Starting Off With Something Sweet

When I first accepted that I needed to stop eating wheat, I made a discovery: Grocery stores often place their bakery near the entrance.  To get to the produce, I had to pass the scents of the freshly-baked Tuscan rosemary bread I loved so much. See the apple fritters, calling to me with their fruity deep-fried flour-filled goodness.  Past the blueberry bagels, made steaming-fresh as only New Yorkers can. Long loaves of french bread, opening my mind to the fantasy of smearing fresh garlic-butter and crushed basil across its pillow-y surface and toasting perfectly.  It's not hard to see how I would be healthier giving up baked goods.

But I refused.  Pre-made loaves of bread in my freezer's section usually had all the tempting appeal of a Styrofoam block.  Brownie mixes crumbled and crusted onto my pans.  Pizza crusts baked out with the consistency of Jell-O.  I was about to give up.

Then my mother saved the day. She used a staple from my childhood to make brownies: Black bean brownies.  I've had black bean brownies before that tasted more appropriate with cheese and salsa than chocolate chips, but not these.  People don't know their secret ingredient until I tell them.

Unfortunately, I don't know where she got the recipe so I cannot give the appropriate credit. As always, be sure you use gluten-free ingredients.

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon of corn starch
• 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

2. Combine all ingredients (except chocolate chips)in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the mixture. 

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.