Are you clenched?
I was reading the most fascinating article in the car last night while I was waiting for my son to finish up practice. It was written by a cancer survivor who described her success in relaxing her body and mind through the simple exercise of ‘unclenching’ her face.
One of the first areas of the body we tighten unwittingly under stress is our jaw and this form of compression has a ripple effect throughout the body often giving rise to blockages and pain.
So right in front of her oncologist and chemotherapy nurses, this patient would engage in a deliberate act of unclenching her jaw before each treatment, a technique she learned in her yoga practice. She describes it simply as “dropping the lower jaw away from the upper jaw and letting it hang with an open mouth” (she parallels the look to those “heavy metal mouth-breathing dudes from high school” which I not only found hilarious but also a helpful visual).
But it’s what she describes next that I found most interesting.
Belly breathing, visualization, meditation, music and movement are all common ways of eliciting a relaxation response in the body in preparation for the more difficult work of calming the mind. Trying different techniques can help identify the ones that are best suited to our sensibilities.
I share this one as a possible new experience which the author describes as one of the simplest and profoundly effective techniques we can practice.
Well I haven’t been this excited about the outcome of a baking experiment since I made these Flourless Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These muffins are soft, moist and surprisingly sprightly despite their lack of flour (love that). They have a nice rise, delightful taste and are also powerfully nutritious. The banana and nut butter flavours are muted amidst the more dominant chocolate chili taste. For good or for bad, the black beans are imperceptible in taste (in my view anyway). They add colour, bulk, density and character to the mix — as well as a host of nutrients.
Be sure to check out the Nutrition and Cooking Notes for more information and best results!
Flourless Black Bean Chocolate-Chili Muffins
Flourless Black Bean Chocolate-Chili Muffins (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- 1 generous cup (250 mL) of happy and healthy cooked black beans (thoroughly rinsed if using canned)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) all natural almond butter
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) quality cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder of choice (see notes)
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
- 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (62.5 mL) honey
- 1 egg, gently beaten
- hot chili flakes, optional
Makes 24 mini muffins
Nutrition & Cooking Notes:
- Nutrition Content: A snack sized portion of these mini muffins (3 muffins) provides close to 12 grams of protein (equivalent to 2 eggs), 7 grams of fiber as well as 20% daily iron requirement (other notable nutrients: calcium, potassium, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamin E and monounsaturated fats). That’s a lot of goodness stored in 250 calories.
- The Chili Factor – There are many different kinds of chile/chili you can consider for this recipe and it really just depends on the type of flavour impact you are looking for. Ground chile peppers such as cayenne and habanero are amongst the hottest varieties so you will want to use these chile powders carefully and sparingly (particularly initially) – I use small pinches (1/8 or 1/4 tsp) of these powders on occasion in cooking. Ancho chile is beautifully complex and warm (but not as hot as cayenne/habanero). Paprika and chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeno) are other favourites. The more generic ‘chili powder’ that you find in the supermarket is really a mixture of milder chile peppers with the addition of herbs/spices such as onion/garlic powder and salt. Chili powder of this kind would be suitable for this recipe but you could also add a pinch of ancho or chipotle in addition to it just to give it a bit more robustness. It’s really just a matter of personal taste. My friend MJ has put together some great information on types of chile powders which you may find very useful. I am constantly referring to it — thank you MJ!
- The Sugar Content – I find the sweetness of these bites strikes just the right note for my taste but if you are accustomed to more sugar, you can start with 1/3 cup of honey and work your way down. Another thought is to keep 1/4 honey and add a dollop of ganache to the tops of the muffins — adding just a drop of sweetness to the top of food (rather than the whole way through) goes a long way to contributing to taste without overwhelming with sugar. I used a simple combination of dark chocolate and cream (sub coconut milk for dairy free) in the picture below (2 ounces coconut milk or 10% cream, 2.5 ounces 75% dark chocolate pieces) but you could also add a tablespoon of honey or pure maple syrup to this combination. Because the muffins are so small, you will literally only need a teaspoon of ganache to make a taste impression.
Directions:
Heat oven to 325 F.
- In a food processor, blender (or with a hand mixer ♥), blend: black beans, almond butter and banana until the beans are well broken down and combined with the other ingredients.
- In a separate small bowl, combine: cocoa, chili powder and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and blend/pulse a few times before adding: vanilla, honey and egg, blending once again until well combined. The batter will be relatively fluid.
- Pour the batter by tablespoon full into silicone lined (or gently greased) miniature muffin cups filling until just before the limit.
- Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a few hot chili flakes if desired (I sprinkled a few on the cooked muffins for fun).
- Place muffin tray in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until muffins have risen and firmed somewhat (the tops will also crack – a bit like banana bread – but they are beautiful this way).
- Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tray and enjoying. (If you remove them too quickly, they will fall apart).
- These muffins store beautifully in a covered container in the fridge. We did not have leftovers to try the experiment, but I suspect that they would freeze equally well.
no visible beans in here
Good morning Kelly! I just received a ping from this article today. Sorry I missed the shoutout to my page when I read it the first time. Thanks Darlin!!!! Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!
Hi Mj! thanks for dropping by. I have just moved platforms from Blogger to WordPress – ouf! what a process after almost four years… :) anyhow, I suspect that’s why you got the ping.
Fantastic! So happy to hear that Melissa — thanks for dropping back in.
I just tried them and I actually love the kick that the chili gives! Great recipe! :)
Very inspiring story. It’s so difficult for most of us to get relaxed, to “untighten” both physically and psychologically… I can well believe it worked. I remember reading once a booklet (actually it was a small book) teaching how to control one’s physical pain through concentration, making work a small part of this huge part of the brain we never use. I have never managed to continue exercices alas.
Your muffins look so cute and so chocolatey I find it hard to believe there is such a big content of beans! Impressive, as always.
What a lovely, thorough post Kelly! When I first saw these muffins on FB, I could just tell how moist they were- and I was so happy to see the inside crumb here. They look fantastic! I always love healthy muffins like this, naturally sweetened with sneaky ingredients ;) Definitely one to try…
On another note, the world of ‘clenching’ fascinates me as I have suffered tremendously from this. Thankfully, acupuncture worked wonders (I would go everyday if I could) coupled with focused breathing and just taking the time to slow down. Speaking from personal experience, I can’t even begin to tell you how important these techniques are.
Or as they say, ‘Keep calm and carry on!’ (or have some chocolate) xx
Black bean muffins – now that is quite creative my friend! I can see why you got so excited about your success. I’d certainly be jumping up and down because that was brave. Of course you know I love the chocolate and chile powder! YUM!
why thank you Elizabeth — I’m glad you’re excited about these and I can’t wait to see how you like them if you give them a try. Oh, the mind. Yes. That’s really where it all begins and ends doesn’t it. I’ll be working on that piece till the very end (and well into my next lives… ) xo
I think a lot of facebook peeps had the same reaction as you KoKo (luckily I have a very supportive fan base who humour me ;-) I’ve been wanting to use black beans with chocolate forever… spotted black bean brownies and was completely smitten with the idea so I think it evolved from there. Ah, the teeth grinding too you poor dear… I think you can get an appliance to help with that while you sleep (wouldn’t want to damage your beautiful teeth/mouth/jaw) but agreed, the larger picture is de-stressing. Unclenching hugs – xo :)
LOL Paula!! (you and me both… I’m fresh out and wishing for more ;-)
Still hoping 3D printers work for food!
First of all, I NEED to practice unclenching. I constantly have a clenched jaw all day, and to make matters worse, I grind my teeth at night. Sometimes my jaw literally hurts from all the clenching. I do feel like throughout the day it is how I deal with stress or anxiety- I just tighten up. I will consciously make an effort to unclench and relax. Thank you for that!
Secondly, I didn’t know what to make of these when I saw them on Facebook! See, I haven’t tried the black bean baking trend yet. But looking at these guys, and reading your tips and comments on nutritional value, I know I have to try these. They look amazing, Kelly. Especially the frosted ones at the bottom ;-) hey, I’m an icing kinda girl!
Pinning these for when I have a kitchen again…..<3
Kelly, this is genius!! I love how you create appetizing desserts that are low sugar/carb and look so incredibly beautiful too. I’m always amazed by your results — I wouldn’t expect a muffin to rise like this (or look like that fluffy interior) without any flour holding it together… so great. I cannot wait to try this one (I still make your flourless peanut butter cookies!). I’m heading back to work and unclenching my jaw as I go ;-). Thank you for that piece by the way – I always love your intros. Now if I could only get my mind to cooperate along the peaceful path…
I especially get the part about it all rushing back in a flash ;-). Thank you for sharing your daily routine with us Sally and kidding aside, I do believe it has a huge impact on minimizing stress and disease potential. I bet the cows and sheep are a delight to see on your travels to work each morning — they would make me smile and ‘unclench’ too :)
Can’t wait to try this! Low calorie (just 87!!), low carbs and so delicious! Excellent!
Love that relaxation tip Kelly – going to have to give it a try as I do these healthy little muffins!
Quick, easy and delicious. Will cut chili back to 1/2 tsp next time, which will probably be this weekend ;-)
This “jaw tension” is real… it is the number one spot in my body that gathers tension. I try to be aware of it, and I’ll share with you my little daily routine. As I am driving to work, right after I leave my street I go through a couple of miles on a road that passes by farms. I see the same familiar cows on my left, sheep on the right, pretty peaceful sights – my usual “exercise” is to relax my face as I drive, concentrating exactly on that “jaw tension”. I make sure that by the time I get to the lab any tension is gone. Of course, all it takes is one student messing up something and the tension is back… :-) Oh , well, you get the picture…
great muffins – love the fact they are surprisingly low in carbs… hummmm….. gotta pin them!
Wow while I was reading this I brought my attention to my jaw only to realize, it WAS clenched! It’s funny how I probably go everyday ‘clenched’ and don’t even realize until someone points it out! Glad you did because I’m going to try to avoid it now & maybe get some benefits? Who knows :)
Oh and those look great! I’m always scared to mix chilli with chocolate, is the flavour strong?
thank you Bianca! I hope you enjoy them if you give them a try — they go down easy for sure ;-).
yum! i have to try this!