A Healthy Brownie for Bad Girl Health

Sometimes a girl has got to have a brownie. Now being a supa-dupa Health Goddess that I am, I know better than to bake a tray of chewy, chocolate goodness. Because if I did, by the end of the week the brownies will have vanished and my bodacious booty would have more dimples than a golf ball. Not good.

So I did a quick internet search for a "healthier" brownie recipe and found an unusual sounding one on the website of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (my alma mater). A brownie made without flour and starring garbanzo beans.

Despite the immediate "ick" factor, my craving made me adventurous. And it did meet my other "new recipe" requirements: minimal preparation, little active time, few ingredients that could easily be substituted.

I replaced the agave nectar that was called for with maple syrup (because that's what I had on hand). And I also used real chocolate chips instead of carob chips (because I don't like carob - a chocolate tasting alternative made from locust beans). It sounded like a breeze to make. But would it taste like bean dip?

To my surprise, this brownie was delicious and totally satisfied my craving. And hurrah! No bean taste! Of course, I had to try it at different temperatures to be sure. I had some right out of the oven, at room temperature and then chilled. (Yes, I took one for the team). I liked the chilled version the best as it produced a chewier consistency.

And best of all, it passed the Health Goddess test: That is, this batch of brownies didn't have that "come hither" addictive pull that traditional recipes made with refined flour and lots of sugar do. Translation: I didn't feel compelled to eat the entire batch.

The final test, however, was serving up a square to my sugar-loving sweetie. I thought maybe it was just me and my bean loving palate that proclaimed this recipe food of the Health Gods. He gobbled it up and promptly asked for more. Even after I told him it was made with garbanzo beans, he still wanted more.

Ladies, I think we're onto something.

Get yourself some g-beans and party on with a "healthier," high protein brownie. Yum.

Get yours here.