These tasty cheesecake bars are just nutritious food disguised as a sweet treat. Ha Ha! Made with high-protein yogurt or kefir with almonds and chia seeds, they’re a luscious snack anytime. I must confess, I actually lived on desserts like this for two entire years while I was writing my cookbook “Paleo Desserts”! Every day was a wonderful new flavor experience. And I didn’t gain a pound! Ha Ha! This is the power of real food from Nature!
I love goat yogurt, especially since it can be consumed by many dairy-intolerant folks, as the protein molecules in goat milk are shorter than those found in cow milk. Look for a yogurt or kefir that’s grass-fed or non-GMO. A chocolate crust made with pure cacao gives you a sweet anti-oxidant dose of phenylethylamine, the love-chemical. Flax oil and chia seeds add a powerful Omega-3 punch. Lemon peel and pulp are loaded with vitamin-C and flavonoids. If you use zero-glycemic chicory root sweetener, you’ll receive a natural pre-biotic to help build healthy intestinal flora. I used Redwood Hill plain goat kefir, which has no additives or stabilizers.
This recipe is inspired by the healing work of Dr. Johana Budwig, German cancer physician, and 7 times Nobel Prize nominee for her 95% success rate healing cancer. Dr. Budwig discovered a powerful combination for treating and preventing cancer using flaxseed oil combined with “sulphurated proteins” in fermented milk such as yogurt. No sugar is allowed in her recipes. Dr. Budwig’s work is a guide for natural healers, but has been largely disregarded by mainstream medicine. See her book “The Oil Protein Cookbook”. I have long been interested in her recipes, and this delicious recipe is the result. Have all ingredients at room temperature to avoid separation. You can freeze leftover bars (if there are any) in a BPA-free storage container for up to 3 months. Makes a 9 x 9 pan, or about 64 bars, depending on how you cut them. Enjoy!
Yes, my teeth marks. Deeeelish!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds, stirred into 3 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 cup almonds, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts)
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons pure cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Sweetener to taste: 2/3 cup Swerve Sweetener, or 1 1/2 tablespoons PureLo Sweetener by Swanson, or a scant 1/2 cup raw honey, or 2/3 cup of your favorite sweetener.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- Zest of 2 lemons, Meyer’s if available, finely grated
- 2 lemons, peeled, sliced and seeded (150 grams lemon juice and pulp)
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain full-fat goat yogurt or kefir (I used Redwood Hill Farm, available in most groceries, at room temperature.)
- 170 grams hard coconut butter, or about 3/4 cup softened. (If you’re using a food processor, it can be hard. If mixing in a blender, soften it first by putting the container in a bowl of warm water.)
- Sweetener to taste: 1 cup Swerve Sweetener, or 2 1/2 tablespoons PureLo Sweetener by Swanson, or 2/3 cup raw honey, or 1 cup of your favorite sweetener.
- 1/8 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red palm oil or 1/4 finely grated carrot, optional, for color
- 1/4 cup flax oil
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted but not hot
- 2 teaspoons Agar Powder, dissolved in 1/3 cup coconut milk or water. (or 2 tablespoons Agar Flakes, if you can blend very well)
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the sides like handles
- In a small bowl, stir together the chia seeds and water, and set aside.
- In a food processor, add almonds, coconut, cacao, coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add chia mixture last and mix well. Press crust into the pan and chill.
- For a smooth texture with no separation, have all ingredients at room temperature.
- Zest the 2 lemons. Put half of the zest into the food processor or blender, setting aside the other half for garnish. With a sharp serrated knife, cut away the white pith from the lemons. Slice the peeled lemons, seeding as you go. Add the juice and pulp to the food processor or blender.
- To the food processor or blender, add yogurt, coconut butter, sweetener, salt, and vanilla. Add almond extract, and palm oil or carrot, if using. Mix well.
- Add flax oil and melted coconut oil. Mix well until velvety smooth.
- In a shallow pan, stir agar powder into 1/3 cup liquid until the agar dissolves. Heat slowly to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Stir and allow it to bubble gently for 45 seconds, yes - counting is good. (If you're using Agar Flakes, cook it for 2-3 minutes)
- Then add cooked agar to the yogurt mixture in the blender or food processor, and mix well until smooth. Pour the filling into crust and press flat. Chill until firm 3-6 hours or overnight. You can chill it faster in the freezer, but don’t freeze it all the way through or it will be too hard to slice. It’s better to freeze for no more than 1 hour, and then continue chilling in the refrigerator.
- Lift handles to remove bars from the pan. Sprinkle with lemon zest, cut into squares, and serve.
“Nature itself is the best physician.” Hippocrates, 460 – 400 BCE, Greek doctor, often called the father of modern medicine.
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