Is there anyone out there who doesn’t like a good brownie?

At the super bowl party we went to last week I was asked to bring some dessert.  Wasn’t told how much or if anyone else was also part of the dessert crew-so I made both a batch of chocolate chip/coconut bars and some Mexican espresso brownies.

Guess what was gobbled up despite having an array of about 6 desserts?

I sort of cheated though.  With my shoulder less than co-operative, I used a box of dark chocolate brownie mix and used very strong de-caf espresso in place of the water and added about 2 tsps. of cinnamon to the mix.

But you know me-I love using the unusual and healthy versions of things whenever I can manage to get my dh and the grandsons to try them.  Especially now that dh has been given strict orders on cutting down on simple carbs and sugars!

Here’s what I found-a recipe using Quinoa!  For those who still haven’t tried it, quinoa is a complete grain with loads of protein, fiber and nutrients.  You must really rinse and drain it well or it will have a bitter taste-but it’s very tasty and versatile.

Quinoa Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting

Brownie ingredients:
1 C cooked quinoa (just water)
2 packets of your favorite stevia sweetener
1/4 C cocoa
1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 tbsp. pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tbsp. pure vanilla
2 tbsps. agave (I love using the amber for these)
1/8 tsp. soda
1/4 C dark chocolate chips

pre-heat over to 375. Place everything except the chips into a food processor until smooth. stir in chips.  grease 8×8 pan and spread batter evenly.  bake 19-22 minutes.  cool and cut into bars.

Frosting:
1-1/2 C garbanzo beans (drain/rinse)
1/4 C p-nut butter (or any other nut butter!)
1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 C agave (again, I like the amber)
2 packets stevia sweetener
3 tbsp.ground flax seed
1 tbsp. vanilla
dash salt
1/8 tsp soda 1/3 C dark chocolate chips

put everything but the chips into a processer and blend until smooth.  stir in the chips.  Top brownies with a spoonful!

Talk about yummy, decadent and good for you!