You can still have your chocolate and peanut butter and eat it too.

I’m not alone when I say that Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are among my favorite dessert snacks. They’re just delicious – end of story. However, when it comes to watching your waistline, the last thing you should do is reach for the packaged variation. Instead, take 10 minutes and create your own refined-sugar-free version of this American favorite.

In one serving of Reese’s Peanut Cups, we’re looking at 210 calories, 110 of which come from fat. The 2-piece serving also carries with it 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 5 milligrams of cholesterol. Considering that one serving fulfills 20% of your daily allowance of fat and a whopping 21 grams of simple sugar, the treat is artery-clogging and contributes to spikes in blood sugar levels.

Ingredients include the likes of peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, stabilizer tertiary butyl hydroquinone, cocoa butter, chocolate, non-fat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin and PGPR. I can’t quite pronounce tertiary butyl hydroquinone, but it sure packs a toxic punch. The chemical preservative is rendered to be deadly when 5 grams or more are consumed. The overly processed milk used in Reese’s negatively affects digestion, hormones, and acne.

The wonderful part about Reese’s is that it is easy to change without compromising taste. This recipe revamp uses all-natural, unsalted peanut butter, low-glycemic maple syrup, and coconut butter. Not all fats are the same, and coconut butter brings with it 3 grams of dietary fiber in just 1 tablespoon. And no simple sugars here! Cocoa powder is paired with maple syrup to give you the sweetness without the sugar rush. Enjoy!

Homemade Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 6

Ingredients:

Chocolate Shell:

1/2 cup coconut butter, mixed well

3 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Dash of sea salt

Filling:

3 heaping teaspoons unsalted peanut butter

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of sea salt

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut butter and mix in the remainder of the chocolate shell ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined and remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix until smooth.

Line 6 muffin tins with baking cups.

On the bottom of each cup, place about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. Spread so it evenly covers the base. In the center of the chocolate foundation, add 1/2 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture.

Conceal the peanut butter layer with another teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. Spread so the top is flat.

After you’ve done all six, pop into the freezer and allow the peanut butter cups to harden. Remove the paper baking cups and enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Revamping a Reese’s appeared first on EcoSalon.

A childhood favorite gets a massive revamp.

Pop-tarts may look like fun and games, but their festive colors and playful sprinkles are where the goodness ends. These famous breakfast treats are no way to start the day.

One Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry pastry contains 200 calories, 5 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of protein, and 16 grams of sugar. Its ingredient list includes the likes of wheat flour, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, coloring, preservatives, and a slew of other hard-to-pronounce artificial ingredients.

The most alarming feature of store-bought pop-tarts is their sugar content. With 16 grams of sugar and less than 1 gram of fiber, the famous treat is not fit for breakfast. Its white flour and sugar content only offers something to chew on, not thrive on. And with two pastries per bag, the risk of having more than just one is worrisome, ultimately doubling all the aforementioned statistics. This begs for a recipe that lets you get some pop-tart love, without the handles.

These Strawberry Spelt Pop-Tarts use a simple spelt flour crust and no-added-sugar strawberry preserves. For a sweet and decadent finish, coconut butter is infused with strawberry flavor and slathered on top of the pop-tart. When all is said and done, you’ll be licking your lips and asking for more.

Spelt is a better alternative to white flour because it contains more B-vitamins, protein, and complex carbohydrates. It is also easier to digest. Coconut butter and oil are among the healthiest fats on earth. Most oils change biochemically when cooked at high temperatures, rendering them toxic and acidic in our bodies. Coconut oil has a relatively high burning temperature and is thus a better bet when cooking and baking. Studies have shown that coconut oil and butter both contribute to increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

This recipe should be tweaked to your fruit preferences. Use any flavor preserves you like! Make the dough on a Sunday night and each morning of the following week, roll out a piece of the dough, assemble pieces with preserves, and bake to a crispy finish, all under 15 minutes. It’s deceivingly simple. Now, let’s get poppin’!

Strawberry Spelt Pop-Tarts

Makes 6

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup coconut oil* (semi-hard)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons ice cold almond milk

For the Filling

• 3 tablespoons strawberry preserves

For the Icing

• 1/2 cup coconut butter*
• 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves

*Note: coconut oil and butter are not the same thing. Coconut oil is extracted from coconut meat, while coconut butter contains the meat.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl mix together the spelt flour and sea salt. With a fork, begin to press the coconut oil, which should be soft but not melted, into the flour.

Add the almond milk and knead the dough with your hands until it holds together in a ball.

Form a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator for at least an hour, so that it becomes easier to work with and roll out.

I make one pop tart at a time. Sprinkle spelt flour on the counter surface, take a handful of the dough, and roll it out until it is 1/4-inch thick, using more spelt flour when needed to prevent sticking.

Use a pizza wheel to cut two, 3×4-inch rectangles. Place 1/2 tablespoon of preserves onto one of the rectangles, leaving a half-inch space between the preserves and the edges.

Place the other dough slice on top of the one with preserves. Use the edge of a fork to seal the edges.

Place the sealed pop tart on a baking sheet greased with coconut oil. Brush a layer of coconut oil on the top layer as well. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.

While the pop tart bakes, prepare the icing by mixing together the coconut butter and strawberry preserves until evenly combined. Each pop tart will get a hefty teaspoon slathered on top.

Garnish with strawberries and mint and pop ‘em in your mouth! Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Photo Credit: Oksay

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Revamping Pop-Tarts appeared first on EcoSalon.

Since its introduction in 1912, NaBisCo’s Oreo cookie has becoming the best selling cookie of the 20th century in the U.S. This classic snack – crème smeared between two chocolate discs – is a childhood classic. But despite its popularity in numbers – more than 362 billion Oreos have been sold since 1912 – the cookie isn’t winning friends among health enthusiasts.

The first listed ingredient in Oreos is sugar. Other offenders include enriched flour, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring. One serving of Oreos equates to three cookies, which together contain 7 grams of fat, 2 of which are saturated, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, 160 milligrams of sodium, and traces of calcium and iron.

Overall, the cookie is devoid of any significant nutrition and packed with empty calories and low-quality carbohydrates that only spike blood-sugar levels rather than add digestion-friendly fiber. The solution is to get as simple and pure as possible. The following recipe is an almost-raw, vegan version of Oreos, without the sugar and flour. Coconut butter is a rich and decadent alternative to the vanilla crème, while a walnut and date mixture become the ultimate power couple for the discs. The result is a denser, more satisfying treat that fills you up with enzymes, nutrients, and taste!

Pair with a glass of warm vanilla almond milk if you’re feeling the occasion!

Vegan Oreo Cookies

Makes 10-15 cookies

Ingredients:

For the chocolate wafers

• 1 cup walnuts
• 8 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• Dash of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the vanilla crème filling

• 1/2 cup coconut butter

Directions:

For the filling, process all ingredients until the mixture forms a ball.

Roll out the walnut mixture so that it is about 1/2-inch thick. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until hardened and easier to work with.

Use a 2-inch diameter cookie cutter to form discs.

Place 1 teaspoon of coconut butter between two discs and press both sides of the cookie together so the cream flattens and resembles an Oreo.

Enjoy the healthy fats of the walnuts and coconut butter as well as the fiber and potassium founds in the dates. This is a much healthier and more satisfying alternative to the virtually nutritionally-devoid Oreo cookie.

Store these in a refrigerator to prevent the coconut cream from getting too soft or melting.

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Photograph source: So Good Blog

The post Nutritional Breakdown: The Oreo Goes Gluten-Free appeared first on EcoSalon.