Vegan Friday

Happy Friday, friends. I hope everyone had a great week!

Continuing with my theme of each day of the week having a different "flavor" to it, let's talk about food. I love food. All different kinds of food, but especially dessert. Dare I say I'm a dessert junkie? 

Maybe folks still have some Guinness left over from St. Patty's Day, so here's a recipe for Guinness Vegan Brownies.

This recipe comes to you from Farmgirl Gourmet via Pinterest. 

Source: farmgirlgourmet.com via Julia on Pinterest

Ingredients 

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and filled with new water 

 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or all purpose 

2 1/4 cups raw sugar 

1 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder 

4 tsp instant coffee powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla 

1 cup of stout beer, such as Guinness (or water) 

1 cup nuts or chocolate chips, optional

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain a can of black beans and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Return the black beans back to the can and fill with water. Puree the beans and water. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee power, salt and baking powder. Add the black bean puree, vanilla and stout to the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Don't over mix. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan around halfway through. They should be almost firm in the center. Let brownies cool completely then cut into 24 squares. 

Recipe adapted from NoMeatAthlete.com

Allergy Season!

Along the lines of "Thirsty Thursday," let's talk about natural ways to combat allergy symptoms with something that you can drink. 

People use Aloe Vera gel to soothe their skin after a sun burn, right? Did you know that drinking Aloe Vera juice helps to heal the digestive tract, supports a strong immune system, promotes healing, and promotes healthy skin? I like Ultimate Aloe and my favorite flavor is strawberry kiwi. I drink 2 ounces of this in the morning. 

In the midst of allergy season, I recommend taking something that is natural and won't cause more nasty side effects than the symptoms that it's working to improve. Friends, don't add more toxins to your body.

I was first introduced to OPC-3 when I had Swine Flu 3 years ago. Anyone remember the days of Swine Flu? I had 104.5 degree fever and felt like I was dying. Someone brought me OPC-3, told me to take a triple dose, and I swear to you, I was back on my feet in 4 days. In case folks don't know, the normal course of Swine Flu was 8 days. I haven't been sick since I started taking it, and that was 3 years ago. Other added benefits that I've noticed is that my migraines disappeared, the tendonitis in my upper back disappeared (I can finally dance again), and my allergies are also gone.