How NOT to Melt and Sweeten Chocolate

Sometimes it all goes wrong.  This did. Pretty completely.

So…. I would not recommend using xylitol to sweeten chocolate. I don’t know why it didn’t work. But it really didn’t.  It just wouldn’t dissolve into the chocolate.  And THEN because I cooked the chocolate longer than normal (because I was convinced the xylitol would melt at some point) I burned it.  And then I burned myself. And worst of all, it tasted awful.

DON’T DO THIS.

Good luck!

Coming sooooon!!! Watch me ruin really really good chocolate. It was a total fiasco.

Banana Muffin’s With Chocolate Mousse Frosting!!!

Chocolate Mousse Ingredients

• 4 ripe Avocados
• 1 Tbs Gluten-Free Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 cup Cocoa Powder

Chocolate Mousse Directions

• Peel and pit the avocados.
• Blend them until they’re smooth and creamy in a food processor or a blender.
• Dump the cup of Cocoa Powder, cup of Agave Nectar, and Tbs of Vanilla Extract in.
• Blend until everything is combined. And is a rich delicious chocolate creamy texture.
• Put in the fridge to get cold and firm.

Banana Muffin Ingredients

• 3 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tbs ground Cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 Tbs gluten-free Vanilla Extract
• 4 ripe Bananas (broken into chunks)  

Banana Muffin Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the Blanched Almond Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, and Cinnamon in a big bowl.
• Mix.
• In the same bowl mix in the Grapeseed Oil, Agave Nectar, Vanilla Extract, and Eggs.
• Mix.
• Peel 4 ripe Bananas and break off chunks with your hands. Place them in the batter.
• Mix.
• Put the paper baking cups into the muffin tins.
• Pour or scoop the batter into the baking cups.
• Bake for 18 to 23 minutes on the top racks.
• Cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Smear some Chocolate Mousse on top of the muffins.
• Take off the paper (I’m looking at you Michelle).
• And EAT!!!

FYI, Where, & Why

-Blanched Almond Flour- I order mine online at Honeyville Grain.  The direct link is here: http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx

-Agave Nectar- Agave Nectar is a low glycemic sweetener.  That means that it wont boost your blood sugar and give you a sugar high/sugar low and is less likely to leave you with a sugar dependency.  It has a mild flavor (use the Light Agave for baking. It’s milder than the Dark Agave) and is sweeter than sugar, so you can use less. It is high in fructose though, so if you are sensitive to fructose, don’t use it.  But it works for me and so far it’s my favorite go-to sweetener.  You can buy it at a health food store but I use it so much that I buy it in bulk at Amazon.

-Grapeseed Oil- Seems to work best as a replacement for butter in baked goods.  It has a neutral flavor.  And I highly recommend it for baking.  The few times I’ve tried to use Canola Oil or Olive Oil in baked goods the result was sort of gross. You can buy it at a health food store.  I get my huge jug from a market in Watertown, MA called Arax.

-Chocolate Mousse- I got this recipe from The Messy Chef (www.themessychef.net) I love this recipe and am constantly looking for new ways to use this mousse. I think it’s just that good.

-Banana Muffins- I based my muffin recipe on a recipe for a Banana Cake that Elana Amsterdam does in her cookbook “The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook”.  It’s a great cookbook and I recommend that people check it out.  You can also check out her blog: elanaspantry.com It’s bangin’.

-Michelle Collins- Michelle is a good friend of mine who was gracious enough to help me shoot this episode.  She has her own food blog called The Economical Eater (www.TheEconomicalEater.com) Which, while not about food allergies or celiac, it is a great resource and conversation about money and food.

Leftovers

I don’t think I can recommend these recipes or this combination enough. Not only is it delicious and healthy, but it literally transformed my mood.  Make it!

Good luck!

Thank you Michelle Collins for helping me shoot the forthcoming Banana Muffin with Chocolate Mousse frosting episode!!!

And yes. It tastes as good as it looks. :)

Banana Muffins with Chocolate Mousse frosting!

Coming soon!!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!!!!

Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
• 1 tsp (Gluten-free) Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbs Agave Nectar

Filling Ingredients

• 5-6 Rhubarb Stalks
• 1 pint sliced Strawberries
• 1/3 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 Tbs (Gluten-Free) Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tbs Arrowroot Powder
• 2 Tbs Water (to mix with the Arrowroot)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• Mix the Blanched Almond Flour, Celtic Sea Salt, and Baking Soda in a bowl.  
• Mix
• Pour the Grapeseed Oil, (Gluten-Free) Vanilla Extract, and Agave Nectar in the same bowl
• Mix
• Press the dough into the pie pan
• Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F (I baked the crust for 11 1/2 minutes and it was perfect)
• Let the crust cool
• Wash, cut and split the Rhubarb
• Put the cut Rhubarb in a pot on the stove on medium-low
• Pour the Agave Nectar and Vanilla Extract in the pot with the Rhubarb (the liquid in the Agave and the Vanilla Extract will help the Rhubarb begin to cook down)
• Stir occasionally to make sure that the rhubarb isn’t burning.
• When the Rhubarb has cooked down enough, put 2 tablespoons of Arrowroot in a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of Water until it’s a watery paste.
• Pour into the pot
• Mix 
• Let it cook for a few more minutes
• Turn off the stove
• Mix in the cut Strawberries
• Pour into the pie crust
• Let the pie settle and cool for 30 minutes
• EAT!!!

FYI, What & Why

-Oops- My big mistake was that you don’t need to add water to the rhubarb (especially if you use a liquid sweetener like agave nectar). Other than that, It’s one of the simplest pie’s to make.

-Crust- This crust recipe is my go to for any pies that I make (thank you, Elana!)  The only adaptation that I make is that Elana calls for 2 tablespoons of Agave Nectar and I use only 1 tablespoon (which is an adaptation suggested by The Messy Chef).

-Arrowroot Powder- Arrowroot Powder is a a great vegan thickener.  All it is, is a ground up arrowroot. It’s great for the digestion.  

Leftovers

-Round 2 vs Round 3- Okay, the first time I made this, (round 1) I added around a cup of water to the rhubarb and so of course is was a soupy soup.  The second time, (round 2, which I taped) I added 1/4 cup of water and then emptied about half of that (so I had probably 1/8 cup of extra water in the pot.) And still, it was too watery, even with the thickening power of the arrowroot.  The third time around (round 3), I added no water to the rhubarb. The only other difference is that I added the agave nectar and (gluten-free) vanilla extract earlier because I think that you do need some liquid to help break the rhubarb down. And despite not putting water in the rhubarb I still needed to give it time to burn off some water as it cooked down.  But that was easy enough, and the end result was tasty tasty!

The crust recipe is from Elana Amsterdam’s book “The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook” and you should definitely check out her blog: www.elanaspantry.com

I highly recommend trying this pie out.  It’s delicious when it’s done right. 

Good luck!!

Lovelillian

“Ice Cream” & an “Ice Cream” Sandwich!!!!!!

• 4 Avocados
• 1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 Tbs (gluten-free) Vanilla Extract

Optional ingredients

• 1-2 ripe Bananas
• 1 pint of Strawberries
• 1-2 Tbs Cinnamon
• Honey (cinnamon) Cookies (the recipe and episode is HERE)

Directions

• Peel and pit the avocados
• Blend them until they’re smooth and creamy in a food processor or a blender
• Dump the cup of Cocoa Powder, cup of Agave Nectar, and Tbs of Vanilla Extract in.
• Blend until everything is combined. And is a rich delicious chocolate creamy texture.
• If you want to make Banana Chocolate ice cream, just put 2 ripe Bananas in the blender/food processor (2 Bananas for 4 Avocados)
• If you want to make Strawberry Chocolate ice cream, I highly suggest that you don’t do it they way I did.  Blending them into the mousse just messed with the texture too much.  Cut up 1 pint of strawberries and fold them into the mousse.  I have tried this, and it’s totally delicious.
• If you want to make Cinnamon Chocolate ice cream, about 2 Tbs of Cinnamon with 4 avocados should do it.  But taste it for yourself first and see (remember the flavor will get stronger when it’s frozen).
• If you want to make them as Ice Cream Cookies, take two cookies (I like the Honey (cinnamon) Cookies but I’m sure a lot of different cookies will work) smear some mousse on them, and make a sandwich with the cookies.
• FREEZE for 6 to 12 hours.

Leftovers

-Favorite Flavor- After trying this a few different ways on camera and off, my favorite way to make this is as plain chocolate, but with small chunks of strawberries folded in. That way you get the creamy texture, but with the delicious flavor of strawberries and chocolate. It’s wonderful.

-Variation- You can do this without the chocolate.  It is green, but so is pistachio ice cream, right? It tastes kind of like sweet cream ice cream, which I think is pretty tasty.

-Avocados- Avocados are crazy good for you.  They are chock full of minerals, protein, and good fat, and are totally delicious.

What, Where & Why

-Chocolate- Get the best quality chocolate you can.  My favorite so far is the Dagoba brand that I get at Whole Foods.  It’s really rich with a deep dark chocolate flavor.

This is one of those recipes that I plan to keep experimenting with.  It’s just that good.  Everyone who tries it so far is hooked.  My sister (who has no food allergies) has actually stopped buying ice cream and now just makes this for herself when she wants a frozen treat.  

Thank you very much to Sara at www.themessychef.net for the inspiration and push to make this as ice cream.  And thank you again Erica from comfybelly.com for the cookie recipe!

Good luck!

Lovelillian

HONEY (cinnamon) COOKIES!!!!

• 1/3 cup Honey
• 4 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
• 1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon (1 teaspoon for mixing, 1 for sprinkling)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 275 F
• Mix all the ingredients together in one medium bowl 
• Grease the cookie sheets
• Plop about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon size blobs on the sheets
• Smoosh em’
• Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon Cinnamon on them
• Bake for 15-20 minutes on the lower oven racks
• Take them out of the oven
• Turn the oven down to 175 F
• Flip the cookies (don’t worry if they are mush. It actually doesn’t matter.  If they fall a part when you flip them just mush them back together.)
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes 
• Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Eat your heart out

LEFTOVERS

These really are great everyday cookies. They take under 10 minutes to throw together (and then about 30 minutes to bake) and are a fantastic quick breakfast or an afternoon snack.

-Baking Time- Give or take a few minutes, the baking time that Erica gives on Comfy Belly works.  The cookies wont “look” done; which is what confused the heck out of me. But don’t worry about it.  I like my cookies chewy, so it’s best to leave them in for at least 15-18 minutes at 275 F and then only 10 minutes at 175 F.  If you like your cookies crunchy, do another 5 minutes at 175 F.

 It’s the cooling process that really finishes these cookies.  My only complaint is that you really don’t know how they’re going to turn out texture wise until they’ve cooled. So let them cool on the cookie sheets before you lose all faith in the process ( like I did, which was totally foolish).

-Honey- I honestly thought that these cookies would boost my blood sugar.  But they don’t. They are definitely “honey” cookies though.  So if you don’t like honey, don’t make these.

FYI, WHERE & WHY

-Blanched Almond Flour- I order mine online at Honeyville Grain.  The direct link is here: http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx

This is a variation on the Cinnamon Cookies from www.comfybelly.com  Thank you Comfy Belly!  These are fantastic!

Good Luck!

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies!!!!

• 2 3/4 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 cup Grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 Tbs (gluten-free) Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Unsweetened Dried Cherries
• 5 ounces melted Unsweetened 99% Chocolate
• 3 Tbs Agave Nectar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F
• In a large bowl, mix the Blanched Almond Flour, Celtic Sea Salt, Baking Soda, and Cocoa Powder. Try to blend it so that there are no clumps.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the Grapeseed Oil, Agave Nectar, and Vanilla Extract.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Blend.
• Pour the Unsweetened Dried Cherries into the batter. Mix.
• In a pot on the stove, melt 5 ounces of unsweetened 99% Chocolate at a very low heat.
• Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula
• When it’s completely melted or very close, add 3 Tbs of Agave and mix together.
• Pour the melted, sweetened chocolate into the batter and mix
• Grease 2 cookie sheets with Grapeseed Oil
• Plop about 1 Tbs size of batter on the cookie sheet. Try to keep them a few inches a part. And try to make sure each cookie gets at least one cherry
• Bake for 10-15 minutes on the top and middle racks (Mine were done at 11 minutes)
• Let them cool for 15-20 minutes on the cookie sheets
• Plate them, and eat.
• FYI: I had enough batter to do one more cookie sheet worth of cookies.

Leftovers

-Chocolate- The reason why I go through the extra step of melting and sweetening my own chocolate is because it’s really hard to find dairy-free, gluten-free, cane sugar-free, soy-free chocolate.  Elana’s recipe calls for 73% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped.  Which would make the cookies more like chocolate cookies with chocolate chips (which is a different texture than I what end up with).  Now, I could melt and sweeten my 99% chocolate.  Let it cool. Chop it up.  And I would end up with a result much closer to Elana’s, but I don’t have the patience for that and the cookies are amazing and delicious without that extra step. So why complicate things?

-Soy- I don’t have an allergy to soy, but I try to avoid it nonetheless.  I have hypothyroidism (which basically means that my thyroid is slower than normal) and soy can block the thyroid hormone and therefore make my poor thyroid, which is struggling anyway, have to work harder.  I have felt better since cutting soy out of my diet, so I avoid it when I can.

FYI, Where and Why

-Cherries- I get my cherries at Trader Joe’s.  They’re bing cherries and they’re unsweetened. 

-Chocolate- I bought the Scharffen Berger unsweetened 99% chocolate bars at Whole Foods. 

-Cocoa Powder- Trader Joe’s.  It’s not the absolute best quality in the world, but it’s organic and it’s pretty good.

-Blanched Almond Flour- I order mine online at Honeyville Grain.  The direct link is here: http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx

-Agave Nectar- I use Madhava, and I order it in bulk at Amazon.  I have found that it’s cheapest it order it in packs of 6.  It works out to just about 5 bucks a bottle since the shipping is free.

-Vanilla Extract- I buy mine online at Tropical Traditions. It’s gluten free.  The direct link is here:

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_flavor_extracts.htm

This is a slight adaptation of another great recipe by Elana Amsterdam (www.elanaspantry.com)

These cookies are delicious and fantastic.  I highly recommend.

Good luck!