Black Bean Brownies

• 2 cups black beans (or 1 can of no salt added)
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener of your preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped up bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chips)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

This is so simple to make! Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8×8 pan. Add all the ingredients minus the last two (chocolate and walnuts) into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and shiny. Stir in the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Spread into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

One batch costs under $2.00 and makes about 16 brownies. Even if you are not avoiding gluten, I know you will enjoy this healthy twist on a family favorite.

I spray the pan with Pam, and I only use the whites of the eggs, or two whites and one full egg. I use olive oil, and I think I only use 2 tablespoons, not 1/3 cup. You can also try using a banana or applesauce in place of the oil if you're really counting calories. I use light Agave Nectar instead of honey or sugar. You can sub the chocolate chips with grain-sweetened carob chips (I think that's what they're called) so there's absolutely no sugar in it, but I just keep a 5 lb. bag of Nestle's chips in the freezer at all times (Costco) so I just use those. (Yes, I do bake sweets for my kiddos, and chocolate chip cookies are a fave around these parts!!! Although I go through that big bag of chips a LOT slower than I used to!!)

I make the entire recipe in the Magic Bullet using the big blender cup and just stir the chips in at the end; I don't add nuts because Daniel doesn't like them but I think they'd be better with nuts, personally.

Enjoy! Guilt-free!