Frozen No-Bake Cookies

So these may not actually have any veggies in them but they are easy and vegetarian (and possibly vegan if you use the right chocolate.) They are surprisingly healthy though and everyone needs a chocolate fix now and then. I found the recipe at Oh She Glows and tweaked just a few details. I recommend checking out her blog thoroughly, she has tons of great vegan recipes!
I had some friends over for drinks and a movie this weekend and I whipped up a batch of these in about 5 minutes before they got to my house. I popped them in the freezer and they were ready to eat in an hour (well, we might have had to "test" them after 30 minutes.)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• a small handful of sunflower seeds (but use any nuts or seeds you like)

Directions:

• Melt the chocolate and peanut butter chips in the microwave. Takes about 1.5 minutes but check every 30 seconds and stir to make sure you don't burn them.
• Stir in the vanilla, cocoa and mash the bananas into the chocolate.
• Stir in the oats and seeds.
• Drop onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper or (what I did) line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each cup 1/4 to 1/3 full.
• Freeze for at least an hour and store them in the freezer for a frosty dessert.

This is a double batch so you should end up with 12 muffin cups worth.

Black Bean Brownies

I discovered this idea a few months ago when my husband started a trial wheat-free/low-sugar diet. These brownies are surprisingly delicious and much healthier than your traditional brownies. They are similar to a souffle or a mousse since the added eggs create a fluffy texture. You will need a food processor or blender for this!

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or sub in natural applesauce to cut down on fat)
• 1/2 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate & Cocoa (or 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa plus an extra 1/4 cup white sugar or other substitutions)
• 1/4 cup white sugar (adjust amount to your liking - also good with brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.
Add all ingredients to your food processor (but reserve a few walnuts to sprinkle on top) and process until smooth.
Pour into baking pan and sprinkle reserved walnuts over the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes until edges start to pull away from the pan. Let cool completely before cutting.
These are actually best kept refrigerated and served chilled.

Added note: If you are looking for a sugar-free dessert, I've heard these work well with Splenda in place of the sugar. If you try it, let me know how it is.