Dessert first + Fair Trade giveaway
Hi friends! Hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start.
This afternoon, I have a delicious dessert combo to share + an awesome giveaway from my friends at Fair Trade. Once again, they’re hosting a virtual Mother’s Day brunch, and asked us to create a recipe using fair trade ingredients. The first things that came to my mind? Chocolate, coffee, and bananas.
Don’t get me wrong: I LIVE for egg dishes at brunch. It’s one of my favorite foods ever, and this is the recipe I submitted last year. As much as I go crazy for egg dishes, especially topped with a ton of salsa, dessert is #2. If I could have eggs and chocolate all day (ok, and wine), that would be a dream come true.
But for today, let’s have dessert first.
I wanted to create something on the healthier side that tastes like a decadent treat. It feels indulgent, but this dessert is packed with healthy fat from almond butter, protein from fresh eggs, and a deep cocoa flavor. The banana ice cream tastes wonderful with the rich almond butter brownie,
and to finish it off, sprinkle with your favorite crumbled candy or chocolate chips.
Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a try! (* = ingredients you can find that are Fair Trade)
-1 batch of almond butter brownies, using almond butter*, cocoa powder* and espresso powder*
-3-4 frozen bananas*
-1/2 tablespoon cinnamon*
-1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate candy. I used Marich Salted Caramels*
1. In a food processor, process the bananas, cinnamon and chocolate candy until a smooth “ice cream” forms.
2. Top the brownies with the ice cream, and sprinkle with extra candy or chocolate chips.
3. Serve and enjoy!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Fair Trade mission, here’s what it’s all about:
-Fair Trade seeks to empower family farmers all over the world. Funds are used in a democratic basis (so each community determines how to allocate the funds) to improve farmers’ quality of life. Here are some of the benefits:
Farmers learn and implement sustainable farming practices
Workers are fairly compensated, and able to work in safe conditions
Women are guaranteed health care, rights, and freedom from harassment
Revenues are set aside to build schools and help maintain enrollment
Farmers are given market-based tools to lift themselves out of poverty and
workers and their families gain access to health care, medicine and proper nutrition.
As much as I admire their mission, I especially love that they support and empower women in the farming industry.
Once again, they paired me up with an inspirational farmer to learn more about her story.
This is Isabel Uriarte Latorre, 58, from Cajamarce.
Isabel is CECANOR‘s Finance and Commerce Manager, and checks the coffee plants of a local Agua Azul member. Isabel has been involved in social justice movements in her native Peru since the 1970s, having been part of a student movement and later numerous labor unions. She is one of the founders of CECANOR and developed the revolutionary Cafe Femenino, a select brand of coffee made only by women.
She states: “The purpose of Cafe Femenino is to make visible the contribution women make not only to the household economy, but the community and to the umbrella organization CECANOR.” Through Isabel’s leadership, CECANOR has developed wonderful assistance programs. Health, education and tech assistance projects all benefit the female farmers and their families through introducing new farming techniques, providing health screenings, sex-education campaigns in rural schools, and improving the productivity of credit programs.
When asked about the advantages of being certified by Fair Trade, Isabel explains: “The certification and subsequent prize money is vital for our success. It allows us to provide rural coffee growers a steady price that sets a solid base for economic budgeting both at the family and community levels. In addition, positive results turn into incentives for the growers to produce higher quality coffee, and many are also seeing the positive aspects of organic farming – economically and health wise.” Cafe Femenino currently has 645 producers.
You can read more about her incredible story here and the Fair Trade FairHer campaign, celebrating the women of fair trade.
And now, it’s giveaway time!
One lucky winner will receive the same goodie package they sent me with treats from all of these companies:
Frontier Natural chocolates co-op
Barefoot & Chocolate (this tastes like frosting in a jar…)
Alter Ego (my fave truffles)
Nourish Organic (this lotion is my newest obsession)
The lucky winner will be chosen Monday night at midnight EST and announced in Tuesday’s morning post.
Emter here:
Ready, set, go!
xoxo
Gina
I was not compensated to write this post, but I received a giant box of goodies that we’ve been enjoying quite a bit. 😉 I’m always thrilled to spread the word about the Fair Trade mission.
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I love getting pancakes and an egg dish for brunch! I can never choose just one
I love waffles for brunch
I love french toast or avocado toast for brunch!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Awesome giveaway 😀 Hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Fair Trade products are always better to buy than the rest. We can help so much by choosing fair trade!
Pancakes! Coffee! Anything with carbs:)
chocolate chip pancakes 🙂
I usually get an omelet.
Looks way too good not to try! Love that flavour combo!Fair Trade just makes it all better.
I usually get eggs benedict. Something I would never made at home!
scrambled eggs and pancakes with my kids and hubs!
My favorite brunch (or anytime!) food is the Gorgonzola Omelet w/ Toasted Walnuts & Caramelized Onion with a side of crispy, cheesy polenta from Morning Glory in Ashland, Oregon. The ABSOLUTE best!
I made some almond butter blondies earlier this week. I think almond butter brownies are next!
Those sound amazing and being Fair trade makes it even better!
I love egg white omelets with turkey, spinach and avocado and a side of turkey bacon and fruit!
Wow, all of these products look amazing!! Buying fair trade products is important to me, but not always easy to find.
My brunch order is always poached eggs!!
Huevos!
Kodiak cakes with almond butter and applesauce with cinnamon!!
I love a good scramble or omelette with french fries instead of breakfast potatoes. Hits the spot every time.
Eggs Benny!
Anything with smoked salmon is my go-to when out for brunch!
Pancakes!
I love eggs in any form! But my favorite has got to be eggs Benedict 🙂
Quiche and mimosas:)
I’d have to say a Greek omelet – the allure of feta is too strong to pass up!
Whole grain Belgian waffles with buckwheat and sausage made with seitan. Fresh squeezed juice and a dessert glass filled with raspberries, blueberries, melon, coconut!
Egg casserole definitely!!
Eggs fruit and veggies/potatoes! <3
I love to order a big veggie omelette with home fries!
Let’s go with pancakes 😉
I’m a big fan of french toast, as unhealthy as it may be for me! (Everything in moderation, right?)
French toast! Yum 🙂
Great giveaway! Brownies look amazing!
Eggs benedict, ooh or chicken and waffles, but that’s so unhealthy!
bloodymary. Hey done right, get some veggies too 😉
Veggie omelet for sure with potatoes on the side.
I love crepes and lots of fresh fruit 🙂
I’m all about eggs for brunch!
I always go for omelet bar if they have it! Or fancy French toast with a runny egg on top…Okay, really I love all breakfast foods I can’t discriminate among them.
i always order the same thing – a veggie omelette and fruit 🙂
I love eggs for brunch…paired with a mimosa!
As much as I love Belgian waffles or blueberry pancakes, I find myself ordering egg meals for the protein!
I’m pretty traditional when it comes to brunch- chocolate chip pancakes for me! Happy early Mother’s day Gina. 🙂
I love a croque monsieur (or madam)! Happy Mother’s Day!
I love oatmeal! All day er’ day.
I always have a hard tile choosing between a sweet or savory breakfast when we go out to eat!
Chocolate chip pancakes!
Bagel and lox is always the way to go, especially when I visit New York
For brunch I am a sucker for an egg sandwich! But the last time I was in NYC I had a breakfast pizza with eggs and hash browns for toppings. It was epic!
It’s always so hard to decide between sweet and savory for me, so I love when I can do a little bit of each, like eggs and a pancake.