Black bean brownies

The man & I had leftover beans & rice from a Texican restaurant. Normally, I'd throw it in a chili or something. (& the man would grumble that "this isn't chili - there are beans in it.") I had to do something less obvious with our leftovers. No leftovers left behind!!

This time, I decided to make black bean brownies. We've had them before, & they were okay. However, I found a recipe in a new South Beach diet book that I thought would work.

They are excellent! Here's what happened:

Leftover black beans - about a can's worth.
4 eggs
2 tbsp oil (they recommend olive - heart healthy!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sugar substitute (I used 1/2 brown sugar splenda & <1/2 sugar)
3-5 tbsp. cocoa (I used more as - yo, it's chocolate)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
chocolate chips or pecans/walnuts

Blend all ingredients in a food processor (except the chips or nuts if using) until smooth. Put into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray. Place in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Voila! You have springy, moist, chocolatey brownies. Gluten-free to boot!

So far, I really like this cookbook - many recipes are gluten-free & look delicious. Plus, it's nice to see a cookbook with some nutritional indications.

Dad's Fish Francaise.

I was speaking with my father about a meyer lemon olive oil that I purchased for use with fish, & he said, "OH! I made a really great fish recently!"

So, we gave that a shot tonight. Here's the recipe. We deemed it a keeper. & it's quick too!

Dad's Fish Francaise
4 fillets mahi mahi (or tilapia or other white fish)
30-45 capers
1 or 1/2 stick of butter
Juice of a whole lemon

Put the butter into the skillet & melt over medium heat. Add the capers. Squeeze in your lemon juice. Heat the sauce until it bubbles. Lay the fish in the pan. When the edges of the fish turn white, flip it. After 2-3 more minutes, take the pan off the heat & let it set for a few minutes. When it's time to plate, you can either do it family style - Let the fish & sauce slide off the pan onto a platter - or you can take your chances on flipping the fish individually onto plates.

DEEElish.

We paired ours with an arugula salad (with meyer lemon balsamic viniagrette, cranberries, and goat cheese - SPLURGE!), steamed carrots, and saffron rice.

And for dessert - Apple Pear Crisp!