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You’ll never guess what wonderfully nutritious ingredient these vegan chocolate ice pops are hiding…
I’ll give you a hint.
These vegan chocolate ice pops are creamy and sweet, yet nut-free and reasonably low in fat, so what beanmagic ingredient would let me do that?
Beans!
Yes, beans. Black beans to be precise.
Now, I never would have thought to put beans in ice-cream, so when I saw Kathy Hester’s recipe for “Black Bean Fudgesicles” in her Great Vegan Bean Book, I was intrigued and just had to try it.
And they turned out to be delicious!
Delicious enough even for my 5-year-old daughter, who happily eats one of these for dessert most days.
And I inwardly giggle with delight every time she does, because she’s eating beans and doesn’t even care.
I mean, beans are just so good for you – they’re high in carbohydrate, protein and fibre, and low in fat. What’s not to love?
I don’t use raw beans in my dishes, because my digestive system can’t handle sprouted beans, and apparently uncooked beans really disagree with many people.
So I always cook my beans, just to be on the safe side.
And I always choose what to eat based on the nutrient-density and how it makes me feel.
At the moment, I feel less-than-great when I eat too much fat – even in whole food forms – or uncooked starches, so cooked beans round out my diet nicely.
And beans are a such great way to add nutrients and bulk to a recipe, without adding way too much fat, like nuts can.
So I’m having a great time at the moment discovering new and exciting ways to use beans.
I swapped out the agave nectar for medjool dates, and the vanilla extract for vanilla bean powder, so my vegan chocolate ice pops have even more whole foods than the original recipe.
And the resultant chocolate mix is so smooth and creamy, it’s hard to believe it has beans.
The chocolate and date flavours nicely mask any remaining beany taste from the black beans, so you’re left with a wonderful, satisfying chocolate popsicle.
You’ll just have to taste it to believe me.
I’ve also been playing with the recipe to make it into a vegan chocolate pudding, which my daughter also loves, but that’s a story for another day.
So if you’re looking for a way to enjoy your chocolate, while still giving your body more of the nutrients it craves, then I highly recommend you give these vegan chocolate ice pops a go.
They’re fast to make, super delicious and wonderfully satisfying.
