Tag: refined sugar free

Desserts, Holiday Recipes

Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars

by Mariela4 Comments on Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars
Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars

Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars with a shortbread crust and loaded with nuts.

These healthy vegan pecan bars with a shortbread-style crust are perfect for your holiday feast. These are vegan, refined sugar-free, and loaded with nuts. These healthy vegan pecan bars are the perfect portion for a snack or dessert. They are pretty much a pecan pie but in the form of a bar. My coworkers and my family loved these bars so much. It’s amazing how you can twist a recipe to make it healthy and still enjoy some sweetness.

Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars with a shortbread crust and loaded with nuts.

For these bars, I used monk fruit and replaced the corn syrup with agave syrup. I love using the Lakanto brand because you use the same ration and it won’t change the flavor. You can also check out my Apple Cider Sugar-Free Donuts recipe for another delicious fall dessert. These pecan bars are way heavier on the pecans than on the filling, so if you’re a big fan of pecans but not so much the super sweet pie filling, these are just for you.

These bars could not possibly be any easier to make. The crust is mixed by hand, pressed into the pan, just a  whisk of the filling ingredient, folding in the pecans, and done. These bars are all about the pecans! To enhance the pecan flavor, roast pecan halves in the oven over 300 degrees F for 8 minutes. This step is optional but totally recommended.

These bars are:

  • Easy to Make
  • Delicious
  • Ultra-nutty
  • The Perfect portion.
  • Great for the holidays.
  • Refined Sugar-Free.
  • Loaded with nuts.
  • Great for a snack or dessert.
  • It can be made with gluten-free flour.
Other Fall Recipes on My Blog:

Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel

Easy Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #thehungrydragonfly on Instagram! I love seeing your creations!

Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars

Mariela
These healthy vegan pecan bars with a shortbread-style crust are perfect for your holiday feast. These are vegan, refined sugar-free, and loaded with nuts.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 bars
Calories 268 kcal

Equipment

  • 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour you can replace for gluten-free blend
  • 6 tbsp monk fruit or granulated sugar I use Lakanto brand
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup vegan buttery spread or regular butter melted

For the Filling:

  • 3/4 cup monk fruit, brown sugar blend I used Lakanto brand
  • 2/3 cup agave syrup or corn syrup you can replace for maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup vegan buttery spread or regular butter melted and hot
  • 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
  • 1.2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups pecan halves roasted

Instructions
 

  • Inside a baking tray bake pecan halves for 8 minutes under 300 degrees. Set aside.

Make the crust:

  • Adjust oven rack to the lowest position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line up a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and stir using a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
  • Using your hands continue to combine until no flour remains and a small portion of dough holds together when squeezed.
  • Evenly spread spoons of dough over your baking pan. Using your fingertips, press and smooth dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Make the Filling:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, agave syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well combined.
  • Fold pecan halves into the sugar mixture until the pecans are evenly coated.
  • Pour the pecan mixture over the crust, using a rubber spatula. Spread it working it to the edges and into corners. You will have bare patches and that's okay.
  • Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbly across the entire surface.
  • Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let bars cool completely in the pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into 20 to 24 bars and serve.
  • Store bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

You can make these bars gluten-free by replacing the flour. Also, you can replace the sweetener for your favorite blend.  
Keywords dessert, fall recipes, healthy vegan pecan bars, pecan bars, vegan

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Desserts

Passion Fruit Coconut Tart (Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar Free)

by MarielaLeave a Comment on Passion Fruit Coconut Tart (Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar Free)
Passion Fruit Coconut Tart (Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar Free)

This healthy tart will bring you to a tropical paradise. It has all that tropical flavors you need right now. It’s vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free and so delicious. Plus is so easy to make with simple ingredients.

I made this tart using passion fruits that my family sent me from Puerto Rico. If you don’t have passion fruits available in your area, you can use frozen purée or replace it for mango. Growing up in Puerto Rico gave me the chance of eating all the tropical fruits and desserts you can’t imagine. My favorite tropical desserts are made with coconut and passion fruit. Here where I live it’s almost impossible to buy fresh passion fruit. So, my family spoils me with care packages with tropical candies and fruits.

If you are using passion fruits here’s a video of how I separate the pulp from the seeds without blending. I find this method more effective even though it requires more time.

For this tart you can use “Agar-Agar” powder or corn starch. Here I give you both options because sometime Agar powder it’s hard to find at the supermarket.

If you don’t know what Agar powder is, don’t worry I got you covered. Agar is a naturally gelatinous powder derived from marine red algae. It’s the perfect vegetarian substitute for beef gelatin in any food application, and makes an excellent thickener for soups, jellies, ice cream and more. Substituting agar flakes with cornstarch is easy; all you have to do is use a simple 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to agar flakes.

If you are allergic to any of the ingredients listed on the recipe, make sure to replace it for something suitable for you to eat. Also, feel free to sweetened your tart depending on your taste.

I hope you try this recipe and like it as much as much as I do! If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #thehungrydragonfly on Instagram! I love seeing your creations!

Here’s the Recipe:

Passion Fruit Coconut Tart (Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar Free)

passion-fruit-tart-printable-recipeDownload

Serving: 1 Tart

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: Refrigerate for 4-6 hours

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

  • 1 ¼ cups Gluten-Free rolled oats
  • ½ cup Shredded coconut
  • ½ cup Pecans or almonds
  • 10 dates, pitted
  • 4 tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
  • 1 tbsp Maple syrup

For Tart Filling:

  • 6 Passion Fruits or 1 Pouch of frozen purée
  • ¼ Maple syrup or more to taste
  • 1 Can of full fat coconut milk
  • ½ Can of coconut cream
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp agar-agar powder or replace for 2 tbsp of cornstarch

Instructions:

  1. Grease an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom using coconut oil or non-stick spray.
  2. In a blender combine crust ingredients and blend until well incorporated. It will be crumbly and sticky.
  3. Press tart crust firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan and refrigerate while you work with your filling.
  4. Prepare a large bowl with a mesh sieve. Cut passion fruits in half and scoop the pulp into the mesh sieve.
  5. Using a fork start scraping the seeds and separate the pulp from the seeds. **See Video**
  6. If using frozen purée skip step five. *See recipe notes if using a blender to separate the seeds from the pulp.
  7. You should have ½ of passion fruit juice.
  8. Pour passion fruit, coconut milk, coconut cream into a medium saucepan over low heat.
  9. When mixture becomes warm, add the agar-agar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Cook until agar-agar is completely dissolve. Allow to boil for 30 to 60 seconds.
  10. Pour mixture into prepared pan, cover with a plate and refrigerate for at least for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

**RECIPE NOTES**

If you are using cornstarch the process will be different because you will have to dissolve cornstarch before adding it to the mixture. Also, you have to cook it for about 5 minutes until you get a creamy consistency. Then you can refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

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