Low Salicylate Carob Brownies

The health benefits:

Carob has been used for over 4,000 years for its various health benefits. Carob is naturally caffeine free and supplies calcium, magnesium, B2, B6 dietary fibre and more. Carob is a great alternative to cocoa powder, which is very rich in amines, AND can be quite drying to those prone to dry skin. 

Pears are not only rich sources of dietary fibre (providing 24% of your daily needs), they also contain 12% of your daily vitamin C requirements, plus vitamin K, potassium and smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium and vitamins B2, B3 and B6. Peeled, ripe pears are also naturally low in three of the itchy chemicals - salicylates, amines/histamines and glutamates - which makes peeled, ripe pears one of the few eczema-friendly fruits. 

NOTES:

If you are following the FID Program (the Food Intolerance Diagnosis Program from The Eczema Detox book), this recipe can be enjoyed as it is FID friendly. Just be sure to skip the raw cashew nuts for a garnish until you have progressed onto the Eczema Detox programs. 

Note that raw cashews are low in amines. But if you have histamine intolerance, you may not be able to eat any nuts as they can raise histamine levels in the body. To counteract this effect, you can consume calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate at the same time, as they temporarily lower histamine levels in the body, or add them to your baking (for example, add 6 scoops of Skin Friend PM as the last step before baking). 

As with any sweet treats, be sure to enjoy this brownie recipe in moderation as natural sweeteners like maple syrup and brown rice syrup should be kept to a minimum on the Eczema Detox programs. 

Cocoa/cacao butter could be used as the oil instead of the rice bran oil. However, this version has not yet been tested. Be sure to use food grade cacao butter and melt it first before adding to the wet ingredients.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium peeled pears, cored and diced (this makes around 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon of real vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of rice bran oil or sunflower oil
• 1 cup of brown rice syrup or maple syrup (I used half a cup of each for this recipe)
• 3/4 cup of eczema friendly flour of choice (Sarah uses spelt flour and I trialled this with an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix and both work well). NOTE: the final batter should not be too runny and this may depend on the type of flour used. If the final mixture is too runny, add about 3-4 extra tablespoons of flour to help thicken it up
• 5 tablespoons of roasted carob powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of good quality sea salt (such as Celtic sea salt)
• 3/4 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder (this was not in the original recipe; however, I found it helped the mixture to rise a little)
• Optional - 1/4 cup of carob nibs (kibble), softened in boiling water for a few minutes then drained. OR crushed raw cashew nuts

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a brownie tray or square dish that is approximately 24 x 16cm (9.4 x 6.2 inches).

In a bowl, mash the peeled pears with a potato masher or fork until well mashed, then add the rest of the wet ingredients to the mashed pear and whisk until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until well combined. If you are using carob nibs or cashew nuts, add these at the end then gently stir into the mixture. 

Pour the mixture into the tray and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You can use a toothpick in the middle to see when this is just cooked through as you do not want this to be overcooked. 

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At Eczema Life, we recommend nutritionist Karen Fischer's low food chemical program (The Eczema Detox) along with additive-free supplements for skin health and wellbeing. Click on the images to view more details:

    

Top food photo by Karen Fischer; Food photos by Katie Layland, recipe by Sarah Eppley (a member of our Eczema Diet Support Group on Facebook). Join the group here.