Sumera's Healthy and Easy To Make Holiday Desserts

Hello Friends,

The holidays are around the corner and that means there will be lots of delicious treats. From Hannukkah to Christmas to New Year’s Eve, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy active lifestyle and diet.

After losing my dad, as a kid, to diabetic complications and then watching my grandmother almost lose a leg due to a diabetic foot condition, our family has come together and made it a habit of making delicious meals and desserts that are both nutritious and better balanced. We know that giving up everything can lead to binge eating and the opposite results. 

Here are two festive desserts that you can bring to any Holiday party this season and not feel too guilty about eating them or giving them away ;).

Sumera’s Bran Loaf with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds (1-Bowl Dessert with No Refined Sugar or Dairy)

Ingredients (all room temperature except for the frozen berries)

  • 2 cups bran flakes

  • 1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

  • 1 cup dairy-free milk or cold Earl Grey tea

  • 1 large free-run egg (can remove the egg yolk to reduce the cholesterol)

  • 1/3 cup raw honey

  • 1/3 cup vegan butter or any mild flavored oil like vegetable or canola

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • a pinch of salt

  • 1 1/2 cup of frozen cranberries (you can add frozen bananas or blueberries but it will increase the amount of sugar in the recipe)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8 loaf pan with parchement paper

  2. In a large bowl, add all of the wet ingredients and whisk together. Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add in the bran, flour, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, and fold together. Fold in the frozen cranberries and mix lightly.

  3. Scoop the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is light brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out slightly clean

  4. Leave to cool and then slice. Best served the next day.

Nutritional facts: high in fiber and antioxidants, medium in carbohydrates, and low in cholesterol and sugar.

Sumera’s Snow Log Coconut Bars (Food-Processor Dessert with No Refined Sugar, Dairy, or Gluten)

Filling Ingredients (all room temperature) - makes 8 medium bars/logs

  • 1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut condensed milk

  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

  • 1/2 cup of almond flour

  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract

  • a pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free (55% or higher)

  • 4 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil

Method:

  1. In a food processor pulse all of the filling ingredients together until a paste is formed (6 to 8 pulses). Make the bars/logs from the mixture. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.

  2. Melt the chocolate chips, coffee, and butter on the stove or in the microwave for 60 seconds or until the chocolate chips have melted and the texture is shiny and slightly thin. If you want it runny, you can add more vegan butter/oil.

  3. Dip the bars in the melted chocolate and code them the way you want. Place them back on the tray and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

  4. Once the chocolate sets, you can put the logs in a tin and store them in the fridge for up to 7 days.

    Nutritional facts: high in iron and fiber, low in carbohydrates, moderate in fats.