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Dairy and Gluten Free
Serves 5-6
Heavy cream, butter, refined sugar, white flour, and egg yolks are the building blocks for most desserts. When consumed in moderation and sourced from responsible producers these ingredients aren’t harmful, but often riding this line can be hard, and why eat a dessert that might increase our LDL cholesterol and cancer risk? Why not enjoy a dessert that nourishes us in all the ways that good food should?
The sweet tang of strawberries and raspberries combines with luscious dark chocolate and roasted almonds in this antioxidant-heavy dessert. While the base can be composed of a mixture of fresh summer fruit—blueberries, blackberries, figs, peaches, or plums—strawberries and raspberries are often the most accessible summer fruits. Packed with anthocyanins and phytonutrients, this berry, almond, chocolate mixture will leave you feeling as if you’ve indulged in a sinful dessert while it has a positive impact on your overall health.
If you follow a gluten or dairy free diet, in most restaurants and dining situations, if you are lucky you might find the rare sorbet or fresh fruit cup; in other words, dessert becomes a boring dining experience or you must abstain altogether. The following recipe uses almonds, coconut, and neutral oil to create a crisp topping that actually tastes better than the diary and gluten packed traditional topping.
Base:
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup raspberries
¼ teaspoon ginger
½ cup dark chocolate, chopped (check for no cream or milk)
Topping:
½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
½ cup almond flour
½ cup finely shredded coconut
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons light olive, almond, or avocado oil
1. Preheat an oven to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, dry, and slice the strawberries.
3. Wash and dry the raspberries and place them in a bowl with the strawberries.
4. Add ¼ teaspoon ginger and a pinch of salt to the berries and lightly fold them so that the ginger and salt are evenly distributed.
5. Place the berries in an oven safe dishpan.
6. Chop the dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top of the berry mixture.
7. Prepare the topping: Place the roasted chopped almonds, almond flour, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and olive oil in a bowl. With a spoon, mix the ingredients together and break up the little balls that form.
8. Sprinkle the topping over the chocolate-berry base.
9. Bake the crisp for 20 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown and the berries are slightly cooked (don’t cook the crisp until the berries are mush—they should still have some firmness).
10. Cool for 20 minutes or more before serving.
Works Cited
Lewin, Jo. "The Health Benefits of Strawberries." BBC Good Food. BBC, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2015.
Mazza, GJ. "Anthocyanins and Heart Health." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2015.
Serves 5-6
Heavy cream, butter, refined sugar, white flour, and egg yolks are the building blocks for most desserts. When consumed in moderation and sourced from responsible producers these ingredients aren’t harmful, but often riding this line can be hard, and why eat a dessert that might increase our LDL cholesterol and cancer risk? Why not enjoy a dessert that nourishes us in all the ways that good food should?
The sweet tang of strawberries and raspberries combines with luscious dark chocolate and roasted almonds in this antioxidant-heavy dessert. While the base can be composed of a mixture of fresh summer fruit—blueberries, blackberries, figs, peaches, or plums—strawberries and raspberries are often the most accessible summer fruits. Packed with anthocyanins and phytonutrients, this berry, almond, chocolate mixture will leave you feeling as if you’ve indulged in a sinful dessert while it has a positive impact on your overall health.
If you follow a gluten or dairy free diet, in most restaurants and dining situations, if you are lucky you might find the rare sorbet or fresh fruit cup; in other words, dessert becomes a boring dining experience or you must abstain altogether. The following recipe uses almonds, coconut, and neutral oil to create a crisp topping that actually tastes better than the diary and gluten packed traditional topping.
Base:
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup raspberries
¼ teaspoon ginger
½ cup dark chocolate, chopped (check for no cream or milk)
Topping:
½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
½ cup almond flour
½ cup finely shredded coconut
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons light olive, almond, or avocado oil
1. Preheat an oven to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, dry, and slice the strawberries.
3. Wash and dry the raspberries and place them in a bowl with the strawberries.
4. Add ¼ teaspoon ginger and a pinch of salt to the berries and lightly fold them so that the ginger and salt are evenly distributed.
5. Place the berries in an oven safe dishpan.
6. Chop the dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top of the berry mixture.
7. Prepare the topping: Place the roasted chopped almonds, almond flour, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and olive oil in a bowl. With a spoon, mix the ingredients together and break up the little balls that form.
8. Sprinkle the topping over the chocolate-berry base.
9. Bake the crisp for 20 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown and the berries are slightly cooked (don’t cook the crisp until the berries are mush—they should still have some firmness).
10. Cool for 20 minutes or more before serving.
Works Cited
Lewin, Jo. "The Health Benefits of Strawberries." BBC Good Food. BBC, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2015.
Mazza, GJ. "Anthocyanins and Heart Health." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2015.
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