Black Bean Dark Chocolate SuperFood Cups I Heart You

I have decided that my love of cooking and baking is an adult manifestation of my Play-Doh loving childhood. And silly putty. There was a lot of silly putty in my childhood. In fact, my grandmother almost married the inventor of silly putty. Not kidding. I was told that story when I was young, which made me even more obsessed with playing with silly putty. I am sure I would have loved silly putty anyway though because I’ve always loved creating things with my hands. Some things don’t change.

I am very happy my grandmother didn’t marry the inventor of silly putty because I wouldn’t be alive if she did. Thank you, grandma, you made a good choice.

Now, I have had a lot on my mind lately. When do I not have a lot on my mind? Um neverrrr, so this was also nothing new, but as I was playing with Play-Doh baking in the kitchen today, I was contemplating my fashion choices. I’ve very much liked the idea of incorporating more fashion on this website, but I was facing an internal battle. You see, I have not been a cruelty-free fashionista. I have been a Bloomingdale’s-loving, not-always-animal-loving, run-of-the-mill fashionista. Wow, was that a lot of —-‘s or what? Forget actually writing the word hypen. Writing — felt more like showing and not telling. And isn’t that what we were told in high school level writing classes? “Show, Don’t Tell!” was the common reprimand. Although, I don’t think that’s what my teacher meant when she said that. My mind just scolded, “Stop being such a digresser, Talia…do you want this blog post to go on forever?!” And with that chide from my perpetually thoughtful mind, let’s continue…

What was I going to do about this not-always-cruetly-free issue if I began blogging about fashion? And how did I feel about still owning items made from leather, silk and a few from cashmere? My conscience was pulling me in one direction and my love of the items I owned were pulling me in the other. Before you can say, “First World Problems!” I figured out what my plan was going to be.

I want to be 100% upfront with you about my lifestyle, so as I post more fashion on this website, I will post as many animal-friendly, eco-friendly recommendations as possible and I won’t recommend any clothes that aren’t vegan. I can’t say that I will be throwing out what I already own, so if you see me wearing any shoes that are made of leather, it is probably an item I’ve already had in my closet. I will be doing what I can and you can make your own choices about what is best for you and what you feel good about doing. Hopefully I can help us find some great cruelty-free pieces!

Now for this recipe!! SOOOO GOOD.  I am working on a book full of healthy dessert recipes, so my kitchen and I often find each other working together for very long hours. I live in a warm beach town in Southern California, but sometimes I feel like I live by the equator. Thank you, kitchen, for making me sweat sparkle more.

Black Bean Dark Chocolate Superfood Cups

I’d love for you to learn about why I am so keen on using beans in my recipes when taste and texture allow. Beans are an ideal food for weight loss because you don’t absorb all of the calories when you eat them. It’s true! The beans make this recipe creamy, but you can’t taste them. The hemp seeds and pecans make these cups a bit nutty in flavor. I love chocolaty, nutty richness. This is all very good stuff.

Ingredients (makes 6-8 yummy cups):

1 cup black beans (I used Eden’s BPA-free canned brand) 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 tablespoon cacao powder 1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla or vanilla extract ½ cup pecans or walnuts ½ cup hemp seeds or more pecans/walnuts ¼ cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon Stevia powder (optional, but highly recommended)

Optional toppings: Raw cacao nibs, pomegranates, coconut flakes, fresh fruit, whatever you love, etc!

Directions:

Melt dark chocolate chips in the microwave for a minute, stir and add them to a food processor. A blender is not recommended for this, but you can try using one that is high-powered. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until a creamy and smooth chocolaty mixture is formed.

Lightly grease a muffin tin and pour about 3-4 tablespoons worth of the creamy chocolaty batter in each tin, or enough batter so that each tin is just over 3-4 of the way filled. Swirl your spoon so that the top of the cups have a nice decorative swirl on top. Although, only do this if you want to! No need to bake these. They are delicious warmed and soft or hardened and chilled. It is a taste preference! You can let them harden in the freezer for 15 minutes and they will be cold and yummy or you can bake them at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes and they will be soft, warm and chewy. Enjoy!