These brownies were a huge hit at a potluck I attended last night! No one could believe the secret ingredient was….BEANS!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ c. Trader Joe’s Semi-sweet or Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips (for Gluten-free)
• 2 c. garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 can)
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. organic Sucanat or turbinado sugar
• 2 tsp. true cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon, or canela in the Mexican tiendas) Specialty spice stores will carry this.
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes.  Stir until smooth.
3. In blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs and blend until smooth.
4. Add sweetener, spices, baking powder, and melted chocolate, process until smooth.
5. Pour batter into a 9” or 8X8” non-stick pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until edges pull away from baking pan. I like my edges a little crispy.
7. Let cook completely before slicing (as chocolate cools, it keeps the bars from being too crumbly).

I originally made this cake in 2005 and have recently been craving it. Here is the adapted recipe for food intolerances. It’s going to be the showpiece for Sunday Night Dinner. I also added crystallized ginger to the batter for an extra bit o’ spiciness. HEAVEN.

FOR THE TOPPING
3 tablespoon palm oil (coconut may be flavorful)
1/2 cup sucanat mixed with 1 tbsp. molasses
1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 large Bosc Pears
– FOR THE BATTER –
4 ounces palm oil or grapeseed oil
4 ounce Applesauce
3/4 cup sucanat
2 tablespoon Ginger grated
3 Eggs (or Ener-G Egg Replacer as directed)
2/3 cups Molasses
3 cups gluten free baking mix
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/3 cup crystallized ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rice milk
1 1/2 tablespoon Vinegar

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with a 10-inch circle of parchment paper.

To make the topping, combine 3 Tbs palm oil, ½ cup sucanat, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Melt the oil over medium heat for about 1 minute; then pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan, completely coating the parchment paper. Place the quartered pears on top of the oil-sugar mixture, lining the pieces up tightly in a decorative circle so that none of the bottom shows through.

To make the batter, cut palm oil into 1-inch pieces, and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup sucanat, and cream the mixture on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until it is smooth and a pale tan color. Add the grated ginger, and beat 1 minute more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed and making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding another. When all the eggs have been added, slowly pour in the molasses and beat to fully mix. The mixture will look as though it is “breaking” or curdling, but don’t worry—it will come together when the dry ingredients are added.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to fully combine.

Alternately add small amounts of flour and rice milk to the batter, stirring and folding with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are just absorbed. Do not overmix the batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the pear-lined pan, smoothing the top with a rubber surface. The pan will be nearly full.

Carefully transfer the pan to the center rack of the oven, and bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake’s center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cover the pan with an upside-down serving plate; then carefully invert them together. Release the sides of the pan, and lift it away. Gently lift the pan’s base off the cake, and peel away the parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool for a half hour or so, and serve warm.

Yield: One big cake, likely serving 10-12 people

This pumpkin butter was really easy to make and resulted in a tasty spread that I am donating to a craft fair to benefit Shakti Rising. Who says you have to pay for gourmet?

Some uses for this fabulous spread:

• On toast (with cream cheese – an  absolute favorite in my dairy days)
• Swirl with cream cheese and serve with bread or crackers for a holiday party
• As a topping on vanilla ice cream
• Thin with water or apple juice and drizzle over waffles, french toast, or pancakes
• As a sauce for baked apples
• Stir it in yogurt for breakfast, top with chopped walnuts
• Use instead of pumpkin in pumpkin muffins
• And whatever else your imagination can create (reply below with your ideas!)

Behold — the pumpkin butter:

• 15 oz. canned pumpkin
• 1 cup organic applesauce
• 1/3 cup sucanat
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• pinch of cloves (up to 1/8 tsp)
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small pan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Mixture will splatter – be careful! Upon boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally as mixture thickens.

When mixture is very thick, remove from heat and let cool.

While spread is cooling, bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil jars and their lids to sterilize.

Spoon into tight-sealing jars and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

These brownies are not too sweet; without the frosting they are a little on the unsweetened side – but the frosting gives them the perfect touch of richness without being overwhelming.  Zucchini adds extra fiber and moistness to this healthier treat!

Brownies:

• 2-2 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup sugar (more if you like your brownies sweeter or want to skip the frosting)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp. rice or soy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sucanat, blended until powdered

Mix the zucchini, banana, water and vanilla together in a large bowl. You may find the zucchini  oozes water a bit – this is fine.  Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter. Oil a 9×13 baking pan with coconut, palm, or grapeseed oil and pour batter in. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean.

Remove from oven and set aside to cool 20 minutes or overnight.

To prepare the frosting blend the coconut oil, powdered sugar, cocoa, rice milk, and vanilla together in a Vitamix or food processor. Spread over cooled brownies with a spatula. If you place the brownies in the refrigerator, the frosting will firm up nicely (due to the type of fats found in coconut oil).

This ginger jam recipe is POTENT! I plan on using it on cashew butter rice bread sandwiches in the morning, since my supply of ginger spread is no longer being offered at Trader Joe’s. While sampling it during cooking, I realized it will also do nicely whipped into cream cheese, swirled into cheesecake, or layered between spice cake.

Makes 1 12 oz. jar.

3/4 cup Finely chopped peeled ginger
1 Apple peeled – cored and finely chopped
(note – no need to chop ginger and apple if using a Vitamix)
3/4 cup Sucanat (dehydrated sugar cane juice) or date sugar
1 cup Water

Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or food processor – process until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, place over medium heat and cook until the mixture begins to bubble. Stir consistently until it reaches a jam-like thickness, about 30 minutes.

Makes 15 Scones

• 3 Cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 Cup maple syrup
• 3 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp salt
• Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tsp lavender
• 1 Cup Soy or Almond Milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375°F Zest lemon, set aside. Reserve lemon flesh for juice.
2. Blend together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest and lavender. Cut in butter until the texture resembles a coarse meal. Squeeze lemon into the soymilk and add to the scone mixture. Pour in maple syrup and combine until dough just comes together. Gently fold in blueberries. Batter will be moist.
3. Spoon scone batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops lightly with some sugar, if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Only 167 calories and 5.5 grams of fat per scone!