Healthier Treat ... Black Bean Brownies (Flour-less)

Next on my list to make this past weekend was a yummy treat for the kids that came over. I found these brownies to be yummy but they are very rich so the kids weren't so impressed. I of course loved them, but glad it was so rich I only ate only one.  Now when I saw the ingredients I was like I'm not so sure about this ... Black Beans and Balsamic Vinegar? But then I saw Coffee and Chocolate ... how bad could that be right?  I found this recipe for Amazing Flour-less Brownies on my favorite weight watcher recipe website Skinny Taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (or dairy, skim)
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided (Hershey's)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies. 

Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.

Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 16 • Size: 1 brownie • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 144 • Fat: 5 g • Carb: 26 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 4 g • Sugar: 17.5 g
Sodium: 150 mg • Cholesterol: 23 g

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Getting My Hummus On ... Black Bean Avocado Hummus

Since I had good like with a white bean avocado hummus, I thought why not try my hand at black bean!  Well of course I couldn't do the simple way (but don't worry it does work with canned if you want).  I hit up my bulk section at Winco for some dried black beans.

First on my mission was to make my dry beans into beans ready to use. I found on Pea's and Crayon's a way to make Crockpot Black Beans. Which is simple and easy ... JUST remember the beans will expand so don't over fill your crockpot like I did with the dried beans. YUP had to do an emergency transfer to my smaller crockpot to give some room for the beans to expand.  (YUP I'm human and I will share my human / Blonde moments).

First I did the black beans (you can skip this step and just do canned if you would like).

step 1  grab a bag of black beans - rinse with water and pluck out any broken ones
step 2  pour into crock pot
step 3  fill with water to about 2 inches above the beans
step 4  turn on to HIGH and set a timer for 3.5 hours

Come back drain the liquid, use the beans then or freeze them!  I did a combo of both.  I made a HUGE batch of hummus (since I eat it every day), some for dinner (Chicken Chili, recipe to come) and then put the rest in the freezer for future recipes!

Now onto the hummus, I found this recipe on Intuitive Cooking for Black Bean Avocado Hummus.

Ingredients:
-One 15 oz. can of black beans (drain most of the liquid)
-3-6 cloves of garlic (to taste- how much do you like garlic?)
-1/2 an avocado or one small avocado
-small handful of cilantro (or to taste)
-lime juice (1/2 lime)
-1 tsp of each of the following: cumin, paprika, seasoned salt
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1/4 cup of olive oil

Steps:
-Throw all of your ingredients (minus the oil) into the food processor
-Begin blending the ingredients; while blending, slowly add your olive oil to the mix
-While you are blending your ingredients, stop and take a taste: is it smooth enough? spiced enough? If it's too thick and not creamy enough, add small amounts of olive oil while you blend until it is the right texture (more lime juice can help thin it out too)

ALEXIS NOTES: I used my crockpot beans instead of canned.  I used my Ninja to blend up all the ingredients.  I also added some tahini since I keep seeing most hummus recipes having it.  I'm not sure if I'm a fan of it, but it was darn expensive so I will have to use it up ... lol.

Give it a try, I promise you won't buy store bought again!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Dinner with Friends–Skinny Enchiladas

Our dinner guest came over last week and we had a yummy Enchilada.  I found this skinny Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas of course on Pinterest but it is one of my favorite sites as you know Skinny Taste.

This recipe was really simple to make and even the kids enjoyed eating it.

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 278.7 • Fat: 8.7g • Protein: 27.0 g • Carb: 35.6 g • Fiber: 15.1 g
Ingredients:

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 15.5 can black beans, drained
• 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1-2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• salt
• 8 (6-inch) low carb whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
• nonstick cooking spray

For the Enchilada Sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tbsp chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
• kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

(I skipped the chipotle chilies)

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, spray cooking spray and sauté garlic. Add chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reducethe heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
In a large skillet brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is browned,add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, green chiles, diced tomatoes, cumin and chili powder. Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid andsimmer an additional 5-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/2 cup turkey mixture into each tortilla and roll it. Place on baking dish seam side down. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low fat sour cream, cilantro or scallions if you wish. (Extra points) Makes 8 enchiladas.

Happy Friday!  I will be helping at Cole’s school that is hosting an Olympics at a normal military base.  I hope to get home early and maybe put my feet up.  Have a wonderful weekend!