Orange Sweet Potato Black Bean Brownies

If you are a vegan sushi-lover living in New York City, you have most likely heard of Beyond Sushi. Beyond Sushi creates the most intricate and unique vegan sushi rolls, completely unlike anything one has seen before. Not only does it offer sushi rolls, soups, salads, dumplings, drinks, salads, and more, the New York chain has blessed Manhattan with the most delicious black bean sweet potato brownie. For most of us, those five words put together may seem a little off-putting. However, do not let that stop you from trying it. I, the vegan instantly fell in love with the brownie, as well as my non-vegan cousin, who ordered two more at the meal itself and then went back two days in a row afterward to keep buying more. Another time, I brought my aunt from Greece to try the sushi-rolls and the brownie, and she could not stop ordering more of the dessert to our table.

Because of its deliciousness, I had to try and recreate the recipe for my own good will. At the restaurant I used all of my taste-buds to memorize the ingredients in the brownie and ended up creating this recipe! As the recipe shows, it is incredibly simple to make. The brownies also happen to be gluten-free and are made with wholesome ingredients! Without prior knowledge, no one is able to tell what they are made of, or even that they are vegan. While they may not be an exact replica to the one at Beyond Sushi, they are a pretty close bet. Not to mention, they are truly delicious!

INGREDIENTS (Yields 9-12 brownies)

• 1-15 Ounce can unsalted black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 Cup roasted and mashed sweet potato (without the skin)*

• 1 Tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 Tsp. salt

• 1/3 Cup maple syrup

• 1/3 Cup canola oil

• 1 Tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 Tsp. orange zest

• 1/8 Tsp. cinnamon

  Optional: A handful of mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts to top

* To roast the sweet potato, I took 1-2 sweet potatoes, rinsed them off, and spiked them all around with a fork. Then, I roasted them in the oven at 450ºF for about 30 minutes, until I could effortlessly cut through the middle of each sweet potato with a knife. Depending on the size of your potatoes, this process may take more or less time.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. In a food processor, add in all of the ingredients, except any toppings if using, and blend until smooth. You may need to stop the food processor occasionally to scrape down the sides.

3. When the batter is smooth, pour into an 8X8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.

4. Once the mixture is evenly spread out around the pan, top with the optional ingredients if using.

5. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges have pulled away from the parchment paper and cracks begin to appear on the surface.

6. Let the bars cool for ten minutes, and then transfer to the fridge for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight. While these bars are naturally fudgy, when they first come out of the oven they will be very soft on the inside, and overall quite delicate. However, after time in the fridge they firm up significantly.

   Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week! Enjoy!