Black Bean and Avocado Brownies

Black beans in burritos, check! That's for dinner tonight. Avocados in burritos? Sure! I like guac as much as the next guy!

Enter the dessert realm. Do you see any beans or avocados here? I didn't either, until yesterday that is, when my dessert world was turned upside down with this gooey, chocolaty, bean filled treat. I'm sure you're wondering, "Why on earth did it seem like a good idea to try making this concoction in the first place?". In short, because Branny said so.

Since I embarked on my mission to eat good for you, tasty, inexepnsive food (and dragged Chris, unbeknownst to him, along with me), I have begun to embrace a handful of cooking blogs that offer recipes that cater to our culinary desires. When more than one of my trusted new cooking resources reports that the same recipe is good, I can't help wanting to try it out. And here we have it, not one, but two trusted sources recommended the inclusion of beans and avocados in a brownie.

Notice their photography skills compared to mine. These look especially appetizing compared to my photograph.

I'll get there. In the meantime, here we have it, my take on Black Bean and Avocado Brownies.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked (or 1-15.5 ounce can or 140g dry) black beans
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 avocado (60 g)
• 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp instant espresso (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• (Cook black beans if starting from dry beans.)
• Puree black beans, egg whites, honey, and avocado in a food processor until smooth. Scrape down sides of food processor bowl as needed. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending.
• Spread the mixture into a parchment lined baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.
• Do not try to cut the brownies while they were hot. I put them in the refrigerator for several hours before attempting to cut/eat them.

Servings ~ 9

Calories ~ 145, Fat ~ 1.8 g, Carbohydrates ~ 28 g, Protein ~ 8 g

My overall impression of these is that they are pretty darn good. Out of nine brownies, there is only one remaining just twelve hours later. Enough said. I will not divulge the identity of the brownie pig. We don't (usually) eat a whole lot of brownies, but these will definitely make an appearance anytime brownies are on the menu!