Happy month of LOVE.  Who doesn’t LOVE chocolate on Valentine’s Day?  One of my fondest memory as a little girl was waking up on Valentine’s Day morning and coming downstairs to see three: one for me and my two sisters, red cellophane wrapped hearts filled with chocolate candy.  The anticipation of biting into them and not knowing what filling you were going to get was the best part! Like Forest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”

Today I am making a recipe from my book, Total Body Diet For Dummies.  It’s not only ooey gooey and chocolatey, it chock full of plant-based goodness with black beans.  Beans, in general, are powerhouse foods as they contain plant protein + fiber. {Fiber is the non-digestible part of plants.  It’s fills you up faster and longer, as well as keep blood sugar and blood pressure in check!}  Just FYI – there’s a whopping 9 grams of fiber in 1/2 cup if black beans! That puts a big dent in you reaching your daily fiber goal. I know, I geek out when it comes to talking about fiber. 🙂

This recipe for my Salted Chocolate Black Bean Brownie Bitesis super simple.  Pulse black beans until smooth and then add them to the melted chocolate.  I use canned beans; just rinse and drain them prior to using. Feel free to use dried beans and soak them overnight, if you want.

The kitchen tools you’ll need are:

a food processor or blender

a mini muffin tin pan

mini muffin cup liners

a medium mixing bowl

a spatula

a small melon baller

Salted Chocolate Black Bean Brownie Bites

Makes 24 brownie bites

Ingredients

11 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% – 70% cocoa)

1/2 cup black beans, canned, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 whole eggs

2/3 cup self-rising flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate for drizzling (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with liners (or use nonstick muffin tins).

In a blender or food processor, add beans and pulse a few times until pureed.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute.  Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir.  Place the bowl back in the microwave for another 30 seconds to melt, if necessary.  (You can also melt chocolate on stovetop in a double boiler.)

Add the pureed beans to the melted chocolate.  Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.  Crack the eggs into the mixture and fold in the flour.  Gently mix together, being careful not to over mix.

When combined spoon the mixture into muffin tins.  Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  If desired, drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate for a bit of added sweetness.

Enjoy eating simply,

-Vicki