My Health Kick & Choc Orange Fudge Pudding

12wbt = 4kg down, 1km in 5min:33sec, enjoying chocolate orange fudge pudding for dessert and surviving happily on no alcohol!

 

This week's challenge during the 12wbt was to come up with a recipe that fits the 12wbt ethos. I can’t go past something chocolate for dessert, so when time and calories allow, I have made these delicious little treats, which are just enough to satisfy the chocolate taste buds without overdoing it! I love choc orange flavoured things and I also love that Lindt dark orange intense chocolate, so decided to go with a muffin sized pudding.

 

The inspiration for this came when I saw a vegan black bean brownie recipe a while ago, which I've been wanting to try but cant find tinned black beans. I know, I know, I could soak and cook some, but I cant find dried ones either! I digress. The recipe I came up with is nothing like this one really, it is more like this one for chocolate orange protein fudge bars, but a bit simpler. And I haven't made this one yet either, but I will, when I find pea protein powder. Perhaps my sister will know where to get that from?? She's a bit of a fitness guru.

This week was also a 'mini milestone week', which means do a fitness test, weigh in and measure my fat bum again. Thankfully, it is much less fat. I now need to buy new jeans [insert little happy dance]. I ran the 1km in 5 min 33, which I was super amazed about [another happy dance].

I haven't mentioned before that for the duration of the 12wbt I have decided to join 'Hello Sunday Morning', a program aiming to get 10,000 people to go 12 weeks in 2012 without alcohol in an effort to recreate our community's drinking culture. My home needs a new drinking culture, which is the primary reason I signed up. The health benefits of not drinking came a close second and I think that the absence of a glass of wine or three has helped me achieve my 12wbt weight loss goal so quickly. I don't really miss the alcohol and have found it isn't so bad socialising without a glass in my hand. 

Back to the recipe...

Choc Orange Fudge Puddings

Serves 6; 147 cal per serve

Ingredients

¼ cup (25g) Raw cocoa powder i.e. Super Power Foods brand from the health food store

1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup (60ml) boiling water

110g cannellini beans (I used La Nova), drained and rinsed

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

3 large egg whites (100ml)

40g Lindt intense orange dark chocolate (4 squares), finely chopped

1 tub of vanilla bean Fruche

Process

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly spray 6 holes of a silicone muffin tray.  These tend to stick to the paper so I wouldn’t recommend lining the tray, but you can if you prefer.

Place rinsed cannellini beans in food processor, along with boiling water, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla extract and orange zest and blitz until well combined.

Add egg whites and mix again for 20 seconds, or until well combined. 

Finally add the dark chocolate and blitz again for a few seconds.

Pour the mixture evenly into the 6 greased muffin holes, making sure you spread the chocolate bits at the bottom of the bowl evenly between the puddings.

Bake for 17min. Allow to cool for 10min before turning out carefully, run a knife around the edges and underneath if you can as the chocolate may have stuck to the bottom. 

Serve with vanilla bean Fruche, divided between the 6 serves

Tips: If you don’t have a food processor or stick mixer, mash your beans well with a fork, then mix the rest of the ingredients in with a whisk.

If you prefer ice cream, a small scoop (25g) of Bulla light 98% fat free ice cream will only add an extra 2 cal per serve, in place of the Fruche.

Black beans make a great substitute for the cannellini beans, if you can find them.