Once a rare indulgence, brownies now deserve to be a regular treat!

While the exact numbers vary, a traditional brownie serving contains nearly 400 calories, half of which comes from fat. The recipe usually calls for butter, unsweetened chocolate, white sugar, eggs, and all-purpose flour, all of which add no nutritional value. This recipe is a sugar-free, vegan alternative to traditional brownies, using whole-wheat and maple syrup as the base. It’s a delicious and guilt-free way to get the dense chocolate taste you crave!

The sugar, dairy, and egg-free benefits of this recipe aside, these brownies contain one of the healthiest nuts – walnuts! Walnuts contain healthy omega-3s, which protect arteries and improve brain function. The nut also prevents gallstones, is a rich source of melatonin, which helps you sleep, contributes to bone health, stops weight gain, and helps treat diabetes.

Vegan Brownies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients (but only 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts) in a large bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined. The mixture will be thick.

Spread into an ungreased 8×8 glass pan, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20-25 minutes. To check if it’s ready, push down on the center with your index finger. If you sense resistance, it’s done.

Serve and enjoy some guilt-free chocolate decadence!

Bon Appetit!

Images: Jeffry W.,  Aylin Erman

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: A Vegan Revamp on the Classic Brownie Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

I love beets. Don’t get me wrong. In fact, I have some roasted ones in my refrigerator that I’ve been eating on salads all week long. They’re good for you, are sweet, tasty, easy to prepare and store, and are readily available, but if I see one more beet salad on a restaurant menu I might just hurl (the menu).

I’m prepared to argue that beet salads have become home food. And thus, their pervasiveness on restaurant menus is just boring.

Here’s one of the problems – seasonality. Because beets are available all year, most restaurants don’t treat them as seasonal. But I happen to think that we should concentrate hardest on eating beets in the winter when there are few other items with which to embellish salads. Why would you add beets to a salad in the summer, when you have corn and tomatoes? Or in the spring when you have asparagus and sugar snap peas? Or in the fall when there are delicious roasted peppers and good, crisp apples for only a short time? If you’ve got a beet salad on the menu year-round, it’s just not special anymore.

One more thing: if you’re going to offer a beet salad, can you pair it with something else besides walnuts and goat cheese? Please?

Bye bye boring beet salads: Here are some interesting ways to cook with beets.

I can’t wait to try this beet tzatziki from the New York Times. It’s absolutely lovely to look at.

Chocolate Beet Brownies from Mariquita Farm sound intriguing.

For a wonderful side dish or the base for a vegetarian meal, try this Beet Roesti from Mark Bittman via NPR.

Here’s an Indian take on beet soup from Martha Stewart’s Whole Living.

Editor’s note: This is a new column by Vanessa Barrington. For the lighter side of all things foodie, read Overcooked weekly. Overcooked: helping you make the most of today’s trendiest ingredient…before it’s overdone. Be sure to catch Vanessa’s original EcoSalon column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Overcooked: Beeting It Into the Ground appeared first on EcoSalon.