I’m no Domestic Diva.

Diva, Yes. Domestic, hey, STOP laughing…

So, the word “BAKING” is EVIL in my book. I hate the mixing, stirring, recipe reading, mess-making, box opening, cleaning up part of baking.

I used to bake just to be kind, for my husband loves baked goodies. I decided that working 2 jobs and homeschooling gave me a good excuse to quit…and then I found myself taking a mini-vacation with nothing to do but be (sorta) domestic. Things I’ve had no time to do in the last few months like laundry, keeping the house clean, making dinner (which is VERY scary and a finger crossing event every time) and baking started creeping back into my vocabulary…

And still, I found that I didn’t really like it, but it was just a wee bit less evil than I remembered.

(If you are a regular blog reader, you’ll remember that I am on a health kick and…)

I posted on my Facebook wall that I baked brownies using dates and garbanzo beans. They actually were pretty good. They tasted healthy and not too sweet. I had a few doubters and so I hand-delivered a few pieces and I converted them to the point of them wanting the recipe. So here it is –my first (and maybe only) recipe post–don’t hold your breath for more.

Real Food Brownies

(High Fiber and Healthy) from The Healthiest Meals on Earth Cookbook by Jonny Bowden

(aka “Hummus Brownies” –dubbed by my friend Dana Grant)

Ingredients:

1 1/4cups pitted dates

9 TBS high-quality cacao or cocoa powder

1/4C macadamia nut oil (this I could not find and had to substitute with olive oil which made these brownies a bit fattening)

1/2C agave nectar

2C canned garbanzo beans

4 eggs

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Measure the dates into a liquid measuring cup and pour in hot water to the 1 1/2C line, turning the dates over with your hands until the water reaches all the dates. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Pour off 1/4 of the liquid in the dates and process the rest in a blender or food processor until it forms a smooth paste (easier said than done. I killed my blender doing this).

3. Put the date paste into a large bowl and add the cacao or cocoa powder, oil, and agave nectar, mixing well.

4. Combine the beans and eggs in a blender or food processor and process till very smooth. Add the garbanzo mixture to the date mixture, stirring well to combine. Add the baking powder and cinnamon, stirring to combine, and pour batter into a 9-inch nonstick pan or pie dish. (If using glass, you can grease lightly with a little oil or Natucol??)

5. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes (SO MUCH BETTER if you refrigerate overnight. It’s not as crumbly). Cut and serve. Store the rest in the refrigerator.

Sorry, no picture. By the time I thought about it, the pan was almost all gone.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out.