Super Moist Kohlrabi & Blackberry Loaf with Lemon Cream Cheese Topping ( Low Carb & Gluten Free )

So last week, I had kohlrabi ( or german turnip ) for the first time in my life and to my surprise i actually loved it! It was crunchy but with a very sweet mild taste ( almost like the sweetness of carrots ) and my immediate thought was that it would taste great in a cake, so naturally i looked up dessert recipes that might have included kohlrabi but came up with nothing.

I literally love the taste of kohlrabi so much that i've been eating it nearly everyday since and i ask myself WHERE HAS THIS HEAVENLY BULB BEEN HIDING ALL MY LIFE?, I could have been turned onto vegetables much sooner than the age of 15. But oh well, better late than never. This is basically when i came up with the idea to make a sweet loaf that included kohlrabi, despite my friends confused reactions ( but it secretly motivated me even more to make this recipe work hihi, shhh )

Since kohlrabi is naturally sweet, i figured that the loaf needed something tangy to even out the flavour, thus the addition of blackberries. Honestly who would have thought that blackberries and kohlrabi would exist in perfect harmony on the palate, coupled with lemon cream cheese frosting = party in my mouth!

CAUTION: This is a very moist melt-in-your-mouth loaf, you have been warned. 

Ingredients for 1 Loaf ( around 10 slices ):

• 1 1/4 cup of blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup of coconut flour
• 1 cup of shredded kohlrabi ( around half a kohlrabi ) 
• 150g of blackberries ( i used frozen but fresh would probably be better )
• A pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod ( or a teaspoon of vanilla extract )
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup of xylitol ( or sugar if you're not doing low carb )
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup soy milk ( or any milk of your choice )

Ingredients for Low Carb Lemon Cream Cheese Topping ( Optional ):

• 100g-130g of cream cheese
• 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice 
• 10-15 drops of liquid stevia ( adjust to taste ) 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 175 °C ( 350 farenheit ) and line your loaf tin with parchment paper or spray some cooking oil/butter.

2. In a bowl mix together your dry ingredients ( almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, xylitol, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and salt ).

3. Add in the wet ingredients ( eggs, soy milk and apple sauce ) and mix with the dry ingredients until everything is incorporated.

4. Mix in the shredded kohlrabi and follow that by gently folding in the black berries ( by gentle i mean you want to try to prevent the berries from popping ).

5. Add the batter into you loaf tin and bake for approximately 1 hour.
6. ( Optional step ) Whilst your loaf is baking whip up all the ingredients for the lemon cream cheese topping ( or any of your favourite toppings! ).
7. Turn off your oven and leave it in for another 20 minutes before taking it out to cool completely. ( Optional step ) When your loaf is cooled, spread your topping evenly and there you have it! Super moist kohlrabi & blackberry loaf. Nomnomnom.

Nutrition Information:

1 slice ( excluding topping ) contains: 140.7 calories, 8.6 g of fat , 7.4 g of carbs ( 4 g of fiber = 3.4 net carbs ) & 5.7 of protein.

Healthy Avocado Fudge Brownies ( Low Carb & Gluten free )

Hello everyone! This is my first post and to be honest I don't really know how to introduce myself. So in a nutshell, after going through some quite drastic changes in my life recently including moving out of my mothers and starting university in a new city, i've decided to start a cooking blog and finally share my love for food with the internet. 

Anyways back to the main reason why you're here. Avocados seem to be the craze lately due to its rich creamy texture and well, generally being good for you! So with that being said , i'm a sucker for dense fudgey brownies ( i'm personally not a fan of cakey ones at all ) and i wanted to share with you my recipe for a healthier, low carb and gluten free alternative to your traditional fudge brownies by substituting butter for - you guessed it! Avocados! 

In case you're worried that your brownies will taste like avocados, i promise you they won't. In fact i find they bring out an even more intense chocolate flavour which will leave you craving fo' some mo' choco. Oh one more thing, they're even fudgier the next day!

Ingredients (makes 8 brownies):

• 1/2 cup of blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder ( or 4 tablespoons )
• A pinch of salt
• Around a teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod ( or a teaspoon of vanilla extract )
• 1 ripe avocado ( should measure around 1/2 cup )
• 4 egg whites 
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Xylitol depending how sweet you like it ( If you're not doing the low carb thing or you don't mind the extra calories then feel free to use sugar )
• 50g roughly chopped 60%-85% dark chocolate 
• 50g roughly chopped macadamia nuts or any nut of your choice ( optional ) 
• 20g roughly chopped dark chocolate to sprinkle on top (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 175 °C ( 350 farenheit ) and line your 8x8 inch ( 20x20 cm ) pan with parchment paper or spray some cooking oil.
   
   
2. In a small bowl, purée your avocado with a hand held blender until it's smooth or just mush it up as best as you can with a fork.
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine your blanched almond flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, xylitol and vanilla. 
   
   
4. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add in the egg whites and avocado and mix it all up. 
   
   
5. Incorporate the chopped chocolate and macadamia and pour the batter into your baking pan.
   
   
6. Sprinkle the 20g of chopped chocolate on top and bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes. 
   
   
7. Let it cool before you slice into it, and voilà you have your healthier chocado brownies! 

Nutrition Information:

1 slice of your traditional brownie contains: 242 calories, 10.1 g of fat, 39 g of carbs ( 0 g of fiber ) & 2.7 g of protein. 

1 slice of a chocado brownie ( excluding the macadamia nuts & extra chocolate on top ) contains: 130.6 calories, 9.5 g of fat , 5 g of carbs ( 2.5 g of fiber = 2.5 net carbs ) & 4.375 g of protein.