Continue the festivities with these oh-so-good vegan fudgy quinoa brownies!  Recipe courtesy of Connie Leung.

Ingredients

2 cups     quinoa, cooked 

2 cups     pitted dates, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water

1              flax egg (1Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water)

1 tsp        baking powder

1/2 cup    cacao powder

1 Tbsp     cinnamon

1 tsp         vanilla

1/2 cup     cacao nibs or chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line the pan w parchment paper or spray w coconut oil
• In a food processor, add the cooked quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon and blend until you get a sticky dough
• Add the cacao powder, vanilla, and flax egg. Blend until nearly smooth
• Drain the dates and add into the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the date-water if it is too dry
• Add half of the cacao nibs/chocolate chips and blend until combined (you want some chunks!)
• Spread the mixture out evenly w a spatula to about 3/4" thick
• Bake for 25 minutes, then top w the rest of the cacao nibs/chocolate chips
• Bake for another 5 minutes
• Allow it to cool before slicing them into squares

Tips

• Substitute peppermint extract instead of vanilla if you want to have chocolate mint
• Substitute the quinoa for bulgar wheat - it gives more texture!
• Dice up some granola bars and stuff them inside before baking
• Placing it in the fridge allows for easier slicing
• Serve w ice cream or fresh seasonal fruit