Super Simple Garden Recipes: Hidden Veggie Brownies

We found this recipe in Monica’s recipe collection on her website: The Hidden Veggies where she features classic comfort foods, made vegan. She claims that this recipe is one that you have to taste to believe. We somehow managed to already eat all of the grated zucchini we put in the freezer from this past summer, and we can’t get ourselves to buy out of season zucchini, so it’ll have to wait until the summer time! Let us know how these turn out!

Brownie Ingredients:

• 2 cups finely chopped or grated zucchini

• 1 cup cooked, pureed beets

• 1 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce) + a little more for the pan

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil beets, puree and place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Grate zucchini in a food processor or by hand (or use thawed and drained frozen zucchini saved from your summer garden). Add to your large mixing bowl.

4. Sprinkle sugar over the beets and zucchini and stir.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients and slowly stir until everything is combined and you have a thick batter.

6. Rub oil on 9x13 baking dish and pour batter into it.

7. Bake for 30 minutes.

8. Make the fudge frosting:

   1. Melt coconut oil, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanill and salt.

   2. Mix well with a fork or small whisk to get all the clumps out.

   3. After brownies cool completely, pour the frosting evenly over the brownies. Pick up the pan and rock it back and forth to make an even layer. The fudge will harden as it cools. You can put it in the fridge to firm it up faster.

9. Cut your brownies into squares when the frosting is firm (but not too hard or it will crack) and enjoy!