Like most kids, Laura Lukov loves cake. Her favorite: carrot cake. Unlike many, however, she loves a healthy version she bakes herself with dates and whole-wheat flour — but no sugar.
"The carrots are already sweet," said the 11-year-old Laie Elementary School sixth-grader.
So it makes sense that Laura is this year’s winner of Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa’s Best for Kids by Kids Healthy Snack Contest, with her version of Bean-Avocado Brownies. The recipe is low in sugar and high in protein, fiber, calcium and antioxidants.
The contest encourages students to follow the Department of Education’s Wellness Guidelines and to use honey to celebrate Hyatt Waikiki’s harvest from its bee apiary.
"My mother helped me create this recipe because I wanted to take an unhealthy food and make it healthy," said Laura. "I heard you could make brownies with black beans and that avocado adds creaminess. It worked."
Laura and her mother, Tatyana, are clearly seasoned bakers. It took just two attempts at crafting the recipe to realize that their first try was delicious enough to submit.
Laura cooked and mashed the beans, then processed them in a blender to make them soft enough to incorporate with the other ingredients.
Tatyana Lukov says her own mother died when she was young, so she’s especially careful to prepare healthful dishes. That focus has rubbed off on Laura. Her typical breakfast, for instance, is a bowl of oatmeal with soy or low-fat milk and a topping of blueberries. The family is vegetarian, though Laura also includes fish in her diet. "She knows she needs protein," said her mother.
"She’s my youngest so she’s around me a lot, and she cares about healthy eating. When we’re shopping, she reads the labels on the foods we buy."
It’s been about two years since Laura started helping her mother in the kitchen, and she has found much enjoyment in baking and cooking. She likes preparing little sandwiches, noodle dishes and "lots of soup."
"I like to creatively use things," Laura said. "In cooking, if you don’t have something, you can adapt and use another item."
BEANAVOCADO BROWNIES
» 2 cups cooked black beans
» 3 eggs
» 1 medium avocado
» 1/2 cup honey
» 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
» 1/2 cup cocoa powder
» 1/2 to 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
» 2 tablespoons coconut oil
» 1 teaspoon baking powder
» 1 teaspoon baking soda
» 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
» 1 cup Greek yogurt
» 1 tablespoon honey
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and coat with nonstick spray. In blender, mix all ingredients about 2 minutes.
Spoon batter into liners, about half full. Bake 20 minutes.
For topping, combine yogurt and honey and set aside in refrigerator.
When brownies are cool, top with yogurt-honey mixture. Makes about 20 muffin brownies.
Note: For square brownies, bake in prepared 9-by-13-inch pan about 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Nutritional information unavailable.
