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. 

Copycat Sin-O-Bun (Juice Press)

Hubs will tell you that every time we go in to New York City, I DEMAND that we stop at Juice Press for a Sin-O-Bun!  They are the perfect, hearty, scrumptious little snack.  And more than that, I ate one right before we got married so I wouldn't get hangry during all the photos :)

Here is what the box looks like:

Here are what mine look like:

I must say, they look uncannily similar to the real deal, if I do say so myself!

I used another copycat recipe I got online and made some tweaks.


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups buckwheat groats (Whole Foods bulk bins)
• 5 Medjool dates
• 2T ground flaxseed
• 1t+ ground cinnamon
• 2t vanilla paste
• 1t maple syrup or dark honey
• Dash of sea salt

(Note for next time: maybe add 2T almond butter + 1 extra date to dough)

• 1/4c unsweetened vanilla almond milk (if necessary)

• Can of coconut milk (NOT the "lite" kind)
• 1T maple syrup or dark honey
• 1/2t vanilla powder
• 2T coconut water

• 15 raisins (or 1 more Medjool date)

DIRECTIONS:

• The night before... 
• Refrigerate the can of coconut milk in advance so the coconut butter separate from the coconut water  
• Soak dates in a small bowl of water overnight  
• Soak buckwheat groats in a sauce pan with water overnight 

• The next day...
• When the dates are soft, remove pits and roughly chop
• Drain and gently rinse buckwheat

• Combine the first group of ingredients (buckwheat through sea salt) in a blender
• A Vitamix works really well here
• Stop blender periodically to make sure ingredients are being evenly mixed
• If more liquid is required to make a pasty dough, add the almond milk
• Turn dough out onto the counter
• I like to have the counter covered with plastic wrap first
• Use hands to form 15 small balls/buns and slightly flatten onto a plate

• Now make the cream topping by beating together all of the coconut butter from the top of the refrigerated can of coconut milk + a couple tablespoons of the remaining coconut water from the can + the vanilla powder and extra honey/syrup
• When smooth, spoon on top of each of the buns

• And now, to finish...
• Top each bun with one raisin, or one piece of chopped date
• Lightly sprinkle more cinnamon over the top of everything
• Allow to refrigerate for a couple hours

The hands-on time is minimal and the reward is great!  Great taste and very similar to Juice Press'. They were a little drier than the original version, so I may add some almond butter to the dough and/or include another date or two.  Considering each Sin-O-Bun costs $4 at Juice Press, this recipe will be saving me A LOT of money!

GF Choc Chip Cookies- remix

I have tried a heck of a lot of gluten free cookies recipes and (besides my mom's coconut macaroons), these are my favorite so far.

DIRECTIONS

NOTE!  I could not alter the image, and I didn't want to re-type everything out because I have a life, but after eating lots of these cookies, I would reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp and I would also reduce the xanthan gum to 1 tsp.

Use standing mixer to beat egg, softened coconut oil, vanilla, and honey until smooth.

Add all dry ingredients. Mix on low. When almost combined, add coconut yogurt until reaches cookie dough consistency.

When combined, slowly mix in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 approx 15 minutes.

It is an odd quantity, but the nutrition facts are based on using the ingredients to make 27 cookies, which is exactly how many my little cookie scoop made.

Dark Chocolate Pudding Upgrade

This is an update from an Avocado Chocolate Pudding Recipe I published long, long ago.  These days, I'm much lighter on the sugar situation (Hubs' diabetes, etc.) and so the recipe no longer calls for copious amounts of agave syrup and now features 8 generous servings of pudding sweetened only with 3 dates and one small banana, for a very deep, dark chocolate flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 dates, softened
• 1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• 1 small banana, mashed
• 4 ripe avocados
• 1 t ground vanilla beans
• dash of sea salt
• 1.5 c cocoa powder

• 1 can organic coconut milk, chilled and separated
• 1 T xanthan gum

DIRECTIONS

Pour boiling water over dates and allow to sit for 20 minutes or so.  When soft and not too hot, remove seeds.  (Note: use leftover steeping water to make sweet, hot tea!) Transfer dates to a blender with the almond milk and blend until smooth.

Add banana, avocados, vanilla, salt, and cocoa to the blender.  Blend for quite a while until it starts to be smooth.  If it is too dry for the cocoa to fully incorporate, don't panic!  Because...

Meanwhile, you should have had the can of coconut milk in your fridge since at least the day before.  It will separate to a hard coconut cream on top, and a liquid coconut water on the bottom.  Scrape the cream out and put it into a separate bowl and set aside.  Pour the coconut water into the blender.  Add the xanthan gum.  Blend until completely smooth.

Pour into 8 or so small cups or bowls.  Refrigerate a couple hours for best texture.

When you are ready to serve, whip up the reserved chilled coconut cream with electric beaters and add to the top of the pudding like whipped cream.  A sprinkling of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes is a nice finish.

And there's your delicious vegan, raw, low sugar, all natural dark chocolate pudding!