All You Need Is Love - And A Little Chocolate

All you need is love - but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt! Here’s a recipe for Derval O’Rourke’s scrumptious Sweet Potato and Orange Zest Brownies. Sounds weird, but these taste amazing and are practically guilt free. Try not to scoff them all at once!

MAKES 6 BIG BROWNIES (OR 12 MINI)

400g sweet potato, peeled and cubed

100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

½ tsp coconut oil

50g jumbo porridge oats

50g pecan nuts, chopped

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

zest of 1 orange

3 egg whites

1 tsp agave syrup

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease an 18cm (7 inch) square tin and line it with parchment paper. Boil the sweet potato in salted water for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain, mash and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and set aside to cool slightly.

Mix the oats, pecans, cocoa powder, vanilla protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and orange zest in a bowl. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir well. Add the egg whites, agave and melted chocolate and stir until combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes, until firm in the centre and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cut the slab into slices in the tin, then carefully remove the brownies to cool on a wire rack.

You’ll find this and many more delicious recipes to power your body and mind in Food For The Fast Lane by Derval O’Rourke - now available in bookshops nationwide and from Gill Books, priced at €15.99 (RRP €19.99). BUY NOW. Also available as an eBook from Amazon.