Every good meal needs a delightful dessert to top it off.
Am I right?
Problem is, they both often come with a hot and heavy serving of guilt that settles right around your waistline. Not to mention the drain they can have on your energy and mood. Ugh.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy your delights without feeling bad about it? Well, at Aubergine you can!
We put together some interesting facts about three of our favorite guilt-free treats, all of which will have you floating away, feeling light and fluffy by that last bite. Hope you enjoy.
Açaí Bowls
From Brazil—and becoming quite famous in the USA—are açaí bowls. The açaí berries that make up those bowls come from the açaí palm, which are mostly cultivated in the Amazon Rainforest. These berries have a distinguished earthy taste, almost chocolate-like in their richness. They’re so beneficial to our health that many in our industry call them a superfruit. And we do too! If the guy who created Superman would have known what we do about açaí, he would have named the hero Barry instead of Clark.
Açaí berries are full of good fats and low in natural sugar. A lot of restaurants like to dump refined sugar into their açaí but we refuse to do that. We use dates primarily to sweeten, and we’re proud of it! (Learn more about the amazing benefits of dates in our previous blog here).
Açaí berries help regulate calcium levels and are high in Vitamin A, which you need for sharp vision and a strong immune system. In fact, they pack enough nutrients on their own to stand as a healthy meal replacement. They contain fiber which absorbs sugar—this is very important! And they tend to normalize bowel movements, which is always a good thing.
Above all, açaí berries are amazing antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize the effects of free radicals throughout the body and help prevent many diseases including cancer.
At Aubergine Kitchen, we give our açaí an additional nutritional boost by blending the açaí pulp with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and dates.
Chia Pudding
Who remembers pudding cups? You know—those little cups of congealed milk and sugar that Mom might have snuck into your lunchbox every once in a while.
We’ve taken it upon ourselves to replace this nostalgic treat with something more sophisticated, nutritious, and certainly tastier.
It is natural to feel bemused by the idea of using tiny seeds as the base of a creamy pudding. Chia seeds aren’t like other seeds. They are able to absorb liquid up to 12 times the seed’s size. When chia seeds absorb liquid, their texture becomes smooth and gelatinous—similar to a traditional pudding!
Not only do chia seeds provide incredible texture, they’re also deceptively packed with nutritional value. An average serving of chia seeds (about 2 ½ tablespoons) contains 10 grams of fiber—that’s roughly ⅓ of the recommended daily fiber intake in just a few bites! Chia seeds are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids which, along with fiber, promote heart health and aid in weight loss.
Our chia pudding is smooth, creamy, and sweetened with monk fruit. We currently offer it in two flavors: chocolate and coconut—nostalgic of those pudding cups from school lunch, but reimagined with the nutrients that your body craves.
Nice Cream
Ah yes! Nice Cream. No, that’s not a typo. We meant to put that “N” in there. We call it “nice” because it’s completely vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. It’s like a one-two punch with a roundhouse kick to the senses. Boom, boom, bam! But in a good way! Can it get any better than that?
We don’t want to villainize dairy, but it’s nice to have a dairy-free option to indulge in. A recent (2017) study on the health implications of dairy products estimates that nearly 68% of the world’s population experiences some level of lactose malabsorption.
Also, our nice cream has no added sugars or artificial flavorings, only the soft, subtle peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re doing a good thing to yourself. Mmm. Talk about a mood booster.
How do we make it? I’m glad you asked. Coconut milk, vanilla, cashews, and a handful of dates. Oh, and a spoonful of love. We never leave out the love.
All in all, it’s safe to say that Aubergine Kitchen is, and will always be, a safe haven of health, especially when it comes to the sweet stuff.
Eat better, indulge different.