Category: Desserts

The holy month of Ramadan is in less than a month and so before buying a new box of dates, I decided to use all my old dates in a delicious cake. I made the cake for a sunny day picnic in the park.

I used Mary Berrys Date and Walnut cake but I decreased the sugar and added coffee and pecans. I also added coconut and hemp seeds.

Here is the link for Mary Berry’s cake, which is absolutely delicious. It’s moist and full of the nutrition packed dates and also has almond flour. The pecans or walnuts add protein and healthy fats.

https://taleof2kitchens.com/2013/05/16/date-and-walnut-traybake-by-mary-berry/

For the pecan cake I used pecans instead of walnuts add 1 tsp instant coffee in the hot water.

1/4 cup hemp seeds and 1/4 cup coconut can be added for texture.

Nutrition Facts for Date

Medjool date nutrition facts

Medjool dates are a concentrated source of healthy nutrients. Just 2 dates (48 grams) provide:

• Calories: 133
• Carbs: 36 grams
• Fiber: 3.2 grams
• Protein: 0.8 grams
• Sugar: 32 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Calcium: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Iron: 2% of the DV
• Potassium: 7% of the DV
• Copper: 19% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 7% of the DV
• Magnesium: 6% of the DV

Dates offer a significant amount of fiber and variety of vitamins and minerals, including iron, potassium, B vitamins, magnesium and copper.

March is National Nutrition Month and some of the the key messages for this month are: Include healthful food from all food groups, hydrate more and pay attention to the food you are eating and take time to enjoy your food.

I have been trying to add more plant foods into my diet and luckily have been making more grains like faro, recipe to come soon.

Since my first love is baking and fortunately fruits are also part of the plant family, I decided that I would only bake if the dessert had some plants in them. Unfortunately the fat and sugar does play a role but I firmly believe the quality of the dessert is the most important and the portion size. So in short practicing mindful eating and moderation. Sharing the baked goods with others also feels good.

I felt like eating a fruit crumble and the addition of oats, almonds and hemp seeds added protein and fiber, they also are beneficial for heart health. I used strawberries and blueberries instead of apples as they were for a dollar and all berries have antioxidants which play a role in brain health. I used almond flour to cut down the flour.

Berry Crumble

Ingredients

• Strawberries 1 pound
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds or sliced
• 4 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 stick of cold butter or 8 Tbsp
• 3 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 3 tbsp. coconut shredded
• Method: Heat the oven to 400 degrees and then slice the strawberries and sprinkle with sugar and almond flour and add to a square baking dish. For the crust, add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and mix in the cold butter, till it resembles crumbs. Then add the sugar, oats and sliced almonds, mix well. Now add the hemp seeds and coconut. Sprinkle the oat mixture onto the berries, covering all the berries. Bake in the heated oven for 30 minutes. The aroma will fill your house. You can eat alone or add ice cream like my husband did. Todays crumble is for my niece who enjoys fruit desserts.

Todays blog is about almonds, as I have written in many blogs in my opinion the Mediterranean diet is the best diet for health. I talked about this diet in my first blog, but to reiterate it is a healthy eating plan that is based on foods from that region. Those include lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, legumes and nuts. Replacing butter with healthy oils like olive oil and using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods. Limiting red meat and adding some poultry and  fish. Last but not least being active and enjoying meals with friends and family.

Nuts are a great snack instead of all the chips, pretzels and other packaged snacks we eat  In many studies nuts have shown to help lower the rate of heart disease but they do have a lot of calories and moderation is key.Personally my favorite nut is the almond its taste is so versatile and it has a long shelf life. Almonds also taste amazing as almond butter and almond flour is delicious in baked goods, especially if its gluten free.

“Almonds Nutrition Facts. Almond is a highly nutritional nut and a rich source of vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium. It also contains zinc, selenium, copper and niacin. Compared to all other nuts, they are the most packed with nutrients and beneficial components.”  From the internet

I enjoy almond butter on toast and almonds in granola, but once in a while my sweet tooth convinces me to have a dessert and I love almond cake. I love eating  it with mixed berries with some cream. I know this a wellness blog but its also my personal story, so as long as its only one in a while, I do make it and eat it.  It does contain butter and sugar but my favorite desserts all have butter. The French desserts are the best treats. My younger sister  who does not eat my banana bread loves it and also my mother in law.

Today I made it in  celebration of a friends birthday and I am sharing the recipe.

Almond cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoon flax chia mix
• 6 tablespoons grass fed butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• little less than 1/2 cup sugar

Method

Beat the softened butter and sugar till fluffy add the eggs one at a time. Then add milk and  vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix the flours, baking powder, ground flax seed and salt. Mix the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. Pour the combined mix into a greased  loaf pan or a small round 8 inch pan and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes and check that the middle is not soft. Take out cool and serve with berries.

I am a new blogger and my pictures are awful but I am visual so here they are till I learn Photoshop or whatever programs make pictures look beautiful and enticing. If you serve a slice with whipped cream and berries, it does look pretty.