HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!
Last weekend I surprised my husband and I to a WEEKEND GET-AWAY to WASHINGTON D.C.!! It was GREAT! I will be posting up an album full of photos on my facebook. Last minute I asked two of our best friends to meet up with us there, and they actually drove all the way out to spend Saturday with us:) It was awesome. We rented a beautiful AirBnB Friday and Saturday night, we visited a very friendly lively Seventh Day Adventist Church Saturday morning, had lunch and enjoyed the Botanical Gardens, took photos in front of the Capitol building of the United States, walked through the National Portrait Gallery, went out to eat Chinese food in D.C.’s Chinatown, and then made a pit stop at Whole Foods to pick up some Vegan ice cream while we watched National Treasure that night;P The next day we went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, went out to eat Indian and drove back home. It was a busy weekend!
Guess what he surprised me with…
AN APPLE WATCH!!!!!!
I’ve been wanting one for SOOO long now, since Apple did their press talk on the new Series 2 in October 2016, I became super interested. I use FitBit on a daily basis, but it is not water proof and I have already had 2 of my FitBit HR Charge bands start bubbling from washing my hands or just getting it wet somehow. Plus their bands were making the underside of my wrist bubble and itch…? Apparently it creates that reaction to many other users like my mother-in-law. So the fact that the new Series 2 Apple Watch is waterproof, AND if you are ever in any serious trouble you can hold a button down and immediately contact the police and notify your emergency contacts of your whereabouts and location, AS WELL AS continue tracking my HR (important!!), steps and sleep, ALL while looking beautiful and doing so so much more, I am ALL for it!!! So needless to say, I am MORE than happy to have one now in my life!! It can do so much, I discovered some great apps to view all of the data it collects just from your wrist, and I even found out you can use it to speak on the phone with because it has a microphone and a speaker! Just amazing. Go Apple.
And lastly, as I came home, Tim surprised me with flowers today and a back massage. I think he was pretty pleased with his gift tonight too;P
SO ABOUT THOSE BROWNIES…
They are Delicious. Tim likes them better without the cream cheese frosting, but I like them either way. Sometimes I forget just how good a simple black bean brownie can really taste. Because these really do taste great. They are more delicate than other brownies, they don’t have gluten to help them stick together so they are a little messy and soft to eat, but that does not bother me. As long as the taste is there and I don’t mind getting my fingers sticky, I’m good to go! I thought of adding raspberry cream cheese frosting because, well its Valentines day.
Hope you guys get to make them and enjoy them! I already ate 3 out of 12 for dinner;D
BTW I got the recipe inspiration from Minimalist Baker and BromaBakery.
Ingredients
- BROWNIE:
- 1 - 14oz Can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 - Flax Eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax to 6 Tbsp filtered water)
- 3 Tbsp - Coconut Oil (melted)
- 3/4 Cup - Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp - Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp - Baking Powder
- 1/3 Cup - Coconut Sugar
- Dash Sea Salt
- Raspberry Pure:
- 4oz - Raspberries (small handful)
- 2 Tbsp - Filtered Water
- 2 Tbsp - Coconut Sugar
- -
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8oz - Vegan Cream Cheese (I used the delicious Follow Your Heart Plain Cream Cheese)
- 2 Tbsp - Coconut Milk
- 1/4 Cup - Coconut Sugar or Stevia
- Dash of Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and oil down a small baking tray.
- Prepare your Flax Eggs by freshly grinding your flax seeds and placing them in the water to sit for 5 minutes. Stir to prevent settling.
- Drain and wash your black beans.
- Toss everything into a high powered blender or food processor until very creamy and smooth (add more water if the batter seems too thick, only a Tbsp at a time though).
- Pour your liquidy batter into your baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
- Around the 25 minute mark, poke to see if a toothpick comes out mostly clean. It will still remain a bit moist on the inside, but that will harden and dry as it cools.
- Take it out and let it cool for 30 minutes or so before applying your frosting.
- Blend all of your ingredients together for the raspberry pure in a clean blender and set aside.
- Whisk all of your Cream Cheese Frosting ingredients until light and creamy, without lumps.
- Once your brownies have cooled, pour all of your Cream Cheese Frosting on top and spread evenly. Then, in small batches using a spoon, pour your Raspberry Pure on top. Using a tooth pick, start to swirl the bright red pure into the white frosting and vice versa, creating a beautiful design.
- Refrigerate for 1+ hour, or until the frosting has hardened up a bit, slice into pieces, and enjoy with sticky fingers!
Notes
Happy Valentines Day!