Brownies from heaven

So, I made brownies today and they were literally better than the box. I've made several different brownie recipes from scratch. Never have I ever found a recipe that I liked better than the good old boxed mix. Until today. And just you wait..... here it is..... they are made from black beans! On a whim, I decided to make these because I wanted brownies, but I'm trying to lose the pregnancy pudge, so black bean brownies sounded better than the regular deliciousness. Well, these were a treat. I even gave one to Joe before I told him they were made with black beans. And he said they were the best brownies I've ever made. SO, there you have it. The verdict.

(found on a gluten-free blog and I did it in the food processor not the blender... doubt it matters)

Lila's Black Bean Brownies
1 can, rinsed and drained black beans
1/2 cup fresh spinach (more or less) (I did almost a cup)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground coffee (I added a tsp of Trader Joe's instant coffee)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hersheys)


so first, throw your black beans in the blender and give them a couple pulses just to break them up. then add your oil and spinach. pulse them until blended. we want this smoooooth.





you'll have to scrape down the sides...then pulse again...scrape the sides...then pulse. you want there to be no chunks or as little as possible.
add your vanilla, coffee, salt, sugar, cocoa powder... and i threw in a TBSP of choco chips too for good measure.
pulse until it's all smooth.
then add those eggs.
pulse until well blended. you don't need to over do it here. just blend it all together and then stop.



spray an 8X8 pan with pam or butter the dish. put your runny brownies in there.
throw the choco chips on top


bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
take out and let cool completely for a couple hours. Serve with ice cream and trick everyone!

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread

CAKE's!

It has been way too long since I last posted on here, so I thought I would share the spiced peach-carrot bread recipe I made today.  I found it in my July Southern Living, and was really excited to find a way to use peaches (which I LOVE) and carrots (which I don't love but they came in my CSA basket this week).  I might sound like Paula Deen, but it is delicious with a little bit of butter spread on your slice!  And E, I think the blog needs to see pictures of your beautiful new house and all the decorating that has gone into it!

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread

3/4 C chopped pecans

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 C sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 C peeled and chopped peaches

3/4 C freshly grated carrots

2/3 C vegetable oil

1/2 C milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.  Cool 15 minutes.

Stir together flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add peaches, next 4 ingredients, and toasted pecans, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon batter into a lightly greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

ADPi Slaw

During those long days of sorority rush, our mamma's provided this wonderful piece of refuge during lunch.  It was there during every recruitment and will always be dear to my heart because of it.  It quickly became a staple at the yearly tailgate with Ann's mom carrying the torch.  I had never actually made it myself until Monday night when I made all sorts of tailgate foods for the National Championship, and boy was it good!  There were no leftovers, and I have been craving it all week.  Try this delicious recipe, and I promise you won't regret it.  And this is from a girl who doesn't like coleslaw. :)

ADPi Slaw (or as the rest of the world calls it Asian Slaw)

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar 
1/4 cup granulated sugar 
2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon pepper 
1 cup vegetable oil 
2 10-ounce packages angel hair coleslaw mix 
8 green onions, thinly sliced 
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted 
2 packages ramen noodles, uncooked and crushed 
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Then drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go, until it is well-incorporated. Set aside. 
In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, onions, almonds, and broken ramen noodles. Drizzle with the dressing and toss until well-combined. Refrigerate until serving. 
Note: I did not toast the almonds and they tasted just fine.  So if you are in a pinch for time, the toasting isn't necessary.