Vegan Chickpea & Banana Brownies

2 mins to read

Perfect before or after you hit the gym, these tasty brownies from naturopath Roberta Nelson are just the thing to fuel your workout.

Energy & exercise

For many, doing a high intensity gym session after work is an idea ditched as soon the stomach starts to grumble. This is where a healthy pre-exercise snack becomes essential to keep you on track and get you through a workout.

Same goes for after your workout. If you know you get too hungry after an exercise session and don’t have enough time to refuel properly, having a balanced and sustaining snack is vital to keeping on track.

Dinner tonight- Power salad with lemon yoghurt dressing

These brownies are the perfect workout snack thanks to one secret ingredient…chickpeas! Not only that, they have a serve of healthy fats from the flax meal, fibre to keep you fuller for longer and a quick-carbohydrate hit from banana. Both cocoa and banana give you the key muscle minerals, magnesium and potassium which assist in your muscle contractions and muscle relaxation.

Prepare yourself a batch of these brownies and have one either two or so hours prior to your workout or straight after to feel completely satisfied and look after your muscles and body at the same time.

Power Brownie

vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
refined sugar-free

Makes 6 large brownies
or 12 small brownies

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and dried
1 ripe banana
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2.5 tbsp water)
3/4 cup cocoa or cacao
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
A pinch of rock salt
1 tspn gluten free baking powder
Optional toppings: crushed peanuts, walnuts, berries, peanut butter

How to make

Heat your oven to 180 degrees and prepare your muffin tray by oiling it to prevent the brownies from sticking. Alternatively, you can use patty pans
Make your flax egg by combining the flax meal and water and let it sit for around 5 minutes to became gelatinous
Place the flax egg and the remainder of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until your batter is smooth. If you find the batter to be too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until your batter resembles a thick icing consistency
Fill up your muffin tray with the batter, smoothing out the top with the back of a spoon or your hands. If you are adding nuts to the top of your brownies, sprinkle them on top and then place the tray into the oven to bake
Your brownies will take anywhere between 25-30 minutes to cook depending on the size of your tin and the heat of your oven. Check them at 25 minutes and continue monitoring until they’re ready. You want the top to look baked over and the sides to be peeling away from the edges. When they’re done, remove them from the oven and leave them to sit in the tray for 30 minutes until they are cool. Remove them gently from the tray and enjoy!

Roberta's tips

These brownies are thick and fudge-like so don’t be worried if the centre still looks a bit wet. They are meant to look like that
To store your brownies, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week
Flax meal can be made by grinding whole flaxseeds (also known as linseeds). One tablespoon of whole flaxseeds will give you around one tablespoon of flax meal
You can substitute the flax egg for one regular egg. If you are using a regular egg, ensure the brownies are well cooked to avoid them going off

Roberta of Naturo Medico is a Naturopathic Practitioner who specialises in preventative care and women’s health. From her Melbourne-based clinic, Roberta sees women of all ages wanting to meet their own health goals and assists them on their path with personalised treatments specific to their needs.

Alongside practice, Roberta shares healthful and nutrient-rich recipes with her readers who inspire her to continue educating on what health and wellbeing means and how it can be achieved.

Follow @naturomedico on Instagram for more healthy eating inspiration!