Tag: almond flour

Cranberry -Apple Crisp -53 Calories

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A Treat For The Holidays!

Pucker up for a tart twist to traditional Apple Crisp. This recipe is only 53 calories per serving! Both a delicious side dish for your entree or a light a dessert with a dollop of Greek Yogurt. Try low calories–> Peach Crisp–> click here.

Cranberry -Apple Crisp ~ Light & Sugar free!

Cranberry Apple Crisp takes a lot less effort then pie. You’ve heard of tangy rhubarb/strawberry pie. Y-U-M! This is another great combo. Cranberries adds that tangy taste.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

  • Servings: up to 16
  • Difficulty: easy
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INGREDIENTS

– 5 apples (any variety)
– 1/2 bag of cranberries
– 1/2 cup brown sugar (Truvia, brown MONK FRUIT*)
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
– 2 tbsp fresh orange juice (I had clementines that day)
– 1/4 cups almond flour -or any gluten free flour
– 1/4 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
– 1 tsp ground fresh cardamon (use mortor and pestal-or-bullet blender)

INSTRUCTIONS
1, Slice the apples into julienne-type sticks. Put them in a large bowl with half a bag of cranberries.
2. Mix together the orange juice, 1/4 cup of Zero Cal. brown sugar, and the cinnamon, then stir that mixture into the apples.
3. Spray a baking dish and spoon in the apple mixture in.

4. In another bowl, mix the oats, 1/4 brown sugar, 1/4 cup almond flour. If you’d like, you can add 3 Tbsp margarine or vegan buttery sticks (I did not add to this recipe: thus the low calorie count.)
5. Distribute this oat topping on top of the apple-cranberry mixture in the pan.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
Number of Servings: up to 16
Presentation : Thanksgiving Dinner Main course side dish

*MONK Fruit: Monk fruit extract contains zero calories, zero carbs, and is about 150 times sweeter than table sugar. It doesn’t raise blood glucose levels, making it a useful choice for people with diabetes. tart with less sugar – taste; it before adding more. You’ll get it to match your own palate.

53 Calories!

This is a very thin topping. You can use the crisp instead of plain cranberries at your holiday dinner. If you slice this up into 16 portions you will get 53 calories per serving.

Holiday Dinner with Turkey, Stuffing, Veggies, and Cranberry Apple Crisp (53 calories)!

Is your Dessert TOO SWEET?

I wanted to make a tasty “CRISP” that did not have overly abundant amount of sugar. Not sure why some recipes are loaded with sugar. A friend commented about apple crisp recipes (not mine):-She decreased the brown sugar to 1/2 cup ( 50% less) and increased the oats to a scant cup. Also, she was gifted with a basket of pears and substituted pears for apples. Plus added a handful of slivered almonds. I feel the flavors were better with the decrease of sugar. I have made this for several gatherings and it has been quite a hit.

VARIATIONS: Get Creative!

It’s fun coming up with different fruit and vegetable combinations. Squash and apple always paired well together. Make this recipe, add walnuts and fill your acorn squash and bake as usual.

Almond Pear Tart ~in 10 minutes

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Pears are so good. We had almond pear tart yesterday afternoon. A friend came over for coffee. It was a good excuse to make this tart that gets 0-O-O-H’S and A-H-H-H-S! I have modified the recipe from what I used to make it. I hope you like it.

Almond Pear Tart Recipe

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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 Ingredients
▢ 6 pears
▢ 4 eggs
▢ Himalayan salt - a pinch (any salt is good)
▢ 200g (1 cup) ground almonds 
▢ 50g (¼ cup) Monk fruit (any sugar replacement will do)
▢ 12g (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
▢ 5g (1 tsp) almond extract 
Instructions
Step 1 First, preheat the oven to 177°C/350°F. 
Step 2 Butter a 9 inch ring mold or removable bottom tart shell. 
Step 3 Peel, half and core pears 
Step 4 Toast the ground almonds lightly  for 10 minutes on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment. Let this cool slightly. 
Step 5 In a blender  (or food processor)mix almonds, eggs, sugar substitute, almond extract, grated ginger and a pinch salt 
Step 6 Place pear halves in the ring mold and pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
Step 7 Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving 
Sprinkle with toasted almonds (optional). 
Serve warm.


DID YOU KNOW: Pears along with peaches, raspberries, almonds and strawberries are a member of the rose (Rosaceae) family of plants. High fiber pears help protect us from the development of —> (i)type 2 diabetes, (ii) heart disease and (iii)stomach cancer. Pears are linked to prevention of osteoporosis since Boron (in pears) aides in retaining calcium in your bones. 

When you need an energy boost, have a pear or a slice of “Pear Almond Tart” instead of a candy bar. It works. We had leftover pear tart for lunch today. SWE-E-ET!!!

COMMENT: ” I could taste the fresh ginger. Yum! It really makes the flavour. The cake tasted so good! I loved the pears!”

~ Another happy friend who tasted my pear tart for the first time in her life ~

Gingerbread Cookies ~ Holiday Gifts

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This holiday season enjoy a nutritional treat! Healthy, soft, chewy, sugar free gingerbread cookies.

Gingerbread Cookies (Sugar-Free Keto) Recipe

  • Servings: 2 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
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INGREDIENTS
2 cups almond meal*
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or salt free butter -or- ghee butter)
3 tbsp maple syrup
4 Medjool dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Combine almond meal, dates and all of the spices in a food processor. Process until combined.
(2) Add coconut oil (or unsalted butter), maple syrup and egg. Process again until a soft dough forms.
(3) Remove the dough and roll flat between 2 pieces of parchment paper (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch). Thicker cookies are chewier
(4) Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up.
(5) Preheat oven to 300 °F (150 °C)
(6) Cut out into shapes with a gingerbread cutter and place cookies onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
(7) Bake at for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool.
Optional step: After cooling, add sugar free cream cheese frosting. ..see link below
CHEWY Cookie: Reduce Cooking time. e.g. instead of 15 minutes, take cookies out at 11 minutes. (suggested by Mrs. Fields). You be the judge.

  • One cookie = 77 Calories

Finished Cookie

The above recipe results in light coloured cookies .. & dark specks from the almond meal. For a darker cookie use almond ‘flour‘ and substitute in coconut sugar or brown Monk’s fruit for the maple syrup. Changes the cookie to a darker colour. Monk Fruit –> LINK —>Monk Fruit . I thought about adding food coloring. I need to research this a bit more. Experiment for yourself to get the results you wish to achieve.

Baking – STEPS

To get the classic brown colored cookie–> Recipe LINK–> Keto Gingerbread Cookies. These photos below are from the ‘darker’ version of the gingerbread cookies. Still keto friendly!

Cream Cheese FROSTING

Decorate these low carb gingerbread cookies with a simple frosting : 1 cup sugar substitute, add low calorie cream cheese until the icing has the right thickness (like toothpaste). Place mixture in a writing tip piping bag or a sandwich bag (finely cut the corner) and decorate your cookies. IMPORTANT: Grind sugar substitute to a fine powder in a magic bullet. Otherwise your frosting will be grainy.

Cookie Tips

This is the most important part. Chilling the dough firms it up so that it’s easier to work with. If it takes you a long time to cut all the shapes, it may soften, so chill again if necessary. Add flour for too soft dough. Add cream/ half and half, if dough is too hard. You may roll the dough right on the parchment covered baking pan. Use your cookie cutter and remove the side bits of dough for more cookies. CARBS ( ‘cane-sugar’ free): 1.4 grams. CARB count with flour & sugar: 21 grams per cookie.

Cooking Hack 👩‍🍳

If you make these thicker, they’re a little chewier, which is nice; if you make them thinner, they’re more crisp and “snappy,” which is also nice. Regano suggests, “Pat the chilled dough into a log shape almost the length of the baking sheet. Place plastic school rulers on each long side and roll along the length with the pin resting on both rulers. I get a uniform thickness appropriate for a bakery style cookie with no high or low places. I use the cookie cutter directly on the parchment/baking sheet. When finished baking, I lift the parchment, with cookies still on it to the cooling area, no breaks!”

Storage 🎄

1 week in the refrigerator. You can freeze these cookies for 2-3 months. Make sure that you let them cool completely and freeze in a single layer before transferring to a freezer bag, so they don’t stick to each other.

*Almond Meal (skin on) & Almond flour (skin removed)

However, almond meal has a slightly higher fiber and mineral content due to the presence of almond skin.

FOCACCIA Bread ~Gluten Free Italian Style

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Hot 🔥 From The OVEN

Easiest Gluten Free Bread! Olive oil is healthy. Yeast supports the immune system. Kosher Salt is the winning ticket. We must not forget the Rosemary!

Focaccia Bread -Gluten Free

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons inulin or sugar to feed the yeast*
1/3 cup water lukewarm between 105-110°F {40-45C)
1 1/2 cups almond flour (your choice of gluten free flour)
3 tablespoons psyllium husk finely ground
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (or 1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum -thickening agent)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg at room temperature
2 egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
TOPPING
Rosemary springs …extra virgin olive oil ….kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add yeast and sugar (to feed the yeast) to a large bowl. Heat up water to 105-110°F. If you don’t have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch. Pour water over yeast mixture, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn’t, start again (too cold water won’t activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
2. Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, psyllium husk, flax seed, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
3. Once your yeast is proofed, add in the egg, egg whites, olive oil and vinegar. Mix with a whisk or electric mixer for a couple minutes until light and frothy. Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. You want to mix thoroughly and quickly until the dough becomes thick enough to form into a round ball, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with olive oil (so the dough doesn’t stick while you spread it). Gently drop the dough on top of the sheet. Watch it spread in about two hours. The dough will have filled the pans and be almost ready to bake. With your ‘oily’ fingers, gently finish spreading the dough and make indentations in the dough, filling with rosemary sprigs, drizzle of olive oil, add KOSHER salt.
5. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place for up to an hour until a fluffier texture. You don’t want the dough to double. It will puff up (see pictures for reference).
6. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C while the dough is proofing. High altitude baking: bake it at 375°F/190°C.
Transfer gently to baking sheet..let dough proof for 10 more minutes. Gently spread covering the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, covering with a foil dome at minute 10 to avoid excessive browning. Just be sure that the foil isn’t resting directly on the focaccia .Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting

THE SECRET! 🤫 Overnight Proofing!

Use Fresh or Dried Rosemary
TIP: For easy cleanup use parchment paper to line your pan!

Yield: 8 servings, Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving: 138 Calories | 11g Fat | 4g Total Carbs | 2g Fiber | 7g Protein

Serving Suggestions!

TRENDING – Focaccia Bread 2022

KETO Focaccia bread has the same fluffy and soft texture that you’d expect from a full carb version of the bread. For my KETO Focaccia, I used almond flour. I actually like the taste of gluten free breads better than carb breads. LESS CARBS is always good in my books!!!

What Is KOSHER SALT?

KOSHER (kashrut) SALT has a wider grain than table salt. Using kosher salt enhances the flavor of foods instead of making them taste salty. Good bread makers in Toronto use Kosher salt in some of their breads. The salt taste stays grainy on bread and has a milder flavour than table salt. Wonderful for focaccia bread! Kosher salt is popular on pretzels.

GLUTEN IMITATORS

PSYLLIUM is a common thickener in the food industry. Psyllium makes baking products with a wheat-like texture. Pysellium seed is a pale wheat colour. Inulin and psyllium are a plant based fiber from leeks onions. Other enhancers like Flax or Linseed comes in brown or golden colour. Xanthan gum , a creamy, white powder, plays the crucial role of imitating gluten. It is a derivative of carbohydrates/sugar. NOTE: If you are allergic to Flax seeds use Xanthan.

Link To Gluten Free Flour

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR: DrAxe.com

What’s Missing?

Ans: The Gluten!

Focaccia Bread

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: easy
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Put your recipe here.

Pear Almond Tart Recipe (Gluten Free)

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The soft, sweet pear makes this Fall fruit perfect for enjoying fresh or for using in healthy recipes like a “Pear Almond Tart”. Pears are harvested and plentiful this time of year. Bonus: A gluten free dessert!
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print_recipe
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INGREDIENTSIMG_1226

6 pears
1/4 teaspoon dried ginger powder
1 cup ground almonds
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar substitute plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
pinch of salt
. . .
. . .
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9 inch ring mold or removable bottom tart shell.
2. Peel, half and core pears and toss in ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar substitute.
3. Toast the ground almonds lightly  for 10 minutes on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment.   Let this cool slightly.
4.  Mix almonds, eggs, sugar substitute, almond extract, vanilla extract, grated ginger, pinch salt  in a food processor or blender.
5. Lay pear halves in the ring mold and pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
IMG_1168IMG_1235
didyouknowDID YOU KNOW: In the Odyssey, Homer called the pear a “gift from the Gods.”  Pears are a member of the rose (Rosaceae) family of plants. High fiber pears help protect us from the development of —> type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stomach cancer. Pears have been linked to prevention of osteoporosis since Boron (in pears) aides in retaining calcium in your bones.  When you need an energy boost, have a pear or a slice of “Pear Almond Tart” instead of a candy bar. It works!