(Vegan, dairy free, refined sugar free).
There’s something about a rice krispie cake that kids love to make... and eat. And more than a hunch tells me it’s got something to do with the melted chocolate and gooey marshmallows & the association with parties. This recipe was one of my first challenges when I went sugarfree, trying to appease my visiting niece! Behold, here’s my no fuss, no added sugar, no dairy ‘no-rice-krispie-rice-krispie-cakes’ made with puffed quinoa.
The definition of ‘treat’ has changed so much for me since looking at ways to improve my Endometrisis. The biggest challenge of all was how to avoid sugar. After I learned that there was a direct link to Endometrisis (& pcos & other autoimmune diseases) caused by eating sugar and how it disrupts hormones and causes chronic inflammation throughout the body, making healthy versions of our most loved treats became a healthy obsession.
The greatest part of this journey was discovering that I could make dietary changes that would positively impact the disease while still eating delicious foods.
It’s so easy to eat sugary snacks telling ourselves they’re ‘treats’, a packet of biscuits (filled with hydrogenated fat & sugar), or a bag of fructose syrup filled jelly sweets. It’s all so convenient. We sit and mindlessly munch. When we interrupt this hand-to-mouth mindless eating and really consider what we eat, we can pause and make better food decisions.
While I might be reaping the benefits of a sugar free life, my visiting 4 year old niece wanted to bake ‘rice krispie cakes’. I was told she’d been good at school and she wanted something ‘nice’ to eat... so I said we’d make them... of course with a few healthy changes to the ingredients. First to go was the blood-sugar-spiking melted chocolate, marshmallows & rice crispies - they were swapped for no bake healthy ingredients & were so easy to make.
Ingredients
3 cups puffed quinoa
1/4 cup of soft dates
1/2 cup peanut/hazelnut butter
1/2 cup cacao powder
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 cup almond/oat/coconut milk
Drop of vanilla
Pinch salt
Method
1. Add the dates, nut butter, cacao, plant milk, vanilla, melted coconut oil and pinch of salt to the processor and whizz till combined and a loose paste is formed.
2. Empty the mixture in to a mixing bowl and add in the puffed quinoa. Fold in to the paste mixture until all covered and clumping together.
3. spoon it in to a tray, level it out and place in the fridge for 30mins or until set.
4. Cut in to squares and serve.
Check out the rest of my website for more healthy recipes with no added sugar, along with help and advice on living a low or no sugar lifestyle.
You can find out more about the benefits of cutting out excess sugar from your diet hey watching my video below or reading my blog here.
And if you would like to experience all of the benefits of a sugar detox you can sign up to my 21 Day Sugar Detox here.