Beans in Brownies?

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 383

Monday, September 24th

Did you ever think brownies could taste good if they were made with beans? Of course not! After attending a cooking class on how to cut sugar out of your diet, I changed my mind. Try the Best Brownies recipe below and see if you change your mind, too. While you are shopping at the store for the ingredients below, stock your pantry with the following natural sugar substitutes.

1. Agave Nectar is made from the juice of the agave cactus. It is about 1.4 times sweeter than refined sugar.
2. Barley malt is another great sugar substitute. It is made from sprouted, roasted barley grain.
3. Brown Rice Syrup is made from slow cooking brown rice and develops into a sweet, thick syrup.
4. Date sugar is made by dehydrating and pulverizing dates. It is best used for cooking and baking.
5. Try to avoid substiuting with artificial sweeteners. The number one reason is plain and simple- they are obviously not natural. Some research shows that these sugars could actually end up causing us to eat more or crave more sugar. The natural natural sweeteners listed above are minimally processed while still maintaining their nutrient and fiber content. Yay!

Best Brownies

1 1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips
2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
4 eggs
2/3 cup agave nectar (from Mexican agave plant and is more gentle sweetener than refined sugar)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 minutes. If you do not want to use the microwave, place chocolate chips in a heat resistant bowl on top of a boiling pot of water until melted.
2. Combine eggs and beans in a blender or food processor.
3. Add agave nectar, baking powder and chocolate chips.
4. Process until smooth. (Note: if you are using a blender, pour egg and bean mixture into a separate bowl. Then add ingredients in step #3 and process with electric beaters)
5. Pour batter into an approximately 9 inch non-stick pan
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Makes about 8-12 brownies. (Sorry, but no nutritional information was given with this recipe)
Article compliments of: Suzanne Monroe, Intelligent Health Group (www.intelligenthealthgroup.com)

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