Finding Inspiration--Chocolate Sunflower Spread

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 I updated this post with a photo, so you can see what you're making.  I think it's worth re-posting because it's been such a hit around my kitchen this summer (so far), that it might create some lunchtime smiles in yours!

This summer, my son Casey learned to swim.  He came close last year, but this year he got it.  One of the things I love most about Casey is his fierce spirit.  He committed himself to making a swim team, and now he's on it.

What does that have to do with food, you might wonder?

If you have a food-allergic or otherwise food-challenged child, I bet you know right away what this has to do with food.  Trying to ensure good nutrition and adequate calories in a child who is limited by biology (not to mention choice... darn pickiness!) can be demanding, to say the least.  Add in twice-weekly swim practices, and what's a mom to do?

Chocolate Sunflower Spread

Luckily, there are some great resources out there to help make the job of packing a socially acceptable, tasty, nutritious and most-of-all safe lunch a little bit easier.  One of those resources is the fantastic blog, Diet, Dessert and Dogs written by Ricki Heller.

If you don't know this blog, I encourage you to check it out--and soon.  First of all, Ricki is a completely entertaining writer.  Even when she's cooking up something that won't work for our family, I still love to read the little essay that goes with the recipe.  Lots of times, though, she inspires me to think about ingredients in a new and different way.

Ricki came to the rescue of Casey's lunch box with a recipe for Chocolate Bean Butter.  Casey loves chocolate, so it really struck my fancy to make a refined-sugar-free chocolate spread made with beans.  I don't usually cook with stevia, so I had to make some changes in the sweeteners, but I was committed to trying to keep it in the spirit it was intended.  I used a little agave nectar along with the coconut palm sugar and stayed away from cane sugar.  The flavor was a little grown-up for my boys, so we added in some sunflower seed butter to bring to mind our favorite Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups.  My younger son, Evan, still has other favorite spreads, but this Chocolate Sunflower Spread is hitting the jackpot for Casey right now.

This recipe was shared with Allergy Free Wednesday, Wellness Weekend, Allergy Friendly Friday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Chocolate Sunflower Spread (adapted from Ricki Heller's Chocolate Bean Butter)

Ingredients:

1 can Great Northern, canellini  or black beans, drained and rinsed

5T cocoa

2T coconut palm sugar

pinch of salt

3T coconut oil

1t vanilla

3T agave nectar

2T rice milk

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter

Preparation:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

Find more tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.