Camp Natoma Week 3: Kale Brownies

Session 2 Theme at Camp Natoma: Buggin' Out

Campers: 93

Staff: 20

Injuries: PLENTY (cuts, burns, bruises, & 2 sprained ankles)

Cooking for 113 people was no easy task, but was less intimidating than I anticipated.  Having a designated pastry chef definitely makes things run more smoothly.  As Danie, Emily, and I prep the savory stuff, we can leave all baked goods in the very capable hands of Sophie. 

In an effort to put a dent in the second case of purple kale, I asked Sophie if she could do a kale brownie comparison.  I found a kale black bean brownie recipe as well as one with coconut milk.  The coconut milk version had a yummy coconuty flavor, but the texture was quite crumbly.  The black bean-kale version had a better texture and good flavor.  The staff and campers who tried our sample batch all liked them and didn't notice a huge difference between these and normal brownies.  

Red Cabbage Slaw with Purple Kale

I've found that it's better to pair unfamiliar foods, such as purple kale, with more familiar ingredients like red cabbage.  This slaw was a hit and the purple kale blended in beautifully.  I made a lime-cumin dressing and let the slaw marinate for an hour.

One of the benefits of getting up around 6 am to start breakfast is seeing the effects of early morning light.  So beautiful.

We made chicken pot pie for the first time this week and it was a big hit.  Some of the high school boys who sampled the kale brownies said, "We like the brownies, but that pot pie was SO GOOD. Could we possibly have that for dessert instead??" 

 Making chicken pot pie was very time consuming, but we decided that the process will be much easier next week if the biscuit dough is made the night before.  Our pot pie used Food For Fifty's filling recipe with the addition of golden potatoes and we used Sunset's biscuit pot pie pastry recipe for the topping.  Making a cobbled topping is much easier than trying to roll out sheets of pie dough.

Sophie and Emily working on the biscuit topping

Delectable Chicken Pot Pie (1 of 5 pans)

Kale & Black Bean Brownies

Printable Recipe

Kale and black beans may seem weird, but they add extra nutrition without any off flavors and help keep the brownies fudgey. Adding espresso powder will enhance the chocolate flavor and add depth of flavor.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed & drained

1-2 cups kale, packed (we used 1 c) 

2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 tsp espresso powder, opt.

1 T vanilla
4 T butter

1/2 c dark chocolate chips (for extra chocolatey flavor)

In a medium bowl, mix first 5 ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Rinse kale and remove ribs (baby kale leaves can be used whole).  Purée kale with black beans to make sure kale gets really fine.

Add remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. 

Fold in remaining 1/2 c chocolate chips. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients until combined, do not over mix.  For thick brownies, spread into a 9 x 9 greased baking pan.  For thin brownies, use a 9 x 12 pan.  Bake in a preheated, 350º oven 20-25 minutes or until brownies are no longer soft in the center.  Dust with powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder before serving. Yield: 20 servings