Cara’s Chickpea & Virgin Coconut Oil Brownie

 

 

Wanting a sweet treat, without processed flour?

Here’s a recipe that one of our loyal customers shared with us recently.

It’s not too sweet and being chickpea based, is another way of increasing a good source of protein into your day.

 

Heat oven to 175 celcius.

1 cup chocolate – to get the best nutrients out of chocolate, always look for 70% PLUS cocoa. I used Whittakers 72% – approx ½ a large bar – so about 125g.

1/2 cup Lav Kokonas Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

1 can drained chickpeas (2 Cups) – or soak a large cupful of chickpeas overnight (they will increase in volume), boil the next morning (you might need to add some more water). Boil for about 20 minutes or so.

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup Cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of your choice of Venui Certified Organic Vanilla Extract, Paste or Ground Beans

Place the chocolate and Virgin Coconut Oil in a metal or glass bowl. Bring a small pot to the boil and place the oil/chocolate bowl into the boiling water (you now have a bain marie). Be careful not to get water into the oil/chocolate mix.   Melt the Virgin Coconut Oil and chocolate together until smooth.  The reason I don’t like to use a microwave to melt the two ingredients together is of the super-heating of the Virgin Coconut Oil. It’s a cold pressed oil and I want to ensure I retain the integrity of the oil.  Set aside.

In a food processer, add all the other ingredients, and blend until smooth.

Pour in the chocolate Virgin Coconut Oil mixture and blend.

Pour into lined slice tin (about 25cm x 15cm) depends on how thick you want the brownie.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted, comes out clean

Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool if you want the “snowing” effect.

 

 

Did you know that?

Eating chickpeas provides you with a vegetarian-friendly source of protein.   Each cup of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) containing 15 grams. Your body breaks down this protein into amino acids, and then uses them to maintain the health of your body’s tissues. Chickpeas are a source of incomplete protein, which means they do not contain every amino acid you need for good health. Make sure you combine them with other sources of protein, such as nuts, whole grains, dairy, eggs or meat to prevent an amino acid deficiency.

 

Why use high cacao chocolate?

I love dark chocolate, the darker the better. I like that there are so many benefits; anti-oxidants and polyphenols – big words telling us that it’s actually good for us – just the news you wanted to here.   Google it and see what you find. Here’s a good link that might just get you moving from sugar-loaded chocolate to the darker-the-better chocolate.