Blueberry CRISP ~ New and Improved!

July 8, 2023July 10, 202313 Comments

Blueberries are at the top of the nutritional food chain. I have them in my fridge all the time: fresh or frozen. Always GOOD!

Blueberry Crisp

Servings: 8
Time: 65 mins
Difficulty: easy
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INGREDIENTS
FILLING:
4 cups Blueberries (plus other fruit -optional)
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Paste (or vanilla extract)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Truvía® Brown Sugar Blend ~or~
⅓ cup Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash for sweetness
TOPPING:
1 heaping cup Almond Flour
¼ cup(60 mL) Truvía® Brown Sugar Blend
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon Powder (or grated stick)
¼ teaspoon Fresh Ginger -Grated
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg -Grated
¼ teaspoon Cardamon – 2 to 3 cardamon pods -ground
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (cold and cubed)
Optional: ⅓ cup Walnuts, Pecans -or mixed nuts (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the blueberry filling. Mix together your fresh (or frozen!) blueberries and other fruit with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, truvia or sweet potato (or squash) in a medium bowl.
2. Divide your blueberry mixture to buttered ramekins and set it aside while you make the KETO crisp topping.
3. In another medium bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, chopped nuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar substitute, cardamon and Kosher salt.
4. Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces and add it to the dry ingredients mixture and blend into a crumb-like texture.
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberry mixture, cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes then remove the foil and bake for about another 10 minutes -until the topping is golden brown. Optional: mix ½ cup gluten free oats to the topping.

TOPPING (Additional)
Add a dollop of Greek Yogurt and garnish with lemon or chocolate mint.
310 cal. per serving Prep: 15 min. Bake: 40-50 min.

TIP: Pile Blueberries as high as you can. The blueberries will cook down. Remember, as fruit cooks -they get sweeter and sweeter -without added sugar!

Mix and Match!

⅓ Blueberries + ⅓ peach, apricot or apples + ⅓ butternut squash -or- ⅓ sweet potatoes, You can mix and match for your filling. Rhubarb pairs well with blueberries. I do not add any sugar in my filling. The sweet potato or butternut squash is my “go to” sugar substitute (If needed).

Blueberries are sweet and slightly tangy. They pair well with a sweet, crunchy topping. Don’t forget the salt. Kosher Salt is an important flavour enhancer!

Alton Brown’s TIP – Good Eats (Food Network) ..see below…

GLYCEMIC INDEX

The GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, with pure glucose (a simple sugar) arbitrarily given the value of 100. Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels.

G.I – Ice Cream vs Yogurt Topping

Many desserts have an added dollop of ice cream or whip cream. Let’s make it better!
Remember, the GI index for ice cream is 88. and the GI index for GREEK yogurt is: 11. Add “full fat” Greek yogurt instead of whip cream to your dessert. Note: GI under 55 is considered as a low GI. Y

What is the best yogurt to buy: (i) no-fat, (ii) 2%, or (iii) whole fat? Full fat – Greek style yogurt – is the right answer. It has the least amount of carbs. The carbs in Greek yogurt is very LOW. Doctors agree that a low fat or 2% yogurt is not the healthiest choice. Full Fat – Greek Yogurt Is your “Best Choice”!

Thick, Creamy Greek Yogurt GI: 11 With Blueberry Crisp!

SO-O-O GO-O-OD!

A MEMORY FROM CHILDHOOD

I am cutting down on cane sugar. Blueberry crisp can be enhanced with cardamom, lemon and ginger. Sweet potato is a good cane sugar substitute – if you want more sweetness.

EXTRA NEWS ~About Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes are known to be beneficial to individuals with type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of magnesium and fiber, which helps in reducing insulin resistance and stabilizes blood sugar. Sweet potatoes do have a large level of carbohydrates. But, they generally have a low glycemic index:

Butternut squash GI 52
Sweet Potato GI:61

Orange Sweet Potato (most common), Red Jamaican (white inside) and Japanese Sweet Potato: (red inside).

ALTON BROWN suggests to add crackers, breakfast oatmeal packets, crumbled plain or cinnamon bread to the blueberry crisp. Before baking, mix half your mixture with the blueberries. The other half is the topping! Kind of like mock bread pudding with fruit. Alton you’re so creative!

Sweet Potato Soufflé

November 4, 2022November 14, 202215 Comments

This healthier version of the original version of sweet potato pie. No crust and no sugar. And it tastes wonderful! Friends and family still say,

..“this is the best sweet potato soufflè I have ever had!“

Long ago, I was invited to classmates dinner during a crisp autumn weekend. I decided to bring a sweet potato cassarole with marshmallows. This was the first time I made this thanksgiving classic. I watched mom make lanttulaatikko at Christmas and substituted sweet potatoes for the rutabaga. She did not use a recipe and we didn’t have internet in those days. As I arrived, the host did not know what I brought. Too much studying. However, it was all gone. I kept my wheelhouse of spices when I made the sweet potato soufflè . I have never added sugar or syrup to this dish because mom never did. Subsequently I did not add any sweetener. Frankly, I never understand the addition of extra sugar to this delicious soufflè . I knew from basic chemistry that oven baking turns the sweet potato even sweeter.

Recipe ❤️

Sweet Potato Soufflè - Mildly Spicy

Servings: 4-6
Time: 40 mins
Difficulty: medium
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INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoon salted butter, plus more for soufflé dish(es)
Fine ground rye bread crumbs -enough to coat the baking dish(es)
3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3-4 large eggs, separated, and at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. chili pepper
1 tbsp. lemon zest (one lemon)
3-5 cardamon pods – ground (optional)
A pinch of turmeric (optional)
A pinch of cumin (optional)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (for egg whites- stabilizer)
A pinch of salt (for egg whites)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.(Prep dish as oven is heating) Butter a 1-quart soufflé dish -or ramekins- and coat inside with butter, followed by fine bread crumbs, tilting and turning dish to coat sides completely.
Prepare Sweet Potato
2. Microwave sweet potatoes by puncturing with a fork in several places & wrapping in a moist paper towel set at high for 5 minutes. Check if done by poking with a fork. Flip the potatoes over and continue to microwave for another 2-3 minutes. minutes. The moist paper towel allows for fast peeling.
Purée Sweet Potatoes
3. Cool potatoes to room temperature, then transfer to a food processor or blender. First, purée fresh chilli peppers. Then add sweet potatoes. Purée until smooth, to yield 1 1/2 up to 2 cups.
4. In the microwave, heat milk (about 20-30 seconds) until hot, but not boiling. Place hot milk in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly add sweet potato, butter and spices. Blend well. Taste to determine if you need more spice. Then, whisk 4 egg yolks and add to sweet potatoes. Blend well.
Egg Whites
5. Beat 4 egg whites with a pinch of salt + 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar in a very clean chilled bowl (copper bowl -if you have one) until stiff peaks start to form.
6. Fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture; pour into prepared soufflé dish(es). Flatten the top of the dish with a knife and use your finger to follow around the inside rim to create a rounded, high, even puff. Turn oven down to 375F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until well puffed and browned on top. Serve immediately.

Egg Whites: Fix

The most crucial step in all soufflès are the egg whites. Whisk egg whites until foamy and just turning to a peak. Some chefs add cream of tartar ( in lieu of sugar or plus sugar) to prevent the egg whites from collapsing. Over whisking egg whites will result in dryness and breaking of the soufflè. If your souffle does not rise a lot do not worry. It will taste great. If you like this dish, you can achieve great heights the next time you make it! 🙂

Vegan Version

Olive oil instead of butter
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of regular milk
Leave the skin on because it’s full of nutrients
Add a little bit of turmeric to balance blood sugar. [ you can not taste it in the pie]

Healthy Nutrition

Sweet Potatoes are known to be beneficial to individuals with type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of magnesium and fiber, which helps in reducing insulin resistance and stabilizes blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes have a large level of carbohydrates. But, they generally have a low glycemic index: of 61.

VARIATIONS

To the base: add grated ginger, garlic, apples, pineapple, cranberries, currents, cheese or white potato. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Add au juice: hot cinnamon/apple/cranberry juice to the table.

<– This souffle is broken. As the famous Julia Child would say, “No one will know.“

Orange Sweet Potato (most common), Red Jamaican (white inside) and Japanese Sweet Potato (All red)

Coffee Soufflé ☕ by Julia Child

You may guess I am a big fan of Julia Child. Julia Child’s coffee soufflé directions are standard and apply to the sweet potato soufflé . Good Baking Tips!

ROAST VEGETABLES ~ TRENDING!

April 26, 2020March 18, 202113 Comments

‘The BEST’ OVEN-Roasted VEGETABLES!

CHANGE THE WAY YOU ROAST VEGETABLES: For goodness sake! After making over 1,000 meals with roast veggies, I started experimenting and made some modifications. I knew I had a winner when I got huge compliments for my ‘new’ roasted vegetables. It is still my all time favorite veggie recipe! One reason is that it’s so easy to make! At a dinner party, one of my friends proclaimed “These veggies are so good. I cant believe how good they taste!” The potatoes are crispy, yet soft and fluffy on the inside. The red peppers were especially a big hit. I have been asked to share this recipe with you. I hope you enjoy it!

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INGREDIENTS

1 medium potato* (any kind), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 yam* peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 carrot and/or parsnip peeled and sliced into 1 inch slices
6 brussels sprouts
1/2 head garlic, cloves separated and skins removed
2 large shallots, peeled and quartered ( sweet or red onions )
2 red and/or yellow bell peppers, cut lengthwise into 1 inch strips
1/2 cup Calamata olives, pitted
2-4 tablespoons olive oil ( more oil, the better )
2 sprigs of FRESH Rosemary or Thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
* If you decide to leave the skin on large tubers before roasting, wash and scrub well. Soak in cleaning vinegar for at least 15 minutes before chopping.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 F degrees(232 C ) and prepare vegetables.
In a large bowl, toss potatoes, yams, carrots and brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Add to roasting pan and roast in the oven for 20 minutes
Cubed Potatoes, Yams, Parsnips & Carrots
Add garlic and shallots to the pan and toss with the other vegetables. Roast for 20 more minutes
Garlic And Shallots
Add chopped bell pepper and olives to the pan and sprinkle with black pepper. Add 2 rosemary sprigs on top of the vegetables. Return to oven
Cook for 20 minutes longer until vegetables are nicely browned but not charred. Because the peppers are only cooked in the last 20 minutes, they are still juicy, tender and tasty. As all oven temperatures vary, please check the vegetables as they roast.

Fresh Rosemary

TIP: Make sure you use FRESH ROSEMARY (or thyme – if you don’t have rosemary on hand ). Rosemary needs to be fresh, or not at all. When chopping vegetables err on the larger, chunky side. You can always substitute/add your favourite veggies. Keep in mind THE 20 – 20- 20 MINUTE ‘Roasting’ Rule: The firmer vegetables go in first. Then, add the onions and garlic with the most tender vegetables in the final 20 minutes: mushrooms, green tomatoes, peppers.

VARIATIONS
1. I add baby turnips if they look especially fresh and small at the market that day. As you know, this recipe bakes in 3 BATCHES. The hard root vegetables are roasted first.

Turnips

2. The softer onions and garlic are next in the next 20 minute intervals.

3. In the third and final stage, the lighter, succulent vegetables are added. Friends ask me how my roasted peppers stay so juicy and tasty? They are only roasted for the last 20 minutes. The peppers add such a great flavour and sweetness to the mix. Try the black olives. If you are not a fan, just leave them as the flavour is very complementary to the mix. Please try them before you pass judgement.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

The great aroma for these roasted vegetables comes from the garlic and shallots along with the rosemary of course. HINT: Use up what you’ve got. Look in the fridge and pantry and roast it!

THE POWER OF ROOT VEGETABLES
The starchy root veggies will satisfy your sweet tooth. You not only feel fuller afterwards, weight loss benefits prevail.
From their high-fiber content to their many nutrients, root vegetables boast a long history of medicinal and dietary uses. These vegetables can be served cold as well. They sell these cold at those expensive gourmet shops. Cooked and then cooled potatoes (as well as quinoa, barley and rice). All have resistant starch. Resistant starch burns more slowly and helps you lose weight. They appear to help you burn fat up to 24 hours later. Why? No one knows. But what is known is that once resistant starch gets to the colon, your body ferments it and produces an anticancer agent called butyrate – yet another health benefit.

Roast Winter Vegetables on the BBQ

About Sweet Potatoes

August 21, 2015September 8, 2015Leave a comment

DID YOU KNOW: Our little sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and iron. They are high in antioxidants and come in many colours.

One small sweet potatoes has three grams of dietary fiber, four grams of sugar , 8,500 micro-grams of beta-carotene, 14000 international unit of vitamin A and eighty-six calories.

HEALTHY BENEFITS
It helps to keep your liver healthy and helps to to avoid diabetes. Sweet potatoes help to stabilize blood sugar levels and help to lower insulin resistance.
We should just eat more of them and more often. I have provided you with two recipes for Sweet potatoes salad that you can enjoy in the summer with your grilled meats. You can enjoy this sweetness all year round with your meals.

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RECIPES
The first sweet potatoes recipe (click here) is on the savory side and quite mild. The second recipe (click here) has some HEAT. You can add as much heat as you wish.