Pumpkin Trifle

Hello! I'm back! Are you shocked? I did not abandon my blog. Just been taking a hiatus. To be quite honest I haven't even been cooking all that much the last six months. It's quite sad and pathetic actually. I hope to post a few recipes over the next month, then I will be taking another short break while I move houses.

This lovely holiday dessert recipe comes from my cousin. I made individual portions for Thanksgiving and it was a huge success. There is nothing healthy or natural about this recipe. It's the holidays... let's live a little!

The base of my trifle is spice cake. If you live in the USA you can buy packages of Gingerbread mix, which is what the original recipe called for. In my area of Canada all we have available is Spice Cake mix and it did the trick just fine!



Pumpkin Trifle

- (USA) 2 (14oz) packages gingerbread mix or(Canada) 1 box Spice Cake mix (Duncan Hines - available at Save On Foods)
- 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 30oz can pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 tsp ground cardamom, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 12oz container Cool Whip, thawed
- 1/2 cup crushed ginger snaps, optional

1. Bake gingerbread mix or spice cake mix according to package directions. Cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, prepare pudding. Stir in pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar and spices.

3. Crumble half the gingerbread or spice cake into a large trifle bowl, punch bowl or other pretty glass bowl*. Pour half the pudding mixture over top, then add a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat with remaining cake, pudding and Cool Whip. Sprinkle crushed ginger snaps on top to garnish.

4. Refrigerate overnight.

*You could also use individual dessert bowls as I did. Portion the ingredients according to the number of servings you require and layer according to directions.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe was forwarded to me by my cousin, Tobe. I re-worked the ingredients to eliminate refined vegetable oil, white sugar and all-purpose flour and reduced the amount of oil and sweetener. The end result is quite good. The spices and pumpkin really stand out. A warm pumpkin muffin with a pat of butter is lovely with tea on a rainy fall afternoon! You could also make pumpkin loaves, if you prefer.

1 400ml (14oz) can 100% pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup water
1 cup unrefined golden cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut oil, water, cane sugar and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, apple pie spice and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffins/loafs comes out clean.

4. Let cool slightly in pan, then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix:

(4:1 ratio of cinnamon to other spices. Adjust volume accordingly.)

1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cloves

1. Add everything to a small glass jar and seal with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to mix. Store for up to 6 months.

Skillet Sautéed Caramel Apple Crisp

I picked up some beautiful apples at the Farmer's Market the other day from Silverhill Apple Orchard. I was planning to make apple snacks in my food dehydrator but decided to postpone that task for another week. Instead I cooked up a tasty dessert that can be ready in about 25 minutes.

Serves 4

Skillet Sautéed Caramel Apples

2 apples - halved cored and sliced thin (Peel if you want; I didn't)
splash lemon juice
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp sucanat
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp Apple Pie Spice (See below)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, toss together apple slices and lemon juice.

2. Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add apple slices and stir to coat in butter.

3. Add sucanat, honey, Apple Pie Spice and vanilla. Mix together and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and a thick caramel sauce has formed.

4. Remove from heat and pour apples and caramel sauce into a glass or ceramic baking dish or individual ramekins. Set aside.

Crisp Oat Topping

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sucanat
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice (See below)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Mix everything together in a medium bowl. Mixture should be moist. If too dry, add another tablespoon of melted butter.

2. Spoon mixture over top of sautéed apples and caramel sauce and press down so it is a compact, even layer.

3. Place baking dish in oven and broil on low for 2-3 minutes, until top is golden brown and crisp. (Don't burn it like I did!)

4. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream!


Apple Pie Spice Mix

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of ground cloves

1. Add everything to a Mason jar. Screw on lid and shake well to mix. Use within six months.

I also used my Apple Pie Spice Mix in Caramel Apple Pie Burritos!

Cleaned Up Cream Cheese Brownie Cake

This recipe comes from an old cook book called So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat by Betty Rohde. I used to make this all the time when I was in college. It's already a pretty good recipe but I wanted to clean it up to eliminate the refined ingredients and make a few substitutions for things like fat-free mayonnaise and light corn syrup (yuck)!

Cake:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unrefined golden cane sugar (I use Cuisine Camino brand)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup warm water

Cream Cheese Swirl:

1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp unrefined golden cane sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Stir until blended. Add yogurt, honey, vanilla and water. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into greased baking pan and set aside while you prepare the cream cheese topping.

3. In a small bowl. combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix together until smooth and creamy. Drop about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into 4 or 5 places on top of the cake batter. Place the tip of a butter knife into the centre of each cream cheese dollop and drag the cream cheese around to make swirls on top of the cake.


This is my swirl after baking. It sucks. Sometimes it takes some practice, and it helps if your cream cheese is really soft and creamy!

4. Bake for 40-45 minutes in pre-heated oven until cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool, then cut into squares. Serve with melted Toblerone Fudge Sauce.

This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Lemon Blueberry Spelt Crumb Cake

This post was done in advance because I am out of town and today is my birthday!!

I'm trying to finish off the last of a 5 pint container of blueberries. I've frozen plenty, dehydrated some and preserved some more in alcohol. Tomorrow I have a date with my Grandma and Cousin to can some beets! I can't show up empty handed so this cake is perfect. For someone who hates baking, I have been doing an awful lot of it lately!

Adapted from Canadian Living

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 whole eggs
2/3 cup unrefined cane sugar (I use Cuisine Camino Golden Cane Sugar)
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest from 1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl toss together blueberries and 2 tbsp of whole wheat flour. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, add spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk together to mix well.

4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until well blended and creamy. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well.

5. Gradually add flour mixture into liquid mixture and stir together until blended and smooth. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan.

6. Bake in pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave cake to cool slightly in the pan, then remove and finish cooling on a rack.

Homemade Granola Bar Makeover

I found this recipe for healthy homemade granola bars. How health is it when it uses refined brown sugar, all-purpose flour and vegetable oil? Gross, gross and gross. I was going on a little weekend vacation with my cousin and her baby and I wanted to bring homemade granola bars along for a snack. My goal was to re-vamp the recipe using non-refined ingredients and eliminate the eggs since my cousin's son is allergic to them. Flax seed meal is a great egg substitute for baking; One tablespoon of ground flax meal mixed with two tablespoons of water is the equivalent of one egg.

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup sucanat
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour or spelt flour
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, raw cocoa nibs (any combination of things to equal 1 cup - I used a bit of everything!)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp ground flax seed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a square or rectangle baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sucanat, wheat germ, cinnamon, wheat flour, raisins, cranberries, cocoa nibs, shredded coconut and salt. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the honey, flax, coconut oil and vanilla. If it is very dry, add a bit of water, a tablespoon at a time. Mix well using your hands if needed. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. After cutting, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Blueberry Orange Muffins with Blueberry Filling

Week by week the blueberry supply at the Farmer's Market is dwindling. I missed my chance to buy a case by one week. I kept putting it off and putting it off. Oh well, I still managed to freeze 4 cups, dehydrate 2 cups and preserve 2 cups in Peach Schanpps!

Up today, blueberry muffins made with whole wheat and spelt flours, flavoured with fresh orange juice and zest. And as an added surprise, a dollop of homemade blueberry preserves in the middle!

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (optional - use another 1/4 cup whole wheat or spelt flour instead of wheat germ)
1/3 cup sucanat or cane sugar (like turbinado)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Juice and zest from 1 orange
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 cup fresh blueberries, plus an additional 1/4 cup
1/4 cup blueberry preserves

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12 cup muffin tin with olive oil cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In a second bowl, add orange juice and zest, coconut oil, vanilla extract, yogurt and egg. Stir together.

4. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until just combined. Gently fold in 1 cup of blueberries.

5. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup. Top with a teaspoon of blueberry preserves. Cover preserves with another 2 tablespoons of batter and pat down around the preserves to cover and seal. Sprinkle a few blueberries on the muffin batter.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Leave muffins to cool the muffin pan, then remove.

When I made my batter, I forgot to put the melted coconut oil in. The muffins still turned out fabulous.

Beet Cakes

Beets? In a cake? It's another crazy recipe from Richardo! Remember the Lettuce Soup? Yea... that was him too!

I love beets and I love baked goods. Seemed like a no-brainer to try this recipe out. One online reviewer raved "you would never guess it contains beets!" There is a very faint earthy taste of beets, but it isn't unpleasant. The vibrant pink colour is a nice touch too. Even my mom, who HATES beets, enjoyed her beet cake! These cakes are sweet and buttery with a hint of lemon. Served slightly warm, they are so moist that you don't need any added icing or other topping, although Ricardo's Mascarpone Cream looks delicious! I will be making these again for sure. Next time I may try an un-refined alternative to all the white sugar though.

A side note - my cakes didn't rise too much. Actually they didn't rise at all! I think I need some new baking powder.

Adapted from Ricardo & Friends

Beet Cakes:

1 cup peeled, grated raw beets
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, soften grated beets in butter and lemon juice, for about 5 minutes. Let cool so no longer hot to the touch.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. In another larger bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Add in the dry ingredients and mix together then gently fold in the beet mixture. Do not over mix!

5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds.

6. Bake in pre-heated oven for between 20 minutes or, until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean.

7. Loosen the cakes by running a knife around the inside of each muffin cup. Gently remove the cakes, without inverting the pan, and place on a cooling rack to cool slightly (I found them better slightly warm). If serving with ice cream or Ricardo's Mascarpone Cream, let cool completely before topping with the cream.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

My dad called the other day from the East Coast to say he is bringing fresh lobster home. "Call your sister and plan a dinner", he said. I've eaten lobster before but always with steak, garlic mashed and veggies. This time I wanted something different so I Google'd "Lobster Dinner" and asked my co-workers to see what they would suggest.

One of my co-workers, with roots in the Maritime Provinces, immediately said "Cheddar Biscuits!!!!". The sentiment was echoed online, where several sites recommended cheddar biscuits or cheese appetizers. More Google'ing led me to a recipe for Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I've never eaten at Red Lobster but another co-worker assured me that the Cheddar Bay Biscuits are "to die for".

As for the rest of the meal, it's all very light and fresh to pair with the rich taste of the fresh lobster. My sister is supplying the wine (Chardonnay, although Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are also recommended pairings). Our starters will be the Cheddar Bay Biscuits with a salad of mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette (and perhaps crumbled goat cheese). Sides dishes will be steamed (or grilled) asparagus (possibly with The Pioneer Woman's Blender Hollandaise Sauce) and corn on the cob. The lobster will be grilled and served with melted garlic butter and lemon wedges. For dessert... I'm not quite sure yet. Either a cheesecake or sorbet with fresh fruit. It will be a very, very substantial, rich and butter heavy meal! I won't need to eat for days afterwards... but you know I will anyway!

Now for the biscuits... These biscuits are not healthy, wholesome, natural, fresh or anything else I strive to achieve with the recipes on this blog. They are, however, delicious, light, airy, flaky, cheesy, buttery and totally sinful. Enjoy in moderation. :)



Recipe comes from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
3/4 cup cold 2% or Whole milk
4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese (I used a Tex-Mex blend because that's what I had... sooo good!)

Brush on Top:

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch salt
pinch cayenne(optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine Bisquick with cold butter using a pastry blender. If you don't have a pastry blender, try a large fork, a potato masher or even your hands. There should be small chunks of butter, about the size of peas, throughout the mixture.

3. Add cheddar cheese, garlic powder and milk. Mix by hand until combined and formed into a dough.

4. Break off 1/4 cup portion of dough and roll into a rough ball. Drop onto an ungreased baking sheet. Continue with rest of dough. Will yield 12 portions.

5. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

6. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, mix together the ingredients from the "Brush on Top" section. Using a pastry brush, brush the garlic butter over top of the biscuits. Be very generous and use all the butter. Serve warm.

Garlic Cheese Croûtons

Last week I bought a loaf of delicious artisan Garlic Cheese bread from A Bread Affair. This was my second loaf, and unlike the first that I gobbled up in three days, I could only finish half of this one before it started to dry out.

Marianne suggested that the Garlic Cheese loaf would make tasty croûtons so I stole her idea and made some for my soup.

Make sure you use day old, dried out bread, not stale bread! Stale bread will make stale croûtons! If you can't find an artisan style garlic cheese bread, use a crusty French or Italian bread and add a teaspoon or so of fresh minced garlic to the mix.

4-6 slices of day old crusty garlic cheese bread
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Coarsely chop bread into cubes about 1" square. Add to a large bowl.

3. Add Parmesan and parsley to bread in the bowl. Toss together.

4. Drizzle olive oil over everything and toss well to coat bread cubes.

5. Spread bread cubes in a single layer, on an ungreased baking sheet.

6. Bake in oven until crisp, about 20 minutes. This could take longer, depending on volume of pieces, size of cubes and density of bread. Keep an eye on your cubes and remove from oven just as they start to turn golden.

7. Set aside to cool. Store in container with tight fitting lid. Use within a week or so otherwise your croûtons will be stale!

Use on top of salads or soups. They are even tasty enough to eat on their own... although not recommended!

Crème Caramel

The other night I had a friend over for dinner and was feeling rather ambitious so less that half hour before she was due to arrive, I "whipped up" a batch of Crème Caramel. I've made it once before and I remember it being fairly easy. I found a recipe online and followed it exactly, except for using skim milk because that was all I had. It turned out great, although my caramel sauce could have been a little more caramelized. I got rather impatient. It takes quite a while for the sugar/water mixture to reduce then caramelize. Despite this, the Crème Caramel turned out well and tasted fabulous!

Recipe from Christine Cushing Live at FoodNetwork.ca

Crème Caramel:

Makes 6 individual custards or one large

Caramel:
2/3 cup sugar (150 ml)
1/3 cup water (75 ml)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine the water and sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Gently stir to mix and start the sugar dissolving. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Tilt pan to ensure that sugar is dissolved. Do not stir the mixture once the heat is on or the sugar will crystallize. Increase heat to high and cook until sugar turns amber in colour. *WHEN IT SAYS DO NOT STIR, THEY MEAN IT. Once sugar mixture starts to boil, leave it alone. It will take at least 15 minutes for the sugar to start to caramelize. Be patient!

3. Pour liquid caramel into six 3-inch (6 ounce) ramekins, dividing equally and tilting ramekins to cover the bottoms with the caramel. Caramel will harden but don't worry, it's only temporary.

Custard:
2 cups milk
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

1. Over medium heat, bring milk just to a boil in medium saucepan with salt and vanilla. Remove from heat and cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

2. Stir together eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl until well blended. Slowly pour warm milk into egg mixture a little bit at a time, stirring continuously. Do not pour the milk in all at once or you risk scrambling your eggs! Ladle custard mixture into the awaiting ramekins.

3. Transfer ramekins to a baking pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean when inserted in the centers and the crème caramel jiggles as one, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove ramekins from bath. Let cool to room temperature.

4. When cooled, run a knife around the inside edge of each ramekin and invert each onto a serving plate. Tap bottom of ramekin and gently lift ramekin up, leaving the custard behind on the plate with caramel sauce covering the top and running down the sides! Pretty and yummy!

Caramel Apple Pie Burritos

The spirit of this recipe is courtesy of The Chef at Home, Michael Smith. I adapted the bones of the recipe to use less refined ingredients and swapped out the plain cinnamon for a delicious spice mix. I also vetoed the Dulce De Lech topping because I was kind of hoping to fit in my pants tomorrow. Changes and omissions aside, the results were utterly scrumptious.

Apple Pie Burritos:

Makes 2 large burritos, Serves 4

2 Granny Smith Apples, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup sucanat
1 tbsp Apple Pie Spice Mix (see below)
2 large whole wheat tortillas
1 tbsp butter, melted
Sprinkle of cinnamon & sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Put apples in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil then place lid on pot and let apples steam for 3-5 minutes to soften slightly.

3. Reduce heat and add 1/3 cup apple juice, sucanat and Apple Pie Spice Mix. Stir well.

4. Bring to a boil again, over medium heat. Stir well then reduce heat to low and simmer until the apples are fork tender and the caramel sauce is thickened and sticky, about 10 minutes. Ensure the caramel sauce does not burn.

4. When apples are cooked, microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds to soften. Lay tortillas on a flat surface and spoon half the apple mixture into the centre of each tortilla. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and then roll up the edges to form a tight burrito.

5. Place burritos on the baking sheet seam side down. Lightly brush the tops of the burritos with melted butter and sprinkle with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. (See tip below).

6. Place in the oven and bake until crispy and golden, about 15 minutes.

7. Cut burritos in half and place each half on a plate. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel dessert topping.

Tip: Instead of sprinkling plain old cinnamon & sugar over your burritos, try the new sugar grinders from President's Choice. I used the Sugar, Chocolate & Cinnamon Blend. There is also a Sugar & Vanilla Blend.

Apple Pie Spice Mix:

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of ground cloves

1. Add everything to a Mason jar. Screw on lid and shake well to mix. Use within six months.

(I use my Apple Pie Spice sprinkled over yogurt, oatmeal and ice cream. Or be really original and use it in an apple pie or other baked good!)

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

A new partner joined my team at work this week. As a welcome present, I wanted to make cupcakes. The only concern was that my team has been eating cake almost every shift for the past couple weeks; Between birthdays, goodbyes and St. Patrick's day, we definitely got our fill of sweets. While flipping through some of my old Clean Eating magazines, I came across this recipe for "clean" chocolate cupcakes. The cupcakes were quick and easy to make, despite having to whip and fold in egg whites. I made a few small changes because the first time I made these according to the recipe, I found them a bit dry. The recipe says you will yield 12 but I ended up with 18, albeit small, cupcakes.


Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

Slightly modified from original recipe.

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sucanat plus 1/4 cup sucanat, divided
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
Fresh REAL whipped cream, for topping
Fresh raspberries for garnish

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper or silicone cupcake liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, 1 cup sucanat, flour, salt and baking soda.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, oil, vanilla and a whole egg.

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour into wet ingredients. Stir well to combine. Batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

5. Add egg whites to a large, clean, dry mixing bowl. Whip whites with a hand mixer on low speed until they begin to get foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup of sucanat to the whites. Continue whipping whites until medium-stiff peaks form.

6. Fold whites into cake batter using a rubber spatula. The directions say to fold them "gently but assertively". I'm not sure what that means, so I just folded them in gently until they were combined.

7. Fill each of 12 cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Tap bottom of the filled muffin pan on the counter top. Transfer immediately to the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cupcake comes out clean. The recipe called for baking the cakes for 45 minutes. I found this too long. Start checking when you reach 30 minutes to be safe.

8. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

9. Once cooled, spread a thin layer of Cool Whip over top of each muffin and garnish with a fresh berry. In the magazine, the cupcakes are topped with a simple choclate ganache made of chopped bittersweet chocolate and a coupe teaspoons of milk. I wanted something a little more simple so I opted for Cool Whip. If you want to be even fancier, when very chilled, Cool Whip works well in a piping bag. That's how I ended up decorating the cupcakes I took to work.

Lemon Blueberry Spelt Muffins

Featured on the Tasty Kitchen Blog!

I've been slacking in the breakfast department lately. Waking up too late and flying out the door; Barely enough time to shower and dress let alone feed myself. To curb the problem, I baked a batch of these great muffins and froze half to have on hand for the days when I don't have time for a quality meal.

With a hint of lemon, no refined sugar, no white flour and the added bonus of wheat germ and flax, these muffins are good and satisfying.

Yields 12 muffins.

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups spelt flour
2 tbsp flax seed meal
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin or two 12 cup mini muffin tins.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (butter, honey, apple sauce, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice).

4. In another large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (spelt flour, wheat germ, flax seed meal, baking soda, salt and lemon zest).

5. Slowly stir dry mixture into wet mixture and fold together until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

6. Spoon batter into muffin cups so they are 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

8. Let cool and serve with honey or a small amount of butter!

Crab & Cream Cheese Popovers

This recipe is adapted from the 2009 Canadian Living Holiday Cookbook. The popovers are easy to make and they taste wonderful. They are savoury and chewy with a soft, warm surprise in the centre.

2 eggs
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion, plus another 1 tbsp, reserved
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1 can crabmeat, drained
1/2 brick (125g) cream cheese, room temperature
splash of lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, milk, butter and seasonings until smooth and frothy. Mix in green onion, red onion and jalapeno pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 24 hours).

2. Meanwhile, Mix crab, cream cheese, reserved green onion and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

4. Remove batter from fridge and gently whisk. Spoon batter into muffin cups to fill halfway. Add rounded teaspoon of crab mixture to centre of each muffin cup. Spoon remaining batter over top of the crab mixture to fill the muffin cups.

5. Bake in oven for 16-18 or until golden and puffed. Serve warm. Can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Re-heat in 400 degree F. oven for 5-10 minutes.

Brie En Croute with Cranberry Apple Walnut Compote

Another appieI created for my Aunt's 50th birthday bash. Another appie with no photo. C'est la vie! This was another hugely successful and popular dish. My cousin remarked that it tastes like Christmas. That's always a bonus!

Cranberry Apple Walnut Compote:

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 apples - peeled, cored and diced
Zest of 1 small orange (or half 1 large)
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
2 cinnamon stick
pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. In saucepan combine cranberries, apple, orange rind and juice. Bring to boil, stirring.

2. Reduce heat to simmer; add agave syrup, cinnamon stick and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until cranberries have popped and apple is tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in chopped walnuts. Let cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon sticks.

Brie En Croute:

1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled out to 1/4 inch thick roundish shape
1 cup prepared Cranberry Apple Compote (more as needed)
1 medium wheel of french brie (or whatever size you need)

1. With a sharp knife, slice brie wheel in half horizontally (into two round slices, like a bagel).

2. Scoop half the Cranberry Apple Compote onto the bottom half of the brie wheel. Place the other half of the brie wheel on top and scoop more Cranberry mixture onto it.

3. Place pastry dough on a floured surface and roll to desired size and thickness.

4. Place the brie wheel in the centre of the rolled dough. Fold the dough up over the sides of the cheese, pleating the upper edges to fit snugly around the cheese. Pinch the dough together in the center to seal.

5. At this point, you can freeze your Brie En Croute for when you are ready to use it. Wrap the pastry tightly in plastic wrap and place in a zip lock bag. Freeze for up to two weeks.

6. To bake, lightly grease a cookie sheet and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

7. Make an egg wash (1 egg beated with a bit of water) and brush the dough evenly and thoroughly with the wash.

8. Bake for 40-50 minutes until pasty is lightly browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

9. Transfer brie to a platter and serve with crackers or sliced baguette. Serve the remaining compote in a small dish beside the platter. Be sure to include a sharp cheese knife!

Whole Wheat Banana Almond Pancakes

For some reason I woke up craving pancakes. I've never been a huge pancake fan. In the world of breakfast I will take bacon and eggs over pancakes everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. But today is Wednesday and I'd like some pancakes. These ones are made from whole wheat flour, wheat germ, flax meal and apple sauce.I would have added blueberries but I didn't have any on hand. Regardless, there's all sorts of good stuff going on in the mix!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tbsp flax seed meal (ground flax seed)
1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 tbsp sucanat
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 banana, peeled and diced
1/4 cup sliced raw almonds

1. Mix dry ingredients (first 8) together. Add apple sauce, vanilla and milk. If batter is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency reached. Fold in almond and banana.

2. Heat large frying pan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. When pan is heated, pour badder into pan, forming small circles of about 1/3 cup each. Pancakes are ready to flip when small bubbles form on the top. Usually takes 2-3 minutes on first side then just a minute or two on the second side.

3. Serve with REAL maple syrup, butter and more diced banana.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Like Grandma used to make but updated for the modern, healthy minded cookie lover. I have been making this recipe for years, but recently adapted it using mostly non-refined and non-processed ingredients. Just to be fair, I will post both the original and the made-over version. They are both equally delicious. The uncooked dough is my absolute favourite! :)

Original Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Makes 2 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet or two small ones and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, blend sugars with butter then mix in other wet ingredients.

3. In a separate medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well with wooden spatula or your hands. Hands work best but the dough will be very sticky!

5. Fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Drop table spoon sized portions onto baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Flatten down with back of a spoon or heel of your hand.

7. Bake for 10 mins on centre rack. DO NOT overbake.

8. Remove immediately and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Move to wire rack to finish cooling.


and...


Updated Chewy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sucanat
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried unsweetened cranberries

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet or two small ones and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, blend sucanat with butter then mix agave nectar, eggs and vanilla.

3. In a separate medium bowl, mix flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt.

4. Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well with wooden spatula or your hands. Hands work best but the dough will be very sticky!

5. Fold in the chocolate chips and cranberries.

6. Drop table spoon sized portions onto baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Flatten down with back of a spoon or heel of your hand.

7. Bake for 10 mins on centre rack. DO NOT overbake.

8. Remove immediately and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Move to wire rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Banana Nut Bread

This recipe is from the current issue of Clean Eating Magazine. I made a few minor changes by eliminating the buttermilk and adding extra banana. I substituted lemon rind for orange rind because I forgot to buy an orange and I used one whole egg instead of two egg whites. I'm not afraid of egg yolks. They are good for you. Forget the high cholesterol hype.

In making this bread I learned I have a mild intolerance for walnuts. After eating several slices of the bread as well as a couple walnut ladden brownies baked by a co-worker, my tongue developed a weird tingley sensation. I will definately make this loaf again but next time, sans nuts.

Ingredients:

Olive oil or butter to grease the baking pan
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup flax seed meal
1 whole egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1/3 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup goat yogurt or plain regular yogurt

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup spelt flour
zest from 1 lemon

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease your loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together banana, flax meal, egg, agave and yogurt.

3. In separate bowl, mix together baking soda, salt, flours and lemon rind.

4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.

5. Fold in the walnuts and blueberries.

6. Pour mixture into loaf pan.

7. Bake for 45-50 mins.

8. Remove from oven and let cool in loaf pan for 10 mins.

Vegan Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies, courtesy of Goop, are wheat free, gluten free and dairy free but they definitely aren't flavour free. They also aren't fat free or sugar free, so go easy, okay?

Don't be scared of the coconut oil either. While it's true ninety-two percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil are saturated, they are in a healthy class of fatty acids called MCT's. I'm no expert so, read all about the science and the health benefits of coconut oil here. Make sure you get virgin or extra virgin coconut oil NOT hydrogenated.

Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup coconut oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour*
1/4 cup flax meal*
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum*
1 cup dark chocolate chips

*All of the Bob's Red Mill products are widely available at most larger grocery chains. I purchased all of mine at IGA, but they are also sold at Superstore and Planet Organic. Oddly enough, I didn't find any Bob's Red Mill Products at Safeway.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. (I used 2 small cookie sheets and ended up with square cookies all baked together!)

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully push the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and combine until dough is formed. With the same spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Using a melon-baller, measure out the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space the portions 1-inch apart. (There should be 18 on each cookie sheet.) Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 14 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The cookies will be crispy on the edges and soft in the center. Remove from the oven.

Let cookies stand 10 minutes. They’re best served warm, but to save them use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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See this and a couple other gluten free and dairy free baking recipes in this weeks Goop's newsletter. It also has a good Q&A interview with the recipe creator and founder of Babycakes Bakery in NYC.

In case you didn't already know, Goop is a pretentious and often contrived e-newsletter written by Gwyneth Paltrow. Every Thursday Gwyneth's advice about dining, cooking, fashion, books, travel and parenting graces my inbox. It's quite something and there are loads of critics, but I enjoy her recipes so I keep my e-subscription going.

P.S. I'll admit that these cookies were not well received by my family. My sister said they were "okay" and my mom said they "weren't her favourite". It's to be expected. When you are used to the taste of refined white flour based cookies, it's tough to find a suitable alternative. As for me, I enjoyed the cookies. For being "free" from so many things, they still satisfied my sweet/chocolate craving. My one complaint is that they are a little greasy feeling. Next time I would cut back on the coconut oil or maybe sub in another oil.

Update: I took the cookies to work today and they were very well received. Even the guys who aren't into "granola stuff" ate them and enjoyed them. So there you go.