Recipe: Super Raspberry Protein Brownies

Here’s a delicious recipe that will make your heart healthy.

Super Raspberry Protein Brownies. Power Foods for the Brain. Photo Credit Kathy Patalsky

Makes 16 brownies

A brownie made with beans? You bet! The beans add fiber, calcium, and protein, making these brownies a nutritious indulgence. They are free of saturated and trans fats, which can more than triple your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon safflower oil
2 15-ounce cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup all-fruit raspberry jam
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with the oil.

Combine the black beans, dates, jam, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and process again.

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top looks set. Remove from the oven and cool completely, then cut into 16 squares. The brownies will keep, refrigerated in a covered container, for up to 1 week.

Per serving:

145 calories

1 g fat

7% calories from fat

5 g protein

8 g fiber

0 mg cholesterol

110 mg sodium

Recipe from natural foods chef Christine Waltermyer, C.H.H.C. Power Foods for the Brain by Neal Barnard, M.D.