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.

It's a Christmas Cookie Explosion!

Just ask the man. ;)

As gifts for my family, I've decided to make cookies for everyone. The problem is that a few family members have food intolerances/allergies, which makes this a little more creative of a problem. I've chosen these cookies for everyone:

1. Alton Brown's sugar cookies (made gluten-free with Jules' flour)

What I love:

The cookies taste fresh when they are 2 weeks old, the batch of dough makes a lot, & they're really tasty.

What I hate:

All the sifting hurts my hands/arms. I always forget that I can probably just get away with whisking the dough.

2. Heidi's peanut cookies (egg-free, dairy-free, made gluten-free)

What I love:

These cookies are delicioso!

What I hate:

They are a little crumbly & work well as a smaller cookie. It all works out well later as they need a glass of milk as an accompaniment.

3. Heidi's thin mint cookies (egg-free, made gluten-free)

What I love:

I made these years ago using a star-shaped cookie cutter. All of my little points broke when I dipped them in chocolate. This year, I made little rounds, & that worked out swell!!

What I hate:

The dough turns rock-hard if you leave them in the fridge for too long. (Heidi recommends freezing it for 20 minutes, but I refrigerated them since it would be a day or two until I could bake them.)

4. Chocolate chip cookies

What I love:

These are my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. My number 1 Taste Tester just smiled, mumbled, & finished his cookie. They are WAY delicious.

5. Almond lemon biscotti (made diabetic-friendly with agave nectar & no white chocolate dip)

What I love:

The flavor of these are amazing. Really lovely. I opted to zest 2 oranges in my 4th batch in lieu of the lemons & swapped the sugar for agave nectar. Really nice!

What I hate:

My first batch turned out mildly crunchy. My second? Extremely hard. I'd kick that second baking time down to 10 minutes.

6. Chocolate hazelnut biscotti
old link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/chocolate-hazelnut-biscotti-recipe/index.html

What I love:

The man said these weren't overly chocolately, which was nice.

What I hate:

The dough got a few big cracks in it while it was baking. I didn't think that I overmixed!

7. maybe Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal cookies

What I love:

You can really hide the flax to go egg-free in these. I haven't made them yet, & I don't know how much more baking I can do this week. I'll keep you posted!

Also, we ran out of tupperware to store all the cookies before shipment. Must ship all cookies tonight!