Mrs. Jackson's Sweet Potato Pie

Our new family Sweet Potato Pie recipe, which Hubs says tastes like his mother's!

Gluten free, reduced sugar, maple sweetened, whole ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 c almond meal or almond flour (I prefer meal for a sturdier crust)
• Pinch of ground ginger
• 1/2 c avocado oil, or enough to moisten the almond meal

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 c butter, softened 
• 1/2 c maple syrup, room temperature

• 3 c pureed organic sweet potato
• 1 can unsweetened evaporated milk (organic at Trader Joe's)
• 1T vanilla extract
• 1/4 t salt

• Freshly grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

Bake 3-4 large, scrubbed sweet potatoes for an hour until very soft. Peel off skin and puree until smooth. Measure out 3 cups of sweet potato puree and set aside. (use the rest in a soup or sauce or baby food or whatever)

Lightly butter a large pie pan.

Use a spoon to combine as much almond meal and oil as you wish, depending on desired thickness of crust. Mix in a pinch of ground ginger. Press into pie pan evenly and bake for 5-15 minutes; do not over-bake. Set aside.

Beat eggs. Beat in butter and maple syrup.

Beat in milk, vanilla, and salt. Finally, beat in sweet potato puree.

Gently pour over crust. Generously grate nutmeg over the pie.

Bake at 375 for 50-65 minutes, until there is just a slight wobble. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Jack's Mac and Cheese

Hubs has a very, very special place for Mac and Cheese and I have been trying to make him something he finds satisfactory that is also low carb and gluten free... a tricky combination.  But he went back for THIRDS on this recipe, so I took note!  Plus it was the quickest Mac and Cheese recipe I have ever made-- win!

Makes on 8x8 pan, serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS:

-3 cups of red lentil penne pasta, cooked al dente (Costco sellsTolerant brand)

-1 large head of garlic, minced
-4 large cremini mushrooms, chopped
-1T unsalted butter
-1T extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 lb cheddar cheese, cubed
-1 lb cream cheese
-1/3lb smoke gouda

-1/2c+ milk
-2T+ coconut flour
-1/4t sea salt


DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in dutch over or very large pan.  Soften garlic and mushrooms.  Add olive oil if veggies look dry.  Add salt, milk, and coconut flour and stir everything together well.

Add cheese and stir regularly to prevent lumps and prevent sticking on the bottom until all of the cheese is melted.

Stir in cooked pasta.  Use spatula to transfer entire mixture to 8x8 pan.  Finish in the broiler when the top is desired brownness.

Can be spruced up with some spices or protein like crumbled bacon.

GF Figgy Pudding

A Happy Christmas English treat!  Gluten free, fruit sweetened, dense, moist, and a bit chocolatey!

Topped with freshly whipped cream and ground nutmeg-

INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS

1.5c dried pitted dates, roughly chopped

1/2c dried figs, roughly chopped

2c water

Put all in a medium saucepan and boil over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and stir in: 

1t baking soda

Let cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a blender and puree.

Separately, use a standing mixer or beaters to beat:

1 stick of softened unsalted butter

2 eggs

Use a wooden spoon to fold in fig mixture and:

2.5c gluten free baking mix

1/4c cocoa powder

Pour batter into well-greased pans and smooth the top before baking.  I used 2 small Pyrex ramekins and 2 small tart pans.  I suggest using a large muffin tin to make 10-12 individual puddings.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Cool 5-10 minutes at invert onto pan.  Best served warm.  I topped mine with freshly whipped heavy whipping cream and ground nutmeg.  Scoring the tops of the puddings and covering with a thin sauce would also be nice.

Happy Christmas!

Rutabaga Gratin

The photo doesn't do it justice, I swear.  Very creamy and rich with lots of layers!  Tasted just as good as scalloped potatoes!

INGREDIENTS
-2 large rutabagas, peeled, halved, and mandolined
-1/2 leek, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 pint organic heavy whipping cream
-1c vegetable stock
-3c grated smoked gouda
-salt and pepper
-1T butter


DIRECTIONS
-Butter 2 casserole dishes, or one large baking pan
-Brown leek and garlic in half T butter in a medium-sized pot
-Add cream and stock to the pot, slowly bring to a simmer, whisking at simmer for 2 minutes
-Wisk in 1/2c of cheese
-Add salt and pepper to cream mixture
-Ladle just enough of the cream mixture to cover the bottom(s) of the baking pan(s)

-Layer rutabaga on top and add a little more cream between each layer
-At the middle layer, add some extra salt and 1/2c of cheese on the cream mixture
-After the top layer, sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of cheese

-Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes
-To brown top, bake 10-15 more minutes at 375 until vigorously bubbling and browned
-Allow to cool 10 minutes and serve warm

Simple Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Mousse

Tis the season for pumpkin spice!

INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS

-2 8oz blocks of cream cheese
-1 15oz can or Tetrapak of organic pumpkin puree

Beat together for a few minutes in a standing mixer until well combined.

Add the following:

-2c organic heavy whipping cream
-2t real maple syrup

-pinch of sea salt
-1T cinnamon
-1t ginger, nutmeg
-1/4t ground cloves
-1t vanilla paste

Whip together until smooth, add more spice if desired.

Use a pastry bar or large Ziplock bag with one corner snipped off, and pipe into 12 small cups/bowls.

Top with nutmeg, walnut pieces, or raw cacao nibs.



~150 calories per serving

Chocolate Beet Cake

Gluten free, low sugar chocolate cake made with puréed red beets-- the REAL Red Velvet cake!

Adapted from a recipe in the AMAZING Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook.  I use a Vitamix a couple times in this recipe, but a food processor for the beets and an electric mixer/beaters could be used for the whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS

-6 medium/large red beets
-2/3 cup warm water

-1 stick unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup coconut oil, softened + more for greasing pan(s)
-3 eggs
-1/3 cup honey
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla

-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 1/4 cup gluten free baking flour mix
-1/4 cup almond flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/3 tsp salt
- 1 to 3 ounces grated dark chocolate

-1 pint organic heavy whipping cream
-1 cup fresh, rinsed raspberries
-1 tsp xanthan gum
-1/2 tsp vanilla powder


DIRECTIONS

Preheat over to 350.  Scrub beets and remove greens.  Cut in half, lengthwise. Wrap in a package of foil and place on baking sheet.  Roast for 35-40 minutes until tender.  Keep oven on for the cake!  Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, while you mix together dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls (see below).  Place cooked beets in Vitamix with warm water and purée until smooth.

In a standing mixer bowl, combine all wet ingredients: butter, coconut oil, eggs, honey, vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: GF flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, grated chocolate.

Add puréed beets to wet ingredients until well combined.  Add dry ingredients and blend until well combined.  Pour batter into 2- 8 inch cake pans, greased GENEROUSLY with coconut oil.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.  Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.  (NOTE: Invert one cake onto the cake pan if you are making a double layered-cake.  A double layered cake will require a firmer filling than the whipped cream suggested below.)

Using Vitamix, combine heavy whipping cream and vanilla powder on LOW while pouring in xanthan gum through the lid.  Increase speed and beat until cream is stiff.  Pipe whipped cream over cake (there should be plenty extra for another use!) and top with raspberries.

Cake has a deep reddish color and is ridiculously moist and tasty!  Cake freezes well.  Makes great brownies if you bake in a square pan.  This is a WINNER!

GF Buckwheat Pancakes

I JUST made these and was so impressed that I'm recording the recipe ASAP!  I am not talented at making pancakes, so the fact that these held together when flipped (a miracle!) and were fluffy AND tasty, whoa.

Saving this recipe for next weekend, too!  Nutty and nourishing, they made a nice, substantial Saturday breakfast for me and Hubs.

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS:

-1 cup buckwheat flour (homemade from toasted buckwheat groats)

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp sea salt

-1/2 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, allspice

Combine in a bowl

-1 egg, beaten

-2 Tbs softened coconut oil

-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

-1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Mix well and set aside while pan/griddle heats to MED with another 2 Tbs coconut oil 

Blop large tablespoons of batter in warmed & greased pan.  Makes about 8 pancakes (2 good servings). Flip when ready, after about 3 minutes. 

Serve with unsalted butter, maple syrup, and fresh blueberries.