Many of us have a personalized Kryptonite of the food world. For some that may be fast food, or salty foods for others. For me, and I am sure millions of others, desserts are the bane of my foodie existence. There isn’t much in the wonderful world of sweets that I do not enjoy, and curbing my desire to dive head first onto the dessert tray at any given restaurant is a feat of epic will and personal strength.
However, I am not ignorant to the damages sugar can do to my body, especially white, bleached, ultra-refined and over-processed sugar. A while ago I was determined to use organic, natural alternatives and have since come up with three awesome recipes that either use no sugar or agave nectar in its place.
You can use your Google-Fu to learn all about the wonderful qualities of using agave nectar in lieu of processed sugar. If you remain unconvinced, using organic, unbleached sugar is another great alternative and just by reducing the recipe’s sugar amount by 1/4th-1/2 of whatever it calls for can make a difference.
Without further ado, I present three delicious sweet but not sugary desserts:

ALL NATURAL BANANA ICE CREAM:

1. Place ripe organic bananas in freezer overnight (2 bananas per serving)
2. Remove banana from freezer, chop and slice away peel
3. Place banana chunks in food processor
4. Add a touch of milk (tablespoon or two)
5. Process & pulse until the consistency of ice cream
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

* I use unsweetened rice milk. If you are dissatisfied with the banana flavor alone, using a flavored rice or almond milk can add a rich flavor. If your sweet tooth still begs for more, a tsp of agave nectar or honey may do the trick as well but I prefer the banana flavor on its own.
* This recipe, ever-so slightly modified, was shared with me by Susan Powter.

THE PERFECT COOKIE

3 organic very ripe bananas
1/2 cup Trader Joe’s creamy organic peanut butter
slightly less than 1/4 cup canola oil (maybe 2 TBS)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar
2 tsp. flax seed meal
3/4th c. rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4th cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

BOWL ONE: mash the bananas with the peanut butter, agave nectar, oil and vanilla.
BOWL TWO: Stir together the flax, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients along with the chocolate and stir until combined.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, or one that is sprayed with nonstick spray, and bake for 12-14 minutes, until just set.

Notes:

* I have conflicting recipes regarding the amount of flax seed & oats and both worked out fine. You can use one OR the other, or both at reduced measurements. It really is up to you and your desired cookie consistency, with a minimum of 2 tsp. of flax and up to 1/2 cup depending on your tastes. Oats can be anywhere from 1/4th to 3/4th cup.
* The trick with using agave nectar is knowing how your oven behaves! If your oven runs hot, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and always keep an eye on your cookies – or a nose in the air! I know my oven well enough that I can bake these cookies by heart, but when I tried to apply it to an unfamiliar oven they were burning within 7-10 minutes.
* This recipe is a modified version of the one from Dinner with Julie

LEMON SQUARES

1 1/2c. pastry flour (crust)
1/4thc. all-purpose unbleached flour (filling)
2/3c + 1 TBS agave nectar (separate amounts)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt + 1/2 tsp (filling)
1/2c. cold butter, cubed
4 eggs
Zest and juice of four lemons, separated
powdered sugar (for dusting)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In medium bowl, combine pastry flour, 1 TBS agave nectar, 1/4thtsp salt.
3. Add cubed butter to mixture and with your hands combine butter with flour until crumbly mixture forms
4. Press mixture into a greased/lined 9×13 pan. Bake crust for 15 minutes or until golden on the edges.
5. As crust bakes, combine zest of lemons and agave nectar in medium sized bowl & incorporate well. Whisk eggs in, then add lemon juice. SLOWLY add the all-purpose flour and 1/2tsp of salt.
6. Pour lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is set and doesn’t wiggle.
7. Remove lemon bars from oven and allow to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and cutting.

Notes:

* Using pastry flour is essential and makes for a lighter, tastier crust.
* I used sea salt, personally. These are the most lemony delicious lemon squares I’ve ever tasted!
* This recipe is a modified version of the one found at The Crepes of Wrath

Question: What kind of food is difficult for you to resist?