What’s Cookin’? Brownies & Fritters! Plus News About Possible Alzheimer’s Breakthroughs

OMG, if I had all the ingredients for these brownies right now, there’s no doubt I’d be in the kitchen whipping up a batch. They look and sound so ooey-gooey and, judging from what goes into them, pack a lot of nutrition into the form of a sweet treat. Will definitely be making these….. also probably tweaking the recipe after the first go round to see what I would add or delete. Seems like some soaked/sprouted walnuts or pecans would be a nice addition. 🙂

SWEET POTATO BROWNIES RECIPE

Avocados were first used by the Aztecs and since have been highly sought after for their health benefits. Avocados are high in healthy mono-unsaturated fats such as oleic acid. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and are high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Try incorporating avocados into your diet with this delicious Sweet Potato Brownies dessert recipe:

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Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 9

INGREDIENTS:

1 avocado
1 cup cooked sweet potato puree
½ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
½ C cacao powder
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup honey
½ cup sprouted almond butter
¼ cup cacao powder
½ cup coconut milk
sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease 8×8 pan with coconut oil and line it with parchment paper
In a bowl, combine avocado, sweet potato, applesauce, honey and vanilla. Once creamy, add in cacao powder
Add in eggs one at a time
In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, arrowroot flour, salt and baking soda.
Combine both mixtures until smooth.
Transfer to greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes
While baking, combine the last 5 ingredients listed in a separate bowl and mix until creamy and smooth
Once the brownies are done baking and have cooled, frost with this mixture.

Source: http://draxe.com/recipe/sweet-potato-brownies/

Wondering what to have for an entree before you dive into the brownies? Try these….

ZUCCHINI CHICKPEA FRITTERS [VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE]

These are probably the fastest, yummiest fritters you can make. They’re very, very simple and unbelievably fluffy and soft without baking powder. This recipe is dairy-free, kid-friendly, nut , wheat, sugar and soy-free.

SERVES: 6

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 large/2 medium zucchini – grated
1 can chickpeas (rinsed, sautéed for 5 mins in a pan and then mashed with potato masher.)
2 Tbsp *chickpea flour
2 Tbsp *brown rice flour (more if it feels watery)
1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt – to taste
Chili powder/paprika – to taste
1 clove garlic – grated
1/4 red onion – very finely chopped
Coconut oil – for pan frying

*Am wondering if it would work to substitute coconut flour since that’s what I happen to have. Seems like it would be fine taste-wise….just may need to add a little water to the mix since coconut flour absorbs liquids more than other flours. Or it might actually save you the step of having to press the water from the zucchini because the coconut flour would soak it up for you. Hmmm.

PREPARATION:

Add salt to grated zucchini-toss them well. Let it stay for 10 mins-squeeze the water out and add them to a salad bowl
Add mashed chickpeas, chickpea flour, brown rice flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic, onion and mix them all.
Form patties and pan roast in coconut oil – Yummy fritters ready to eat 🙂

Author: Charanya is a vegan and gluten-free blogger and founder of Yes, I am Vegan. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

FYI, you can get many of the ingredients for these two recipes at one of my favorite places to shop iHerb.com; use code CJG192 if you are a new customer and spend more than $40 and you will get $10 off, plus can take advantage of their wonderful Specials and Trial Offers section. Shipping is free on orders of $20 and up, and there’s no sales tax. There’s an extra 5% off on orders over $60.

Vitacost.com is another on-line favorite of mine and also has a huge selection of elderberry-related products. If you are new to Vitacost and make your first purchase of $25 or more through the link on my webpage you will receive a $10 off coupon. And if you plan on shopping again after that, be sure to sign up for a free acct. at eBates.com, if you don’t already have one. That way you can use the eBates portal to shop at Vitacost (and 100s of other popular stores) and earn cash back on your purchases. Plus, eBates also offers some reward–I got a $10 gift card–when you place your first $25 order at a store through them. How does it get any better than that?!

And on a non-food-related topic……

Anyone familiar with this blog knows I’ve done a number of posts about Alzheimer’s, not only because it has touched my life directly several times already, but also because it’s such a major health issue for the whole country. Just consider these statistics:

Alzheimer’s is now America’s sixth leading cause of death, 36 million people have disease worldwide, and only 1-in-4 have been diagnosed. 1-in-9 Americans over 65 have it, and 1-in-3 Americans over 85. 2-in-3 Alzheimer’s patients are women, and the disease is twice as likely in blacks and Hispanics. The human cost is incalculable; the financial cost is pretty staggering too, at over $220 billion annually in the United States alone.

Anyway, yesterday I happened to come across two different articles that talked about breakthroughs in dealing with Alzheimer’s, and in case anyone else is interested, I thought I would provide links to them in this post:

http://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzheimer-s-treatment-fully-restores-memory-function

http://rodmartin.org/happy-new-year-stanford-may-just-cured-alzheimers/#

Salud!

p.s. Be sure to subscribe to Self-help Health so you don’t miss any future posts. Also check out the To Your Health page at my website Evolution Made Easier and blog of the same name for more helpful information, tips, tools and resources.

Disclaimer: Please note that any information here is provided as a guideline only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician, nutritionist, trained healthcare practitioner, and/or inner guidance system. Always consult a professional before undertaking any change to your normal health routine.