Dessert + Veggies = Best combo

When is the last time you had some beautiful green zucchini in your brownies? This was my first time and I’m shocked at how great they taste. I know it sounds weird but you really can’t taste the zucchini – I swear!

Plus, it looks so pretty once you spiralize it… look!

I remember in high school, my friends and I discovered that you can take a box of brownie mix and mix it with a can of diet coke to make brownies. At the time, I thought there was no other way to make brownies healthy… Ohhhh… how much I’ve learned since then! (For those of you who don’t know, diet soda does NOT = diet food!)

These are made of all healthy and clean ingredients. While I wouldn’t call these a health food, you can definitely argue that these are healthier than your average brownie.

One thing you’ll notice in these is that they are not shy in butter/oil. As some of my friends know, I’m testing out a ketogenic diet, meaning I’m eating little to no carbs (other than from leafy greens), a little protein, but a LOT of fat. Seems totally counterintuitive for health, I know, but if you read a little about it there are some amazing benefits. More to come on this later.

Let’s dive in!

Ingredients:

• One medium zucchini
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons of organic coconut oil (I use Kelapo)
• 6 tablespoons of melted salted butter
• 1/2 cup Stevia or coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons of cashew butter
• Dash of vanilla extract (or more if you like vanilla – I am personally obsessed)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
• One bar of the darkest chocolate you can find

How to:

• Use a spiralizer or a grater to dice up the zucchini into mini pieces – you can leave the skin on
• Beat the egg and then add all ingredients except for the bar of dark chocolate into one bowl and mix! (I know, so simple)
• Once it’s mixed well, chop up the dark chocolate and mix in

(So colorful and so pretty!)

• Grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil spray and pour batter into it. It may appear a bit chunky because of the zucchini – that’s ok

• Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Ok, in this photo, I know they look a bit dry. But I promise you they’re not! The zucchini keeps them moist and fudgy.

Mmmmmmaybe it’s just me, but I love a good hot brownie right out of the oven. So get yourself a glass of almond milk ready and dig in as soon as they’re done!

If you’re able to make these last for a few days, keep them in the fridge in a tightly sealed container, otherwise the zucchini in them will make them go bad quickly.

Have you ever used any vegetables in your brownies or cookies? I’d love to hear what you’ve tried!