The brownie universe isn’t exactly full of surprises. The combination of sugar, butter, flour, chocolate, eggs, a few extraneous ingredients, plus a little oven time, inevitably leads to some form of brownie action. Of course, the resulting degree of deliciousness is all in the details — just talk to the adamant nut-adders, the chocolate chip enthusiasts, or the “fudgy” versus “cakey” people that can seemingly never agree. Yet, by and large, the language of brownies is pretty much the same: delicious chocolate squares that just about everyone loves. Including me.

But I have a secret. With the exception of chocolate (which can be profoundly beneficial in its unprocessed form), I don’t use any of the “conventional” ingredients in my homemade brownies. In fact, I don’t even bake them. (I know — what a rebel.) Instead, by using exclusively natural, whole foods, the inherently gorgeous flavor of each healthy ingredient does all the sweet singing — without needing the crutch of sugar or butter. Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.

Oh, and as for their decadent texture? Simply put: go team “fudgy.” Here’s the printable recipe.

I follow the rules of natural food. Does it grow out of the ground? Has it been used for a long time? Does it taste good? “Miracles” aside, does it have genuine health benefits? In the case of many potent superfoods, the answer is a simple, exciting, delicious yes. Which means, in my mind, let the party with the ancient gatherer foodies of Amazonian tribes, 6th century Chinese monks, and Mayan astrologers begin.

Recently, I shot a few informational videos for Navitas Naturals to talk about the benefits of a few of their superfood products. The videos turned out pretty fun, and are a great 101 on how to use these “new” foods. Here’s one on goji berries.

You can view this episode along with my other videos under the Cooking Show section, HERE.

With its stellar ingredient list, this jam is a bona fide superfood in and of itself, so you can feel really good about incorporating it in your diet. Acai berries have a very mild berry flavor, resulting in a jam that looks and tastes similar to boysenberry preserves. If you like extra-sweet jams, I would recommend adding a touch of white stevia at the end for a natural (and sugar-free/calorie-free) sweet boost.