by a layer of raspberries, and then finally fruit salsa. I left the inner circle open as I was going to put a large strawberry there, but then we ate it and that was that!