Black Bean Brownies

In the years that I've spent browsing recipes on the inter-webs I've always come across a recipe for brownies... made with black beans. The thought of beans in brownies always grossed me out, to be completely honest. But I'm here to tell you that adding beans to brownies is totally NOT gross! I promise. The beans add a moist fudgy-ness to the brownies and your tongue won't even be able to detect them!

I came across this recipe for black bean brownies which were made with 3 eggs. I just took out the eggs, and added in the equivalent of 3 flax "eggs".

• 3/4 cup dried black beans, rinsed, and soaked overnight in water in the fridge, 
• or use 1 can black beans (Eden foods canned beans are packed in tins that are BPA-free)
• 3 flax "eggs" --> 3 Tbsp. flax meal + 8 Tbsp. warm water, mix and let sit for at least 15 minutes to "gel up"
• 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil, I used a mixture of 3 Tbsp. canola + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 cup sugar/muscovado/sucanat
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup GF oat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use EnjoyLife brand)

If using dried beans: drain soaked beans, place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until beans are tender. Drain. Let cool.

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a 11x7in. pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking oil.
2. Add the cooled cooked beans to food processor and blend until a smooth paste has formed.
3. Add the flax eggs and oil to processor, pulse to combine.
4. Add sugar, cocoa, almond meal, vanilla, and baking powder. Process until well combined.
5. Add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and pulse until mixed. 
6. Spoon the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. I first baked mine in a 9x9in. pan and it took quite awhile for them to bake! Definitely took over an hour. If baking in an 11x7in. pan it might take less time to bake. Let cool before slicing!

Chewy Nutty Almond cookies

In a previous post I mentioned that I had tried a cookie recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess. These cookies ended up tasting just like caramel! I had to freeze half the batch just to ensure that I wouldn't end up eating them all at once! This tactic didn't really work out because I ended up thawing out the cookies shortly after freezing them... at least I made a legitimate effort, right?
I made some modifications to the GFG recipe - using Honeyville's blanched almond flour instead of Bob's Red Mill. Sometimes I find the taste of sorghum flour a bit too strong so I used a mixture of sorghum flour AND brown rice flour, subbed canola oil for the olive oil, and used a flax "egg".

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl:

• 1 cup Honeyville blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1.5 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sea salt (NOT kosher salt)
• 1.5 tsp. xanthan gum

Mix/"cream" these together in another bowl:

• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup sucanat
• 1/3 cup canola oil (or light olive oil)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar (or honey, maple syrup, etc.)
• 2 Tbsp. flax meal mixed with 6 Tbsp. water

1. Make flax "egg" and allow to sit for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to get gel-like. Then mix with other liquid ingredients. 
2. Add the dry ingredients mixture to the creamed sugar mix.
3. If too dry, add 1-2 Tbsp. almond milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time.
4. Stir until mix has a dough-like consistency.
5. Stir in, by hand, 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or pecans, hazelnuts, other favorite nut)
6. Cover bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes in fridge.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 Celsius) and prepare baking sheet. Line sheet with parchment paper.
8. Scoop little balls of dough onto lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart, and press dough balls down just a bit to flatten.
9. Bake in preheated oven for about 18-19 minutes, until cookies are golden. I ended up slightly burning my first batch, and ended up being WAY TOO hard to eat after they cooled. Learn from my mistake ; )
10. Remove cookies with spatula, place on cooling rack. 

Flying Apron's Ginger Wheel cookies - VeganMoFo #11

Another awesome gluten-free recipe from the Flying Apron baking book. The recipes in the book make such large quantities, so I cut this recipe in half. Still made a ton of cookies!

Apple Pear Crumble

Keeping with the fall season theme of my past few posts, I present to you the tastiest dessert chock-full of my favorite fall-time fruits: apples and pears!

For this oat and almond based crumble, I used organic Golden Delicious apples and organic Bartlett pears. Sooooo tasty! 

For the crust/base, I used a mixture of oats, oat flour, and almond meal. I'm sure you could substitute another kind of nut for the almonds, like pecan, hazelnut, etc. 


What you'll need:
adapted from Gluten Free Hope's Maple Peach Crumble

• 3 organic apples, sliced thinly
• 1-2 pears, peeled, sliced

• 1/2 cup almond meal (I just put 1/2 cup almonds in the food processor and pulsed until coarsely ground)
• 1/2 cup GF oats
• 1/2 cup GF oat flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1/2 cup sucanat
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon, plus extra for sprinklin'
• 1 Tbsp. flax meal
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, Earth Balance, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (or more butter)
• Poured over top: 
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup

Oat and almond base.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl. 
2. Melt vegan butter in microwave, then add 1 tsp. vanilla, stir.
3. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, along with the coconut oil. Press into bottom of a lined 9x9 inch pan. 
4. Take your sliced fruits and arrange them however you like on top of the base. 
5. Now, mix the apple juice and maple syrup together. Pour over the top of apples and pears. Sprinkle with more cinnamon!
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. 

*** Serve with coconut ice cream, or eat as is! ***

Berry Scones - VeganMoFo Day 1

Happy Vegan MoFo everyone! 

This is another awesome recipe I've tried from the Flying Apron GF and vegan baking book. Although the recipe's title is officially Berry Tea Biscuits in the book, I would say that these turned out way too moist to be called "biscuits". Anyways, it doesn't matter what you call them because they will be super delicious either way!

Pre-oven!

I'm still slowly working my way through the book! Has anyone else tried any Flying Apron recipes?

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

These little guys are quick and easy to make. 

I found that making these with just almond butter (based on this recipe) made them a little bit too dry for my liking. I prefer to make these with peanut butter! I've been struggling with a peanut butter addiction for quite some time now. These treats give me the quick PB fix I need in no time flat. 
These are also super tasty when made with chocolate hazelnut butter! I use Justin's brand.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup crispy GF rice cereal (I used Nature's Path)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, or get crazy and use a mix of both!)
• ¼ cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup (or agave maybe?)
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

1. Line a plate or baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine wet ingredients: peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, and microwave for 35-45 seconds. Stir. Repeat if the peanut butter is still not melted (or if you have a super old school microwave, like me).
3. Add crispy rice cereal and chocolate chips (if using) to the wet ingredients and stir to coat.
4. Wet hands with water and roll mixture into balls. Place on parchment paper.
5. Place in refrigerator until hardened. Store in an airtight container in fridge. 

Chocolate Oat Walnut Bars

This is a recipe I found over at (never home) maker. These tasty bars are full of good-for-you fats found in walnuts and coconut oil. The walnuts provide you with a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory), and coconut oil has been found to support thyroid and immune system function. About 50% of the fat in coconut oil is a type called lauric acid. You can read about coconut oil and its benefits here.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup steel cut oats, processed until powdery
• 3/4 cup walnuts, processed into a meal
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)

For this recipe, however, I didn't have any steel cut oats on hand so I ended up using plain rolled oats. I think this may have been the reason as to why my bars ended up a bit dry and powdery. I had to store them in the fridge to keep them more solid. 

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the processed steel cut oats, walnut meal, cocoa powder, and coconut flakes.
3. In a separate bowl, add honey (or maple syrup), coconut oil, and peanut butter. Stir with electric mixer. Then add in the chocolate chippies.
4. Lightly oil an 8x8 pan with coconut oil. I used a bread loaf pan. Pour in the mixture and press down.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
6. Put the dish BACK IN THE OVEN for another 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and let cool. 
7. Store in refrigerator to help them solidify a bit more. 

Enjoy with a glass of ice-cold soymilk 

(or almond milk, coconut milk...you get the idea)!

Peanut Butter Cups (no cooking required)

I don't usually rely on my microwave for making food stuffs. However, this recipe is totally an exception! These tasty little treats are super easy to make, and are even easier to eat! Maybe a little too easy...

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups vegan chocolate chips (you can also use Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Squares)
• 1 cup peanut butter (or you could use a mixture of dark chocolate peanut butter AND peanut butter like I did)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Mini paper muffin cups

Powdered sugar, peanut butter, dark chocolate PB.

Directions

1. Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. I just used a pyrex bowl. My microwave is super old so I had to heat the chocolate with 3 intervals of 45-seconds. Stir until creamy.
2. Using a spoon, spread some of the melted chocolate into the bottom of each muffin cup making sure to get the chocolate into the little crevices of the cup. This step takes a bit of patience, things get a little messy!
3. Place cups in freezer until hardened, just a few minutes. 
4. In another bowl add the peanut butter and microwave for about 45-seconds until warm. Then add in the powdered sugar and stir until creamy.