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Category: Recipes

Chocolate Date Brownies

Looking for a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day? Try these “healthy” brownies and let me know what you think. The eggs and garbanzos provide protein and agave has a lower glycemic index than refined white sugar.

  • 1 ¼ cups pitted dates, chopped
  • 9 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup raw agave
  • One can of garbanzo beans (2 cups)
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Measure dates in a glass measuring cup and pour in hot water to the 1 ½ cup line. Then let sit for 10 minutes.

Pour off ¼ cup of liquid and process the rest in a food processor.

Put the date paste in a bowl and add cocoa, oil and agave and mix.

Combine the beans and eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add the beans to the dates. Add the baking powder and cinnamon and mix. Pour into a 9 in round or square greased pan and bake for 45 min. Cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

The consistency is close to flourless chocolate torte and unless you announce that these have no refined sugar or gluten I bet no one will notice that it is a “healthy” dessert.

Adapted from “The Healthiest Meals on Earth”

Tropical Holiday “Nog”

Here is a healthy enzyme rich frosty beverage that could easily sub for Eggnog at your next holiday party.  I’ll let you decide whether to make it virgin or add your favorite bourbon. Recipe adapted from Jonny Bowden’s “The Healthiest Meals on Earth”

Tropical Holiday Nog

16 oz chilled unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 1/2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup of coconut milk

3-4 ice cubes

1 tsp raw honey

sprinkle of nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon or clove

 

Place the almond milk, bananas, coconut milk, ice cubes and honey in a blender an blend until smooth and creamy.  Divide into four glasses, sprinkle with spices and serve!

 

Healthy Pumpkin “Cheesecake”

I love holiday desserts but have been experimenting with limiting the amount of sugar in my diet for the past few weeks and came across this recipe in a recent Barre 3 newsletter.  I’m going to try it out tomorrow.  What are you making for turkey day?

Pumpkin Cream Cheesecake

recipe provided courtesy of Andrea Nakayama at Replenish PDX (www.replenishpdx.com)

 

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked one to three hours
1-1/2 cups pureed, cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk *
1/2 cup gently melted coconut butter (Artisana brand or Nutiva Coconut Mana)
30 drops liquid stevia, vanilla flavored or 3 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons liquid vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:
1. Drain the soaked cashews, discarding the water. Place the nuts into a food processor and process them until a butter forms.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the processor and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste to be sure that it meets your tastebuds. Since all pumpkins will be of varying degrees of sweetness, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve satisfied your taste buds before pouring the mixture from the food processor.
3. When the mixture meets your taste requirements, pour or spoon the contents of the bowl into a rectangular glass container in which you can store the cream “cheese”.
4. Allow the “cheese” to set in the fridge for at least two hours before trying to slice. You can store it covered there for up to four days. (Ours didn’t last so long!)
* Look for Native Forest brand coconut milk which doesn’t have BPA in the cans.

Sara’s Cuban Pumpkin Soup

My chiropractor, Sara Johnson, recently passed this recipe along to me. It’s quick, easy, and delicious. Pumpkin is loaded with Vitamins C, K, and E, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It also has antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes. Beans and pumpkin are both high in fiber. If you have the time to bake a pumpkin from scratch go for it, if not canned works just as well.

One can of pumpkin
One can of black beans
One handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 3 limes

Warm the pumpkin and beans, top with lime and cilantro and serve!

Greek Chicken Recipe

The Greek Festival is happening this weekend! This is one of my buddy Laura’s favorite Portland traditions and this month she offers her take on a super easy and delicious baked Greek Chicken. Thanks Laura!

GREEK CHICKEN

Any chicken on the bone – I used 10 drumsticks

Plain yogurt – a cup or two

Fresh chopped garlic – two large cloves

Zest of one lemon

S&P

Salt and pepper the chicken (I left the skin on) and lay in a glass 9×13 pan. Mix chopped garlic and lemon zest into yogurt and pour on top of chicken, coating it evenly. Bake for 1.5 hours at 350, turning chicken half way thru, until golden brown.

So moist it falls off the bone – tasty! Serve with Greek salad.