This recipe was a group effort. I am currently studying Iridology and every Wednesday night a group of amazingly dedicated nutritionists schlep out to the suburbs for our class. Get a group of holistic nutritionists together and we talk about food. We love nothing more than simple, wholesome, short ingredient list recipes and that is how this bit of Banana, Coconut, Almond Heaven came about.
Dr. Tom, an MD who recovered from a death sentence cancer diagnosis with nutrition and is now studying along with the rest of us, brought in a snack for us to try that, he boasted, was made of just four ingredients. Coconut oil, carob, stevia and vanilla. So simple and so delicious. I am not a huge stevia fan, at least not in large amounts, but it was delish.
On the drive back to the city after class, my carpool chiquittas and I were discussing this recipe and how we could turn it into a peanut butter cup. We decided instead that we might be able to make a healthy version of a nanaimo bar more easily- adding some banana and almond topping.
This did add a few more ingredients but the health benefits of this treat are rather astounding. The base is made of coconut oil (which I have shared the super powers of) and carob, with a little vanilla extract and omega 3 powered walnuts. The second layer is simply banana and almonds pureed together. This makes this dessert incredibly low on the glycemic index, very high in protein and a superb source of an array of good wholesome, healing fats. It is completely grain, sugar, and dairy free making it an awesome dessert for diabetics, cancer sufferers, IBS/IBD sufferers, anyone on a candida cleanse, detox diet, anti-inflammatory protocol (do I need to go on?).
It is rich and decadent and absolutely healthy. I personally love the taste of coconut oil, but depending on your preference you may chose a milder tasting one for this. Another option would be to leave off the banana, and you can also add in a drop or two of Peppermint essential oil (make sure it’s food grade such as Young Living, Member Number: 1062980) to make it minty.
Banana Coconut Almond Heaven
1/3 cup cold pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1-2 Tbs Carob (or cocoa if you are feeling decadent)
2 tsp vanilla (optional for candida)
1 banana
1/4 cup almond butter (or almonds, ground into a meal)
2 drops peppermint essential oil (optional: Young Living, 106298)
2 Tbs coconut
- Melt coconut oil in pan.
- Remove from heat and stir in carob and vanilla and peppermint oil (optional)
- Mix thoroughly and add in walnuts
- Pour in to small dish with an edge (I use a small glass pyrex) and place in freezer for ten minute until layer has hardened
- Blend together banana and almonds
- Layer over top of coconut oil/carob
- Sprinkle with coconut
- Place back in freezer for two hours.
- Using a sharp knife- cut into squares.
This sounds sooo amazing!!
=-D
My 3 favorite foods are the title of this healthy treat! You know I am making this!!
I have raw carob and I’m not going to lie… it is not my favorite. Do you use raw or roasted and where do you purchase? I really need to find some that tastes better because I can’t bring myself to use it….
Thanks Meghan!
This looks wonderful and I have all the ingredients on hand. Hmmm, might have to try this. Now! Thanks for linking to wikipedia as I had no idea what a nanaimo bar was. Learn something new every day.
Are you liking the Iridology class?
Melissa
Looks very luscious! And while I’m not a fan of coconut oil on its own, I think I would like this bar! I may try the non-banana version while on the ACD and see how it goes. Thanks for this great recipe!
Do we need a password for the essential oils? I’m confused as to how it works on their site with your member number! Thank you Luvie!
That really looks like heaven! Yum!
So simple, but so lovely!
I’ve a little jar of coconut oil as yet untouched…this will be a very nice way to break her in, I reckon. Bookmarking immediately!
Got it! Thank you! You left the last 0 off of your member number in this post! I’m all signed up and shopping right now : )
Love it! Deliciously healthy! I love the combination of carob and banana,have made a version myself.First time I encounter the use of peppermint essential oil in food,I am intrigued …
Mia
Thanks Meghan!
I forgot to ask- how much does this recipe make? About what size is your pyrex? I have about 10 different sized pyrex so I’m not quite sure what your version of small is!
This sounds yummy! I want to try it and I have all of the ingredients to make it today.
As an aside, what about chia seeds? I’ve read a lot about the Omega benefits and have ordered them from a company in California for myself. I’ve added them to my morning cereal and a batch of cookies so far. I love them.
mmm that looks wonderful, i’ll def make them! for some reason, i’ve noticed that there aren’t a lot of bananas in raw desserts. weird, isn’t it? yours is a wonderful start
thanks for the comment, when i have more time i’ll be looking through all your posts!
Meghan – just came back to re-read the post itself after putting dinner in the oven. I’m not even sure how to pose this question – but is there a book or books you can recommend that follow or show you how to follow an anti-inflamatory protocol?
Thanks for any input you can impart.
My goodness this is so healthy, so delicious, so amazing. I wish I had coconut oil in my house so i could make this right now!!
I found coconut oil in the health food section of my local supermarket – lucky me!
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Hiya Meghan,
I just found your site from your comment on the Elana’s Pantry site. So, I am browsing your recipes; and I am totally thrilled to see another Young Living Essential Oils user!!! My husband and I have been using the oils in so many ways including cooking for a long time. I use not only peppermint oil but also the citrus oils and herb oils recommended in their cookbooks in my cooking. We also use the daily oils, and use Thieves, Raven, and Immupower Essential Oils whenever either of us feels like we are coming down with something nasty. Neither of us has had to take antibiotics for infections in a very long time. I love your site, and I will be following your blog from now on. Keep up the good work!!
Much love and many blessings,
June
I am pretty sure mine is roasted. I think carob is kind of like cilantro in that people either like or don’t and there is no middle ground. Not sure what your allergies are like but you could always substitute real cocoa, or use the peppermint oil instead and leave the carob out.
Hi Amandamoo- the way it works is that you have to sign up to order directly (or you can order through me- but that is likely not the most convenient). SO to order you sign in as a customer (or distributor if you want), and in order to sign in- you need a customer number of someone who is already selling the products. I use these products in my natural body care workshop and so I have a customer number. You can use my number to sign in the first time. Let me know if you have any other questions or challenges with it. I know it’s a bit confusing.
Oh! Thanks for the catch. Their products are amazing (I am very selective about what I recommend). Event their pots and pans!
I made mine in a small dish (like 4 x 2 or something like that. You could go a little bigger and have the layers be thinner which might be nice.
Lessie- Chia seeds are fantastic sources of fibre and omega 3s and unlike flax, they don;t need to be ground before eating. A great and easy way to eat them, in addition to sprinkling on salads and oatmeal, or mixing in a smoothie si just to mix them up in apple sauce.