Flourless Brownies with Berries

There’s so much to talk about with this post I don’t even know where to start. First, it’s Valentine’s Day so happy love day.  As I mentioned in our newsletter last Thursday, Valentine’s Day is definitely one of those holidays that I grew weary of as an adult and then gained new found enthusiasm for as a parent. Scarlett and I have been planning our special dinner for my husband for a few weeks, and we’ve been baking and crafting like mad.  However, I have to admit, I won’t miss the mass craft projects.

It’s also fiber week so our tiny but incredible team has devoted themselves to bringing you great recipes and information about how to get a healthy dose of fiber into your family’s diets. Amazingly, I stumbled across this recipe from Whole Foods that smashes together the two topics: Fiber and Valentine’s Day. Yes, folks, meet the flourless chocolate brownie made from black beans.

I made this recipe with my other sweetheart. This isn’t a site about cooking with husbands, but the kid was asleep. Dan and I decided to add some fresh berries to the mix, so we sliced up some strawberries and a few raspberries. We put 1/3 cup in. Dan said all he could smell was baking beans while they were in the oven. However, I swear, it smelled like baking brownies. He’s quite dramatic when it comes healthy stuff. According to him, if it’s not brimming with flour, lard and sugar, it’s not a baked good.

In the morning, Scarlett woke up and her keen radar for treats instantly told her something sweet was in the kitchen. After a breakfast snack of blueberries and yogurt, I let Scarlett enjoy some chocolate that morning. She had a tiny square of the brownie and said “Did you use peanut butter in these things?” I replied, “No, why?” She said they tasted like peanut butter. Can’t figure out where that came from. I think that is a good thing because she finished it by popping the rest into her mouth.

By the way, Scarlet made you, our loyal readers, a Valentines. Have a wonderful day.

** Please note: One of the great things about writing a blog is that it does reconnect you with a lot of old friends. A friend of mine from high school (that was just last year, by the way) has been a wonderful supporter of SPC. In fact, she has given me some great suggestions on some of our recipes. Her latest was to add 1/3 cup peanut butter to this recipe. She did it and reports that the outcome was crazy delicious. If you have no peanut allergies in your family, you can thank Rachel for her brilliant suggestion and me just because. Thanks for reading!