Pumpkin Pie

The holidays are fast approaching. I want to provide lots of healthy options so we all can avoid the typical 15 pound weight gain that occurs with most Americans from Halloween through New Years.

I really liked the flavor of this pie. The coconut milk gives it an awesome flavor. What is in the evaporated milk anyway...yikes!

CRUST:
1/2 cup vanilla whey or egg white protein
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
4 TBS Swerve (or a few drops stevia glycerite)
1-2 TBS water (just enough to hold dough together)
FILLING:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup Coconut Milk (OR 1 cup cream cheese)
1 tsp pure vanilla or maple extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup Swerve (or  Just Like Brown Sugar)
3 TBS gelatin
1/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. CRUST: In a large bowl cream the butter and sweetener together until very smooth. Sift the salt and whey into the almond flour, then slowly add the almond flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until well combined, then slowly add water just until the dough is soft, yet able to roll out. Form into a tight ball and cool in the fridge to chill. place into an 8 by 8 pie pan and spread out over the bottom.

FILLING: In large mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in 1/4 cup boiling water. Combine pumpkin, coconut milk, cinnamon, maple flavoring, ginger, nutmeg, Swerve and salt; mix into the gelatin. Pour into pie shell. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil (otherwise it will burn). Bake at 350 degrees F for 70 minutes or until set in the middle.

Top with whipped cream or coconut cream and enjoy! Store covered in refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per slice, serves 8):
Using traditional Evaporated Milk: 379 calories, 30.5 carbs, 3 fiber
Using Coconut Milk: 210 calories, 7.1 carbs, 3 fiber

Garden Fresh Vegetable Rotini Salad

Considering this was the first year of home gardening,with limited space and brief abandonment during the vacation,it was a pretty good harvest over all.Herbs like cilantro and mint for some reason did not thrive,but thyme and fenugreek were in abundance.Carrots,kale,lettuce,okra,peppers and tomatoes turned out to be a great start for a beginner gardener like me.

Wish I had the right tool to dig out the carrots,it seemed forever to dig deep enough to get the them out whole.Since these were organic the size was smaller and taster was less sweeter.If you have noticed,these were also unique in its shades of color,from light orange to dark purple(I could not get the picture of that deep purple one though).A Pasta Salad suites best with such garden fresh vegetables,juicy and nutritious with no cooking required except for the pasta.

The pasta salad is my entry for Presto Pasta nights,hosted this week by Claudia of Honey from a Rock

Recipe :Garden fresh Vegetable Rotini Salad
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1/2 pound Whole grain Rotini pasta.
2 medium carrots,cut in long thin strips
1 cup tender salad greens(I used baby kale,carrot greens)
1 cup cherry tomatoes,halved
1 big clove garlic,minced
3-4 small sweet peppers,seeded and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
2 tablespoon fresh parsley,finely chopped

Method
Cook the pasta until al-dente(not soft but with a bite to it) as per the package directions.Drain and cool.Transfer in a large salad bowl.
Make the dressing by whisking the oil with vinegar,salt,pepper and parsley.Pour over the pasta,toss in rest of the vegetables and combine well.Serve immediately or could be keep an hour to let the flavors fuse.



Make no mistake,the succulent garden fresh okra stir fry does not go with pasta,its a perfect complement with flat bread or brown rice.Find the recipe of Okra stir fry here.

An important note about the Health Nut Challenge,I am unable to continue it due to time constraints.But I promise to post the round up of Tropical temptations as soon as I can squeeze in time to work on it.

Pizz-A-Roni

A lot of you have commented that you love the Beef-A-Roni, so here is a marriage of two loves the Beef-A-Roni and PIZZA! You would never guess that the "noodle" replacement is a vegetable. The eggplant sucks up all the flavors from the sauce and spices.



4 links of Bolinski's Chicken Sausage
1 lb Italian sausage, cooked
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup colored bell peppers, diced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Salt & pepper
1 can No-Sugar Marinara sauce
3 cups eggplant, cut into cubes
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
1 TBS parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and cube the eggplant into 1/2 inch squares. Place in a skillet with marinara, onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.

In a casserole dish, add the eggplant mixture, sliced sausage and Italian sausage. Add salt, pepper and spices to your liking. Top with cheese (if desired) and bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Pizza-Roni = 414 calories, 20g fat, 24g protein, 39 carbs, 0.7g fiber
"Healthified" Pizza-Roni = 293 calories, 19g fat, 20g protein, 5.9 carbs, 1.7g fiber

Greek Avocado Dip

I brought this dip to a large company meeting and it was a total hit. They loved it served with my healthy "CHEEZ ITS." I hope you all enjoy it...low carbs, low calories, and pure and real food!

1 (8 ounce) container cottage cheese
2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBS lime juice
1 roma (plum) tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Mash together the avocado, garlic, and lime juice in a bowl until nearly smooth. Place in a food processor and add cottage cheese and blend until very smooth. Fold in the diced tomato and feta cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Greek Dip = 270 calories, 15g fat, 10g protein, 24 carbs, 1.7g fiber
"Healthified" Dip = 150 calories, 11g fat, 7g protein, 7.7 carbs, 4.7g fiber

Weekend Herb Blogging #254 Round Up

I'm pleased to have hosted yet another round of Weekend Herb Blogging.Thanks to all the contributors for showing their constant support for the event.


Haalo of Cook Almost Anything(Australia) baked these creamy savory Swedish gratin - Jannson's Temptation,made with thin sliced potatoes(Rose Virginia or Rose Jersey) flavored with pickled sprats(a small marine water fish like the anchovies).


Claire of Chez Cayenne(Texas USA) put together the juicy,sweet,flaky Strawberry Pastry bites,as delicious as it sounds,these make perfect little desserts.



Simone of Briciole(North California) made this gorgeous brightRoasted Red pepper and almond dip using fresh batch of oven-roasted Round of Hungary peppers (a.k.a., pimento cheese peppers).



Tigerfish of Teczcape - an escape to food ,shared with us this hearty pasta dish infused with Celtuce,named after its unique characteristics of the celery-like stalk and the lettuce-like leaves. The "meaty" central stem is crispy and tender - almost similar to that of broccoli stem.And topped with succulent pan fried scallops.



Janet of Taste Space(Toronto,Canada) put the giant zucchini to perfect use in this serene green Creamy Zucchini and Basil Soup enhanced with richness of cashews and fragrant basil.



Marisa of The Creative Pot(South Africa) celebrates spring with this vibrant Baked Spring Risotto ,loaded with fresh fava beans and asparagus and hint of heat from dried red chillies.


Brii of BriiBlog in English(Valsorda - Garda Lake - Italy) baked this distinctive gluten-free Rice and Buckwheat chocolate cake with decadent chocolate and nut candy surprise.


Finally my entry of savory Thyme Olive oil Shortbread is different from usual with no saturated fats and almost no sugar,still every bit delicious and enjoyable with fewer fat and sugar calories.

Chocolate Flaxseed Muffins

Here is a yummy muffin filled with protein and fiber! If you spread a little peanut butter on the finished product, it tastes like a "peanut butter cup!"

1 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup chocolate egg white or whey protein
4 tbsp coconut oil or butter
1/4 cup Erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz chopped almonds (optional)
1 c unsweetened chocolate almond milk or coconut milk

Pre-heat oven 350 F. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, let stand for 3 minutes. Spray a 12 muffin pan with non-stick spray. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes. (To make these more chocolatey I added 1 T. of cocoa powder and 1/4 t. of stevia.) Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Chocolate Muffin = 401 calories, 21g fat, 5g protein, 61 carbs, 3g fiber
"Healthified" Muffin = 236 calories, 12g fat, 10g protein, 6 carbs, 4 fiber

Reece's Peanut Butter Donuts

In my family we treat corn, carrots, potatoes, and white rice as if they were sweets (i.e. sugar = excess weight gain). They are all simple carbohydrates as are the products made from them (chips, cereal, rice cakes and pretzels...). So we never use alternative flours made from corn, rice or potatoes. Remember 4 grams of carbohydrates equal 1 teaspoon of sugar in our body! My new favorite is peanut flour; it is low in carbohydrates, high in protein and healthy fats. It also gives my baking a great flavor.



2 cups peanut flour
1/2 cup Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
3 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line donut or cupcake pans with paper liners or you may also grease donut or cupcake pans. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds while scraping bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl every minute. Spoon batter into greased donut pan until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans then move to wire rack to cool completely. Frost your peanut butter donuts with chocolate icing.

Makes 12 Donuts (per donut): 110 calories, 7.6 carbs, 3g fiber, 14g protein!

CHOCOLATE ICING:
6 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the frosting, make Truvia into a powder in a food processor. Melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the sweetener, almond milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled donuts and enjoy!

OR EASY FROSTING:
1 ChocoPerfection Bar
2 TBS unsweetened almond milk

Melt the chocolate, mix with almond milk. Then spread over donuts. Makes 8 donuts.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Cake Donut = 360 calories, 20g fat, 4g protein, 40 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Donut = 144 calories, 8.7g fat, 12g protein, 7.9 carbs, 3.9g fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE DONUT PAN I USED.