I’ve been asked by a few of my CLL buddies to share some of the recipes I use in my daily life—in my quest for optimal health. One of the items I make at least each week, and eat nearly every single day are Carob-Coconut Bars. Coconut oil is a natural for anyone trying to improve their immune system. It fights nearly all pathogens (germs), including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. There is documentation on youtube.com about its ability to improve Alzheimer disease, and perhaps prevent it.

The problem is that coconut oil is kind of tough to eat on its own. Personally, I’m not that fond of the coconut taste. But the good news is that the taste of carob is a bit stronger than the coconut flavor, and carob has its own natural sweetness, so no need to add any natural sweetener to make it palatable.  (I first tried making this with powdered chocolate, and found it was awful without sweetener.)

The ingredients are:

Coconut Oil (I buy organic from Costco)

Carob Powder (I buy from my local health food store)

Olive Oil (organic, cold-pressed from Trader Joe’s)

 

 

 

 

Pour a tablespoon or so of the organic olive oil into a lasagna pan. This is so that the carob bars will be easier to remove from the pan when done.  I wasn’t specific about the quantity of each of the ingredients. This is because all you need to do is use equal amounts of coconut oil and carob powder. I buy carob in plastic containers at one of our local health-food markets. I wash them when empty and use them to measure the amount of coconut oil to use the next time. So, think 2 cups coconut oil to 2 cups carob powder. Simple!!!

 

 

 

 

A tricky thing, though, is that coconut oil is a solid, unless it’s hot out and you don’t use air conditioning. 🙂   Because of this, you need to measure out the amount of coconut oil you need for your batch (figure 2 cups), and heat it on a low flame in a saucepan. It will melt quickly.

 

When the mixture is totally blended, pour into your greased lasagna pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put into the refrigerator to cool. (Its’ right in front of the milk.) (Notice all the veggies and fruit in my refrigerator.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After at least an hour, remove from refrigerator and let return to closer to room temperature before cutting into squares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I prefer to eat my carob bars cold, directly from the refrigerator. When I take them to work, I pack a freezer pack with it. It doesn’t taste as good warm…and the coconut oil gets mushy at room temperature.  That said, I’ve had regular civilians (company who are NOT into natural health!) enjoy these bars when served cold along with walnuts or almonds.

Options:
You could make them with chopped nuts inside. You could eat them frozen. (But be careful, I nearly chipped a tooth trying that; hubby has stronger teeth–no problem for him.)

Conclusion: These are a tasty, delicious dessert for those who have been dessert deprived (like me). I love them!!! I eat six to eight 1-inch bars each day. (They are about a quarter-inch thick. Sorry, I don’t know metrics, so please convert if you’re not from the US.) If you decide to give this a try, let me know what you think.

Wishing you healthy thoughts and life! – Denise