Black Bean Brownies

Kim Doerksen, the surprise winner at the 2014 BMO Vancouver Marathon, is also a self-proclaimed foodie and has joined up with us to head our new food blog, Feed the Run. When not logging miles and training to be one of Canada’s top distance runners, she will be writing about her new, healthy recipes, like these tasty black bean brownies.

Don’t think brownies can be healthy? Read on.

Like many people, I have a major sweet tooth. The challenge for a runner is being able to indulge in those sugar cravings in a health-conscious way so all of our hard training isn’t for nothing. It’s always a struggle when I can’t stop eating fresh brownies straight from the pan after a workout instead of properly refuelling with the perfect carb-to-protein ratio.

With in our wonderful world of modern tech, there are thousands of recipes available with only a few keystrokes that look incredible. The tough part’s finding a healthy recipe that satisfies both one’s cravings and adheres to the healthy eating guidelines runners like to follow. The hours I’ve spent on Pinterest — a definite guilty pleasure — has led me to a collection of go-to recipes, such as this beauty: flourless brownies, a.k.a. black bean brownies. Trust me, there isn’t even a hint of bean-y flavour, it just makes the brownies wonderfully fudge-y, moist, and completely drool-worthy. The beans provide extra protein and fibre, while the pinch of instant coffee intensifies the chocolate flavour.

Despite what the recipe suggests, I serve them straight out of the oven with a large glass of milk – they crumble if they aren’t cooled long enough (speaking from experience), which makes for a rather large single piece if all the crumbs keep finding their way onto your fork!

Ingredients:
• 1 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 3/4 c sugar (I usually just use 1/2 c)
• 1/2 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or dairy, skim)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips, divided

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. You can do this with a normal mixer, though the beans won’t smooth as much as if you use a blender. 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.

Recipe from Skinny Taste.com.