Brownies’ magical powers

By STEPHANIE ALLMON

I served “magic brownies” at our Mother’s Day dinner. Mom raved about them.

Sometimes I make magic brownies for my boyfriend after a long, stressful day. Occasionally, I sneak them at night when I’m hungry.

This weekend I’m toting them to a party. Next weekend I’m taking them to a friend who just gave birth.

I got my first recipe for magic brownies at a Weight Watchers meeting; I became so hooked on the little squares of chewy, chocolaty goodness that I began testing, revising and perfecting my own version.

When mixed and baked just right, they come out moist, delicious and mind-numbingly good. The secret ingredient?

Black beans.

That’s right, magic brownies are nothing more than a can of black beans pureed and dumped into a fat-free brownie mix. I also add cinnamon, which not only perks up the flavor but has been shown in studies to help lower LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.

But that’s it — no oil, eggs, butter, water, yogurt or applesauce. (Go ahead, brownie snobs, roll your eyes and cream your butter. We’ll see who loses weight at the end of the day.)

MAGIC POWERS

These brownies are “magic” because that’s what I call my stash of recipes that actually “help” me lose weight. And while these things may not have Harry Potter-magical powers — “abracadabra, Heidi Klum’s metabolism!”—they do help me stay “on track” during particularly difficult diet weeks. I make them in bulk and keep them around during weeks of weakness—when I know I’ll be dining out, going to parties, celebrating holidays or just generally not focused on the hand-to-mouth coordination it takes to lose weight.

In the case of magic brownies, they’re small on calories, even smaller on fat grams and big on fiber (in Weight Watchers world, that means they’re low in “points”).

I bake a pan on Sunday night, cut them into bite-size squares, freeze them, and when I’m feeling my sweet tooth during the week, I reach for one instead of dipping a spoon into a half-gallon of frozen yogurt or desperately hunting through the pantry for a remnant of last year’s Halloween candy.

Another of my favorite “magic” recipes is magic soup. It, too, came from a Weight Watchers meeting years ago and has found its way into the files of many a friend and family member trying to drop a few pounds. It’s a thick, cheesy soup full of veggies, especially cabbage, which is a great remedy for — shall we say — water retention.

I’ll simmer a huge pot of magic soup on weekends and eat it for just about every lunch and dinner during weeks of weakness. And I’m usually rewarded at the scale.

MAGIC BROWNIES

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, unstrained

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 box fat-free brownie mix (I’ve tried a few, and my favorite is No Pudge! Original)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or the temperature specified on the brownie mix).

In food processor or blender, puree black beans, including liquid, with cinnamon until smooth. (You’ll see the skins of the beans, but that’s OK. You won’t be able to taste them.)

Transfer to mixing bowl, and combine with brownie mix. Stir by hand until shiny and mostly lump-free.

Pour batter into a greased 8-by-8 baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Brownies will be rich, moist and cake-like. When they cool, cut immediately into 16 regular-size squares or 30 bite-size squares.

Makes about 16 regular brownies or 30 bite-size brownies.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 16: 98 calories, 1 gram fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 146 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

MAGIC SOUP

2 tablespoons Brummel Brown yogurt spread

8 cups water

8 chicken bouillon cubes

2 garlic cloves, minced

24 ounces potatoes (cubed or shredded, skins on or peeled)

1 onion, grated

1 cup carrots, cut

1 head cabbage, cut

12 ounces Velveeta Light cheese (made with 2 percent milk)

In large pot, combine all ingredients except cheese. Simmer for 11‚Ñ2 hours

Add cheese and simmer until melted.

Makes 12-16 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 12: 193 calories, 6 grams fat, 22 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 1,293 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.