My Cooking Attempts: Black Bean and Avocado Brownies

I woke up earlier than usual this morning and I just couldn't go back to sleep. So what did I do? I baked some brownies! I tried a recipe for healthy brownies that I found through Pinterest. The pin originated from Bakeaholic Mama. This gluten free, protein filled, coffee-laced brownie will get you through your chocolate cravings without ruining your diet. Sounds too good to the true, right? I was a little skeptical as well, but I was won over as soon as I added the cocoa powder to the batter!

Recipe
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 avocado
2 eggs
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Gather all your ingredients:

I forgot to photograph the eggs. Poor eggs! Leaving out an ingredient seems to be my M.O.
Note: I highly recommend Pernigotti cocoa powder. It's really made the difference in my chocolate baked goods. Also, I used crunchy peanut butter, since that's what I had on hand. I am sure creamy would be just as delicious, if a little less nutty. If you'd like you can also add a pinch of ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon). I did! It doesn't flavor the batter, so much as add an extra layer of "something special" to the brownies.Having tried these brownies before I also new to reduce the instant coffee from 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons.

I drained and rinsed the black beans and dropped them into the food processor with half an avocado. Make sure your canned black beans aren't flavored, otherwise your brownies will taste like garlic and onion. Puree until smooth.

Weird combination for brownies, right? Don't worry, it will get worse before it gets better. Hang in there, it will be worth it!
Transfer the pureed mixture from the food processor to a bowl. Mix in the eggs, honey and peanut butter.
Hint: spray a little non-stick into your measuring cup so that the honey and peanut butter slide right out. Otherwise it can get a little messy.

The original recipe did not specify if we should mix by hand or mixer so I used my mixer. This is what the mixture looks like after blending:

I know, not pretty. It has a horrible green/ brown color that looks good on no one and nothing! Add the cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and coffee. It will immediately transform the batter!

Beat until smooth. Can you tell the difference? The cocoa powder and coffee really brought it to life!

Bakeaholic Mama recommends you transfer the mixture into a 8x8 greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. I decided to bake them as cupcakes or muffins. My goal was portion control! I filled the cupcake molds to the very top and baked them for 18 minutes. Remember every oven is different so your timing may vary. Adjust accordingly.

This is the final product. I saved the brownies for an after dinner surprise and served them with a scoop of my healthy banana ice cream. (I omitted the coffee from the ice cream recipe so I wouldn't have coffee overload with coffee flavored desserts.)

Looks delicious, right? It's cause they are! I couldn't even taste a hint of the avocado or beans. Instead I tasted mocha deliciousness! These healthy brownies are perfect for people who love a strong coffee flavor in their baked goods. If that's not your cup of tea, or in this case coffee, you may consider reducing the amount of coffee. If you are really watching your sugar intake you could probably get away with reducing the amount of sugar as well. Enjoy!

My Cooking Attempts: Mocha Banana Ice Cream

I have a weakness for ice cream. If there's ice cream in the house I'm gonna know about it and I'm gonna eat it! Any type of ice cream will do! I'm no ice cream snob! Gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt, soft serve, even shave ice, with, of course, a scoop of ice cream underneath. It all tastes good to me! As you can imagine this isn't exactly a healthy habit, so in an effort to combat my icy sweet tooth I've started to make frozen banana ice cream. The taste and texture is very similar to ice cream and it's a much healthier option. What more could a girl ask for?
There are a lot of recipes out there, but with a few modifications I have found the combination that works for me. And because I like you guys I will share it with you!
Recipe
3 large ripe bananas
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules

Select three bananas. Not too ripe, or the banana flavor will overpower the entire ice cream. Not too firm, or it won't blend to a creamy consistency. Channel your inner Goldilocks. Find the bananas that are just right, the median of those two extremes.

Slice your bananas and freeze them for at least 2-3 hours. If you blend them too early you will end up with banana pudding instead of banana ice cream. I tend to freeze them overnight and make ice cream the next day.

Place your frozen bananas in your food processor. Blend them until smooth.

About half way through it will have a course crumb texture. Just scrape down the sides and keep on blending.

When you see it come together and take on a creamy texture it's ready for the next set of ingredients. 

Now add the peanut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and coffee.

Blend to mix. That's it, you've just made ice cream.

See how easy that was? And it doesn't even taste like banana. It tastes like mocha heaven!
You can eat it right away, it will just be on the softer side. Or you can freeze it for an hour or so and eat it later. If you freeze it longer than an hour, let it sit out on your counter for a while or it won't be very "scoopable."

This will produce enough for 2-4 servings, depending on what you consider a normal ice cream serving size. Of course you can double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe to your ice cream delight!

Notes
It is really easy to modify this recipe. Increase the peanut butter for a sweeter, creamier mixture. Sweeten with honey or agave instead of peanut butter. Add almond or soy milk to make it creamier. Change the ice cream's flavor by adding different types of fruit, e.g. strawberries, mango, etc. Add nuts for texture.
For what it's worth I've tried strawberries and the water content lead to an icier ice cream. So if you eat it immediately it's good, but if you freeze it and eat it later it's not as creamy.

My Cooking Attempts: Avocado Gazpacho

I continue in my attempts to eat healthy, at least before I go to Maui. After that I make no such promises! Tonight's dinner was Creamy Green Gazpacho from Eat your vegetables: bold recipes for the single cook by Joe Yonan.

The recipe is meant for a single person so I quadrupled the recipe. Hey (say that like Si does in Duck Dynasty) I refuse to go through all that effort for it to be over in one sitting! I am always looking for ways to maximize my time, so I make one big pot that will last me for a couple of days. As long as the food is delicious David doesn't mind eating it two nights in a row. So I always try me damnedest to make a scrumpdillyicious dinner. This Creamy Green Gazpacho was truly scrumpdillyicious!

Recipe

1 medium tomato, cored and cut into quarters

1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into large chunks

1/2 avocado, cut into large chunks

3 large basil leaves

1/2 jalapeno (optional)

3/4 cup lightly packed watercress or baby spinach  leaves

1 small celery stalk (optional)

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or more to taste

1 tablespoon honey

2 ice cubes

Filtered water (optional)

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon  extra-virgin olive oil

What I changed

I didn't change much in this recipe. I obviously quadrupled the recipe. I did use a little less jalapeno and used all the optional ingredients, except for the water. I skipped the, as Rachael Ray says, EVOO. This has more to do with the fact that I forgot the EVOO, as opposed to purposely excluding it. Sorry EVOO!

Ready? Here is how I put it all together:

I learned my lesson from my last cooking adventure and I tried to be more organized about my cooking. I first collected all my ingredients. I'm so proud of myself!

I then went about peeling, chopping, and coring all my veggies, as called for in the recipe. Hey (again in Si's voice) I don't know if this is just a Mexican thing, but whenever I peel and chop a cucumber I first cut off the ends and then rub them against the cut part of the cucumber. In this photo I should be rubbing those two parts together. Clearly I need someone to hold the camera so I can take action shots. Meanwhile you get to use your imagination. Just don't go too crazy!

Do you perform this cucumber ritual? Most Mexican families do. That's what my abuela and mom taught me. It's suppose to remove the bitterness from the cucumber.
After chopping and setting everything up for easy access I set aside some cucumber, basil, tomato, jalapeno, and avocado to top the gazpacho when I serve dinner. Just a little not too much. The recipe calls for setting aside one quarter of the tomato, two cucumber chunks, two avocado chunks, and one basil leaf ( x4 if you quadrupled the recipe like I did).

Now I am ready to blend. I tried to strategically place my ingredients into the blender. I put all the honey, ice, and balsamic in first. I then layered in the tomato and spinach and blended. As more room becomes available in the blender I layer in more veggies (without removing the liquid already in the blender). I want to make the most of the juicy veggies. If I put the spinach in by itself I would have a hard time blending it since it's dry.

I then poured it into a pot and seasoned it aggressively. It really needed salt, a little extra balsamic vinegar, and pepper. Refrigerate until cold, then pour into a bowl and top with reserved veggies (tomato, cucumber, basil, and avocado).

This was healthy, fresh and yummy. It has a slight sweetness to it, thanks to the honey, yet it's pleasantly spicy and fresh. I've tried other avocado soups before and this is the best one yet. Despite being super healthy it was still very filling. If you'd like you can add a little feta or goat cheese for an extra layer of flavor. A side of French bread would complete the meal.

Lessons Learned

• Don't be a chile scaredy cat, add more jalapeno. The recipe originally called for half a jalapeno and even though I made 4x the recipe I still only added one jalapeno. Self-proclaimed chile scaredy cat here! I regretted it. I think a little extra heat would have been lovely against the sweetness of the honey.
• Don't cut the avocado you will be using to top the soup until you are ready to eat. There is nothing worse than a browned avocado. Sure you can add a little lemon or lime juice to hold it over, but it's still better to wait and enjoy it fresh. 

Hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!

My Cooking Attempts: Rice Noodle Salad

David and I have been trying to eat healthier, we are going to Maui in a month so we are VERY motivated! I found this recipe in Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite and thought it looked delicious so I gave it a go.

Here's the recipe:

Salad

• 3 1/2 oz thin rice noodles
• drizzle of sesame oil
• 7 oz snow peas or sugar snap peas
• 1 large  red sweet pepper
• 1 large sweet yellow or orange pepper
• 2 green onions
• 7 oz peeled, cooked shrimp
• handful of cilantro leaves
• 1tbsp toasted black or white sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Dressing

• 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
• 1 small red chile, seeded and minced
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice, or more to taste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp jaggery (or soft brown sugar)
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

I changed a few things:

• I added carrots.
• I skipped the yellow/ orange bell pepper. The red bell pepper was enough for me.
• Was out of lime so used lemon instead. Yes, I know they don't have the same flavor but I'm working with what I got people!
• I was out of cilantro so I used basil. Please see above comment and don't judge my lack of ingredients!
• No chile for me! Those who know me, know I have never developed an immunity or love for chile. So instead I used red pepper flakes. 
• The recipe called for jaggery or brown sugar. Instead I used organic coconut sugar. I figured it went with the Thai theme and David assures me it has more nutritional value than regular sugar. *Okay Baby, whatever gets you through the day ;)*

First I chopped the veggies, 'a la julienne:

I then boiled (2-3 minutes in boiling water), blanched (ice cold H20) , and chopped the sugar snap peas. BTW sugar snap peas taste so much better cooked! I've tried  to eat them raw on multiple occasions and I'm just not convinced that's the best way to eat them.

Then I soaked the rice noodles. I've never used rice noodles before and Albertsons only had rice sticks. I'm gonna assume they are the same thing. But you know what happens when you assume! You make an ass out of you and me! Hahaha I crack myself up! *Wipes tear away.*

I boiled water in a tea kettle. Placed the noodles in a heatproof bowl and soaked them in the hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and coat with a drizzle of sesame oil.

I then chopped some green onion. (I forgot about them when I chopped the other veggies.) I also made the sauce. Another first for me: I used fish sauce! Notice the ominous feel of the picture below? It correctly reflects how I felt about using fish sauce! Surprisingly the smell and taste were milder than I expected. If I can do it, you can do it! Just mix all the dressing ingredients together.

I then cooked the shrimp. The recipe assumes you have cooked shrimp laying around your fridge or freezer. I do not. Actually, I NEVER use precooked shrimp! So I used a little lemon zest, salt and pepper to season the raw shrimp. Of course, it goes without saying, I cleaned their poop line. *That's right I said poop on a post about food!* In other words I deveined them. Then off to the skillet to cook. *You better watch those crazy little bastards cause they cook really, really fast and there is nothing worse then rubbery shrimp!*

Mix all the ingredients together. I first sauced the noodles and then added the veggies. You can refrigerate the salad and let the flavors meld, as a refined lady with self control would. Or you can dig in, like I would! Tastes good either way. :)

Here is the final product:

Lessons Learned

• Pay attention to the amount of rice noodles/ sticks you use. I may have over done it!
• Keep the shrimp and veggies separate from the noodles until it is time to serve. Think topping pasta with pasta sauce and meatballs. 'Cause it is way too hard to try to properly mix all those veggies and shrimp with the rice noodles. Note the one lonely shrimp that made it to the top of the mixture. *Or it could have something to do with the fact that I used way too many noodles. Who's to know?* **Shrug**
• Enlist help from David! Take a look at all the dishes I had to wash afterwards:

To be fair those dishes aren't all from this meal preparation. Note the blender that was not used in the making of this meal. I'm just a notoriously messy cook! It took me like 30-45 minutes to make the salad, which isn't too bad. If you employ mis en place *Look at me and my Food Network lingo. Fancy Lady Alert!* and don't cook your own shrimp then it will be even faster.

FYI David loved the salad! Let me know if you loved it too!