Happy Insides

When one hears of fudge made with black beans and avocados one will usually wonder how good that is going to taste.  Surprisingly it is pretty darn good.  We found this recipe and since Cassie will immediately go for anything that has avocado in it we knew we were going to have to give it a try.  The results were great.  It is a very tasty and pretty darn healthy treat that is great for a chocolaty dessert of even guilt free enough for a weekday snack.  We have actually taken to making these on a weekly basis as a snack to take with us to work.  Delicious, pretty healthy, full of protein, and easy to make.  Can't get much better than that.  These are very tasty fresh, but honestly they get even better when you let them sit overnight.

To make these you would usually use an 8x8 pan.  We used a round 9 inch cake pan since we don't currently have an 8x8 pan.  What can we say?  We just don't make very many brownies.  Since we found this recipe we will definitely be buying an 8x8 pan soon.  You can use either pan.  They both work great, but a square pan makes it easier to cut into uniform servings.    

Black Bean and Avocado Fudge
Adapted from  Branny Boils Over
Makes 12 Servings
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
5 egg whites
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 small ripe avocado
6 T. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla extract
6 t. evaporated cane juice

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking pan with parchment paper (8x8 or 9 in round)

2) In a food processor combine black beans, egg white, agave, and the avocado.  Puree until smooth making sure there are no chunks of beans or avocado.

3) Add in the cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and evaporated cane juice and blend until everything is well mixed.  Scrape down the sides of the food processor if necessary.

4) Pour into your parchment lined pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool, slice and enjoy

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Tahini is a wonderful thing.  It is tasty and can really be used to make a lot of yummy dishes.  Our problem with tahini is that it can be relatively expensive and it always seems to spoil before we can use it all.  That means that we tend to very rarely purchase it.  The other day while on her way to work Cassie caught the tail end of an interview on National Public Radio with a chef who had a new book coming out.  She was talking about some of her favorite holiday dishes in this new book.  Unfortunately Cassie did not catch who the chef was or what her new book was called, but she did catch her speaking about making hummus with peanut butter in place of tahini.  Peanut butter is a staple in our home and we always have some spare peanut butter around so we decided to make some hummus for a healthy snack on Christmas Eve.  We never got around to making it Christmas eve, but we did make it the day after Christmas and it was wonderful.  There isn't a huge difference from hummus with tahini, but it gives it a bit of a peanuty hint of flavor.  We both really enjoyed it.

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