Friday, April 9, 2010
I love Spring
Spring is such a beautiful, rejuvenating, just-what-I-need sort of season, and I couldn't be happier that it has arrived. I'm ignoring the prospect of snow coming this evening (seriously Syracuse?), and instead focusing on the warmth in the air, and the ability to play more outside these days. I always feel so much healthier and happier when I can enjoy the outdoors.
I felt so at peace the other evening when I was inside boyfriend's house as it was raining, thundering, and lightening outside. He called me over to the open front door just to smell the outdoors. It just smelled so fresh and clean, and we just stood there for a few moments taking it all in. You gotta love that.
Like I mentioned above, an additional perk of the nicer weather is I can enjoy playing/exercising outside. Although I've been working for a bunch of months now on healthier exercise and eating habits, the sun still shining when I get out of work makes it SO much easier. I am obsessed (OBSESSED) with salads these days. In celebration of healthier habits, I want to share a healthy brownie recipe with you! I made these on Wednesday, and (surprisingly-beans!) they are really yummy.
I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend where I can 'spring clean' my life. I'm looking forward to getting organized and planning some fun for the near future. Enjoy the brownies (thanks to boyfriend's co-worker for the recipe!)! Enjoy Spring!
Here’s the recipe for the bean brownies. You can use chick peas, black beans, or red beans. For the sweetener I use agave nectar because it’s better than sugar nutrition/health wise. However, you can still use sugar although I’ve never tried the recipe with sugar before. You can get agave nectar at Wegman’s in the nature’s market section.
Bean brownies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer dark and sometimes dairy free choco chips)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed (if you’re using home made beans, use the equivalent of 1 can. Alternatively, you can use black or red beans as well)
4 eggs (I use 1 whole, and 3 whites)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup agave nectar (depending on sweet preference. for those not used to 'whole' foods, i'd recommend using 3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.
4. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or heat in the microwave for 2 mins.
5. Add melted chips to blender and blend everything until smooth. Make sure there are no bean chunks.
5. Pour into 9' or 8 x 8' greased pan
6. Bake 25-35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it's done. Sometimes I’ve had to bake it longer than the estimated time so keep an eye on it.
I felt so at peace the other evening when I was inside boyfriend's house as it was raining, thundering, and lightening outside. He called me over to the open front door just to smell the outdoors. It just smelled so fresh and clean, and we just stood there for a few moments taking it all in. You gotta love that.
Like I mentioned above, an additional perk of the nicer weather is I can enjoy playing/exercising outside. Although I've been working for a bunch of months now on healthier exercise and eating habits, the sun still shining when I get out of work makes it SO much easier. I am obsessed (OBSESSED) with salads these days. In celebration of healthier habits, I want to share a healthy brownie recipe with you! I made these on Wednesday, and (surprisingly-beans!) they are really yummy.
I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend where I can 'spring clean' my life. I'm looking forward to getting organized and planning some fun for the near future. Enjoy the brownies (thanks to boyfriend's co-worker for the recipe!)! Enjoy Spring!
Here’s the recipe for the bean brownies. You can use chick peas, black beans, or red beans. For the sweetener I use agave nectar because it’s better than sugar nutrition/health wise. However, you can still use sugar although I’ve never tried the recipe with sugar before. You can get agave nectar at Wegman’s in the nature’s market section.
Bean brownies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer dark and sometimes dairy free choco chips)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed (if you’re using home made beans, use the equivalent of 1 can. Alternatively, you can use black or red beans as well)
4 eggs (I use 1 whole, and 3 whites)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup agave nectar (depending on sweet preference. for those not used to 'whole' foods, i'd recommend using 3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.
4. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or heat in the microwave for 2 mins.
5. Add melted chips to blender and blend everything until smooth. Make sure there are no bean chunks.
5. Pour into 9' or 8 x 8' greased pan
6. Bake 25-35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it's done. Sometimes I’ve had to bake it longer than the estimated time so keep an eye on it.
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