14 May ARE LEMON BARS THE ANSWER FOR STRESS RELIEF?????

I believe when your life is a bag of lemons you need to make lemonade.  I also believe lemons are a natural, cost effective remedy, for stress. When your body is stressed out, the first thing that gets depleted is Vitamin C. So lemons not only detoxify you and give you a metabolic boost, they help your body cope with stress by pumping it full of natural Vitamin C.

The truth is, food has played a huge roll in Brian and I’s journey to reduce stress. Overtime we realized that certain foods are not only good for us, they actually can change our mood, like lemons.  Just smelling a lemon gives you a fresh start. It hits the reset button in your brain. I like recipes the whole family can enjoy and benefit from, that is why I love these Lemon Bars.   I love nuts, they are brain food and a great source of protein but I like them in small doses. I have found too many seeds or nuts don’t do well with my system. My husband loves a hardy nutty bar, but he also loves a really tart sweet.  So the below recipe is a balance between both worlds.  If you are nut free and looking for an alternative option check out this recipe my friend sent me from Against All Grains.  It uses seeds instead of nuts.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:  A food processor works best for the crust and a hand mixer for the the filling. I prefer blanched Almond Flour but you can, and I have, made these with Almond Meal. If you are not completely Paleo, you can add one teaspoon of Guar Gum to the filling to make it fluffier. My husband and I love a lot of lemon so these are super duper lemon packed. You can pull back on the juice if you don’t like your treats tart. This makes 16 large bars. If you like, you can split the dough in half.  Then keep it in a zip lock in the refrigerator. If you want to freeze it, it is best to roll the dough out into a square before freezing.

Ingredients For The Crust:

1 Cup of Coconut Flour

1 cup of Almond flour.

1/2 Cup of Raw Soaked Cashews. (for this recipe you only need to soak a min. of an hour)

1 Tablespoon of Organic Vanilla Extract

1 Tablespoons of Cacao Butter

1 Tables spoon of Coconut Oil or Butter

1 Tablespoons of Yacon Syrup (this is my newest obsession, but you can sub for raw honey if you aren’t on a low sugar diet)

1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon of Gluten Free Baking Powder

1 Dash of Sea Salt

The Filling;

4 Large Eggs Beaten

1/2 Cup of Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoons of Coconut nectar (you can substitute for raw honey as well)

1 Packet of Monk Fruit Sweetener (also my new favorite thing or you can substitute for Raw Organic Stevia)

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

3 Table Spoons of Coconut flour (Add

Topping:

2 Tablespoons of  Finely Ground Raw Coconut Flakes

Put all the ingredients for the crust in a food processor. Pulse until you see the crust start to form into a ball shape. If your crust seems dry, add a teaspoons of water or lemon juice until it is fully blended and formed. Take the crust out and roll it in your hands until it is a perfect sphere. Then cut the sphere in half.  Roll one half into a 9 x9 baking pan that is greased with coconut or avocado oil. Baked the crust at 375 for 10 minutes.

Poke little holes with your fork

While the crust is baking take all of the ingredients for the filling, except the flour and whisk in a bowl. Sift in flour once all ingredients are mixed. Beat mixture until it becomes custard like. *If you are having any issues with the texture a hand mixer could be used to finish.  Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then pour the filling evenly over the crust and place back in the oven for 15 minutes.  Let cool for 30 minutes then cut the lemon bars into squares and sprinkle with raw coconut flakes. Best if served at least an hour after refrigerating.