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By Laura Stec

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About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...  (More)

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Lentil Brownies

Uploaded: Apr 23, 2019

We haven’t posted a recipe in awhile and here’s an interesting one, gluten free. I’ve been using it lately in Clean Protein, one of my corporate classes which samples plant-based proteins on their own, and combined with animal-based proteins. Using pulses for dessert is intriguing; it lends a very fudgy mouth feel to brownies, satisfying your sweet tooth as well as your hunger. I’m adjusting the recipe (might add some almond meal to the next batch, and still think they should be sweeter). Serve with a topping, such as sliced strawberries or ice cream.




Lentil Brownies
makes 24 squares

Recipe adapted from Culinary Institute of America
Hats off to their effort educating food service about plant-forward cuisine.

1 vanilla bean, or a teaspoon of vanilla
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
4 cups split red or green puree (recipes follows)
4 eggs
1 ripe avocado
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
¾ cup walnuts, chopped
¾ cup peanut butter
Powdered sugar and cocoa (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13- by 9-inch baking pan.

Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife. Rub the beans into the sugar using your fingers until dispersed. Eliminate this step if using prepared vanilla.

Place all ingredients besides the chocolate chips, walnuts, and the peanut butter into the food processor. Process to form a smooth batter. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into pan. Swirl in peanut butter.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until top of the brownies begin to crack. Cool. Serve dusted with powdered sugar and cocoa.

Lentil puree
Yield: 3 - 4 cups

1½ cups split red or whole green lentils, rinsed
4 cups water

Bring lentils and water to a boil. Cover and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes for split red lentils, or 20 to 25 minutes for whole green lentils. Drain, reserving the liquid. Add ¼ cup of the lentil liquid back into the lentils. Purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Note: Excess purée can be refrigerated for up to one week, and frozen for up to 3 months.



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Comments

Posted by wendyhh, a resident of Portola Valley: Westridge,
on Apr 23, 2019 at 1:45 pm

wendyhh is a registered user.

I had the opportunity to taste these brownies and they are delicious with fresh berries as Laura suggests. Thumbs up!


Posted by Frijole Brownies, a resident of Los Altos,
on Apr 23, 2019 at 6:22 pm

Can one use other kinds of pureed beans? Pinto, kidney etc.?

Lastly, are bean brownies gassy?


Posted by Me Thane, a resident of another community,
on Apr 24, 2019 at 12:50 am

> Lastly, are bean brownies gassy?

Sure, but people just compliment you on the nice chocolaty aroma.


Posted by Laura Stec, a resident of Portola Valley,
on Apr 24, 2019 at 6:31 am

Not sure about either of those questions Frijole. I'll say experiment, find out, and report back. Toot sweet!


Posted by Lazy Cook, a resident of College Terrace,
on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:22 pm

Can you substitute a can of refried beans?



Posted by Daniel, a resident of Menlo Park: Fair Oaks,
on Apr 26, 2019 at 3:51 am

Thank you for posting something like this


Posted by Laura Stec, a resident of Portola Valley,
on Apr 26, 2019 at 8:26 am

Lazy Cook - you will have to experiment and find out. One of the reasons the lentils work is they are not very "beany" and match well with cocoa. Refried might be too strong, but who knows? Try it and get back to us.


Posted by Alice In Wonderland, a resident of Menlo Park,
on Apr 27, 2019 at 10:03 am

Is making lentil brownies VS traditional brownies more 'environmental'?

Or is this purely a nutritional concept?

The only time I have altered a brownie recipe was to make them psychotropic.


Posted by Laura Stec, a resident of Portola Valley,
on Apr 27, 2019 at 3:57 pm

Nutritional. Removing the processed flour for whole bean. Fascinating outcome.


Posted by Avocado, a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood,
on Apr 29, 2019 at 3:00 pm

I had a vegan chocolate mousse at a resort once that, I swear, could have passed for a traditional one. They used avocado to get the desired creaminess.


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