Kidney Bean Cake

As previously documented here with the chickpea cookie recipe, I am slightly obsessed with baking desserts using unusual (but healthy) ingredients. Today, for your amusement (and your tastebuds), I present a cake made with kidney beans.

This came out surprisingly good! It didn't taste like beans at all, and was light and fluffy in texture. Here's what I did:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of kidney beans

5 tablespoons of Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons butter

5 eggs

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup honey

Bake for thirty minutes or until it's springy when touched. Let it cool, and then frost with whatever you like. I made a peanut butter and chocolate chip frosting and it was great.

Hope you enjoy!

Drink More

 

Spending the summer in the Florida heat has found me drinking more water than ever before. I know it's a good thing, but sometimes I find it so hard to remember to drink. The other day, I stumbled upon this water info on a friend's facebook page and thought it was great motivation to keep hydrated throughout the day.

I'm always in awe of people who drink a ton of water- I mean, it's such a commitment to carry around some sort of water bottle and sip sip sip all day, no?

I used to drink maybe a liter and a half per day when I was living in Germany. Now, a typical day for me in Florida is two and a half liters. 

I really do feel that water affects me both mentally and physically. If I don't get my normal intake, I find I'm irritable, tired, and often tend to eat more. When I do get my normal amount, or if I drink more than usual, I have a sense of mental clarity and feel I have a lot of energy.

Aside from plain water, I usually drink two cups of Kava tea. (I highly recommend it for relaxation and the craziest, most vivid dreams ever. Plus each little packet comes with an inspirational saying, so, there's that.)

Anyway. I'm interested. How much water do you drink per day? Do you notice a difference when you don't get as much water as usual? 

For the Foodies: Chick Pea Cookies (yes, you read that right)

I love chocolate chip cookies, but being somewhat of a health nut, I like to experiment with recipes and add unlikely ingredients to make the cookies healthier. Last week I used hemp protein powder in a gluten-free mix but it wasn't anything special. In my never-ending persuit for the perfect "healthy" cookie recipe, I thought I'd give these garbanzo bean cookies a go and I think they're worth sharing. 

Before I get to the recipe, I have to tell you that I have a "thing" against using measuring cups- I just like to throw everything together and estimate. Sooo, sorry, because I realize that doesn't really do much to help people replicate the recipe. Anyway, here's what I did: 

1 teaspoon of raw, organic coconut oil (this was my substitution- it wasn't in the original recipe, and it adds a nice flavor)

4 generous teaspoons of organic, creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons of organic vanilla extract

some agave (recipe called for 1/4 cup, but I just put a couple squeezes in there. In hindsight, I would've used stevia or something similar- the cookies are kind of gooey and I think the stevia would've been a better compliment than the agave)

1 can of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and put in the food processor. (The food processor is key because they are difficult to mash up.)

chocolate chips

a dash of baking soda

Mix all the ingredients together, and ball them up as you would peanut butter cookies. The don't really melt into the baking sheet, so I pressed them down with a fork before putting them in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350. Eat and be merry. 

For the Foodies: Lentil Lovin'

Sometimes you just crave something that reminds you of home, and for me lentil soup is that very dish. It's super easy to make and I always have leftovers to eat for lunch the next few days. Here's my (not so specific) recipe: 

Some garlic (I did 2 cloves this time, but I love garlic and could've gone for more)

Some celery (I did 2 small stalks of celery this time)

A bunch of carrots 

An onion

A bunch of quinoa

A bunch of lentils

1 jar of pasta sauce (this time around I used organic garlic and herb sauce)

Water (I filled up the empty pasta sauce jar twice)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Some garlic powder

A little olive oil

Directions: Put some olive oil in your pot, and put the garlic, celery, carrots and onion in. When the onions are clear, add the sauce and the water. Add your lentils and quinoa and the seasoning. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are done. Then eat and enjoy!!