A Special Treat to Celebrate National Fair Trade Month!
The ingredients we choose not only impact our lives, they also impact the lives of countless others across the globe. That’s because many of the ingredients we purchase, like chocolate for example, come from countries where people are not paid fairly for the hard work they do to bring us these cherished foods.
I know your heart is kind and full of love and compassion, and so is mine. So what can we do to help these beautiful people escape poverty and mistreatment?
It’s actually pretty simple … We can choose to Be Fair and Support Fair Trade!
October is National Fair Trade Month, and so to celebrate, I’ve created an absolutely scrumptious gluten-free, grain-free treat that’s made with some of my favorite fair trade ingredients.
By choosing to purchase fair-trade ingredients, we can make a difference in the lives of others for just a few pennies more per serving. Buying Fair Trade ensures that you’re not only getting quality products, but the people who grow and harvest them get fair pay for their hard work.
In fact, your everyday purchases can help farmers and workers in 70 countries across the globe to work in safe conditions, earn extra money to invest in their communities and improve the lives of their families.
Wondering where you can find fair-trade products? Most whole food type stores, markets and even Amazon sell a wide selection of fair trade products. Just look for the fair trade symbol.
You can also check out Fair Trade USA’s Be Fair website for a complete listing of fair-trade products – everything from chocolate, coffee, and other foods to apparel, home goods and body care products. I also encourage you to watch the brief Be Fair Video at the bottom their site. It’s absolutely wonderful!
Of course, a celebration wouldn’t be a celebration without a special treat. So I’ve gathered together some of my favorite fair trade ingredients to create a special treat just for you!
These irresistible Double Chocolate Banana Bars are certain to become a family favorite! My kids love these moist, ooey-gooey bars full of chocolatey goodness (and so do the adults around here).
But what we love most is knowing that our choice to select fair trade ingredients is helping to secure a better life for other families across the globe. I hope you’ll join me in this mission!
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened fair trade cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp fair trade coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large ripe bananas)
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp fair trade coconut oil, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp pure coconut milk (or almond milk)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup rough-chopped fair trade baking chocolate, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9x9-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, honey and coconut oil. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, blend together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and apple cider vinegar to the banana mixture and blend until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until batter is thick and smooth, making sure to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Fold in half of the chocolate pieces into the batter. Then pour batter into the prepared baking dish using a rubber spatula to scrape all the batter from the bowl.
- Use an offset spatula to even out batter. Sprinkle remaining chocolate pieces evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake approximately 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow bars to rest on stovetop until completely cool. Then, cut into bars and enjoy!