Healthy Chocolate Brownies

While I was on retreat at Riverlodge in the Stony Plain, Alberta environs a week or so ago, chef Heidi whipped up some wonderful gluten-free, vegetarian brownies.

When asked for the recipe, Heidi recommended that we Google “black bean brownies” because there were a number of good recipes out there.

This is one I found yesterday. I baked them up; those of us who partook certainly enjoyed the results! You don’t need to tell anyone that they are vegan and gluten free. . .

For the original recipe, see

Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

Vegan black bean browniesGluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

Prep time 5 mins    Cook time  25 mins   Total time  30 mins

Black bean brownies that are vegan, gluten free, and require just one bowl and about 30 minutes to prepare! Healthy, easy and delicious – the best kind of dessert.

Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients

  • 1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
  • 2 large flax eggs (2.5 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water)
  • 3 T coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice).  (I didn’t melt mine and the brownies turned out fine.)
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • heaping 1/2 cup raw sugar, slightly ground or pulsed in a food processor or coffee grinder for refined texture (I used a few Medjool dates, chopped, and about 1/3 cup plain white sugar because I didn’t have any raw sugar)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Optional toppings: crush walnuts, pecans or semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini).
  • Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.
  • Add remaining ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.  If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.
  • Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.
  • Optional: Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so run a knife around the outsides and remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. Plus, they’re vegan so there isn’t any egg to undercook and from which to get sick.
  • If there are any left, store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 140 calories Fat: 6 g Carbohydrates: 22 g Sugar: 9 g Sodium: 163 mg Fiber: 7 h Protein: 5 g

nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 brownie; does not include toppings.
adapted from mylittlecelebration

Permanent link to this article: https://yoginsight.com/healthy-chocolate-brownies/

First Aid for a Heart Attack?

apan vayu mudraSwiss author, Gertrud Hirschi, recommends using a yogic hand position, Apan Vayu Mudra, as an emergency measure in the case of a heart attack.  She says, in her book, Mudras:  Yoga in Your Hands, that this mudra regulates many heart complications and can even have a quicker effect than using nitroglycerin under the tongue.

To perform apan vayu mudra, curl the pad of the index finger to the heel of the thumb and then take the pads of the middle and ring finger to the pad of the thumb.  Extend the little finger.  Use both hands if possible. Then relax everywhere else as much as possible and check in with your breath.  Let the breath flow naturally.

Use as needed, or for 15 minutes three times per day.

While I cannot personally vouch for its efficacy in the case of life-threatening cardiac arrest, I can say that I feel much calmer when I practice it.

Hirschi also recommends that you imagine a red rosebud in your heart and have a petal open each time you exhale.  Then the petals form an ever-enlarging rosette that you can even feel rising and falling with the breath and whose scent you may even be able to discern.  Suggested affirmation while practicing is “I have the time and the leisure to see beauty and enjoy the silence.”

Permanent link to this article: https://yoginsight.com/first-aid-ofr-heart-attack/

Yoga for a Health(ier) Heart

heartinhandA soulful group of yogis connected at Shaganappi Community during the evening of February 13.  In addition to coming together (which is beneficial to heart health as well), practicing poses, breath, mudras, mantra and meditation to heal the heart, they raised $140 for the 2014 Heart Month Campaign.  For those of you familiar with LifeForce Yoga®, you will recognized the cheer, “Very good, very good, yay”!

A major portion of the workshop was spent experiencing yoga asanas practiced according to the principles outlined by Dr. Karandikar in his book, Life Saver, and modifications of restorative yoga asanas as suggested by David McAmmond.   Here is the core of the practice according to David, although we also incorporated Iyengaresque versions of the standing poses, trikonsasana, parsvakonasana, virabhadrasana I, II, and II, bharadvajasana, and upavista konasana.

One of the mudras we explored is thought to be first aid for a heart attack.  Click here to find out how to practice it!

Permanent link to this article: https://yoginsight.com/yoga-for-a-healthier-heart/