SPECIAL brownies...

black bean.... brownies??? Yes! Call me crazy but these suckers are GOOD! I was very skeptical when I first heard about these, but brownie mix is pretty cheap, so I figured what the heck, worst case scenario they are gross and I throw them out, best case scenario - they are awesome and I finally get to feel less guilty about indulging in one of my all time favorite desserts. So, I threw caution to the wind and whipped up a batch. I added in a cream cheese layer and a candy topping because hey, they are still dessert and all the healthiness of the beans cancels out the unhealthiness of the candy/cream cheese right, right?? These were sooo good! Not even a hint of beany flavor. They were denser than usual from mix brownies with a rich, fudgy texture. I took them to work and forced everyone to try them BEFORE I divulged the secret ingredient, everyone thought they were great and they were FLABBERGASTED when I told them that they were made with beans. I sprinkled the top of the brownies with m&ms and Junior Caramels then drizzled them with caramel sauce. yum, yum, YUM!

Black Bean Brownies

Recipe from: ??? I don't remember where I first heard about these from...

Ingredients

1 Box of your favorite brownie mix

1 Can unseasoned black beans

Thoroughly rinse beans. Put beans back in can, cover with water. Pour beans and water into blender.

Puree until smooth.

Add black bean puree to packaged brownie mix and make according to directions on box. OR if you wanna make your brownies a little more decadent, see below....

Optional Cream Cheese Filling and Candy Toppings

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

2 regular size packages M&Ms

1 box Junior Caramels

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping (not pictured)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan and set aside. Make brownie batter according to above instructions, just don't bake quite yet!

In a separate bowl mix together cream cheese, flour, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Pour 2/3 of the brownie batter into prepared baking pan.

Pour cream cheese mixture on top of brownie batter and use a spatula to spread.

Top cream cheese layer with remaining brownie batter. Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove brownies from oven (they won't be done quite yet) and sprinkle with m&ms and caramels. Return brownies to oven and continue to bake for 10-12 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few fudgy crumbs stuck to it.

When baked, remove from oven and drizzle with caramel topping.

Allow to cool, prepare to be blown away by the deliciousness that is BLACK BEAN BROWNIES!!

Lemme know what you think!

Real Food Wednesday

Easy Peasy Pintos N' Cheese

Feliz Friday! Ready for a great Mexican recipe? This is a super easy way to make delish pinto bean and cheese from scratch, using just a few ingredients. I got the basic bean recipe from one of the women at work, I then started adding ingredients according to what I had on hand and the result was this impossibly easy bean and cheese dish. The advice my coworker (who brought this bean recipe up with her when she moved here from Mexico) gave me was, "After they are cooked I pretty much just throw in whatever I have on hand that I think will be good." So taking her advice, I came up with this recipe. The secret, I found out, is to take out about three cups of the beans after cooking, and smash them up with a potato masher before stirring them back in with the rest of the beans. This will make your beans super creamy! The other secret that makes it so delicious is adding chorizo. Pretty much any sausage would work, but the chorizo gives it an authentic mexican flavor. You can get chorizo at most grocery stores, but I prefer to get the real authentic kind at the local Carniceria. Espero que les gustan... provecho!

Crockpot Pintos and Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb dry pinto beans

Water (to cover)

Salt (to taste)

Chili Powder (however much you want depending on how spicy you like your chili)

1 small jar medium salsa

12 ounces chorizo (or other sausage)

Mrs. Dash Spice

2-3 cups cheese

1/3 cup chopped onion

3 tbsp lite sour cream

Lay beans out on a large tray and sort through, removing anything that isn't a bean (rocks, fluff, etc.). Place beans in collander and rinse until water runs clear.

Pretty, No?

Put beans in a large crockpot. Cover by at least 2 inches with water.

Cover with water

Soak over night (don't turn crock-pot on yet). After soaking, make sure beans are still covered by at least two inches of water. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 8 hours. When beans are tender, drain. Leave enough liquid to make them soupy. The less liquid you leave, the thicker your chili will be. If you drain off too much just add in a bit of hot water until you have the consistency you want.

Smash them up!

Using a slotted spoon, remove about two cups of the cooked beans and mash with a potato masher. Stir back in to crock pot. Allow to continue cooking while you crumble and brown the chorizo and onions in a non-stick skilled over medium heat. Add to crockpot.

¡Olé!

Add salsa, cheese, sour cream, and spices to taste. Stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with more sour cream, topped with cheese. Yum!

Cheesy!

Serve with chips or tortillas and some sliced avocados for an easy dinner.