Beetroot and black bean brownie

Tamara West

This is a brownie for grown-ups with feel-good ingredients; it is gluten-free and dairy-free. It’s rich, dark and not too sweet. I like it best served warm from the oven.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp	Chia seeds (Main)
½ cup	Water
300 g	Black beans, cooked, canned is fine, plus 1/4 cup juice from the beans (Main)
150 g	Dates, chopped
200 g	Beetroot, finely grated
1 tsp	Vanilla essence
125 g	Dark chocolate, 50% cocoa solids
½ cup	Canola oil
½ cup	Rice flour
½ cup	Dark cane sugar
½ tsp	Salt
½ cup	Cocoa powder
2 tsp	Baking powder

Boysenberry whip

1 Tbsp	Runny honey
½ cup	Coconut cream
250 g	Boysenberries, frozen, about 2 cups
1 serving	Maple syrup, to serve

Directions

1. Set oven to 170C fan bake.
2. Place chia seeds and water in a blender and run for about 30 seconds until thickened.
3. Warm the black beans, juice and dates in a pan so the dates soften, then transfer to a food processor and run until dates are fully broken up.
4. Add the chia mix, beetroot and vanilla essence and process until well combined, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
5. Melt the chocolate in a bowl resting over a pan of hot water, then stir into bean mixture. Add canola oil, rice flour, sugar, salt, cocoa and baking powder and stir well — it's gluten-free so you can't over-mix it.
6. Pour into a 20 x 30cm baking dish lined with baking paper and bake for around 35- 40 minutes until just set but still soft in the middle.
7. To make the boysenberry whip, first dissolve the honey in the coconut cream. Place in a food processor with the frozen berries and run for a minute or two until nicely smooth. You may need to take off the lid and press the mixture back down a few times until the blades can get hold of it and do their magic.
8. Serve with maple syrup drizzled on top.