This week's recipe is very yummy. It's from my “Desserts – Making It Rich Without Oil” e-book, and everyone loves it when I bring it to parties. I am also including instructions on how to make it low-glycemic in case your blood sugar is sensitive to dates.
Superfood Brownies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups de-stemmed kale, lightly packed
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups walnuts, preferably soaked and dehydrated
- 1 cup pecans, preferably soaked and dehydrated
- 1 tablespoon ground vanilla beans or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pitted Medjool dates
- 2/3 cup carob powder
- 2 teaspoons water
Directions:
- Process the kale and salt in a food processor until chopped.
- Remove the kale to a bowl and set aside.
- Process the walnuts, pecans, and vanilla until finely ground, being careful not to over process
into a nut butter. - Add the dates and kale, and process until the mixture begins to stick together.
- Add the carob powder and process until it is incorporated.
- Add the water and pulse a few times.
- Press into an 8 X 8 glass pan and chill for at least an hour.
- Slice and serve.
For Low-Glycemic Version:
- Make chia gel by soaking 1/4 cup chia seeds in 1-1/2 cups water overnight, or at least until the seeds soak up the water to form a gel (at least 15 minutes).
- Substitute dates with 1/4 cup chia gel and 20 drops liquid stevia or any other low-glycemic sweetener to desired sweetness. Choices are monk fruit (luo han), erythritol, Lakanto, Jerusalem artichoke powder, or inulin.
These Brownies sound wonderful!! However, my husband is allergic to both walnuts and pecans. He can only tolerate peanuts and cashews. May I use these two as a substitution?
Hi, Judy, I can tell you from my experience that these brownies are wonderful. You can experiment with the cashews, but peanuts tend to be an allergen. How about trying Brazil nuts? Could he tolerate those?
What can I substitute for the walnuts and pecans? I’m very allergic to all nuts and peanuts. I love and need these kind of healthy snacks but so many have nuts in them. I know nuts are healthy but many of us need healthy substitutes.
Hi, Louise, You might want to experiment with pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Hemp seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds might also be someting to try. If you try them, let us know your experience. We learn by sharing.
Thanks Faja! I’m glad yo8;1u2#7&re so tech savvy now and we can communicate more efficiently! Vince is from California, and his family is from the North in the Philippines. Miss you!
I am grateful for you! 🙂
I have been journeying with my husband through your B4BeGone program. I am so appreciative of the simple, wildly effective and important things you share, such as mini-vacations, exercise bursts, thankfulness, sleep, etc.
Everything in our inbox from you contains something valuable about improving overall health, including mental and emotional health. It is always something well-researched and practical which the reader can incorporate into his/her life immediately.
Your offerings seem to be driven by a sincere and strong desire to help others achieve their best lives, and I thank you. You are making a difference in this home!
Thank you so much, Paula! I’m so glad that you and Wayne are finding great value in the B4 Be Gone program. Hearing testimonials like yours is what keeps us going.
Should have been from Paula, not Paul. 😉
I thought so. 🙂
How would the nuts get dehydrated if one doesn’t have a dehydrator?
Hi, Heidi! Great question! You can put them in the oven at it’s lowest temperature. It wouldn’t be for as long as if you were dehydrating. I would start at 6 hours and see how crispy they are.
This is an easy way to properly prepare nuts so as to neutralize phytic acid and make the nuts more digestible. Let us know how it goes.
I am assuming there is a serving size/portion for this recipe, as an entire 8 x 8 dish of these yummy brownies seems a bit too much 🙂
It depends upon how hungry you are, I guess, Sharon! 😀
I would say the equation for this would be 4 across by 4 down = 16 brownies that are 2×2 in. in dimension.
The reality is that they can be whatever size you want.
Question on low-glycemic conversion. Is it a 1:1 conversion of monk fruit, etc. for dates? Be great to have a basic go-to guide on swapping out sweeteners for other low-glycemic substitutes across recipes. Made-up examples: “When making cookies, use 2:1 ratio of low-glycemic x for sugary y”; “When making brownies, use 1:1 ratio of low-glycemic x for sugary z”.
For Low-Glycemic Version:
Make chia gel by soaking 1/4 cup chia seeds in 1-1/2 cups water overnight, or at least until the seeds soak up the water to form a gel (at least 15 minutes).
Substitute dates with 1/4 cup chia gel and 20 drops liquid stevia or any other low-glycemic sweetener to desired sweetness. Choices are monk fruit (luo han), erythritol, Lakanto, Jerusalem artichoke powder, or inulin.
There are a few conversion charts online for low glycemic sweeteners. Some list products that we don’t use so we don’t endorse those. Here are a few:
https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/top-5-keto-sweeteners-and-sweetener-conversion-chart
https://www.ruled.me/comprehensive-guide-to-keto-sweetener-substitutions/
I am grateful for this amazing community and all the support I receive in so many ways.