Detoxing from sugar can be serious business. Dishes like these kept me on board when my thoughts started wandering toward pastries. Eventually your sweet tolerance adjusts and sugar becomes an afterthought.
All of these ingredients have their own kind of sweetness to them, and it exposes itself more and more the longer you stay away from refined sweeteners. Berries are loaded with nutrition without adding too much sugar to your diet.
I love this recipe with raspberries for their tartness but other berries are a bit sweeter. Cardamom is an exotic Indian spice that pairs quite harmoniously with the berry queendom. Fresh or frozen berries work quite well, just make sure you don’t lose any of the juice when using frozen. Serve warm with some coconut yogurt.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° F and prepare an 8” baking dish.
Stir together the berries, banana, arrowroot, and vanilla (if using) directly in the baking pan. Let the arrowroot blend in as much as possible, then add the water and stir. The mixture should be pretty soupy or the dish will come out dry.
It’s better to have it be a little too wet than dry.
Place the buckwheat in a food processor or blender and grind it up for 15 – 20 seconds. Take some of the finely ground buckwheat and spread it over the fruit. Move the rest to a bowl.
In a food processor, grind the dates, almonds, into a chunky paste. Add it to the buckwheat along with the cardamom and stir it together well, you may want to use your hand.
Spread the mixture over the top of the fruit and top with the chopped walnuts, making sure to press the walnuts in a bit before popping the whole thing in the oven for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the walnuts smell toasty.
Variations
You can substitute oats for the buckwheat, just grind them a little less before mixing with the almond date paste. The fruit layer has many alternatives such as apple, pear, or mango. You’ll have to adjust the water according to the juiciness of the fruit.
Your choice of spice can make huge changes in the outcome. Try adding some minced fresh ginger. Cinnamon has a home in this dish but you can also try a pinch or two of the powerful spices clove and nutmeg.
If you can get your hands on edible flower waters such as rose, or lavender, you’ll be in heaven by adding 5-10 ml of it to the fruit layer.
Enhance your daily intake of omegas by adding 1 or 2 spoonfuls of hempseeds, chia, or pumpkin seeds to the almond and dates while grinding to a paste.