Delicious Guilt Free Brownies

I happen to have Dr. Oz on in the background, and caught a glimpse of Rocco Dispirito making brownies.  These brownies had a bit of a twist. Dr Oz brought back Rocco Dispirito to do a segment called “The Best Thing I Ever Ate Under 100 Calories.”  The key ingredient to the making these brownies is the use of black beans.  In doing so, they are less than 100 calories each!  In fact, each brownie is only 88 calories if you split the 8×8 pan into 12 pieces.  If you use the Spenda & water option the calories reduce and PointsPlus is only 2 each.

Ingredients:

• 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp expresso powder
• 3/4 cup liquid egg substitute
• 3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup agave nectar (or 12 packets of splenda with fiber dissolved in 3/4 cup water)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Place the black beans, cocoa powder, egg substitute, espresso powder and flour in a food processor and blend until the mixture has no lumps at all.  Add the vanilla, agave (or Splenda & water) and butter, blend again until everything is fully mixed.

Pour the brownie mix into the greased 8×8 pan and bake for 20 minutes.  Also, make sure to turn the 8×8 baking pan halfway through.  Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Be careful not to overcook the brownies either though!

Let the brownies cool completely until they reach room temperature. Place the brownies in the fridge for 3 hours. Cut them into 12 squares and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Do You Like Black Bean Dip?

Made this the other day as something we could snack on that was Weightwatcher PointsPlus friendly. As a matte of fact, the dip only has 2 points per serving and easily serves 3.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, roasted
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/4 green pepper
• 1/4 sweet red pepper
• 1 small jalapeño pepper
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin Seed  
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano  
• 1/4 cup cilantro (loose leaves)
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth  
• 1 cups black beans, (15 oz can, of beans, will yield 1 cup)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Scallion (green onion)
• ½ packet of Splenda
• Salt
• 1 tsp cracked pepper

Preparation:

Roast 3 cloves of garlic, cutting off the hard bottom and wrapping into an aluminum foil packet.  Place the packet in a 300⁰ oven, roast for 30-45 minutes.

Rough chop all the vegetables. In a food processor add the vegetable and 1 tsp olive oil until pureed. This is what I like to call, “Making a Sofrito.”  In a non-stick skillet, over low medium heat, sweat the vegetables.  To the skillet add the cumin and oregano and the roasted garlic cloves.  Mash the cloves with your wooden spoon or spoonula into the sofrito.  Continue to cook while you prepare the beans.

Drain and rinse a 15 ounce can of black beans.  This will only yield a tiny bit over 1 cup of beans. Puree the beans with ¼ cup of broth in the food processor.  Add the beans to the skillet with the sautéed vegetable mixture, increase temperature to medium and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Scrape down the sides as you stir the mixture. This will help to thicken the dip. Add the half packet of Splenda, for a little sweetness. (Originally, I would have added a tablespoon or 2 of guava paste)

The dip is done when you can see the bottom of the mixture looking dry; but with some liquid still on the top.  At this point, remove from the heat to let cool. Return to heat and cook for another 10 minutes if the dip seems too runny.

Season to taste with salt and cracked pepper (I use Lawry’s Seasoning); remember canned beans already have plenty of sodium.  Garnish with scallions sliced on the diagonal.