Chickpea Blondies!

I'm continuously finding new blogs to pore over - and as a result, feel increasingly out of my depth in this whole healthy/fitness blogging community! As in, how am I even supposed to compete with the likes of amazing blogs like this and this?! Even on the basis of photography, these blogs are outstanding - not to mention their content!

One blog of note that's been permanently stuck on my long line of tabs is that of ChocolateCoveredKatie (is it just me or are there millions of food bloggers/bloggers in general called Katie? Or am I just specifically hunting out the Katie bloggers? Maybe so). Anyway, Katie's blog is full of unique, low-cal and super tasty dessert recipes that are simple to follow and easy to make! And with that, I'll introduce these chickpea blondies, a recipe based on this original recipe by Katie (slightly adapted by me).



Ingredients:

300g chickpeas, cooked (I bought a dry packet of chickpeas as it's more economical than buying the canned versions - though be aware that they'll require soaking overnight, plus 150 minutes on the hob! Ouch...maybe not so economical after all...)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons brown granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 large banana
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
1 x 27g pack quick oats (Quakers Oats)
2 heaped Tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
20g dark chocolate chips (optional)

Another failed attempt at using the food processor meant transferring my half-beaten chickpea/banana mix to a bowl - someone buy me a decent food processor please? (A vita-mix would be just ideal! Then I can be like all of the other food bloggers, and life would be sweet)



Never-the-less - blend, beat, mash, fork, destroy all ingredients together until you've got yourself a good, batter-y consistency. The final ingredient should be your chocolate chips, if you wish to include them (it's probably for the best). Grease a baking tin (I used a fairly shallow quiche-style dish, which very, very almost managed to fit the whole shabang inside...but not quite. And that is when paper cupcake holders come into swift action).

Your oven should be pre-heated to 350c or gas mark 4. Slide your filled tray/tin/cupcake holders etc into the upper shelf and watch/smell the magic happen...oh, yes; the smell. Seriously good stuff. Remove from the oven after about 30 minutes, and leave to cool (again - if you manage to resist. Resistence is futile! I've probably said that before, but hey, the phrase will - or should, if my baking's up to scratch - always comply!).

The whole batch totals at just over 1000 cals, so split into 10 portions and you've got yourself a super nutritious and delicious pre/post-workout snack/tea-time treat coming in at a measly 100 calories (also if you're interested, 3.4g fat - 1.2g of which saturates - 27g carbs - 22g fibre, 5.6g sugar - plus 3g protein).

Pure, unadulterated bliss - in blondie form. Go on - tuck in!

Chocolate Cake with a Twist (Secret Ingredient!)

In my eyes (and stomach), there's nothing better than discovering 'secret' key ingredients that can be substituted in for all the bad stuff in classic baking recipes. And, on this occasion, I'm talking about the classic chocolate cake, no less. Guys and girls, take note - I can guarantee you'll be wanting a taste of this good stuff by the end of my chit-chat (not by my skills in the power of written persuasion, either - solely by the mere irresistibility of this cake. Trust me).

The secret power ingredient of this cake is the simple black bean. Well, many simple black beans - 240 grams, to be exact. Now, don't be put-off! The beauty of the black bean is down to their rather bland taste (no offence, black beans. We know you're out to cause no harm) - and yet, they're packed full with fibre and protein, all the while being fairly low-cal and nutrient-dense.



Who'd have thought it, eh? At last, we're appreciating beans in their original, sauceless form (Heinz, begone with you). And, before I get too carried away, the credit for this recipe goes out to Josephine of A Tasty Love Story. This is a brilliant blog with an array of similarly delicious recipes to try out - all masterfully photographed, too - definitely one worth adding to the reading list!

So, without further ado, along with the beans (I repeat: 240 grams, cooked beans - the italics are just there to clarify for those worst at baking than myself, not to seem massively patronising or anything), this recipe calls for:

3 medium/large eggs,
3 heaped tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder,
1 tablespoon instant coffee (optional, but a good one - especially for the coffee-fanatics among us),
the teeny beans of half a vanilla pod,
1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT to be confused with baking powder! A difference partially understood after a lot of confusion and a phone call to Mum being made),
the juice and zest of 1/2 orange (or 1 clementine, in my case),
a pinch of salt,
100g demerara sugar (I guess you could say this is the 'worst' ingredient in the recipe. If you dare, you could sub it for agave nectar, honey, or any other kind of natural sweetener you can think of. However, in my opinion, I think this cake calls for the sugar, plain and simple. It's not an awful lot if you divide it by portion size, either).
PLUS! Not forgetting 30 grams of dark 90% Lindt chocolate (my preference).

Another new discovery as a result of this recipe was the use of the blender in place of the (practically ancient, now I come to think about it) technique of hard-graft and a wooden spoon. It saved me a whole lot of hassle, needless to say. The hardest part of the making of this was in fact, the beans - which required tender loving care and attention in the form of 12+ hours of soaking, bath time (overnight), a good rinse over, then 10 minutes boiling time, followed by a whopping 40 minutes on the simmer! Divas or what?

Whiz (or whaz, in the words of Jamie Oliver. A phrase that, might I add, does tend to grate on me somewhat) up the eggs, cacao powder, beans, baking soda, coffee, vanilla beans, orange zest and juice, salt and sugar - and you're so almost there.

Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 (175C? I hate looking up conversion rates. Seriously. You'll have to double-check me if you're really worried) and line a loaf tin with greased parchment paper. I used coconut oil to grease mine as I'm super cool and healthy and the like (I seem to be getting more sarcastic as I go, here. For that I'm really sorry. These are not my true colours. I'm just tired).

Nearly there. Chop up your dark chocolate however you like. I went for a scraping approach that called for a fair few spectators, and a very furrowed brow - the latter mainly down to pure concentration, because I tend to hover on the cautious side of events wherever knives are involved. You wouldn't blame me if you knew how clumsy I can be (my boyfriend can concur with that one).

Pour your lovely chocolatey liquid blend into the lined tin and sprinkle your dark chocolate on top. If you like, you can poke the chocolate into the mixture a bit, but I left it as it was on the top. Delicious. Cook for 35 minutes, and leave to cool. This makes a smashing Saturday night pudding combined with a dollop of greek yoghurt and blueberries - yum. It was still slightly warm when we had it, but as the original recipe goes, it tastes just as good (if not better - time will tell) eaten straight from the fridge.



Moral of the story? One: don't judge beans unfairly. And two: this cake will make your life approximately 23% more complete. Which is a fairly worthy percentage increase, wouldn't you agree? PS. When divided into ten slices, each slice is 100 calories - and seriously low-fat.

Seriously, though - please let me know your opinions if (or should I say when?) you try this. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Alternatively, has anyone any other 'secret' baking ingredients worthy of hollering about?

Get your Nuts Worth

Ever wondered what 100 calories looks like in nut form?



Taking notes and inspiration from a recent Prima magazine supplement, I made this little collage of nuts to get to grips with how the calorie count in various nuts compare.

It's a given that portion control is vital when it comes to choosing nuts as your go-to snack du jour. While they are loaded with unsaturated fats (i.e. the good, friendly to the waistline kind) - along with fibre, B vitamins, antioxidants and potassium - a 100g serving will stack you back around 600-700 calories!

To reap the benefits of nutty goodness without running the risk of over-indulging, stick to the GIF above to monitor those seemingly innocent calories you're consuming.

Prima suggests choosing nuts in their shell, as you're much more likely to eat fewer than if you nibble on their shelled counterpart. Not only that, but prizing open your nuts seems to attach a kind of winning appeal to the munching occasion!

...Or does that just apply to me? Please, someone reassure me of my sanity.