Simple Summer Desserts -- Shhh! They're Good For You, Too!

Summer Smoothie-sicles

Summer Smoothie-sicles!

 Everyone loves popsicles – so why not make them a little healthier and more substantial than what the ice cream truck is offering? You can take this simple recipe and add all kinds of healthy secrets: non-dairy yogurt, liquid chlorophyll, dehydrated greens powders, vitamin C powder, or even soaked nuts and seeds. Go crazy!

I also like using the new silicon popsicle molds – why have your food freezing in petroleum based plastic molds?

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh fruit juice (except citrus)¼ cup fresh green juice (kale, cucumber, celery, etc)1 tablespoon liquid chlorophyll1 cup non-dairy yogurt1 Medjool date

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients together until very smooth. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 5 hours or until frozen solid. 

Raw Choco-Almond Date Bars

It’s too hot to turn on the oven in summer, which is why raw desserts are so welcome – oh, and they taste amazing with almost no effort!Using raw cacao powder provides the body with iron, protein, and antioxidants. Found online and in health food stores, raw cacao powder tastes good and is easier for many people to consume without negative effects of processed chocolate.Note: To make the nuts easier to digest, you can soak them together covered in water overnight then drain before competing the recipe.Ingredients:1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted1 cup raw, unsalted almonds½ cup raw, unsalted cashews1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes1 tablespoon water1/3 cup raw cacao powder or carob powderpinch sea salt or pink Himalayan salt1/3 cup brown rice syrup, agave nectar or real maple syrupDirections:1. Make sure the coconut oil is melted by measuring it into a small saucepan and heating it over low. Of course in the summer, mine is melted in the jar just sitting out at room temperature.2. Combine the almonds and cashews in a food processor and pulse 10 to 12 times until they’re pulverized and no large pieces remain.3. Add the remaining ingredients including the oil to the food processor and continue to pulse until the mixture is well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.4. Line a 9 inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Scoop the mixture into the baking dish and flatten with your hand or a rubber spatula. Wrap the pan with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight.5. Remove from the refrigerator and cut the hardened cake into bars about 3 inches square.Smoothie-sicles recipe originally printed in Living Vegan For DummiesRaw Choco Bars recipe originally printed in Vegan Cooking For Dummies