Recently, I sat down with Dr. Andrew Weil after his cooking demo at True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach to get his insights and opinions on some of today’s most talked about health food topics. One item of discussion was high antioxidant foods. On Dr. Weil’s list of hot, new ingredients, sea buckthorn juice.
Sea buckthorn juice comes from the sea buckthorn plant. According to Dr. Weil, this plant has origins in Italy and is native to Mongolia. The sea buckthorn plant is a spiny shrub that produces a tiny orange berry that helps boost energy, improve blood circulation, reduce the effects of stress, is high in antioxidants, and also has cosmetic uses due to its vibrant orange color. Sea buckthorn juice is available at specialty health food stores, some Target stores and online.
For the demo, Dr. Weil and Chef Michael Stebner used the sour tasting sea buckthorn juice to boost antioxidants in a dessert of Sea Buckthorn Bars. While tasty and higher in antioxidants that most common dessert bars, I would still suggest cutting back on the sugar and also replacing some of the granulated sugar with healthier manuka honey (available at health food stores and some supermarkets). My recommendations are noted in the recipe below.
Recipe re-published by permission Dr. Andrew Weil
For the full article and Healthy Food Tips from Dr. Weil, click here: Healthy Food Tips from Dr. Andrew Weil In this calorie-slashing collection, The Bikini Chef® Susan Irby offers recipes for switching up ingredients that keep calories to a minimum. Complete with serving-size suggestions and “Skinny Secret” shortcuts to trim calories in little ways, here you’ll get expertly crafted recipes that include offerings for every meal of the day!
For the crust:
grapeseed oil, for greasing
1 1/2 sticks unsalted, pastured butter, diced
2 cups white spelt flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the filling:
4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup white spelt flour, sifted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup sea buckthorn juice
Make the crust:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375*F.
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with grapeseed oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
Grease the foil with the oil.
In a food processor, pulse together the butter, flour, light brown sugar, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, and the salt until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.
Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared baking dish, making sure there are no cracks.
Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling:
Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth.
Whisk in the sea buckthorn juice.
Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350*F.
Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven.
Bake until the filling is just set, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Let the bars cool in the pan on a cooling rack, then refrigerate til firm, at least 2 hours.
Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice into equal squares or rectangles.
Dust with confectioner's sugar just before serving.
*Note: For the crust, I recommend using 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar vs 1/2 cup. And 1 cup evaporated cane sugar plus 1/4 cup manuka honey which has healing properties, among which is said to reverse stomach ulcers.
Preparation Time (hrs/min)
