Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes
If you love or once loved chocolate cake and you eat a wheat-free
or gluten-free diet or you follow a primal diet that occasionally
includes quinoa, I have a great recipe for you! I’ve made it a handful
of times and it’s been a hit in cooking classes and with my neighbors
who don’t eat gluten-free or focus on natural foods. Not only is this
cake gluten-free, it’s also flourless. The recipe relies on cooked whole
quinoa, an ancient South American seed cultivated 4000 to 8000 years
ago in the highlands of the Andean region of South America.
Seed or grain?
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is often referred to as a grain although other sources classify it as a seed. Botanically it is the fruit of a broadleaf plant in the same family as spinach and beets.
Are grains paleo or primal?
You'll find different interpretations of paleo and primal diets in books and ver the internet. Most exclude grains, beans, and legumes. Although I normally avoid these foods, I do include them occasionally as treats. (Mark Sisson's books and blogs talk about the 80:20 rule of strictness, which is similar to the practice that Paleo Diet author Loren Cordain encourages of having one or two treat meals per week that include foods you might enjoy but otherwise exclude from your daily diet.)
Some of my cooking students, clients, and friends follow strict paleo or primal diets, but most do not. Many simple eat gluten-free or simply focus on eating more fresh, real, whole and minimally processed foods, eating produce-dominated diets, and eating healthy, complete (animal source) protein and good fats in their meals.
What’s great about quinoa?
Quinoa is rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and contains more iron than any other grain. It contains 50% more protein than other grains. (As a percentage of total calories, 12% to 18% of the calories in quinoa come from protein.) Unlike corn, wheat, and most other grains, which are missing the amino acid lysine, making their protein incomplete, quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. The World Health Organization rates quinoa’s protein quality on a par with that of milk.
Washing for success
Before cooking, quinoa seeds should be rinsed to remove the saponin, a bitter resin-like coating that helps discourage birds and insects from eating it. Saponins can irritate the lining of your intestines and leave a bitter aftertaste if not removed. Quinoa is often rinsed before it is packaged and sold; still, I suggest a thorough rinse at home. The presence of saponin is obvious by the production of soapy looking "suds" you will see when you swish the quinoa seeds in water before pouring them through a fine mesh strainer and rinsing until the water runs clear.
Soaking for success
Although most recipes fail to include this step, if you’re going to use whole grains, it’s best to soak them all day or overnight before cooking. This helps to break down the phytates contained in the fiber complex of whole grains. Phytates can bind with minerals and prevent their absorption. When soaking, always measure the quinoa dry (before washing) and add the amount of cooking liquid called for in the recipe. Soak the grain uncovered or covered with a bamboo sushi mat at room temperature. If you leave it for more than 8 hours, particularly in hot weather, the water may look bubbly or smell fermenty. If so, drain the quinoa over a bowl, then measure out the amount of water that comes off and add back ONLY that amount as fresh water.
Quinoa in cake?
It sounds strange but it works. For this recipe, cooked quinoa is pureed with the fat or oil, sweetener, and eggs in the recipe to make a smooth batter. You shouldn’t see any trace of the quinoa seed in the final batter. For this you will need a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor.
Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes
Prep: 30 minutes Cooking: 22 to 45 minutes Yield: 2 (9-inch) rounds or 18 to 20 cupcakes
This recipe for Moist Chocolate Cake comes from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap Press, 2010). I converted the sugar in the original recipe to palm sugar. I added the variation for using honey as well as for other fat and oil sources and the soaking option. I also added the frosting, which I think makes the cake. It makes great cupcakes! My 9 year old and 2 year old neighbors and cooking students love these.
Note: The recipe I found on line called for cooking 2/3 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water. The original recipe in the quinoa cookbook called for 1 1/3 cups water, which I only recently discovered. If you opt to cook the quinoa in the smaller amount of water, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes.
FYI: It looks like a lot of steps (below), but the recipe is actually easy to assemble. My rinsing and soaking suggestions add a couple of steps but I think they are worth doing.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup uncooked white or golden quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
1/3 cup milk or unsweetened nut milk; omit if using honey
4 large eggs or 6 small to medium-size eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled or substitute non-hydrogenated palm shortening or avocado oil
1 1/2 cups coconut palm sugar or see honey variation below (my alternations of her recipe)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt (Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
Healthy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Prep: 15 to 20 minutes Yield: enough to frost two 8- to 9-inch layer cakes
This is a variation on a recipe Lauren Benning posted on her blog, HealthyIndulgences. I changed the sweetener and the milk.
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated palm shortening (I use Spectrum or Tropical Traditions palm shortening)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons palm sugar, or slightly more as/if needed
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk or unsweetened canned or aseptic coconut milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt (I use Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract liquid (plain or vanilla flavored); double if desired
Seed or grain?
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is often referred to as a grain although other sources classify it as a seed. Botanically it is the fruit of a broadleaf plant in the same family as spinach and beets.
You'll find different interpretations of paleo and primal diets in books and ver the internet. Most exclude grains, beans, and legumes. Although I normally avoid these foods, I do include them occasionally as treats. (Mark Sisson's books and blogs talk about the 80:20 rule of strictness, which is similar to the practice that Paleo Diet author Loren Cordain encourages of having one or two treat meals per week that include foods you might enjoy but otherwise exclude from your daily diet.)
Some of my cooking students, clients, and friends follow strict paleo or primal diets, but most do not. Many simple eat gluten-free or simply focus on eating more fresh, real, whole and minimally processed foods, eating produce-dominated diets, and eating healthy, complete (animal source) protein and good fats in their meals.
What’s great about quinoa?
Quinoa is rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and contains more iron than any other grain. It contains 50% more protein than other grains. (As a percentage of total calories, 12% to 18% of the calories in quinoa come from protein.) Unlike corn, wheat, and most other grains, which are missing the amino acid lysine, making their protein incomplete, quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. The World Health Organization rates quinoa’s protein quality on a par with that of milk.
Before cooking, quinoa seeds should be rinsed to remove the saponin, a bitter resin-like coating that helps discourage birds and insects from eating it. Saponins can irritate the lining of your intestines and leave a bitter aftertaste if not removed. Quinoa is often rinsed before it is packaged and sold; still, I suggest a thorough rinse at home. The presence of saponin is obvious by the production of soapy looking "suds" you will see when you swish the quinoa seeds in water before pouring them through a fine mesh strainer and rinsing until the water runs clear.
Soaking for success
Although most recipes fail to include this step, if you’re going to use whole grains, it’s best to soak them all day or overnight before cooking. This helps to break down the phytates contained in the fiber complex of whole grains. Phytates can bind with minerals and prevent their absorption. When soaking, always measure the quinoa dry (before washing) and add the amount of cooking liquid called for in the recipe. Soak the grain uncovered or covered with a bamboo sushi mat at room temperature. If you leave it for more than 8 hours, particularly in hot weather, the water may look bubbly or smell fermenty. If so, drain the quinoa over a bowl, then measure out the amount of water that comes off and add back ONLY that amount as fresh water.
Quinoa in cake?
It sounds strange but it works. For this recipe, cooked quinoa is pureed with the fat or oil, sweetener, and eggs in the recipe to make a smooth batter. You shouldn’t see any trace of the quinoa seed in the final batter. For this you will need a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor.
Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes
Prep: 30 minutes Cooking: 22 to 45 minutes Yield: 2 (9-inch) rounds or 18 to 20 cupcakes
This recipe for Moist Chocolate Cake comes from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap Press, 2010). I converted the sugar in the original recipe to palm sugar. I added the variation for using honey as well as for other fat and oil sources and the soaking option. I also added the frosting, which I think makes the cake. It makes great cupcakes! My 9 year old and 2 year old neighbors and cooking students love these.
Note: The recipe I found on line called for cooking 2/3 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water. The original recipe in the quinoa cookbook called for 1 1/3 cups water, which I only recently discovered. If you opt to cook the quinoa in the smaller amount of water, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes.
FYI: It looks like a lot of steps (below), but the recipe is actually easy to assemble. My rinsing and soaking suggestions add a couple of steps but I think they are worth doing.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup uncooked white or golden quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
1/3 cup milk or unsweetened nut milk; omit if using honey
4 large eggs or 6 small to medium-size eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled or substitute non-hydrogenated palm shortening or avocado oil
1 1/2 cups coconut palm sugar or see honey variation below (my alternations of her recipe)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt (Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
- Place the quinoa in a bowl. Add water to cover it then swish it around and pick up a handful of grain at a time, rubbing it between your palms. Repeat several times, then pour the quinoa through a fine mesh strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear.
- Combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water (for cooking). If possible, leave the quinoa to soak, uncovered, at room temperature for 2 to 8 hours or overnight.
- To cook, bring the soaked or unsoaked quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes (reduce to 10 minutes if using 2/3 cup quinoa and 1 1/3 cups water above). Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
- Melt the butter (or other fat or oil) and allow to cool unless you’ve had it sitting at room temp for several hours and it feels soft.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round or square cake pans (see variations below for cupcakes). Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease again.
- Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and the butter (or other fat or oil) and continue to blend until smooth and creamy, like pudding, with no discernable grains of quinoa. You’ll need to stop the blender and scrape the sides several times. If using honey in place of sugar, add it to the blender or food processor now and blend again.
- Combine the sugar (if using), cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender or food processor and mix well, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes (until a knife or skewer inserted comes out clean). Remove cakes from oven and cool completely in the pans before removing and serving. You could make a two layer cake with frosting or just serve each cake as is.
- To use honey in place of sugar: Omit the sugar. Add 3/4 cup honey + 1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder or clear stevia extract liquid and omit the milk, and then reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon, and increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon.
- Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cupcakes: Pour batter into 18 to 20 well oiled or paper-lined muffin tins and bake for approximately 20 to 24 minutes or until cupcakes test done with a toothpick.
Healthy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Prep: 15 to 20 minutes Yield: enough to frost two 8- to 9-inch layer cakes
This is a variation on a recipe Lauren Benning posted on her blog, HealthyIndulgences. I changed the sweetener and the milk.
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated palm shortening (I use Spectrum or Tropical Traditions palm shortening)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons palm sugar, or slightly more as/if needed
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk or unsweetened canned or aseptic coconut milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt (I use Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract liquid (plain or vanilla flavored); double if desired
- Cream the butter or palm shortening in a small bowl until fluffy.
- Powder the palm sugar in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet for a minute or two, until extremely fine in texture (reminiscent of powdered sugar). Let sweetener settle in grinder before opening the top, then pour out and measure what you need.
- Stir powdered sweetener into butter/shortening with a spatula, then beat until smooth.
- Slowly blend in the cocoa powder (unless you want to redecorate your kitchen), vanilla, and sea salt. Beat in the milk. Add stevia, starting with 1/8 teaspoon. You'll probably use less than 1/2 teaspoon. Just keep tasting and adjusting the sweetness to your liking.
- Frost cake and serve or cover. Refrigerate any unused frosting and allow it to come to room temperature and soften before using.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
Decorate cakes & cupcakes like a pro
After seeing Todd’s exquistely frosted, ribbon topped Bon Appetit
cake pictures and comparing them to the photos in Elana's new Gluten
Free Cupcakes book and the delicious, but less than stellar job I did of
frosting mini cupcakes a friend's wedding reception in early May, I
realized that I needed to ramp up the presentation of my desserts.
(Thank you, Felicia and Todd!)
Pastry bag-less in Phoenix
I didn’t own cake decorating tools until a week ago. I was 16 years old the last time I’d used a pastry bag. My friend's wife, Tracy, mentioned using a plastic zip-top bag to decorate cakes, cutting a hole in one corner. when she did catering. My new friend Felicia uses disposable pastry bags for ease of clean up. Two days after the delicious lamb riblet meal at her house, I began hunting for pastry bags. I vaguely remembered how messy cleaning a pastry bag had been when I was a teenager. I nixed the idea of using disposable pastry bags; I didn’t like the look of them or the prospect of throwing out a steady strem of plastic bags knowing that other alternatives exist. I found what I was after at the second store I visited.
Decorate like a pro
I settled on the Wilton Dessert Pro Decorator kit: an ergonomically designed stainless steel cylinder with a pull-out plunger, 6 decorating tips, 2 couplers, and a nylon-dishwasher safe storage bag for the tips and couplers. The tool resembles both a cookie shooter and a jerky press. I like that it’s durable and eco friendly (mostly stainless steel rather than plastic) and easy to fill and clean. It won’t transfer flavors and does a better job of maintaining the temperature of the filling than a bag. Cloth and plastic bags absorb the heat of your hands, which can make frosting melt faster.
My first demo
Last Saturday, after my cooking class and before dinner, my 9 year old neighbor, Abby, helped me make two batches of gluten-free red velvet cupcakes, one with a gluten-free flour blend and the other with coconut flour. We also made one batch of honey-sweetened goat cheese buttercream frosting (a lower-sugar, lower-fat twist on classic cream cheese frosting. I filled my new Dessert Decorator Pro with frosting and used the star tip. You can see the results here (photo right). I think I did fairly well for a first attempt!
Cupcakes in the works
I plan to test more red velvet cupcakes and frosting in preparation for
a two-part, gluten-free cooking series I’ll be leading at Desert
Botanical Garden in July and August. I like to add new recipes to my
repertoire. Not only had a never made a red velvet cake or cupcake prior
to last weekend, I’d never even tasted a red velvet anything prior to
last year when I took home a killer, gluten-free red velvet cupcake from
Nourish Café in Scottsdale. It had a massive amount of thick, creamy,
white frosting on top, skillfully swirled through a pastry bag. Now I’m
on a mission to make something as good or better!
My team
In addition to my baking buddy, Abby, I have a team of taste-testers who help me evaluate my experiments. I won’t post my best red velvet cupcake recipe until after the class at Desert Botanical Garden. If you sign up for the class (see my cooking class page for details) you'll have the recipe before it goes live here. However, I will share the results of my testing and tasting process and tell you what other foods I decide to decorate with my new Decorator Pro. In the meantime, if you already decorate your food with a pastry bag or want to, consider getting a Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro. You can order one using the link below.
I didn’t own cake decorating tools until a week ago. I was 16 years old the last time I’d used a pastry bag. My friend's wife, Tracy, mentioned using a plastic zip-top bag to decorate cakes, cutting a hole in one corner. when she did catering. My new friend Felicia uses disposable pastry bags for ease of clean up. Two days after the delicious lamb riblet meal at her house, I began hunting for pastry bags. I vaguely remembered how messy cleaning a pastry bag had been when I was a teenager. I nixed the idea of using disposable pastry bags; I didn’t like the look of them or the prospect of throwing out a steady strem of plastic bags knowing that other alternatives exist. I found what I was after at the second store I visited.
Decorate like a pro
I settled on the Wilton Dessert Pro Decorator kit: an ergonomically designed stainless steel cylinder with a pull-out plunger, 6 decorating tips, 2 couplers, and a nylon-dishwasher safe storage bag for the tips and couplers. The tool resembles both a cookie shooter and a jerky press. I like that it’s durable and eco friendly (mostly stainless steel rather than plastic) and easy to fill and clean. It won’t transfer flavors and does a better job of maintaining the temperature of the filling than a bag. Cloth and plastic bags absorb the heat of your hands, which can make frosting melt faster.
Last Saturday, after my cooking class and before dinner, my 9 year old neighbor, Abby, helped me make two batches of gluten-free red velvet cupcakes, one with a gluten-free flour blend and the other with coconut flour. We also made one batch of honey-sweetened goat cheese buttercream frosting (a lower-sugar, lower-fat twist on classic cream cheese frosting. I filled my new Dessert Decorator Pro with frosting and used the star tip. You can see the results here (photo right). I think I did fairly well for a first attempt!
Cupcakes in the works
My team
In addition to my baking buddy, Abby, I have a team of taste-testers who help me evaluate my experiments. I won’t post my best red velvet cupcake recipe until after the class at Desert Botanical Garden. If you sign up for the class (see my cooking class page for details) you'll have the recipe before it goes live here. However, I will share the results of my testing and tasting process and tell you what other foods I decide to decorate with my new Decorator Pro. In the meantime, if you already decorate your food with a pastry bag or want to, consider getting a Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro. You can order one using the link below.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes
Friday I made two more cupcake recipes and one frosting recipe from Elana Amsterdam’s new book, Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour.
I tested Flourless Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes (p. 42), Strawberry
Cupcakes (p. 24), and Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (p. 96). The occasion
was the wedding of my long time friend and colleague, Don, and his
fiancée, Tracy. They had two other desserts on the menu, a small (maybe
6-inch diameter) gluten-free, two-layer chocolate cake with raspberry
filling and some incredibly beautiful egg shaped dark and white
chocolate truffles with cream filled centers, and they welcomed my
making and bringing 44 frosted mini cupcakes (48 minus two of each I
taste-tasted, for quality control, the day before).
The cupcakes
I made the two flavors of cupcakes. The Flourless Chocolate Coconut Coconut Cupcakes were made from (73% cocoa content) dark chocolate chips (a dark chocolate bar also works), unsweetened shredded coconut, eggs, sea salt, and agave syrup, which I replaced with honey. You’ll find the Strawberry Cupcake recipe below.
Of the two, the strawberry ones were my absolute favorite! They had just the right amount of sweetness for my tastes and I loved the generous dose of vanilla they contained. I like the short ingredient list and the moist consistency despite no added fat. I liked the chocolate ones just not as much.
In the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting recipe I replaced the agave nectar with honey and the cream cheese with soft goat cheese, a swap that cuts the calories in half without much change in flavor. (The same switch works in cheese cake recipes). The frosting calls for butter. If you don’t use butter, you can substitute non-hydrogenated palm shortening cup for cup.
From my previous testing the Lime Cupcakes were my favorite. The Orange Cream Cheese Frosting could be modified to include lime zest for those cakes.
Frosting faux pas
I made one and a half times the recipe (one full batch would have been plenty and I wanted to make sure to have enough). I now have a half batch of frozen frosting for future cupcake endeavors.
I included the orange zest in the frosting and set about picking
natural vegetable dye-based food colorings for two out of three
portions. The sweetness was just right and required no doctoring up or
down. For one portion I added bottled natural yellow food coloring made
from glycerine and turmeric. That turned out great!
For the second one I added natural red food coloring made from glycerine and cherry extract. No success! Perhaps because the coloring was 3 years old or because I failed to notice the “refrigerate it after opening” note on the label, it didn’t produce a red color despite shaking the bottle and adding many, many drops. By the time the frosting reached a grayish-pink color, it tasted strongly of tart cherries. I remedied that by adding unsweetened cocoa powder, a dash more honey, and vanilla, figuring chocolate cherry would be tastier and prettier than what I had in front of me. The result was good but not great. I much preferred the plain orange and the lemon yellow colored frostings but I had wanted something with more contrast for the chocolate cupcakes.
Chill it
I chilled the frosting on Friday and left the cupcakes in covered glass pans at room temp. Saturday, after teaching a 3 hour cooking class and before unpacking, changing my clothes, and leaving for the reception, I removed the frosting from the refrigerator to let it soften enough to spread over the mini cupcakes.
Next time I plan to frost the cakes within 30 minutes of chilling the frosting and refrigerating the cakes to make it harden. Softening chilled frosting without letting it get too soft is as tricky as transporting freshly frosted cakes in 100 degree weather. Despite placing ice packs between the covered glass pans, the frosting softened and some of the cupcakes capsized on the way. They were righted on arrival and chilled until serving time.
The verdict
The guests loved the cupcakes. They were intrigued before they even tasted them. I overheard the bride telling people that everything being served (from dinner to dessert) was gluten-free. A few people came up to me when they heard that I brought the cupcakes and expressed interest in them. Once the bride-groom cake, cupcakes, and truffles were served I heard compliments on them and requests for the recipes. I told them about the source and about how they could find out more on my blog. The bride and groom were particularly pleased.
If you’d like to try these and other grain-free, gluten-free cupcake recipes, I highly recommend buying a copy of Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour by Elana Amsterdam as well as her Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. You can also visit her blog for cupcake recipes not found in her book. She has many winning recipes.
Strawberry Cupcakes
Yield: 8 full size or 24 minis Sweetness: Medium
According to the headnotes for this recipe, Elana's younger son loves these cupcakes and calls them Strawberry Spongecakes. He enjoyed topping them with Cream Cheese Frosting (page 95), though they also pair quite nicely with Strawberry Meringue Frosting (page 97 and photo right). These pink-flecked pleasers are best made at the height of strawberry season.
Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour (sift before measuring if lumpy)
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar (I used honey)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
Strawberry Meringue Frosting
MAKES 3 CUPS SWEETNESS: HIGH
This is not the frosting that I made for the wedding. (I mde the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting on page 96 of her book.) This is the one in the professional photo (upper right) from Elana's book and it's the one I have permission to reprint. I do plan to try it on another batch of cupcakes. Elana's younger son eats this straight out of the bowl!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup agave nectar (I would use honey instead)
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
strawberries
I made the two flavors of cupcakes. The Flourless Chocolate Coconut Coconut Cupcakes were made from (73% cocoa content) dark chocolate chips (a dark chocolate bar also works), unsweetened shredded coconut, eggs, sea salt, and agave syrup, which I replaced with honey. You’ll find the Strawberry Cupcake recipe below.
Of the two, the strawberry ones were my absolute favorite! They had just the right amount of sweetness for my tastes and I loved the generous dose of vanilla they contained. I like the short ingredient list and the moist consistency despite no added fat. I liked the chocolate ones just not as much.
In the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting recipe I replaced the agave nectar with honey and the cream cheese with soft goat cheese, a swap that cuts the calories in half without much change in flavor. (The same switch works in cheese cake recipes). The frosting calls for butter. If you don’t use butter, you can substitute non-hydrogenated palm shortening cup for cup.
From my previous testing the Lime Cupcakes were my favorite. The Orange Cream Cheese Frosting could be modified to include lime zest for those cakes.
Frosting faux pas
I made one and a half times the recipe (one full batch would have been plenty and I wanted to make sure to have enough). I now have a half batch of frozen frosting for future cupcake endeavors.
For the second one I added natural red food coloring made from glycerine and cherry extract. No success! Perhaps because the coloring was 3 years old or because I failed to notice the “refrigerate it after opening” note on the label, it didn’t produce a red color despite shaking the bottle and adding many, many drops. By the time the frosting reached a grayish-pink color, it tasted strongly of tart cherries. I remedied that by adding unsweetened cocoa powder, a dash more honey, and vanilla, figuring chocolate cherry would be tastier and prettier than what I had in front of me. The result was good but not great. I much preferred the plain orange and the lemon yellow colored frostings but I had wanted something with more contrast for the chocolate cupcakes.
I chilled the frosting on Friday and left the cupcakes in covered glass pans at room temp. Saturday, after teaching a 3 hour cooking class and before unpacking, changing my clothes, and leaving for the reception, I removed the frosting from the refrigerator to let it soften enough to spread over the mini cupcakes.
Next time I plan to frost the cakes within 30 minutes of chilling the frosting and refrigerating the cakes to make it harden. Softening chilled frosting without letting it get too soft is as tricky as transporting freshly frosted cakes in 100 degree weather. Despite placing ice packs between the covered glass pans, the frosting softened and some of the cupcakes capsized on the way. They were righted on arrival and chilled until serving time.
The verdict
The guests loved the cupcakes. They were intrigued before they even tasted them. I overheard the bride telling people that everything being served (from dinner to dessert) was gluten-free. A few people came up to me when they heard that I brought the cupcakes and expressed interest in them. Once the bride-groom cake, cupcakes, and truffles were served I heard compliments on them and requests for the recipes. I told them about the source and about how they could find out more on my blog. The bride and groom were particularly pleased.
If you’d like to try these and other grain-free, gluten-free cupcake recipes, I highly recommend buying a copy of Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour by Elana Amsterdam as well as her Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. You can also visit her blog for cupcake recipes not found in her book. She has many winning recipes.
Yield: 8 full size or 24 minis Sweetness: Medium
According to the headnotes for this recipe, Elana's younger son loves these cupcakes and calls them Strawberry Spongecakes. He enjoyed topping them with Cream Cheese Frosting (page 95), though they also pair quite nicely with Strawberry Meringue Frosting (page 97 and photo right). These pink-flecked pleasers are best made at the height of strawberry season.
Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour (sift before measuring if lumpy)
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar (I used honey)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined, then fold in the strawberries.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.
Strawberry Meringue Frosting
MAKES 3 CUPS SWEETNESS: HIGH
This is not the frosting that I made for the wedding. (I mde the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting on page 96 of her book.) This is the one in the professional photo (upper right) from Elana's book and it's the one I have permission to reprint. I do plan to try it on another batch of cupcakes. Elana's younger son eats this straight out of the bowl!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup agave nectar (I would use honey instead)
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
strawberries
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the agave nectar to a boil, stirring constantly. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes, watching constantly and stirring occasionally, until the agave nectar darkens slightly from its original amber color, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a deep bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using a handheld mixer. Be sure to push the beaters around the bowl to incorporate air into the whites. This step is important; if your egg whites are not whipped to stiff peaks, the recipe won’t work. Stop whipping as soon as the egg whites are stiff; overwhipping will result in egg whites that are dry and grainy. The foam of the whites will be stiff enough to stand up in well-defined, unwavering peaks.
- Drizzle the warm agave nectar very slowly into the egg whites, while whipping with a handheld mixer, to keep the peaks stiff. The meringue will become pearlescent and shiny.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then fold the strawberries into the meringue. Use right away.
Remaking Recipes: How to create healthier versions of your old favorites
Recently, Kristen Michaelis of Food Renegade
gave me the opportunity to make a guest post on her blog. Like me she
promotes real foods, including unrefined sweeteners and traditional fats
and oils, and a return to home cooked meals. For the article, I chose
to focus on the issue of modifying recipes to make them healthier. I
wanted to show how I work what looks like magic on recipes.
“You know the recipes. You love to eat them, but you can hardly bring yourself to make them anymore. Why? Maybe they’re heavy on the sugar, or use refined vegetable oils or grains. Want to know how to remake those old recipes into something nutrient-dense and actually healthy?” says Kristen who considers my cookbook, The Garden of Eating one of her Top 5 Favorite Cookbooks.
Inspiration strikes
My students often wonder where I get my inspiration and how I go about creating new recipes. I figured Kristen’s readers would be no different. So, I decided to share the step by step instructions for remaking a recipe with her readers last week.
For example
As my model I used a recipe given to me by my former ASU nutrition intern, Calli Overstreet. It was one of her family’s favorite desserts and she wanted me to make it healthier. I turned it into a gluten-free, casein-free, naturally sweetened treat that even those with food allergies or intolerances could enjoy and one she would feel better about making and eating. I present before and after details and explain how I improved the recipe. Kristin and I hope this article will inspire you to revamp some of the recipes you know need an oil change and an overall upgrade.
Where do I come up with my ideas?
Rarely do I create a recipe out of the ethers. Usually my ideas come from pictures and recipes I see in magazines, promotional flyers, newsletters, on other web sites or blogs, or sent to me by friends, cooking students, or clients (past and present) or things I’ve seen or tasted in restaurants or at culinary festivals. A particular dish or recipe may trigger memories of something I’ve eaten at some past point in my life. It might give me an idea for modifying the shape, size, appearance, taste, or texture of something I currently make. Whatever the case, I start with a theme or general idea and my mind generates ideas for variations. Sometimes I make a lot of changes to a recipe, sometimes only a few.
To read more about the process and to compare and contrast the before and after recipes for what I now call Calli’s Fruit Cocktail Cake, click here.....
Special thanks to fellow food nerd (that's a compliment, by the way) Calli Overstreet, for sharing this and other recipes with me and to all of my past and present students, clients, friends, and associates who inspire me to improve my craft. I must also thank my eager taste testers who help me eat the fruits of my experiments!
“You know the recipes. You love to eat them, but you can hardly bring yourself to make them anymore. Why? Maybe they’re heavy on the sugar, or use refined vegetable oils or grains. Want to know how to remake those old recipes into something nutrient-dense and actually healthy?” says Kristen who considers my cookbook, The Garden of Eating one of her Top 5 Favorite Cookbooks.
Inspiration strikes
My students often wonder where I get my inspiration and how I go about creating new recipes. I figured Kristen’s readers would be no different. So, I decided to share the step by step instructions for remaking a recipe with her readers last week.
As my model I used a recipe given to me by my former ASU nutrition intern, Calli Overstreet. It was one of her family’s favorite desserts and she wanted me to make it healthier. I turned it into a gluten-free, casein-free, naturally sweetened treat that even those with food allergies or intolerances could enjoy and one she would feel better about making and eating. I present before and after details and explain how I improved the recipe. Kristin and I hope this article will inspire you to revamp some of the recipes you know need an oil change and an overall upgrade.
Where do I come up with my ideas?
Rarely do I create a recipe out of the ethers. Usually my ideas come from pictures and recipes I see in magazines, promotional flyers, newsletters, on other web sites or blogs, or sent to me by friends, cooking students, or clients (past and present) or things I’ve seen or tasted in restaurants or at culinary festivals. A particular dish or recipe may trigger memories of something I’ve eaten at some past point in my life. It might give me an idea for modifying the shape, size, appearance, taste, or texture of something I currently make. Whatever the case, I start with a theme or general idea and my mind generates ideas for variations. Sometimes I make a lot of changes to a recipe, sometimes only a few.
To read more about the process and to compare and contrast the before and after recipes for what I now call Calli’s Fruit Cocktail Cake, click here.....
Special thanks to fellow food nerd (that's a compliment, by the way) Calli Overstreet, for sharing this and other recipes with me and to all of my past and present students, clients, friends, and associates who inspire me to improve my craft. I must also thank my eager taste testers who help me eat the fruits of my experiments!
Win a box of Perfect Foods Bars
Arlyn Lyle in Utah and Emily Ulm in Ohio both won jars of Fat Toad Farm GoatUlm in Ohio both won jars of Fat Toad Farm Goat Milk Caramel in November's great gluten-free, artisan food giveway! I appreciate all of you who entered and helped promote the giveaway.
Win a box of bars!
The next giveaway is for Perfect Foods Bars made from real food ingredients you can spell, pronounce, and identify. The recipe starts with organic peanut or almond butter, adds raw honey, and more than 20 whole foods ingredients.
If you’ve been following my blog or taken my cooking classes, you know I rarely advocate or eat bars, unless they’re homemade or made from easily identifiable, nutritious, unrefined or minimally refined ingredients. My preference for a snack or mini meal is usually fresh fruit or veggies with toasted nuts, nut butter, beef or bison jerky, or hard boiled eggs, a grain-free almond flour muffin, or something similar. However, I’ve studied the ingredient list in Perfect Foods Bars and tasted them. If you’re going to buy and eat a bar (and you tolerate milk, eggs, and nuts), I think these are better than other bars I’ve seen and sampled over the years.
It all started with 5 years when Perfect Foods released their peanut butter energy bar. From there they created three more flavors. This fall they released their long-awaited Almond Butter Bar for people who either don’t like or are allergic or intolerant to peanuts. People on the go, from athletes to desk jockeys and from kids to adults, their bars have been prized for their flavor, texture, and nutrient density. They make a quick, portable snack or mini-meal at home, at work, on the trails, at the gym, movie theater (hide it in your purse or pocket), on an airplane, train, or bus, in the car, or anywhere else you need or want a portable snack.
What’s in ‘em?
Here’s what they do contain: peanut or almond butter, honey, dried land and sea vegetables and fruits, whole egg powder, rice protein, non-fat dry milk, flax oil, pumpkin seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and olive oil. Some flavors contain sesame seeds, puffed brown rice, or carob chips. Most ingredients are organic and marked with an asterisk. Each bar contains between 172 and 305 calories, 9 and 18 grams of protein, 8 and 16 grams of fat, 20 to 26 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 to 4 grams of fiber, and 55 to 95 milligrams of sodium. The bars do taste sweet. If you're avoiding or rarely eating concentrated sweeteners (including honey), you might find them too sweet. I'm guessing most people into wholesome, real foods will like them adn find the sweetness just right.
What’s not in ‘em?
Here’s what they don’t contain: chemical names and numbers, refined sugar, isolated fructose, high-fructose corn sweetener, trans fats, soy or gluten. They don't have the odd aftertaste of bars made from highly processed and artifical ingredients.
The Prize:
A mixed box of Perfect Foods Bars, five flavors (Peanut Butter, Cranberry Crunch, Fruit Nut, Carob Chip, and their newest bar, Almond Butter), three of each bar or a box of a single flavor (your choice).
Eligibility:
Rules for entering
1) Leave a comment below telling me why you like these bars, why you want to win the bars, or whether you’d rather win one flavor or a sample box.
To receive bonus entries, spread the word about my blog and this giveaway:
(select as many of the following as you like):
2) Watch one of my YouTube videos and leave a comment about it below
3) Subscribe to my YouTube page and leave a comment about that below
4) Subscribe to my blog (link halfway down this page on the left) and leave a comment telling me you subscribed
5) Publicize the giveaway, then leave a comment about what you did, for example
a) Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog
b) blog about the giveaway and leave the link
c) announce the giveaway on Facebook and send me a link
d) mention the giveaway to your family and friends
e) come up with your own creative idea to spread the word
6) do any or all of the above; just be sure to post a separate comment below for each action you take
Deadline: Midnight, Tuesday, November 30th, 2010.
Selection criteria: Random drawing
Limitations: Drawing open only to US residents due to shipping restrictions.
Thank you in advance for participating in this give away!
Get Goat Milk Caramel
I’ve made caramel sauce roughly a dozen times, all within the
last couple of years. I never ventured to make it before that. I like to
serve it over strawberries, blueberries, fruit salad, non-dairy frozen
desserts, or goat cheese cake.
For my birthday last year I served it over Vanilla Ice Dream (my non-dairy, low sugar, stevia and honey sweetened ice cream alternative from my Ice Dream Cookbook) with Calli’s Fruit Cocktail Cake (a gluten-free cake made with coconut flour that I created for an article for Living Without Magazine).
Funny thing was that by the time we got to the dessert course, I was
pretty well satisfied with the grassfed meat-based tacos and veggies I’d
eaten and the caramel I’d made tasted too sweet to me. Maybe I’ll try
it with less honey and more coconut milk the next time around, modeling
it on a traditional Cajeta-style sauce.
Photo credit: Rachel Albert ©2009
Speaking of Cajeta, I just tried the first bottled caramel sauce I’ve eaten in more than two decades. This one didn’t come from a store. It came from a small, family-owned and operated farm in Vermont where Judith Urving, her husband Steve, and their two daughters raise goats on pasture.
I also like knowing where my food came from. I buy some things (okay, many things) from supermarkets and natural foods stores––just like you…but if I can get something directly from the farmer, I like that even more. I like supporting people who make artisan food products on a small scale using simple, easy to pronounce ingredients that you could easily acquire if you wanted to make the products yourself.
Something new?
When I reard about Fat Toad Farm’s Goat Milk Caramel (Cajeta) on another blog, I knew wanted to try it. It sounded similar to the immensely thick and creamy confection I sampled on a trip to Mexico as a young child.
What is Cajeta?
“Cajeta is a Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk. According to chef Rick Bayless, the name for cajeta came from the Spanish phrase al punto de cajeta, which means a liquid thickened to the point at which a spoon drawn through the liquid reveals the bottom of the pot in which it is being cooked. However, it is more popularly assumed that it takes its name from the small wooden boxes it was traditionally packed in. Mexican cajeta is considered a specialty of and popularly associated with the city of Celaya in the state of Guanajuato, although it is also produced with the traditional method in several towns of the state of Jalisco, such as Mazamitla and Sayula.” — Wikipedia
What I like about it
I tried it!
I tried Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon. Of the two, Vanilla Bean was my favorite. On the first try I though the sauces were good. The second time, I thought they were even better. By the third try I was sold! This stuff isn’t for everyone! If you’re used to syrupy sweet sauces you may find it lacking. However, if you’ve been cutting back on sugar and other concentrated sweeteners and you’re looking for a less sweet alternative to conventional dessert sauces, if you’re into primal, or practially paleo eating, I think you’ll dig it! It has a subtle but satisfying sweetness I like.
Photo credit: Rachel Albert ©2009
A lower sugar alternative
The people at Fat Toad Farrm explain that “While standard caramel sauces are based on sugar (often times high fructose corn syrup) with very little dairy, cajeta is primarily a dairy based product. As a result, our caramel is incredibly creamy and is not as intensely sweet as conventional caramel sauces.”
I tried it over Vanilla Ice Dream,
Chocolate Ice Dream, and over plain yogurt with fresh fruit. I’m
thinking of trying it as a dip for apples or a drizzle for poached
pears. It would make a great frosting for bittersweet brownies. I’m sure
it would be great over gluten-free waffles or pancakes with berries or
other fresh fruits. I have a couple of recipes I’ve been meaning to try.
An 8-ounce jar of their sauce sell for $8.95. You can buy it directly from the farm. If you’re looking for different ways to use their sauces, check out their list of the Top Ten Ways to eat Cajeta. They also offer a list of recipes on their blog that could easily be adapted to fit a gluten-free, lower-sugar diet.
Win a bottle of Fat Toad Farm Caramel?
Here’s your chance. Enter as many times as you like. Increase your odds, tell your friends about it. Two lucky winners will receive this delicious artisan product.
Rules for entering
1) Leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to serve caramel sauce or what you would do with it if you won a jarful or which flavor you’d like to win.
To receive bonus entries, spread the word about my blog and this giveaway:
(select as many of the following as you like):
2) Watch one of my YouTube videos (maybe the Coffee Ice Dream recipe) and leave a comment about it below
3) Subscribe to my YouTube page and leave a comment about that below
3) Subscribe to my blog (link halfway down this page on the left) and leave a comment telling me you subscribed
4) Publicize the giveaway, then leave a comment about what you did, for example
a) Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog
b) blog about the giveaway and leave the link
c) announce the giveaway on Facebook and send me a link
d) mention the giveaway to your family and friends
e) come up with your own creative idea
5) do any or all of the above; just be sure to post a separate comment below for each action you take
Deadline: Midnight, Thursday, November 18th, 2010.
Selection criteria: Random drawing
Limitations: Drawing open only to US residents due to shipping restrictions.
Photo credit: Rachel Albert ©2009
Speaking of Cajeta, I just tried the first bottled caramel sauce I’ve eaten in more than two decades. This one didn’t come from a store. It came from a small, family-owned and operated farm in Vermont where Judith Urving, her husband Steve, and their two daughters raise goats on pasture.
I also like knowing where my food came from. I buy some things (okay, many things) from supermarkets and natural foods stores––just like you…but if I can get something directly from the farmer, I like that even more. I like supporting people who make artisan food products on a small scale using simple, easy to pronounce ingredients that you could easily acquire if you wanted to make the products yourself.
When I reard about Fat Toad Farm’s Goat Milk Caramel (Cajeta) on another blog, I knew wanted to try it. It sounded similar to the immensely thick and creamy confection I sampled on a trip to Mexico as a young child.
What is Cajeta?
“Cajeta is a Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk. According to chef Rick Bayless, the name for cajeta came from the Spanish phrase al punto de cajeta, which means a liquid thickened to the point at which a spoon drawn through the liquid reveals the bottom of the pot in which it is being cooked. However, it is more popularly assumed that it takes its name from the small wooden boxes it was traditionally packed in. Mexican cajeta is considered a specialty of and popularly associated with the city of Celaya in the state of Guanajuato, although it is also produced with the traditional method in several towns of the state of Jalisco, such as Mazamitla and Sayula.” — Wikipedia
What I like about it
- It comes from a small, family-run dairy in Vermont rather than a factory.
- Buying it supports a small family farms run by people doing what they love doing.
- It’s made from goat milk rather than cow’s milk (no rBGH).
- The milk comes from happy goats rotationally grazed on pasture land.
- It’s less sweeten than conventional confections, such as dulce de leche.
- It comes in four flavors: Original, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, and Coffee Bean.
- It’s slow simmmered for six hours, which gives it depth. (Slow food beats fast food.)
- It’s made from simple ingredients (you could make it at home, if you wanted to):
I tried Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon. Of the two, Vanilla Bean was my favorite. On the first try I though the sauces were good. The second time, I thought they were even better. By the third try I was sold! This stuff isn’t for everyone! If you’re used to syrupy sweet sauces you may find it lacking. However, if you’ve been cutting back on sugar and other concentrated sweeteners and you’re looking for a less sweet alternative to conventional dessert sauces, if you’re into primal, or practially paleo eating, I think you’ll dig it! It has a subtle but satisfying sweetness I like.
Photo credit: Rachel Albert ©2009
A lower sugar alternative
The people at Fat Toad Farrm explain that “While standard caramel sauces are based on sugar (often times high fructose corn syrup) with very little dairy, cajeta is primarily a dairy based product. As a result, our caramel is incredibly creamy and is not as intensely sweet as conventional caramel sauces.”
An 8-ounce jar of their sauce sell for $8.95. You can buy it directly from the farm. If you’re looking for different ways to use their sauces, check out their list of the Top Ten Ways to eat Cajeta. They also offer a list of recipes on their blog that could easily be adapted to fit a gluten-free, lower-sugar diet.
Win a bottle of Fat Toad Farm Caramel?
Here’s your chance. Enter as many times as you like. Increase your odds, tell your friends about it. Two lucky winners will receive this delicious artisan product.
Rules for entering
1) Leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to serve caramel sauce or what you would do with it if you won a jarful or which flavor you’d like to win.
To receive bonus entries, spread the word about my blog and this giveaway:
(select as many of the following as you like):
2) Watch one of my YouTube videos (maybe the Coffee Ice Dream recipe) and leave a comment about it below
3) Subscribe to my YouTube page and leave a comment about that below
3) Subscribe to my blog (link halfway down this page on the left) and leave a comment telling me you subscribed
4) Publicize the giveaway, then leave a comment about what you did, for example
a) Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog
b) blog about the giveaway and leave the link
c) announce the giveaway on Facebook and send me a link
d) mention the giveaway to your family and friends
e) come up with your own creative idea
5) do any or all of the above; just be sure to post a separate comment below for each action you take
Deadline: Midnight, Thursday, November 18th, 2010.
Selection criteria: Random drawing
Limitations: Drawing open only to US residents due to shipping restrictions.
Say, Yes! To Cookies
Necessity fuels invention. Wheat, gluten, grain, dairy products, and
sugar, aren’t essential to our health and well being but these foods
have become so commonplace that going without them can seem like a
stretch or even a sacrifice. And yet, giving up any or all of these
foods can provide the impetus for discovering new foods and for coming
up with new and better recipes.
I found that true for myself and so did David J. Fulton. For years he
watched his wife, a brittle diabetic, diligently try different diets,
diabetic desserts, and artificial sweeteners to control her blood sugar.
He desperately wanted to be able to make sweet treats for his
sweetheart.
Starch and sugar always led to a rapid rise in blood sugar for his wife followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. He’d never heard of baking without starch but he wanted to give it a try. He thought of replacing starch with fiber.
David's cookie quest
David tested out his ideas in the kitchen and his wife willingly taste-tested every batch of cookies he made. She didn’t suffer from any blood sugar spikes or crashes so she was happy and he kept tinkering with the recipe. His goal? To create a delicious starch-free, sugar-free cookies using premium, natural ingredients with zero net carbs.
Say, No! To Yo-Yo Dieting and Yes! To Cookies
As the testing and tasting continued, David and his wife, on the advice of their physician, transitioned to a starch-free, sugar -free, paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet. Over a two-year period, David and his each lost 100 pounds! David’s blood pressure stabilized and with the help of his doctor he discontinued his blood pressure meds. His wife’s blood sugar stabilized. They both felt healthier following their starch-free, sugar-free diet and David’s cookie recipes continued to get better and better.
Whenever their sweet tooth called, they knew the answer was Yes! To Cookies––David’s cookies! Eventually, their friends started asking for samples and encouraging them to share their cookies commercially. They launched Yes! To Cookies, the first cookies made from fiber and natural non-caloric sweeteners.
You can buy their ready-made cookies or purchase their cookie mixes (CocoaLicious and Strawberry Banana Blitz) to make the cookies at home. Each 1/2 ounce cookie contains about 1/3 of a gram of digestible carbohydrate. David’s ready-to-eat baked cookies contain 40 to 45 calories and 5 to 6 grams of fat each.
What’s not in these cookies?
Grain, gluten, starch, casein, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Note: They do contain whey protein, a dairy product, so they're not part of a strict paleo diet. However, whey protein is less allergenic than casein, another kind of protein derived from milk.You'll have to be the judge of how they agree with you.
What’s in these cookies?
Cocoa-Licious flavor cookie mix contains:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Whey Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Vanilla flavor, Spices, Cellulose HP-SA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Strawberry-Banana Blitz flavor cookie mix contains:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Whey Protein Isolate, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Strawberry, Banana and Vanilla flavors, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Cocoa-Licious flavored ready to eat cookies contain: Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium*, Butter, Egg, Whey Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Vanilla flavor, Spices, Cellulose HP-SA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Strawberry-Banana Blitz flavored ready to eat cookies contain:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Butter, Egg, Whey Protein Isolate, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Strawberry, Banana and Vanilla flavors, CelluloseGum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
How do they taste?
I think they’re pretty good for a zero car cookie but they do take some getting used to. They don't taste exactly like conventional cookies or even the typical gluten free cookies made from flour that you’d find in natural foods stores and the health food section of supermarkets.
They do have a slight after taste from the erythritol they contain. Some people describe the flavor of this zero calorie sweetener as cold or cool on the tongue. Xylitol often elicits the same reaction. I also think the kind of stevia used or David's cookies (the newly patended Reb A) may have a stronger flavor than the less refined, more natural form of stevia you'd get from buying pure stevia extract powder or clear stevia extract liquid.
However if you're committed to following a grain-free, starch-free, low-carb, or sugar-free diet, you may find that your fondness for them grows over time. I think adding more fat to David’s cookie mix and adding unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate to the CocoaLicious cookie mix reduces the aftertaste. They contain a lot of fiber (from the psyllium cereal fiber used as the base for the mix and packaged cookies). Eating them on a regular or daily basis could irritate the colon. I’m not totally sold on them.
You'll just have to try them for yourself and see what you think.
David sent me a sample package of each of the two cookie ready-to-eat
cookie flavors and two sample boxes of each of his cookie mixes. Over a
5-week period, I made four half batches of Strawberry Banana Blitz
Cookies and four half batches of the CocoaLicious Cookies,
experimenting with different variations.
Playing with cookie doughI made a half batch of each flavor according to the package instructions. My taste-testers and I thought the chocolate cookie mix needed more sweetener and that both flavors might benefit from slightly more fat, which did indeed improve the texture. Adding more fat gave them a delicious crunchy texture.
I tinkered with other ideas, making 3 more half batches of each of the two mixes, making multiple changes in some batches and recording what I did. I sent some of them in to a nutrition class for taste testing, so I had plenty of help eating the cookies.
1) The directions say to add “12 tablespoons soft butter or margarine,” I would change that to read:
3/4 cup soft butter (12 tablespoons) or 3/4 cup virgin coconut oil or palm shortening
I wouldn’t offer margarine as an option since it’s loaded with inflammation-producing polyunsatured omega 6 oils, even if it comes from a natural foods store. I suggest non-hydrogenated palm shortening or coconut oil for anyone who is sensitive to the trace amounts of casein or lactose found in butter.
How you measure matters!
Although sticks of butter often have incremental tablespoon markings, if you’re measuring out fat or oil (not cutting into a block of butter) or anything else, it’s more accurate to use the largest cup measurement you can. So use a 1/4 cup measure if you need 4 tablespoons of something. Use a 1/2 cup measure and a 1/4 cup measure if you need 12 tablespoons, which is equivalent to 3/4 cup. If you measure out fat or oil by the tablespoon then compare it to using measuring cups you’ll find a large discrepancy in the amounts you get. Try it! If you measure out 4 tablespoons of water or oil, then pour it into a 1/4 cup measure you’ll cup up short.
2) The directions say to combine cookie mix, eggs and butter or egg whites and margarine in a mixing bowl and mix until dough forms a ball. I would say:
In a mixing bowl with electric beaters or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the cookie mix, eggs and butter or egg whites and oil or shortening. Beat or blend until dough comes together in a ball.
I used a food processor, which I found fast and easy. I noticed on the web site that David used a stand mixer. I think mixing by hand would be cumbersome given the fibrous nature of the ingredients, and might not incorporate the ingredients as well.
3) The instructions say to bake at 375˚F for 15 minutes. I experimented with two baking temperatures and preferred the cookies baked at 350˚F until lightly golden on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes for some batches, 10 to 12 minutes for batches that included more eggs or more eggs plus mashed banana. I liked the results better from the cookies baked at the lower temperature for a shorter time. The cookies do firm up as they cool.
4) The package doesn’t say to do this, but I found it helpful to flatten each ball of dough using my fingers or the tines of a fork (like most peanut butter cookie recipes suggest) or with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. The fork flattened cookies looked the prettiest.
5) The package says that it yields approximately 18 to 22 cookies. I actually got 16 to 20 banana cookies to 18 to 22 chocolate cookies from each half batch forming the cookies into tablespoon-size size balls, about 1-inch in diameter, then flattening them to a thickness of about 1/3 to 1/2-inch.
Of the combinatio of ingredients I tried, I liked these best.
Almond Cococa-Licious Yes to Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes Yield: 23 cookies
Ingredients:
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 12 to 15 minutes Yield: 22 cookies
Ingredients:
Buttery Banana Blitz Yes to Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
Starch and sugar always led to a rapid rise in blood sugar for his wife followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar. He’d never heard of baking without starch but he wanted to give it a try. He thought of replacing starch with fiber.
David's cookie quest
David tested out his ideas in the kitchen and his wife willingly taste-tested every batch of cookies he made. She didn’t suffer from any blood sugar spikes or crashes so she was happy and he kept tinkering with the recipe. His goal? To create a delicious starch-free, sugar-free cookies using premium, natural ingredients with zero net carbs.
As the testing and tasting continued, David and his wife, on the advice of their physician, transitioned to a starch-free, sugar -free, paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet. Over a two-year period, David and his each lost 100 pounds! David’s blood pressure stabilized and with the help of his doctor he discontinued his blood pressure meds. His wife’s blood sugar stabilized. They both felt healthier following their starch-free, sugar-free diet and David’s cookie recipes continued to get better and better.
Whenever their sweet tooth called, they knew the answer was Yes! To Cookies––David’s cookies! Eventually, their friends started asking for samples and encouraging them to share their cookies commercially. They launched Yes! To Cookies, the first cookies made from fiber and natural non-caloric sweeteners.
You can buy their ready-made cookies or purchase their cookie mixes (CocoaLicious and Strawberry Banana Blitz) to make the cookies at home. Each 1/2 ounce cookie contains about 1/3 of a gram of digestible carbohydrate. David’s ready-to-eat baked cookies contain 40 to 45 calories and 5 to 6 grams of fat each.
Grain, gluten, starch, casein, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Note: They do contain whey protein, a dairy product, so they're not part of a strict paleo diet. However, whey protein is less allergenic than casein, another kind of protein derived from milk.You'll have to be the judge of how they agree with you.
What’s in these cookies?
Cocoa-Licious flavor cookie mix contains:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Whey Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Vanilla flavor, Spices, Cellulose HP-SA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Strawberry-Banana Blitz flavor cookie mix contains:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Whey Protein Isolate, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Strawberry, Banana and Vanilla flavors, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Cocoa-Licious flavored ready to eat cookies contain: Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium*, Butter, Egg, Whey Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Vanilla flavor, Spices, Cellulose HP-SA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
Strawberry-Banana Blitz flavored ready to eat cookies contain:
Erythritol, Cereal Fiber Psyllium, Butter, Egg, Whey Protein Isolate, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Strawberry, Banana and Vanilla flavors, CelluloseGum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (as a sweetner) and Salt.
How do they taste?
I think they’re pretty good for a zero car cookie but they do take some getting used to. They don't taste exactly like conventional cookies or even the typical gluten free cookies made from flour that you’d find in natural foods stores and the health food section of supermarkets.
They do have a slight after taste from the erythritol they contain. Some people describe the flavor of this zero calorie sweetener as cold or cool on the tongue. Xylitol often elicits the same reaction. I also think the kind of stevia used or David's cookies (the newly patended Reb A) may have a stronger flavor than the less refined, more natural form of stevia you'd get from buying pure stevia extract powder or clear stevia extract liquid.
However if you're committed to following a grain-free, starch-free, low-carb, or sugar-free diet, you may find that your fondness for them grows over time. I think adding more fat to David’s cookie mix and adding unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate to the CocoaLicious cookie mix reduces the aftertaste. They contain a lot of fiber (from the psyllium cereal fiber used as the base for the mix and packaged cookies). Eating them on a regular or daily basis could irritate the colon. I’m not totally sold on them.
You'll just have to try them for yourself and see what you think.
Playing with cookie doughI made a half batch of each flavor according to the package instructions. My taste-testers and I thought the chocolate cookie mix needed more sweetener and that both flavors might benefit from slightly more fat, which did indeed improve the texture. Adding more fat gave them a delicious crunchy texture.
I tinkered with other ideas, making 3 more half batches of each of the two mixes, making multiple changes in some batches and recording what I did. I sent some of them in to a nutrition class for taste testing, so I had plenty of help eating the cookies.
- I made a half batch of each flavor doubling the amount of eggs.
- I made a half batch of each mix increasing the fat from 6 tablespoon (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) for a half batch to 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup).
- I added 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon clear stevia extract liquid to one batch of chocolate cookies. 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey to another, adding 1 to 1.5 grams of net carbs to each cookie.
- I added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to one batch of chocolate cookies.
- I added melted unsweetened baker’s chocolate to one batches and bittersweet dark chocolate in another, adding maybe 1 to 2 gram of net carbs per cookie.
- I added cinnamon to one batch and orange zest to another.
- I added mashed banana to one of the batches of Strawberry Banana Blitz cookie mix.
1) The directions say to add “12 tablespoons soft butter or margarine,” I would change that to read:
3/4 cup soft butter (12 tablespoons) or 3/4 cup virgin coconut oil or palm shortening
I wouldn’t offer margarine as an option since it’s loaded with inflammation-producing polyunsatured omega 6 oils, even if it comes from a natural foods store. I suggest non-hydrogenated palm shortening or coconut oil for anyone who is sensitive to the trace amounts of casein or lactose found in butter.
How you measure matters!
Although sticks of butter often have incremental tablespoon markings, if you’re measuring out fat or oil (not cutting into a block of butter) or anything else, it’s more accurate to use the largest cup measurement you can. So use a 1/4 cup measure if you need 4 tablespoons of something. Use a 1/2 cup measure and a 1/4 cup measure if you need 12 tablespoons, which is equivalent to 3/4 cup. If you measure out fat or oil by the tablespoon then compare it to using measuring cups you’ll find a large discrepancy in the amounts you get. Try it! If you measure out 4 tablespoons of water or oil, then pour it into a 1/4 cup measure you’ll cup up short.
2) The directions say to combine cookie mix, eggs and butter or egg whites and margarine in a mixing bowl and mix until dough forms a ball. I would say:
In a mixing bowl with electric beaters or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the cookie mix, eggs and butter or egg whites and oil or shortening. Beat or blend until dough comes together in a ball.
I used a food processor, which I found fast and easy. I noticed on the web site that David used a stand mixer. I think mixing by hand would be cumbersome given the fibrous nature of the ingredients, and might not incorporate the ingredients as well.
3) The instructions say to bake at 375˚F for 15 minutes. I experimented with two baking temperatures and preferred the cookies baked at 350˚F until lightly golden on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes for some batches, 10 to 12 minutes for batches that included more eggs or more eggs plus mashed banana. I liked the results better from the cookies baked at the lower temperature for a shorter time. The cookies do firm up as they cool.
4) The package doesn’t say to do this, but I found it helpful to flatten each ball of dough using my fingers or the tines of a fork (like most peanut butter cookie recipes suggest) or with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. The fork flattened cookies looked the prettiest.
5) The package says that it yields approximately 18 to 22 cookies. I actually got 16 to 20 banana cookies to 18 to 22 chocolate cookies from each half batch forming the cookies into tablespoon-size size balls, about 1-inch in diameter, then flattening them to a thickness of about 1/3 to 1/2-inch.
Of the combinatio of ingredients I tried, I liked these best.
Almond Cococa-Licious Yes to Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes Yield: 23 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white or 1/2 egg (tricky to measure, but do-able) or 1 whole egg
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons soft butter, palm shortening or liquefied virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted almond butter (mix well before measuring)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder or 1 to 2 tablspoons powdered erythritol
- 1/2 package Yes! To CookieCocoa-LIicious Cookie Mix
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet or line with unbleached parchment paper.
- Combine egg, shortening or butter, almond butter, stevia or erythritol, and 1/2 package Yes to Cookies Cocoa-Licious Cookie Mix in a mixing bowl with electric beaters or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Beat or blend until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Form dough into tablespoon size balls (about 1-inch in diameter). Arrange on prepared baking tray about 2-inches apart. Flatten with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes until barely golden on the bottom.
- Remove from oven. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. When cool, cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 12 to 15 minutes Yield: 22 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white or 1/2 egg (tricky to divvy up but possible!)
- 1/2 cup soft butter, palm shortening or liquefied virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/2 ounces (by weight) unsweetened baker’s chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 1/2 package Yes! To CookieCocoa-LIicious Cookie Mix
- Melt chocolate over very low heat in a saucepan or in the top of a double boiler and allow to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet or line with unbleached parchment paper.
- Combine egg, shortening or butter, melted chocolate, honey, and 1/2 package Yes to Cookies Cocoa-Licious Cookie Mix in a mixing bowl with electric beaters or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Beat or blend until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Form dough into tablespoon size balls (about 1-inch in diameter). Arrange on prepared baking tray about 2-inches apart. Flatten with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes until barely golden on the bottom.
- Remove from oven. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. When cool, cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Increase to 1 whole egg above; replace unsweetened baker's chocolate with a 3.5 oz. bar of bittersweet dark chocolate; and use 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey agove. Each cookie will contain about 2.5 grams of sugar.
Buttery Banana Blitz Yes to Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white or 1/2 egg (a bit tricky to measure)
- 1/2 cup soft butter, palm shortening or liquefied virgin coconut oil
- 11/4 to teaspoon almond extract (double if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried orange zest or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange zest, optional
- 1/2 package Yes! To Cookie Strawberry Banana Blitz Cookie Mix
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet or line with unbleached parchment paper.
- Combine egg, shortening or butter, vanilla, optional orange zest, and 1/2 package Yes to Cookies Strawberry Banana Blitz Cookie Mix in a mixing bowl with electric beaters or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Beat or blend until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Form dough into tablespoon size balls (about 1-inch in diameter). Arrange on prepared baking tray about 2-inches apart. Flatten with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes until barely golden on the bottom.
- Remove from oven. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. When cool, cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Whipped Cream Sweetened with Stevia
We didn’t know any better. I’d probably never had real whipped cream when I was introduced to the artificial stuff. If I had and if someone had showed me how easy it was to whip cream the old fashioned way, I believe I would have enjoyed helping my mother make it and I would have made it that way by the time I was in sixth grade, when my mother allowed me to play in the kitchen ( baking) anytime I wanted—without having to ask permission or have supervision.
Ever wondered what’s in Cool Whip or taken the time to read the label? If so, I hope you decided never to eat the synthetic stuff again.
According to Wikipedia, Cool Whip is synthesized from water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene. In some markets, such as Canada and the United States, Cool Whip is available in an aerosol can using nitrous oxide as a propellant.
Amazing that it ever got passed off as non-dairy because it contains a milk derivitive, sodium caseinate. Jewish people who keep kosher consider Cool Whip® dairy and not parve. This means they won’t eat it at the same meal as meat. Personally, I don’t think anyone should eat Cool Whip–––at any meal, ever! It’s not real food.
Freshly whipped cream keeps its shape for several days in the fridge. To stabilize the texture for even better results, you can stabilize it with unflavored gelatin (see tips below) or agar agar powder (not the flakes). You’ll find so many delicious ways to serve it.
Whipped Cream with Stevia
Hands-on: 5 minutes/ Cooking: 0 / Yield: 4 cups; 8 or more servings
Shopping tips: If possible buy cream from a local, raw dairy. Barring that, look for cream labeled Rbgh-free or Rbst-free, which means the cows weren’t on drugs. Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream; it's harder to whip (but not impossible), and the texture isn’t the same. It helps to use a metal bowl and to put the beaters and bowl in the freezer for 15 or more minutes before using if you do use ultra-pasteurized cream.
Ingredients:
16 ounces (2 cups) hormone-free heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (a brand with nothing added to it)
1 to 3 tablespoons light colored honey, optional
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavoring (double if desired)
1/4 cup cocoa nibs for garnish, optional
1. In an impeccably clean glass or metal bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer on low speed, then slowly increase the speed. Set the mixer so it goes as fast as possible without splashing. Don’t start on high or the cream will go all over the place.
2. As the cream thickens, turn up the speed up. As it gets foamier, start checking for a soft peak, which is what you want. The peak should bend over at the top when you remove the whisk. As it gets thick, slow down, because if it goes too far, it will clump and separate and turn into butter.
3. Add the stevia and vanilla and beat briefly to distribute. Taste, then add 1 tablespoons honey, and repeat. Taste and add additional honey 1 tablespoons at a time as needed for your tastes. Note: Beat only enough to combine, or until stiff peaks form, as you prefer.
4. Divide the mixture between 8 wine glasses, custard cups, or parfait glasses or spoon into a wide mouth jar or a bowl with a lid. Cover and refrigerate unused portions and use within 5 days.
Variations:
* Stabilized Whipped Cream: If you want whipped cream to keep the best texture and you plan to store it for more than a few days, try this. In a small saucepan, sprinkle 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Heat until the gelatin melts. Add to 1 cup (unwhipped) whipping cream, whisking until gelatin and cream are well blended. Chill for 1 hour. Beat with electric mixer (as described above) until cream is thick and holds its shape. It will thicken even more as it sets in refrigerator.
* Stabilized Whipped Cream with Agar Agar Powder: In the variation above, replace unflavored gelatin with 1/3 teaspoon agar agar powder (not the flakes). Proceed as directed above.
Ricotta Chocolate Mousse
Last spring I was leading a series of private cooking classes for one
of my clients who wanted to learn how to make chocolate mousse. I knew
he probably wouldn’t make a fussy or difficult recipe so I searched on
line for something simple.
I prefer making and eating dairy free desserts. I also recognize that
some things are hard to replace–––ricotta and other cheeses, and cream.
I've used tofu in puddings, custard pies, and mousses (silken tofu
works best). I thought they tasted okay, but not great. The beany flavor
can be difficult to disguise. I like tofu in stir fries more than
desserts. Besides, I think I overdosed on soy during my vegan and
macrobiotic years, so I prefer to limit my consumption of it now to
tamari and miso, fermented condiments used in small amounts. So, I
occasionally compromise and use some dairy products. This is one of
those cases.
Most people are familiar with French-style chocolate mousse with its light and airy texture. I wanted something more dense, like what my mother made when I was growing up. She used to melt several cubes of unsweetened baker’s chocolate, add sugar, and vanilla, then fold the mixture into part skim ricotta cheese; her recipe didn’t contain whipping cream. I loved the thick, rich mouthfeel of it but I never got the chance to find out exactly how much of each ingredient she used.
Ricotta Chocolate Mousse
Prep: 20 minutes/ Cooking: 3 minutes/Chilling: at least 1 hour /Yield: 4 servings
When I found this recipe from one of the Moosewood cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. I replaced the white sugar with honey (agave nectar also works) and stevia. I changed the garnish (I love the bitterness and crunch of cocoa nibs against the creaminess and sweetness of the pudding) and tweaked the instructions.
Health notes: Buy raw whipping cream from a local farmer whose animals that haven't been given growth hormones. Next best is pasteurized organic whipping cream or one that says “rBGH-free” or “rBST-free” on the label (that means the cows didn’t receive growth hormones) Avoid ultra pasteurized cream, it doesn’t whip up as well as regular pasteurized or raw milk cream.
Organic Valley is the only company I found that makes an organic ricotta cheese. It's worth searching for and paying more for given the risks associated with eating rBST or rBGH treated milk. These genetically modified growth hormones significantly increase the risk of reproductive disorders and cancer in humans.
If you don't know much about the hazards of consuming genetically modified foods, please buy, rent, or watch the documentary Seeds of Deception on line.
FYI: For a screaming deal on organic cocoa nibs (aka cacoa nibs), check out Cocoa Supply Company. What are they? Roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits. They add a delightful crunch to recipes and can be used in place of nuts in cookies or as a garnish for ice cream, puddings, or mousses.
Ingredients:
15-ounce tub ricotta cheese, organic if possible (you may use part skim to reduce the fat)
3 ounces unsweetened baker’s chocolate (Hersheys, Sharffenberger,
1 teaspon pure vanilla extract, preferaby alcohol free
1/4 to 1/3 cup raw (light colored) honey, such as clover or citrus honey or agavé nectar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (a brand with nothing added to it) or clear stevia extract liquid, optional
Whipping cream (yields 2 cups):
1 cup heavy whipping cream (see notes above)
1 tablespoon raw honey or agavé nectar
1/2 teaspon pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavoring
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (a brand with nothing added to it) or clear stevia extract liquid, optional
Garnish:
4 strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced or 8 raspberries
2 to 4 tablespoons organic cocoa nibs
1. Remove ricotta from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you begin.
2. Break or chop the chocolate into pieces. Melt in a saucepan over very low heat. You can use a double boiler, but it’s not necessary.
3. In a blender,Vita-Mix, or food processor combine the ricotta, melted chocolate, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend until very smooth. Add 1 1/3 tablespoons additional honey or agave. Taste and add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon stevia for a sweeter taste. Divide mixture between 4 dessert cups or wine glasses and chill.
4. In a glass or metal bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat to combine. For a sweeter taste, add stevia and beat again.
5. Generously spoon whipped cream over the mousse. Fan strawberries or arrange raspberries over the top. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs, and serve. Refrigerate leftovers and use within 1 week.
Nutrition breakdown: not available
Variation:
* For a lighter mousse: At the end of step #3, spoon chocolate mousse into a large mixing bowl. After beating whipped cream in step #4, fold 2/3 of it into the chocolate mousse. Divide mousse between serving cups or wine glasses. Spoon remaining whipped cream on top, then garnish with fruit and/or cocoa nibs.
Most people are familiar with French-style chocolate mousse with its light and airy texture. I wanted something more dense, like what my mother made when I was growing up. She used to melt several cubes of unsweetened baker’s chocolate, add sugar, and vanilla, then fold the mixture into part skim ricotta cheese; her recipe didn’t contain whipping cream. I loved the thick, rich mouthfeel of it but I never got the chance to find out exactly how much of each ingredient she used.
Ricotta Chocolate Mousse
Prep: 20 minutes/ Cooking: 3 minutes/Chilling: at least 1 hour /Yield: 4 servings
When I found this recipe from one of the Moosewood cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. I replaced the white sugar with honey (agave nectar also works) and stevia. I changed the garnish (I love the bitterness and crunch of cocoa nibs against the creaminess and sweetness of the pudding) and tweaked the instructions.
Health notes: Buy raw whipping cream from a local farmer whose animals that haven't been given growth hormones. Next best is pasteurized organic whipping cream or one that says “rBGH-free” or “rBST-free” on the label (that means the cows didn’t receive growth hormones) Avoid ultra pasteurized cream, it doesn’t whip up as well as regular pasteurized or raw milk cream.
Organic Valley is the only company I found that makes an organic ricotta cheese. It's worth searching for and paying more for given the risks associated with eating rBST or rBGH treated milk. These genetically modified growth hormones significantly increase the risk of reproductive disorders and cancer in humans.
If you don't know much about the hazards of consuming genetically modified foods, please buy, rent, or watch the documentary Seeds of Deception on line.
FYI: For a screaming deal on organic cocoa nibs (aka cacoa nibs), check out Cocoa Supply Company. What are they? Roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits. They add a delightful crunch to recipes and can be used in place of nuts in cookies or as a garnish for ice cream, puddings, or mousses.
Ingredients:
15-ounce tub ricotta cheese, organic if possible (you may use part skim to reduce the fat)
3 ounces unsweetened baker’s chocolate (Hersheys, Sharffenberger,
1 teaspon pure vanilla extract, preferaby alcohol free
1/4 to 1/3 cup raw (light colored) honey, such as clover or citrus honey or agavé nectar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (a brand with nothing added to it) or clear stevia extract liquid, optional
Whipping cream (yields 2 cups):
1 cup heavy whipping cream (see notes above)
1 tablespoon raw honey or agavé nectar
1/2 teaspon pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavoring
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (a brand with nothing added to it) or clear stevia extract liquid, optional
Garnish:
4 strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced or 8 raspberries
2 to 4 tablespoons organic cocoa nibs
1. Remove ricotta from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you begin.
2. Break or chop the chocolate into pieces. Melt in a saucepan over very low heat. You can use a double boiler, but it’s not necessary.
3. In a blender,Vita-Mix, or food processor combine the ricotta, melted chocolate, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend until very smooth. Add 1 1/3 tablespoons additional honey or agave. Taste and add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon stevia for a sweeter taste. Divide mixture between 4 dessert cups or wine glasses and chill.
4. In a glass or metal bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat to combine. For a sweeter taste, add stevia and beat again.
5. Generously spoon whipped cream over the mousse. Fan strawberries or arrange raspberries over the top. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs, and serve. Refrigerate leftovers and use within 1 week.
Nutrition breakdown: not available
Variation:
* For a lighter mousse: At the end of step #3, spoon chocolate mousse into a large mixing bowl. After beating whipped cream in step #4, fold 2/3 of it into the chocolate mousse. Divide mousse between serving cups or wine glasses. Spoon remaining whipped cream on top, then garnish with fruit and/or cocoa nibs.
Cheesecake Without Gluten or Guilt
Got Goat Cheese?Most of my recipes are dairy free. I don’t need milk, cream, cheese, or sour cream to make food taste great. I followed a vegan diet for 9 years and a mostly dairy-free omnivorous diet for many more years. I know how to make creamy soups without cream, delectable puddings, pumpkin pies, custards, and ice cream alternatives that rival the real thing.
However, some recipes just don’t work well without milk products. Take cheesecake. I don’t need it and I don’t live for it although I enjoyed New York-style cheesecakes and Jell-0 brand cheesecake mixes from a box when I was growing up. Yet for years I didn’t eat cheesecake.
I’ll admit that during my early vegan years I made tofu cheesecakes. They tasted kind of beany and I knew they wouldn’t satisfy or fool people who really liked cheesecake. But I ate them and suffered beany side effects anyway. I was committed to a vegan diet at the time and very into tofu. One year when I worked for Larry’s Markets in Bellevue, Washington. I dressed up as a box of extra-firm tofu for Halloween, complete with tear off recipe pads. I didn’t have an extra-firm body at the time, but it was the thought (or wish) that counted. I had a license plate that said GO4TOFU and my phone number had TOFU in the suffix. Gone are those days.
After I gave up my tofu kick and went omnivorous again, I enjoyed fruit based desserts and other treats that didn’t require cream, cheese, or milk. I might have stayed cheesecake-free were it not for my husband, who said his favorite dessert during his teen years was cheesecake. So last summer I searched the internet, found a few recipes, then set to work doing my magic: making substitutions so the recipe would be lower in fat, calories, and sugar, and gluten free. You probably didn’t know that many recipes use wheat in the batter (for texture) or in the crust.
Next, I replaced the sugar with a combination of honey (agave nectar also works if you want a lower glycemic sweetener) and white stevia extract powder. I made a couple of batches with a gluten free crust, but I wasn’t happy with the results. I was trying to use coconut flour, which absorbs a lot of moisture and requires more tinkering than I had patience with. Because you have to bake cheesecake crust blind (with no filling) and then again with the filling, you have to make sure it has enough fat so it doesn’t dry out. I found a simpler solution: crumble gluten free ginger snaps over the cake and the plates before serving. Maybe I’ll go back and make a GF crust but it’s not a high priority for me right now. I get plenty of carbs in my meals, desserts, and intentional snacks.
I’ve made this recipe about six times including one party and one cooking class. I’ve played with different toppings. It needs something, even if its just fresh berries with a drizzle of honey or agave nectar. If you want something fancier I have a host of great sauce recipes made without refined sugar in my new book, The Ice Dream Cookbook. Great toppings include cherry, raspberry, apricot, peach, nectarine, blueberry, cocoa, carob, or caramel sauce. The pictures I posted had cocoa and caramel sauce on top along with crumbled, gluten-free ginger snap cookies.
Good news: This recipe contains enough protein to constitute a healthy blood sugar-balancing snack, just be sure to serve it with fruit on top for extra vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
My Goat Cheesecake
Hands-on: 30 minutes/ Cooking: 40 minutes/Yield: 1 (9 to 10-inch pie); 8 to 10 slices
I used a recipe from
Note: Use a brand of pure stevia extract powder with nothing added (no FOS, no erythritol, no maltodextrin, and no lactose). The label should say 100% steviosides or 100% pure stevia extract. Look for it on the supplement or alternative-sweetener aisle of natural foods markets, such as Trader Joes, Sprouts, and Whole Foods. My favorites include NuNaturals and Wisdom Natural brands.
FYI: You want all of the ingredients at room temperature, 68˚ F to 70˚F. Take the cheese and eggs out of the refrigerator 1 to 2 hour before baking to allow them to come to room temperature.
Cheesecake:
Coconut oil, clarified butter, ghee, or Spectrum palm shortening to grease baking pan
11 ounces mild, fresh, soft goat cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup light colored honey or agavé nectar, additional tablespoon as needed
1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (see notes above)
1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (colored part only)
2 to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavoring; double if desired
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 cup arrowroot or organic cornstarch; add 1 more tablespoon for a denser texture or if using agave nectar
Topping (select one or more):
3 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, and quartered strawberries with
2 tablespoons honey or agavé nectar for garnish, optional
or 1/4 cup Karly’s Carob Sauce or Karly’s Cocoa Sauce (page 174 of The Ice Dream Cookbook)
or 1/4 cup Caramel Sauce (page 176 of The Ice Dream Cookbook)
or 1 cup of crumbled gluten-free ginger snaps (try Pamela’s, Mi-Del, or Trader Joe's brand)
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9 1/2- or 10-1/2-inch” springform pan with a removable bottom. Cut more parchment to line the sides. Generously grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Place parchment on the bottom and sides. Grease the top of the parchment to prevent sticking.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, honey, stevia, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until smooth. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1 or 2 tablespoons honey. Beat in the egg yolks, 2 at a time, incorporating them completely before adding more. Beat in arrowroot at low speed.
3. In another bowl using clean beaters, beat egg whites until firm but not dry, about 2 minutes on high. Beat one-third of the whites into the goat cheese mixture. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a wide stiff spatula.
4. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
5. Remove the sides of the Sprinform. Invert cake onto a large plate. Peel away parchment. Arrange berries on top and drizzle with honey or agave nectar. Or drizzle cheecake or berry topped cheesecake with Carob or Cocoa Sauce and/or homemade Caramel Sauce.
6. Slice cake and serve or, cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time. Use within 5 days. I store the sliced cake in round or oblong (glass) Pyrex or Corningware containers with fitted lids.
How big a piece do you want?
1 serving w/out topping (1/12 of pie): 139 calories, 7 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams fat
1 serving w/out topping (1/10 of pie): 167calories, 8 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams fat
1 serving w/out topping (1/8 of pie): 208 calories, 12 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams fat
Variations:
* For a simple fruit sauce: Lightly crush the berries with 2 tablespoons honey or agavé nectar and set aside for 10 minutes. Spoon over cheesecake and garnish with additional whole berries.
* For a smoother sauce without any seeds: Purée the fruit and honey in a blender or food processor, then press it through a fine mesh strainer with a flexible spatula. Have a bowl underneath to catch the purée. Or try the fruit sauce recipes found in The Ice Dream Cookbook.
* Replace lemon juice and zest with orange juice and zest in the cheesecake.
SOURCE: © Copyright 2008 Chef Rachel, The Healthy Cooking Coach
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