As you may know, I’ve teamed up with Hynt Beauty to create delicious recipes that showcase the natural organic ingredients in their makeup. I’m excited to bring you another one, today!

This month I want to share with you about LEMON! Lemon is ALSO an amazing superfood that’s both great for your body as one of Hynt’s organic plant-based ingredients AND healthy and delicious in some great recipes!

So why lemon? To start with, lemons are amazing for your health! Like all citrus, they’re high in Vitamin C, but they also have vitamins A, E and several B vitamins plus essential minerals like copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and phosphorus. In addition to these nutrients, lemons have tons of great antioxidants (flavonoids) that combat cellular damage, aging and some kinds of cancer.

Lemon juice is alkalizing and detoxifying, and a glass of lemon juice in water first thing in the morning helps clean out your system, get your digestion going and aid in weight loss! Lemons also help balance blood sugar, manage blood pressure, and aid arthritis!

In addition to all the great things lemon does IN your body, it’s also amazing on the outside! Lemon juice can help with dandruff and hair loss on your head, and control acne, eczema, sunburns and wrinkles on your skin!

I personally LOVE lemon! I use lemon essential oil at home often (an diffuse it!) for health benefits and use it in cooking, baking and lemon water often! I grew up loving my mother’s lemon mousse recipe. It’s SO good, but also SO not healthy! So here is my healthier lemon dessert recipe (that is reminiscent of that childhood treat!)… lemon bars! Same creamy lemony goodness with very little guilt! 🙂 I bought them to my midwife’s potluck picnic and they were a huge hit. (They would also go great with last month’s lavender lemonade! It’s been unseasonably hot here so a nice refreshing drink sounds perfect!) 🙂 I hope you like them too!

Let me know what you think in the comments below the recipe!

Here’s to holding on to the last bit of summer and appreciating every bright, citrusy, sunny moment.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (ideally 4+ hours. If you are in a rush, soak at least 20 minutes in boiling water), drained
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• ½ cup lemon juice (~2 large lemons)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• Zest of one lemon
• ⅛ tsp pink Himalayan salt

Crust

• 1 cup organic rolled oats
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 inch pyrex dish or baking pan with parchment paper
2. Add oats, almonds, salt, and coconut palm sugar to a Cuisinart or high speed blender and mix on high until finely ground
3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add maple syrup and melted coconut oil
4. Mix well until a loose dough forms. If too dry and crumbly, add a bit more melted coconut oil
5. Transfer to pyrex dish and press evenly and firmly into the bottom
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown
7. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before adding filling
8. While crust is baking, scoop the solid cream from the top of the can of coconut milk and add to Vitamix or high-speed blender
9. Add cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice & zest, arrowroot and salt and blend until smooth
10. When crust is cooled slightly, pour the filing over top and bake for 20-25 minutes, until center is no longer liquidy
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly
12. Refrigerate overnight (or at least a few hours) to completely set
13. Optional: top with lemon zest or lemon slices
14. Enjoy!

(Adapted from Minimalist Baker)