These luscious brownies are chock full of antioxidants, loaded with fiber and fairly low in fat, OMG the are to die for!! Yes, these have beans in them. And no, you cannot taste them. They just add in moisture, fiber and protein. Something my ultra picky 8 yr old is sorely lacking...

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed, returned to can and filled with fresh water
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups raw sugar
1 1/4 cups dark cocoa powder
2 T. neutral tasting oil, such as canola
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I like to use the Enjoy Life mini-chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9x13 baking pan with some cooking spray.

Drain  & rinse the beans. Place them back into the can and re-fill the can with filtered water. Place those, along with the extra cup of water and blend until completely liquified. It will look like chocolate water. Add in the oil and vanilla and give it another whirl or two.

In another mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients-flour, salt, baking powder, sugar & cocoa powder. Use a wire whisk while it is dry to break up any clumps of cocoa powder and to thoroughly blend the ingredients. Either using a mixer, or by hand, slowly pour in the black bean mixture. Do not over beat. Add the chocolate chips, and mix just until combined. Pour this into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. I like to rotate the pan about halfway through to ensure even baking. When the edges are pulling away from the side of the baking dish, you will know they are done. Do not overbake these, they should be slightly underbaked when taking it out of the oven. Here is a tip I learned, to cut warm brownies, and who wouldn't want to, that is when they are the best, use a plastic knife. It doesn't stick as much!

Adapted this recipe from: lapuremama

These little gems come to me courtesy of my friend Cassie Pfaff. They incorporate a new spice to me, Sumac. It is tart and tangy, and ohhhhh so yummy!!

2 cups cooked wheat berries, according to package directions

1 cup cooked green lentils, according to package directions

Mix with the following:
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T. mint
1 T. coriander (toast and crush or use 1/2 tbs powdered)
2 T. organic sugar
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. sea salt
1/3 cup dried diced plums (can also use small raisins or currants)

Wheat Berry Salad Pitas:

prepared store bought hummus

wheat berry salad from above

small whole wheat pita rounds, about 3 in. in diameter

sumac (a middle eastern spice, which can be found at www.penzeys.com, or amazon.com)

Spread hummus onto pita bread and top with wheat berry salad.

Sprinkle with sumac.

(sorry the pic is a bit blurry, will get a new one soon!)

one large red onion

one large or two small shallots

2 T. olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/8 c. apple cider or red wine vinegar

1 T. organic sugar

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

vegan cream cheese (preferrably the non-hydrogenated type)

pre-made bruschetta, as small as you can find

Slice thin one extra large red onion and one large (or two small) shallots.
Saute in 2 tbs olive oil until onions start to appear soft and clear.
Add the balsamic, apple cider vinegar, sugar, ginger and cloves.
Continue to cook until the mixture starts to caramelize and thicken. This will happen when the liquid begins to cook off.
Spread vegan cream cheese onto the bruschetta, and top with onion jam.
(She used a rosemary and olive oil bruschetta)

These are so pretty and so simple. Recipe courtesy of my friend, Cassie Pfaff.

2 Packages Turkish Figs

 Walnuts

Tofutti Cream Cheese (try to find the non-hydrogenated type)

honey (or agave nectar, to keep it vegan)

Cut figs in half and snip off end of the stem.
In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, 1 tbs. raw honey(or agave), and 2-3 tbs crushed walnuts.
Spoon a little of the cheese mixture into the figs, and tuck in a whole walnut on top.

You can mix the crust by hand as explained below, or you can put it all in your breadmaker and let it do all the work. If you use the breadmaker, once it its done, split your dough into 2, and spread out on your pan or pizza stone if you have it.

1 T. active dry yeast

 1/4 t. organic sugar

1 1/2 c. warm filtered water

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 t. salt

1 c. whole wheat flour

3 c. bread flour

1/4 c. flax seeds, brown or golden

Mix yeast & sugar with warm water in a small bowl. Set aside until yeast begins to foam, about 5-10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, flours, and flax seeds.

Add remaining warm water to the yeast mixture, along with the olive oil.

Pour into stand mixer or by hand, add flour mixture by cupfuls until a sticky dough comes together. It will pull away into a ball from the sides of the bowl. Knead by machine, or put dough on slightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough in a bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place (like the oven turned off, but with the light on) for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Punch dough down, and form into equal sized balls for 2 large or 4 small pizzas. Spray pizza pans or stones with nonstick cooking spray or rub with olive oil. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes, shape into pizza crusts and place in pans or on stones. Dot each crust with a fork so that bubbles do not form.

Place each crust, or single crust, in hot oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

You can freeze them if you want to use in the future, or top them.

Here is what I used to top this one:

1 T. Earth Balance margarine

1 fairly large crushed garlic clove

1 t. salt

1 or 1 1/2 c. mozzarella Daiya cheese

1/2 tube Teese Vegan Cheese, Mozzarella flavor, shredded (By Chicago Soy Dairy my Chicago friends!)

1 c. chopped water packed artichoke hearts

1/4 c. chopped red pepper

1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion

handful fresh basil leaves

Add the crushed garlic in a small ramekin with the Earth Balance & salt. Melt the Earth Balance in the micro. Using a pastry brush, spread evenly over your pre-baked crust. Mix the cheeses together and spread over the crust. Evenly spread the artichoke hearts, red pepper, and onion over the cheese. Tear apart the basil & spread it out on top of the veggies. Bake in 450 degree oven for around 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt.

‎1/4 c. Sherry Vinegar, 1 small shallot chopped, 1/2 t. dijon mustard, 1/2 t. onion powder, 1/2 t. sea salt, 1/4 c. roasted hazelnut oil, 1/4 c. olive oil (not virgin, it is to flavorful). Blend it all up! If you have any roasted garlic laying around a little bit of that would be good in there too!

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