Black Bean and Beetroot Protein Brownies
Guest recipe by Sophia Attwood-Clarke, Intro by Josh.
I know what you're thinking.
Black beans, in a brownie?! Those punks at Vivo have been on the extra strong kombucha again.
I'll be honest, when Sophia sent me this recipe I was sceptical too. The thought of beetroot in brownies was hard enough to get my head around, but black beans!? Surely this recipe would taste more like a weird chocolate salad than a cake?
Intrigued, I got to work on a batch myself.
Guess what? I was wrong.
Within 30 minutes of making, the whole entire batch had been demolished. And that's with my substandard baking skills and a group of fussy "I won't eat this if it's healthy" housemates.
Turns out, black beans actually make the PERFECT brownie base. They hold the mixture together without drying it out like flour, they add a subtle nutty flavour, and a 'firm but fudgy' texture.
Black beans are also packed with protein and fibre. Not that this should be a factor you ever consider when eating brownies, but it's a nice added bonus.
Pair it with the beetroot, which adds moisture without impacting the flavour profile, and you've got a recipe for one of the best tasting, healthiest brownie batches you've ever made.
So, whether you make this recipe or not, I hope you've learnt two valuable lessons today:
1) Never judge a book by it's cover.
2) Never judge a brownie by it's fibre content.
Over to Sophia with the recipe!
Black Bean and Beetroot Protein Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
Wet ingredients
- 150g steamed beetroot
- 1 can black beans (approx 1 1/4 cup)
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Zest one orange
- Pinch Himalayan salt
- 1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
Dry ingredients
- 2 scoops Madagascan Vanilla PERFORM protein
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
METHOD:
1. Blend all wet ingredients until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
3) Grease a small tin with a little coconut oil.
4) Add the blended mixture to the dry ingredients to make a dough. It will be mouldable and not liquidy - more like a bar.
5) Press into tin and bake on gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes. These can be eaten without baking, so bake them to your preferred consistency.
6) Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and serving. Enjoy!
Love this chocolate healthy black bean and beetroot brownie recipe and looking for more delicious high protein recipes? Why not check out our dedicated vegan recipes section for even more inspiration?!