Reading has always been a
fundamental part of my life; becoming the character as I read, figuring out
clues, taking fantastical journeys through time and space. I have been drawn to historical, fictional,
non-fictional, true stories as well as what-ifs; I admit, I enjoy reading
Ernest Hemingway. I own a Kindle, so can
download from any genre at the swipe of a finger. My true enjoyment comes from a real book,
paperback, hard cover, does not matter.
It is the feel of the book itself, the weight of it within my hands, the
turning of each page as words are devoured within the mind. While the Kindle is convenient, it does not
have the same comforting feel.
Recently I finished a
novella called The Recipe by Candace Calvert and her specialty genre is
“Inspirational”. This genre tends to
focus upon religious and/or spiritual aspects, but the amount of focus is
dependent on the author. It can be
soothing, relaxing, a good mood uplift, and a way to look outside the box, or
get your mental act together. I chose
to read this novella based upon two aspects; first the cover featured a female
wearing an apron with a bowl full of luscious strawberries in front of
her. Second was the lead in description,
“In this heartwarming romance novella by Candace Calvert, hospital dietary
assistant Aimee Curran is determined to win the Vegan Valentine Bake-Off to
prove she's finally found her calling. But while caring for one of her patients
- the elderly grandmother of a handsome CSI photographer - Aimee begins to
question where she belongs.” A little
romance, some soul searching, a bake off, and if the reader is lucky, a recipe
at the end.
The character, Aimee
Curran, creates a vegan brownie recipe featuring a choice of a “mystery”
ingredient of her choosing; she chooses black beans. Alright, spoiler, the brownies are a huge hit
with the judges and she gets into the finals.
The brownies are mentioned several times within the novella, the recipe
has to be featured by the author, right?
Read the novella for yourself; it can sometimes be frustrating due to
what is happening with a particular character, but has a sweet ending in more
ways than food.
To answer the question
above, no, the black bean brownie recipe was not at the end, but another just
as delicious dessert. Now my quest began
to find a recipe to play with; five baking books later, no recipe. Online I found plenty, printed a few, baked, and
changed ingredients, amounts used until I was happy with my own original
version. The batter is thicker than a traditional
brownie recipe, after baking thickness only doubles from ¼ inch to ½ inch, color
is almost black, and taste is equivalent to eating Ghirardelli Chocolate
Intense Dark Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao Chocolate.
By the way, my traditional
brownies usually have walnuts or pecans added in; I chose walnuts for this
recipe. Also, there is a mention of
apple cider vinegar in the recipe; it gives a kick-start to the baking soda to
give the batter that lifting ability.
Traditional Chocolate Walnut Brownies |
| Traditional Chocolate Walnut Brownie |
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients:
1 can (15.5 oz.) black
beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
½ cup Truvia Baking Blend
1 Tbsp. 2% milk
½ cup unsweetened baking
cocoa + 1 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup walnut pieces and
halves, divided in half
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F;
spray a 9” x 9” baking pan with non-stick baking spray (or what I prefer for
brownies, non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle that + 1 Tbsp. of baking cocoa over
the bottom and sides of the pan).
Sprinkle half of walnuts onto bottom of the pan.
Using a blender or
immersion blender, puree the beans until a smooth paste; move to a medium size
bowl. Add the eggs, Truvia, milk, ½ cup
baking cocoa, oil, baking soda, baking powder, and vinegar. On medium speed, mix until smooth; use a
spatula to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl and clean out the mixer
blades.
Place batter into pan and
carefully spread out to sides (remember, it is thicken than a traditional
batter); sprinkle remaining half of walnuts over top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or
until a toothpick comes out clean; let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into
squares (9 or 12).
Now for that Paleo brownie
recipe; I found the original recipe (page 21) in the book Paleo Sweets
by Kelsey Ale. However, it does call for
coconut oil and coconut sugar which I have found not to our liking with baked
goods. I will write out the original
recipe, in parentheses will be the changes I made. These brownies are almost the same as a
traditional brownie in taste, texture and color except not as sweet and the
flavor of the walnuts is enhanced.
Paleo Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Ingredients:
¾ cup walnut halves and
pieces, divided (1 cup divided in half)
1/3 cup coconut oil,
melted (1/3 cup vegetable oil)
4 oz. unsweetened baking
chocolate (4 oz. bar Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate)
1 cup almond flour (I
shifted the almond flour)
1 cup coconut sugar (1/2
cup Truvia Baking Blend)
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F; chop
and toast ½ cup walnuts on 350F until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Line an 8x8x2-inch baking dish with parchment
paper and set aside. (I did not toast
the walnuts, plus I prepped the baking pan the same as in the Black Bean Brownies
recipe).
In a small saucepan, heat
the oil and chocolate over low heat until melted, remove from heat and set
aside. In a medium bowl, combine the
almond flour and sugar, mix to incorporate.
Add the melted chocolate/oil mixture; add the eggs and vanilla, mix to
completely combine. Fold in the toasted
walnuts.
Pour the batter into the
prepared pan and spread to edges. Top
with remaining walnut pieces and halves.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool completely before
cutting (12-16)
Note: I used a 9” x 9”
baking pan and the brownies baked up cake-like; very much like baking
traditional brownies 10 minutes longer for the extra rise)
Truthfully, anyone who is
vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or low carb dependent; either brownie will
satisfy. If you have a sweet tooth, and
Truvia Baking Blend or coconut sugar will just not do it for you, than use
granulated sugar: 1 cup either for the Black Bean or Paleo Brownies.
Read a good book, get some
inspiration into your life, and eat a brownie!
Mary Cokenour
