One of the things that I struggle with the most when it comes to eating healthy whole foods is dessert. I love sweets. Yet I know how bad sugar is for me. From the point of view of TCM, sugar (especially white refined sugar) damages the Spleen and creates dampness (a.k.a. fat, bloating and water retention). The Spleen in TCM could be likened to the intestinal tract in the west. Anytime you have gas, bloating, loose stools, or abdominal discomfort, you're most likely experiencing a deficiency of the Spleen. Furthermore, the Spleen is responsible for making the qi (pronounced chee) in the body. Qi is most commonly translated as energy, and when it is damaged by too much sugar a person may feel lassitude, fatigue, heaviness in the body, headaches, and anxiety. However, when looking at TCM through the lens of Five Element Theory, "sweet" is the taste associated with the Spleen (the organ related to the Earth element), and a little in a natural form can be both nourishing and beneficial to the digestion. This could be in the form of fruit, whole grains, or even honey. And for the most part, these are the things one should eat when that sweet tooth strikes. But sometimes, one (and when I say one, I mean me) just needs the satisfaction of a delicious baked good. So the question is, is there such thing as a healthy baked good or dessert?
I LOVE to bake. I read food blogs and watch reality baking shows. And for the most part, I find that the treats featured are the opposite of health. When I bake a cake or batch of cookies, I find myself feeling nourished emotionally, but malnourished physically. Most desserts are loaded with refined sugar, white flour, and loads of butter or other saturated fats. In New Mexico we even have the famous biscochito, which is a cookie traditionally made with lard. Even vegan recipes, which are commonly touted as nutritious, often feature white flour and refined sugar (neither of which are animal products and therefore perfectly vegan). I tend to bake and then feel guilty about putting junk into my body or the bodies of my loved ones. For many years, I convinced myself it was okay as long as I only ate sweets occasionally. Yet recently I began to wonder if it is possible to make delicious treats without loosing the nutrition. Thus, I decided to try experimenting with more healthful ingredients in the traditional baked good.
This idea originally started when my husband suggested I have a jar of cookies on my desk in my clinic for my patients to snack on before or after their treatments. While I felt it would be a nice way to welcome my patients, I also believed it to be counterproductive to offer sweets in a clinic promoting health and well-being. How could I ask patients to eat more healthful foods and then offer them junk on my desk? However, his idea sparked my imagination. If I could somehow come up with a way to have a sweet treat that was also healthful, then perhaps I could show people that they can eat healthy food without loosing taste. Furthermore, perhaps I could also incorporate some of the traditional Chinese Herbs to not only make healthy sweets, but also desserts that could treat specific diseases. I decided then and there to take on the challenge: make sweets (primarily cookies, because cookies are the easiest dessert to have on my desk) that taste good, are nutritious and even medicinal. This recipe for Goji Cacao Nib cookies is the first of those recipes. In developing these recipes I am also trying to be aware of using ingredients that work together to treat common disease patterns in Chinese Medicine.
The Goji berry is one of the most commonly talked about Chinese herbs. It tastes delicious as well as being nutritious. This made it a good candidate for my first cookies. The Goji berry (called Gou Qi Zi in Chinese Medicine) is an herb commonly used to treat blood and yin deficiency of the Liver and Kidney Meridians. This might sound like nonsense to you if you are not familiar with the jargon of Chinese Medicine, and I could go into every last detail of what all that means, but I'm afraid that it might take me until next month to explain it in its entirety. So suffice it to say, Goji Berries are most commonly used to treat sore weak back and knees, scanty menstruation, menopausal symptoms, blurred vision, difficulty sleeping, anemia and reproductive disorders.
I p
aired the Goji Berries with 70% cacao chocolate chips. Now, you may be thinking that chocolate isn't good for you. And most of the time I would agree with you. But it isn't the chocolate that is bad for you, but all the added sugar and dairy that makes chocolate bad. In TCM we use chocolate to nourish the Heart Blood and tonify Kidney Yang. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. This may be related to the bitter taste of chocolate (the taste related to the Heart in Five Element Theory). Chocolate is high in Magnesium (surpassed only by seaweeds in its levels) which can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease related to Kidney Deficiency in TCM.
As a base for these cookies I used almond flour and rolled oats. Rolled oats have been associated with reducing cardiovascular diseases. Oats are thought to regulate the energy of the Heart. They remove cholesterol and strengthen the arteries. They are considered sweet and slightly bitter. Thus, its sweet nature will nourish the Spleen qi, and its bitter nature will treat the Heart, just like with chocolate.
In Chinese Medicine, Almonds are traditionally used to treat Lung problems. They are thought to enter the lung meridian to treat asthma due to phlegm accumulation. However, they are also thought to be beneficial in treating heart disease by lowering blood lipid levels.
I added Walnuts to these cookies for some crunch. Walnuts in Chinese herbalism are known as Hu Tao Ren. Because of their natural oils and Omega-3 fatty acids they are thought to be good for the intestines. They are also traditionally used to warm the Kidney Yang (they warm the Kidneys to treat reproductive disorders, poor memory, and pain and weakness of the low back and knees with signs of cold). They are also great for the Lungs and treat asthma and wheezing.
Instead of eggs I opted for chia seeds mixed in water, also known as a chia egg. The chia seeds are mucilaginous and lubricating. They are good for the intestines as well as the adrenal glands. In TCM the adrenal glands are a part of the Kidney system. Because of their cooling nature chia seeds can treat both Kidney qi and yin deficiency.
I sweetened the cookies with coconut palm sugar, apple sauce and maple syrup. You could substitute molasses for the maple syrup if there is pronounced anemia or other signs of blood deficiency.
Overall, these cookies are good for Kidney essence (both yin and yang) deficiency and Heart blood stagnation and deficiency. They can help treat diseases related to the kidneys including diabetes, reproductive disorders, osteoporosis, and low back pain. They are also great for preventing heart disease, high cholesterol, and atherosclerosis. As a minor effect, these cookies can help with asthma and phlegm in the Lungs.
And most importantly, the cookies were delicious. They were crispy and had a complex flavor. The Goji berries were both sweet and slightly salty. This was enhanced by the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The walnuts created a nice crunch, and the applesauce added just the right amount of moisture.
Goji Cacao Nib Cookies
1 cup almond flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbs. maple syrup or molasses
2 Tbs. chia seeds in 3 Tbs. water, a.k.a chia egg
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup 70% bittersweet cacao nibs
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment. Combine almond four, oatmeal, sea salt and baking soda in a medium size mixing bowl. In a small bowl mix chia seeds with water. Let sit five minutes. In another mixing bowl combine applesauce, coconut sugar, maple syrup. Add chia egg. Add dry ingredients to wet. Gently fold in goji berries, cacao nibs and walnuts. Drop batter by Tablespoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.