One thing that you will notice after attending NUHS for any length of time is the number of people eating special diets. It is a health school after all, and all of those health-minded people tend to be more aware of food sensitivities, or else they choose to eat in specific ways to improve the general functioning of their bodies.

As a potluck dinner with school friends approached this weekend I had a list of things that I could not put in the dish that I was bringing if I wanted it to be enjoyed by everyone attending. I love that this pushes me out of my cooking comfort zone! I decided on brownies, because baking tends to be where I am strongest in terms of food preparation. So, I looked through a bunch of recipes and settled on one which I ended up tweaking to get the batter to taste palatable to me. It was so good that I decided to share with you.

Sarah’s Brownies

• 1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1/2 an avocado)
• 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
• 1/2 cup creamy nut butter (I used cashew, but you could pick almond, tahini, or whatever else floats your boat)
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of cinnamon

The ingredients in the amount listed above only fill a small loaf pan which should be baked for about 20 minutes at 325° degrees. If you double them, it will make a 13” x 9” pan, just increase the cooking time to about 35 minutes. We served them with coconut ice cream…yum!