If you’ve ever experienced digestive distress after noshing on a pastry, gluten may be the first possible culprit to cross your mind. But according to acclaimed heart surgeon and nutrition expert Steven Gundry, MD, lectins could be the cause of your discomfort.

Lectins, according to Dr. Gundry, are plants’ chemical defense mechanism to dissuade predators from eating them. In his new cookbook, The Plant Paradox Cookbook, Dr. Gundry shares 100 recipes for a plant-based, lectin-limited diet. Among them: these next-level sweet potato blondies.

Free of refined sugars and grains, Dr. Gundry’s take on blondies are rich in texture from the namesake sweet potatoes used to make them, while coconut oil makes them spongey and soft.

“The key to lectin-limited baking to is find alternatives to grains like wheat, oats, and corn by using coconut, cassava, almond, hazelnut, and arrowroot flours, while getting texture and soluble fibers from other tubers like yams and sweet potatoes,” explains Dr. Gundry. And when you have your go-tos on hand, you won’t even miss the OG staples you used to rely on.

Ready to dig in? Keep reading for the lectin-free cinnamon sweet potato blondies recipe.

Cinnamon sweet potato blondies

Makes 12

Ingredients
Olive or coconut oil spray1/3 cup coconut oil, softened but not melted1/3 cup yacon syrup or 4 Tbsp confectioner’s Swerve (Erythritol)1/2 cup sweet potato puree (from baked sweet potatoes)1 cup coconut milk2 omega-3 or pastured eggs or VeganEggs2 cups blanched almond flour3 Tbsp coconut flour1/2 tsp baking soda1 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp cloves1/2 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch glass baking dish with olive or coconut oil.

2. Using a whisk in a mixing bowl, or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the coconut oil and yacón syrup (or Swerve).

3. Mix in the sweet potato puree, coconut milk, and eggs.

4. Add the flours, baking soda, spices, vanilla extract, and salt and mix well.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the tops are golden brown.

7. Let cool to room temperature before cutting. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days.

From the book The Plant Paradox Cookbook: 100 Delicious Recipes to Help You Lose Weight, Heal Your Gut, and Live Lectin-Free by Steven R. Gundry. Copyright © 2018 by Steven R. Gundry. Published on April 1, 2018 by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

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