black bean brownies photo

Delicious brownies made from black beans – recipe

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Have you ever imagined you can make delicious brownies using dry black beans?

Here’s a recipe that will allow you do just that – and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time.

Once you start working with dry beans, it’s a snap.

Pro Tip: You can always soak then cook your dry beans ahead of time, and then freeze them to use later or when you need them quickly.

First things first. Soak your beans.

Dry beans need to be soaked before cooking in order to replace moisture. Here are 3 methods to get this done.

  1. Quick soak: Bring 6 cups of cold water and 450 g (2 cups) of beans to a boil, cover and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain.
  2. Overnight soak: Let beans and water stand overnight. Drain.
  3. Microwave soak: Combine 6 cups (1.5 L) of hot water and 450 g (2 cups) of dry beans in a 8 qt. (8 L) microwaveable casserole dish. Cover and microwave at HIGH (100%) power for 15 minutes or until boiling. Let stand 1 hour. Drain.

Cook your beans.

To cook soaked beans, use 6 cups of fresh water for every 2 cups of soaked beans. Then follow one of these two methods:

  1. Conventional cooking: In a large saucepan, combine soaked beans and water. Cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer until fork tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  2. Microwave cooking: In a 8 qt. (8 L) microwaveable casserole dish combine 6 cups (1.5 L) of water and 2 cups (450 g) of soaked beans

Brownie  recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1080 mL (4.56 cups) of cooked black beans
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Topping:

  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Method:

  1. Rinse, soak and cook dry beans (see above soaking and cooking instructions for details).
  2. Cook beans until they are soft (see cooking method for details).
  3. Combine everything except chocolate chips in a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth.
  4. Fold in chocolate chips.
  5. Spread into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes.
  7. As soon as you take it out of the oven, sprinkle the topping (chocolate chips) on and they will melt.

Let cool completely before cutting.

For other bean recipes, visit our bean recipe page.

following farm equipment photo

Safely transport oversized loads

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With larger farm equipment comes larger transportation challenges. Equipment wider than highway lanes poses a hazard to not only the equipment operator, but also to other motor vehicle operators. Tall equipment can come into contact with low-hanging wires, bridges and other vital pieces of infrastructure.

Collisions with other vehicles is a major concern while transporting all farm equipment on Read more

Grain auger and Bin photo

Maintain augers and create safe work zones to prevent entanglements

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An auger in good condition is an essential tool when it comes time to move grain and feed around the farm. Per hour of use augers are one of the most hazardous machines on the farm, especially if they haven’t been properly maintained.

Although Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting statistics have identified runovers as the top cause of agriculture-related fatalities, the number of reported entanglements remain on that list and continue to be an area of concern. Read more

ATV safety

ATVs on the farm

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Your family is your pride and joy. Whether you are raising children, watching out for your partner, or checking in on Dad after a long day in the field, you would do anything to keep them safe, while preserving the farm experience for future generations. ATVs on the farm ATVs are used on our farm […]

Read more
Photo

Naahii Ridge students learn about agriculture

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February 16 was Canada’s Agriculture Day and the students at Naahii Ridge Public School in Ridgetown, Ontario, had the chance to celebrate the day with many volunteers from the agricultural community.

“Canada’s Ag Day was a great opportunity for us to talk to the students about why the Canadian Ag industry is so important,” says Amy Caron, Communications Specialist for Dow Seeds. “Dow Seeds was very fortunate to work with some great community volunteers to bring that message to the students at Naahii.”

Travis Roodzant from Thompsons Limited – Blacks Lane branch.

Educating children in school

Students from grades 4, 5 and 6 listened to presentations on the importance of the Ag industry and the various career opportunities this sector offers. The students then participated in the “Canada’s Ag Day Trade Show” where they travelled around the gym to various stations to talk to the volunteers about what they do in the Ag industry.

Students had the opportunity to talk to: Cara McCready, a Greenhouse IPM Specialist with OMAFRA who talked about beneficial pests and pest management; Jane Lawton from Chatham-Kent 4H about the organization and how to become involved; Janice Anderson from Pioneer about the importance of Women in Ag; Rob Reid, Dairy Education Center Manager, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, who spoke on what happens in a dairy barn; Grace Jones, a Dow Seeds Territory Sales Rep, spoke on the importance of business and crop planning with farmers; Travis Roodzant from Thompsons Limited talked to the kids about agronomy and the use of drones in that process; Madison Trozzi, a high school senior who completed her co-op in the Dow Seeds Seed Lab showed the science behind ag industry and Eric Bastiaansen, an egg farmer from Thedford talked about how your eggs get from his farm to your grocery store.

Pictured are the Canada Agriculture Day volunteers, left to right: Cara McCready, Travis Roodzant, Grace Jones, Madison Trozzi, Rob Reid, Jane Sawton, Janice Anderson, and Eric Batiaansen. Absent from photo was Cassi Boersma.

Ag Day in Ridgetown, Ontario photo

Students from Grades 1 to 3 didn’t miss out on the festivities. Cassi Boersma, a part time teacher with Naahii and the Farm Safety Coordinator for Ridgetown, spoke to this group of students about the importance of ATV and farm safety.

Other organizations who helped support this event were FCC, Ag in the Classroom and Agriculture More Than Ever.

“We only had a couple of hours to share our stories with these students,” says Caron. “However, there were some great questions and hopefully some great conversations around their dinner table that night.”

Click for more information on Canada’s Agriculture Day.

Source: Ridgetown Independent News – 1 Main Street, Ridgetown, ON (519) 674-5205.