avocado – Nat's Ladle

Luscious chocolate brownies that are vegan, oil-free and gluten free sounds like an oxymoron, but if you have avocados, you can make the impossible a reality. With their neutral taste and creamy texture, avocados are the perfect replacement for nasty processed oils and antibiotics-laden eggs. Avocados are also a perfect complement to dark chocolate and cacao, so using avocados to make brownies was a no-brainer for me.

Now, every man and his dog seems to make chocolate cake with avocado as a “secret” ingredient these days, so I am probably not going to shock anyone anymore by saying that these yummy gooey brownies have avocado in them. Both my husband and daughter love avocado, and they are in season right now, so needless to say, we are going through quite a few at the moment. As they ripen very quickly, this recipe doesn’t only make sure that you get your dose of healthy monounsaturated fats in one super-fudgy yet good-for-you brownie, it is also a great way to rescue any avocados you might have lying around that are past their prime! I hate wasting food so if you can create something nutritious to fix your chocolate cravings while being good to your wallet and the planet too, then why not?

Honestly folks, if you don’t try this, you are really missing out! These brownies are seriously rich and chocolatey and so fudgey it’s ridiculous. Your junk-loving friends, relatives and kids will never be able to tell that they pack a punch: Besides superfoods avocado and raw cacao, there is oatmeal for healthy carbs, protein and fibre, vegan protein powder to keep you full and satisfied as well as coconut flour, psyllium and flaxmeal for some more protein, fibre and nutrition! Needless to say, they are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free, refined sugar free and oil free! How about that? Like most of my recipes, this is a fuss-free affair – melt chocolate, mix everything together and bake for 20 minutes. Easy as that!

Shall we get baking?

Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies

60 g vegan dark chocolate
150 g brown rice syrup, divided
flesh of 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
1 large ripe banana, mashed
50 g ground rolled oats
2 tbsp rice or pea protein powder
2 tbsp raw cacao
1 tbsp flaxmeal, almond meal or LSA
2 tsp coconut flour
1 tsp psyllium husks, flaxmeal or chia seeds
1 tsp gluten free baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 °C or 350 °F and grease a 20x20cm baking pan. Melt chocolate and 100 g brown rice syrup in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. In a different bowl, mix avocado, banana and 50 g brown rice syrup until smooth. Stir in melted chocolate mix until smooth, add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Spoon into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Super Nutritious Smoothie without Nasties - not only for Breakfast! — Super Nutritious Smoothie without Nasties – not only for Breakfast!

I know, I know…I have neglected you badly during the last weeks, dear friends…I was very busy with work and other things that life throws at you, and although my workload wasn’t necessarily much higher than usual, I just didn’t have the nerve for blogging or experimenting. I was also lacking a bit of inspiration and didn’t come up with anything worth publishing. But the wait is finally over, and I promise you to not let you down and blog regularly from now on! I was also studying a lot about nutrition during my recent quiet weeks – not only about food intolerances per se, but about stress, metabolism, and how to heal your metabolism with nutritious (and plenty of) foods and lots of rest. I hope that I can incorporate my ongoing findings into my blog work in the future. Let’s just say for now that wholesome, “real”, nutrient-dense foods are the key for healing your body and mind and can potentially even reverse food intolerances. Wouldn’t it be nice?

And for those times that life is throwing a bunch of things at you and you don’t know where to start, how about a super-nutritious smoothie to boost your mind and body? No, it’s not one of your fat-free, sugar-free, chemical-laden “health smoothies”, but real food turned into a luscious milk shake! One of these for breaky really sets you up for the day, but it is not reserved for breakfast alone. Let me tell you about all the goodies you get in one glass:

tropical fruit for valuable micronutrients and a delicious taste of sun and holiday
avocado for healthy mono-unsaturated fats, needed for cell repair, hormones, satiety, texture, and taste
chia seeds for protein and omega 3’s
maca for an extra energy boost and stamina
coconut sugar, a low GI sweetening option with great taste and nutrients
rice protein powder for tummy-friendly protein
sea salt to replace electrolytes lost during sleep, boost your metabolism, facilitate the assimilation of nutrients, and make the flavour pop!

Oh yes, and it tastes great! The healthy fats from chia and avocado make sure to keep you full for a long time – did you know that your body cannot use nutrients like vitamins and minerals such as calcium without an adequate amount of fat? It’s time to reconsider whether that “healthy low-fat smoothie” they offer you at a juice bar is really that healthy…I’d like to argue that my version is far superior and really gives your body the fuel it needs!

Makes 1 large smoothie

1 large frozen banana
1 cup frozen mango
a quarter avocado
1 tbsp chia seeds, dissolved in water or milk (“chia gel”) (or try flaxseed)
3/4 cup plant milk
1 scoop protein powder of choice (I use rice protein)
generous pinch of sea salt
1 tsp coconut sugar or other sweetener
half a cup soy or coconut yoghurt (optional, to make it thicker=
maca powder (optional)
I recommend chopping the banana, mango, and avo together in a powerful food processor first. Then add all the other ingredients and blitz away! Yum!

Enjoy!

Tag: avocado

Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies

Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies

Super Nutritious Power Smoothie {vg}