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Desserts…. everyone’s favourite part of the meal. A delicious sweet treat that we just can’t get enough of! ;)

But why does it have to be so guilt-filled? 
I myself remember the days I used to say “Oh I wish I didn’t eat that!” and I remember the sick feeling of bloating and sugary overkill that I was left with me very soon after I devoured into something way too sweet and in the end just-not-that-good!

Perhaps that evil dessert took care of my sweet-tooth craving but left me traumatized with the aftermath. But I had my “fix” and I was happy! For a sugar-addict once-upon-a-time, I knew no difference and just really needed my sugary high!!

Since those early 20′s I’ve learned my lesson. And I’ve paid for my cravings with my health struggles enough to really understand the difference between desserts : “To die for!” and desserts : “To LIVE for!” 

Now, I still devour in amazing desserts… the difference is that I choose the better options! Pure ingredients that are fully natural and organic are key in enjoying the sweet side of life (and not feeling sick after!)
Omitting the ‘bad’ stuff like artificial flavours, toxic colours (think Easter cupcakes and cookies now!), added preservatives, added artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers and let’s not forget GMO ingredients – have no place in the delicious desserts I make for myself and my family.

Let’s also remove the heaviness of dairy and eggs, and the bloating effects of gluten, and refined sugar – and what do you get?
You still get a stunning dessert that’s pure and decadent…. like these Chocolate Brownies – that are completely Guilt-Free and actually good for you! ;)

Can this be possible? Trust me!!! These Chocolate Brownies are amazing – a real treat to Live for!!! Rich, chocolatey, moist, decadent with one crazy amazing secret ingredient ~ Sweet Potatoes! (Trust me!)

GUILT-FREE SWEET POTATO CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 
GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE, VEGAN

Ingredients :

2 1/2 cups sweet potato puree (1-2 large potatoes)
2 cups medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/3 cup cocoa 
3/4 cups buckwheat flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or natural rum extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cups chopped dark chocolate squares (72% or higher) or dark vegan chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions : 

First, wash, peel, chop and boil a large sweet potato (or two or four – might as well make dinner ;)) until fully cooked. Strain and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F and line a square 8 x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In the meantime, in a food processor, process the dates and add in the sweetener of choice, milk, cocoa, buckwheat flour, potato starch, vanilla or rum extract, salt and process for form a smooth paste. You may need to turn off the food processor and scrape down the sides of the mixer to get all the ingredients combined well. Turn off machine and transfer the batter onto a large bowl so it’s easier to work from. Stir in chopped chocolate and walnuts by hand.

Pour mixture into the pan and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. 
Once it’s baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving, if warm brownies are preferred.
These brownies are best when chilled so it’s great to make them one day ahead and served them from the refrigerator. 
They also cut better and are less crumbly if they have a chance to set for a longer time.

Top with a little sprinkle of organic powdered sugar…. and Enjoy ~ guilt-free!!! ;)

These Guilt-free Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownies are exceptionally amazing! I made these at our recent family get together and everyone went nuts for them!
What was fun is that they could not guess the main ingredient of these which is the sweet potato puree – and when I told them….. wow! No one believed me ;)

When you try this recipe – no one will believe you there’s Sweet Potatoes in these Chocolate Brownies! But trust me ;)

I love playing with unexpected ingredients and making delicious recipes that are actually good for you!!!

And you know that saying….. “Life is short, eat dessert first!” Well, life will be even shorter if you eat crappy food!

So might as well, give your body something that you know is good for you and is also delicious!!

As for eating dessert first, heck, these are so ‘healthy’ that yes, I think they can be devoured for breakfast ;) I know I had one… or two, oh who’s counting ;)

I hope you enjoy this recipe very soon!

I can’t wait to make these Guilt-free Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownies again very soon – I’m thinking it will definitely be one of my desserts at our Easter dinner table ;) I might need to make a double batch – these things will go quick, I know it ;)

Enjoy!!!

♥

Pure Ella 

I love making a delicious treat for my family that’s healthier than what’s out there, I know what’s in it, and I can choose top quality ingredients! For ‘specialty’ desserts like this in bake shops you’d be spending a fortune, but baking at home is a lot less expensive, plus you really get a quality piece of cake or two! ;) If allergies are a concern – this is one way to avoid them and still enjoy life to the fullest! (nuts are in this recipe – but those could be entirely omitted for a nut-free cake, of course! ;))

If you’re excited to start the journey of gluten-free and vegan baking – do not fear! 
Whether you need to go with gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free ingredients due to Celiac, allergies or lifestyle decisions – baking should still be fun and not complicated – and best of all Delicious!!! ;)

Making Banana Bread is quite possibly the easiest gluten-free and vegan baked dessert you can imagine! (that and my Sweet Potato Brownies that will be coming to the site soon! ;))

Now here’s how to make an easy Gluten-free and Vegan Walnut Banana Bread :

Walnut Banana Bread : gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free/ vegan

Ingredients :

2 tablespoons ground flax
6 tablespoons warm water

1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda, aluminum free
pinch of fine sea salt 
3/4 raw cane sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
2 small very ripe bananas (total of 1 cup smashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Directions :

Preheat oven to 350F. And line a 6×9″ baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the top with extra coconut oil.

In a small bowl, mix ground flax seeds with warm water and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and mix to combine.
In another bowl, smash the bananas and measure out 1 cup.
Add in all the liquid ingredients, including the ground flax ‘egg’ and sugar to the bananas and mix well.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well. 
Add in the chopped walnuts and smooth the top.
Top with extra walnut pieces if preferred.

Bake at 350F for about 50 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out dry and clean.
Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting into it – I know – - the hardest part!! Enjoy!

We love making Banana Bread around here! It is so good, moist and tasty! And it’s really fool-proof! 
The ingredients are clean and natural and the end result comes out to be a lovely classic-tasting Banana Bread that you know and love – only better! ;)

If you’ve got little hands around as excited to make a Banana Bread as you are ~ don’t forget to involve them in the process! My daughter loves smashing bananas – I think that’s why our Banana Bread tastes so amazing, like no other!! ;)

This is a great dessert to make the night before and serve the next day. Or make in advance long enough so that you allow time to let it cool. My daughter could not resist the amazing smell in our kitchen and waiting 20 minutes was too long…. ;)

 Whether you’re on a specific diet or not, it’s great to make healthier food choices. And choosing better ingredients that are naturally gluten-free and dairy and egg free, is fantastic for your health. By now, we don’t have a single grain of wheat flour or white sugar in our home, and the ingredients we do stock up are at about 90% organic and 100% natural (unprocessed, foods with no preservatives, artificial flavours or colours etc. )

Cooking and baking from scratch is pure joy that brings warmth and smiles to the table…. and sitting down to a beautiful moist Walnut Banana Bread with your favourite people is just the best way to spend an evening… I think ;)

We enjoyed the last of this Walnut Banana Bread and another version when my sister and her boyfriend came over a little while ago (see it on Instagram)…. we ate over 1/2 of this one so quick that I needed to make another one immediately or else it wouldn’t be enough to feed a crowd! Yes, this cake is so good that you might as well double up on your ingredients and make two! ;)

 
PS. If you haven’t heard yet, Pure Ella is in the running for Best Food Blog Awards by Saveur Magazine! And today is the LAST DAY TO VOTE!!! This is huge my friends!!! ;) And if you like what you see here… I would love your support with a VOTE in the category of Best Family Cooking Blog!!! Every vote is much appreciated! You have until April 9th to cast your vote. Click HERE to go to the voting page, register first and cast your vote on the big red button under PURE ELLA!!! Love you all!!! 

♥

Pure Ella 

Here’s a fun little sweet something that you will enjoy making and eating up so quick – you’ll be licking the bowl clean!

It’s a very simple, easy to do, 2 Ingredient Pomegranate Pudding!!! Yes, this is serious stuff!!
This is a dessert with minimal effort but with bold wild flavour and it’s a hit at our house!

My daughter begs for this pudding…. and it’s so nice to have this little vibrant gem up my sleeve whenever she has a little bit of a sweet tooth after dinner ~ I spend 5 minutes in the kitchen and in return I get oodles and oodles of hugs and kisses and “you’re-the-best-mommy-ever” endless sayings – this is Pure Love!!! 

2 Ingredient Pomegranate Pudding  : gluten-free, vegan, quick and easy to make

Ingredients :

2 cups (500 ml) of pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

optional : 1 tablespoon of natural sweetener of choice

Directions :

In a small pot, heat 1 1/2 of the juice slowly until hot but not boiling. 

Pour the remainder of the cold juice, 1/2 cup, into a mug.

Stir in the arrowroot powder until completely dissolved.

Pour in the juice with arrowroot powder very slowly into the pot with hot pomegranate juice while stirring the pot continuously.

Continue stirring once all the starchy juice is poured in, for another minute or two. Allow the temperature to rise again until it reaches a simmer but not a boil. 

Remove from heat immediately. Transfer the pudding into another dish to cool quicker or set aside until it reaches room temperature.

Serve at room temperature, slightly warm on a cooler day… and chilled on a hot day! Don’t forget to top with fresh pomegranate arils! Enjoy!!

It’s that simple. And yes, it’s that delicious!!!

We don’t stock our pantry with sweets…. I like to make something once in a while, especially on the weekends. But otherwise we’re left to fresh fruit and the occasional little dark chocolate or dried fruit.

But… once a while, it’s nice to make something that is divine on one of those mundane days where you just want a little extra happiness…. this Pomegranate Pudding is a simple little serving of happiness…. ;) 

I hope you enjoy this easy pudding recipe! Keep in mind this is super allergy-friendly! A pudding that’s dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, with no sugar added (just the sweetness of the juice) and it’s so delicious!!!

I know what you’re thinking…. “Can I use any juice for this?” The answer is pretty awesome – Yes! Well, almost! You need a very rich juice to create a delicious fruit pudding. I wouldn’t recommend apple or pear juice but something with more zing would be great – like mango, or passionfruit or blackberry – go with a bold taste of the juice and you’ll get a bold yummy pudding! Just be sure to choose an all-natural, quality, organic juice whenever possible and be sure it has no preservatives or artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners – these are dangerous toxins that sometimes are really hidden from the front label (read the ingredient list please!)

Let me know how you like this recipe…. and what juice are you thinking of making it with? 

PS. If you haven’t heard yet, Pure Ella is in the running for Best Food Blog Awards by Saveur Magazine! This is huge people!!! ;) And if you like what you see here… I would love your support with a VOTE in the category of Best Family Cooking Blog!!! Every vote is much appreciated! Click HERE to go to the voting page, register first and cast your vote on the big red button under PURE ELLA!!! Love you all!!! 

♥

Pure Ella 

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