Steph's High Fiber Brownies

source: myfitnesspal, posted by tcharrisjr

These brownies have a few secret ingredients: black beans and prunes, along with oats and whole wheat flour, boost the nutrition, while the dark cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips keep the rich flavor that you crave in a brownie.
I prefer the richer flavor of dark brown sugar, but you can use light if that's all you have.
Swap vanilla extract for almond or peppermint extract to alter the flavor. (If you use almond extract, mix in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds to the batter. For minty brownies, add a couple of chopped candy canes.)
These have 6 g fiber and protein each--and just 3 g fat. This is a treat you can feel good about eating. The result is a thick, fudge-like brownie that's rich and delicious.

INGREDIENTS
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked dried beans)
2 cups water
1/2 cup prunes
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I will use an equivalent amt of dark agave or agave molasses mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 cup oats (certified organic)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I will use King Arthur all purpose self-rising gluten free flour)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I use dairy free chips)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350�F.

Place the prunes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to start to break them down.

Add the black beans and process until smooth, adding a cup of the water in a steady stream to thin the mixture. The beans and prunes will be smooth with a few chunks.

Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and pulse a few times to combine.

Add the oats, flour, salt and baking powder to the food processor and pulse until combined.

Add the remaining cup of water in a stream until a thick but smooth batter has formed. (You might not need all the water.)

Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix in.

Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour in the brownie batter.

Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing into 12 brownies.

Note: For a party, slice into 24 brownies.

Number of Servings: 12

High Fiber Foods

High Fiber Foods

Dietary FiberFiber is only found in plants, and functions sort of
like a skeleton for the plants to help maintain shape and
structure. Humans cannot digest fiber so it passes through the
small intestine into the colon and helps to keep the colon healthy.
Some disorders like diverticulitis, constipation and irregularity
may be connected with not getting enough fiber in the diet.

Types of Fiber

Insoluble fiber is the type of fiber found in high fiber
foods like whole grains, nuts, wheat bran and vegetables.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water so it helps to
move material through the colon faster by increasing the bulk
of the stool. This can be very helpful to people who suffer from
constipation or irregularity. Diets high in insoluble fiber may
also decrease the risk of Diabetes.

Soluble fiber is also found in many high fiber foods like oats,
citrus fruits, apples, barley, psillium, flax seeds and beans.

Soluble fiber absorbs water, which helps to soften stools
making them easier to eliminate from the body. Some soluble fibers
called beta glucan bind to bile acids which contain cholesterol.
A high fiber diet with this type of soluble fiber has been shown to
reduce cholesterol closer to healthy levels.

High Fiber Foods

According to the Institute of Medicine:

The recommended intake for total fiber for adults 50 years and
younger is set at 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women, while
for men and women over 50 it is 30 and 21 grams per day,
respectively, due to decreased food consumption.

People who currently have low fiber diets may want to increase
their daily intake of high fiber foods slowly because some fiber
may increase gas and bloating. The body adjusts the increased amount
of fiber over time and the gas and bloating will decrease. Here are
some examples of delicious and healthy high fiber foods from the USDA
National Nutrient Database:


1/2 cup cooked navy beans - 9.5 g
1/2 cup baked beans, canned – 9 g
1/2 cup cooked lentils – 7.8 g
1/2 cup cooked black beans – 7.5 g
1/2 cup dates – 7.1 g
1 cup raisin bran cereal - 7 g
1/2 cup cooked kidney beans – 6.5 g
1/2 cup cooked lima beans – 6.7 g
1/2 cup canned tomato paste – 5.9 g
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans – 6.2 g
1/2 cup bean with ham soup – 5.6 g
1/2 cup frozen red raspberries – 5.5 g
1 medium bran muffin - 5 g
1/2 Asian pear – 5 g
1/2 cup cooked artichoke – 4.5 g
1/2 cup frozen peas, cooked – 4.4 g
1 cup oatmeal – 4 g
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, cooked – 4 g
1/2 cup raw blackberries – 3.8 g
1/2 cup canned pumpkin – 3.5 g
1/2 cup cooked whole-wheat spaghetti – 3.4 g
24 almonds – 3.3 g
1 apple with skin – 3.3 g
1/2 cup cooked barley 3 g
1 cup broccoli – 2.4 g
1 red sweet pepper – 2.4 g
1 nectarine – 2.3 g
28 peanuts – 2.3 g
1 slice whole grain bread – 2 g
15 walnut halves – 2 g

Top 25 Foods with Highest Fiber Content

Foods with Highest Fiber – Top 25
Source: USDA

FIBER (GRAMS) - ITEM
1) 31.2 - Barley, pearled, raw 1 cup

2) 25.6 - Bulgur, dry 1 cup

3) 19.1 - Beans, navy, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

4) 17.9 - Beans, baked, canned, with franks 1 cup

5) 16.4 - Beans, kidney, red, mature seeds, canned 1 cup

6) 16.3 - Peas, split, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

7) 15.6 - Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

8) 15.4 - Beans, pinto, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

9) 15.0 - Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

10) 14.6 - Wheat flour, whole-grain 1 cup

11) 14.5 - Oat bran, raw 1 cup

12) 14.2 - Dates, deglet noor 1 cup

13) 13.4 - Refried beans, canned (includes USDA commodity) 1 cup

14) 13.2 - Lima beans, large, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

15) 13.2 - Beans, baked, canned, with pork and sweet sauce 1 cup

16) 13.1 - Beans, kidney, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

17) 12.6 - Beans, white, mature seeds, canned 1 cup

18) 12.5 - Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

19) 12.4 - Beans, great northern, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

20) 12.0 - Buckwheat flour, whole-groat 1 cup

21) 11.8 - Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added 1 cup

22) 11.6 - Lima beans, large, mature seeds, canned 1 cup

23) 11.2 - Cowpeas, common (blackeyes, crowder, southern), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 1 cup

24) 11.2 - Soup, bean with ham, canned, chunky, ready-to-serve, commercial 1 cup

25) 11.0 - Raspberries, frozen, red, sweetened 1 cup