If you’ve never had a churro, you’re missing out. This cinnamon sugar-coated deep fried ‘donut’ is usually sold by street vendors and eaten for breakfast in Spain and Latin America. Here in the states, they are eaten more often as a snack or dessert and typically found at county fairs and…Costco. Wow, they sure are delicious – but have absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. A gluttonous delight of deep fried white flour rolled in sugar and dipped in hot chocolate.

This one was a challenge to make healthy. But I thought maybe Mochi had some potential to transform this dessert. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from cooked whole grain brown rice that is pounded into paste and molded into a shape. Don’t let the words ‘rice cake’ turn you off. It’s not the dry, crusty wheel of nothingness that people choke down when they’re dieting. Mochi, when baked, comes out of the oven brown and crispy on the outside and chewy in the center.

Mochi Churros is one of those recipes that I thought was a great original idea. Nope. It had been done and was blasted all over the internet. Since this is more of an assembly process than a recipe, there isn’t a whole lot of variance in approach. But the chocolate sauce is an original recipe and can be used for just about anything. In fact, I have a hard time not just eating it with a spoon. All-in-all, this traditional treat is now void of all of its unhealthy qualities and is now packed full of whole-grains and flavor, is sweetened with natural, low-glycemic sugars and there’s even protein and anti-oxidants in the dipping sauce. Plus, it’s gluten and dairy-free. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Mochi Churros

• 1 pkg of Mochi (can be found at any health food store in the refrigerated section)
• 1 TB coconut oil (melted)
• coconut sugar (or raw sugar or maple sugar – whatever granulated sugar you like)
• cinnamon

Mix equal parts sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Cut the mochi in strips about the size of your pinky and bake at 425 for 10-12 min until they puff. When they come out of the oven, brush or toss in a little melted coconut oil so the sugar and cinnamon mixture will stick when you toss it in a in a paper bag or storage container with a lid.

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 TBSP raw honey
• 2 TBSP dark cocoa powder
• 1 TBSP nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP almond milk

Combine the coconut oil and raw honey in a small bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds until it’s melted together. Stir in the cocoa powder until smooth. Once combined, stir in the greek yogurt. Slowly add almond milk to thin out the mixture to the perfect consistency. Because you’re using cocoa powder instead of melting chocolate solids, adding liquid will not cause the sauce to seize up. It’s very easy and completely forgiving. Adjust the amount of cocoa and sweetness to your liking. This recipe makes approximately 1/2 cup of sauce. Enjoy!

It might take a few times to decide how well-done or chewy you like the mochi, and how sweet or tart you like the chocolate sauce.