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Even if you just casually have one toe in the wellness world, chances are that you’ve heard about the damaging effects of chronic inflammation. Inflammation can be the culprit for everything from acne, gut issues, and even serious health problems like heart disease and Alzheimer’s. It’s no wonder preventing it has become a priority for many.
But there’s more to living an inflammation-free life than sprinkling turmeric on everything you eat. Cutting saturated fats, added sugar, and processed foods is essential, too. If looking at that list made you wonder what the heck is even left to nosh on, health coach Jenny Carr wants to reassure you that it’s really not that hard to stick to an anti-inflammatory diet—as long as you have some key substitutions in your pantry.
Carr experienced the perils of inflammation first-hand. At times, the pain was so bad that she couldn’t even get out of bed. But she was able to heal herself by changing her diet. After becoming a certified health coach, she wrote Peace of Cake (which you can get for free on her website) a book full of all-time fave treats, but tweaked to be nourishing, not inflammatory. Here, she shares the recipe for one of her go-to desserts: lemon bars.
“Lemon bars have forever been my favorite treat, and when I adopted anti-inflammatory eating seven years ago, my quest was to find a way to feed my family—and myself—in a way that did not leave us feeling deprived, but also allowed the body to heal,” Carr says. Lemon, olive oil, and almonds are three excellent anti-inflammatory foods, and using honey as a sweetener (in place of refined sugar) ups the inflammation-fighting benefits even further. “These lemon bars are free of processed sugar, wheat, dairy, and inflammatory oils.” They’re also gluten-free.
And—perhaps best of all—this lemon bar recipe is super quick and easy to make. Ready to get started? Here’s the recipe for the more delicious anti-inflammatory lemon bars.
Zesty Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe
Serves 12
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour3 large free-range eggs5 Tbsp raw honey1/2 cup fresh lemon juice6 Tbsp lemon-infused olive oil or extra-virgin coconut oil1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut flakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Grease an 8” square baking dish and dust with almond flour.
3. In medium bowl, whisk together two tablespoons oil, one tablespoon raw honey, and vanilla.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour until thoroughly combined and press the dough into the prepared dish.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.
6. While baking crust, prepare the topping.
7. In a blender combine the other four tablespoons of oil, four tablespoons of honey, eggs, and lemon juice. Process on high until smooth.
8. Remove crust from oven and pour the topping evenly over the hot crust.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the topping is golden.
10. Sprinkle with unsweetened, finely shredded coconut flakes.
11. Let cool in the dish for 30 minutes then refrigerate for two hours to set.
12. Cut into bars and serve.
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