baking

Apple Pie in a Bowl

December 15, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Check out my guest post at The Flourishing Foodie by clicking

HERE.

While your at it, make yourself a nice, hot bowl of Apple Pie for Breakfast.

Apple Pie in a Bowl

~On a cold winter morning, make this quick apple pie in less than five minutes. Then, sit by the fire and enjoy breakfast with Christmas music on!

Ingredients

One Apple
A handful of chopped walnuts
A sprinkle of cinnamon
A dash of water

Chop the apple into little bits. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and heat on medium heat, covered. Heat until the apples are nice and soft. Stir Occasionally.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

If you had to choose either the crust of the pie or the insides, what would you choose?

I love the insides. Just make me some pie in a bowl!

Psst! Don’t forget to enter my Agar giveaway HERE.

Healthy Twisted Pumpkin Roll

December 7, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Another Pumpkin Recipe! Yay!

Don’t you just love pumpkin? One cup of pumpkin has 7 grams fiber, 2650 IU Vitamin A, 564 mg potassium! It also boasts a truckload of antioxidants like Alpha-carotene and Beta-carotene. What a wonderful winter fruit. Yes, science defines seed-carrying pumpkins as fruit. Not vegetables.

As a variation of my savory flourless-free crepe from Heather, I created a Healthy Pumpkin Roll!

Inspired by the back of a can of Libby’s Pumpkin:

Not-Your-Ordinary Pumpkin Roll

~This pumpkin roll can be used as a breakfast or dessert! It would be a perfect breakfast to impress guests during the Holidays. The recipe is flour-free, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

Serves 1

2 eggs
pinch baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Optional: chopped nuts

First, lightly grease a pan for the stove. I used a cast-iron skillet. Next, turn the stove on medium heat. Whisk the eggs, baking powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl, and pour the mix into the skillet. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it is cooked through. There is no need to flip the crepe. Remove the crepe carefully from the burner and place on a plate:

Next, spread the pumpkin on the crepe. If you wish, you can heat up the pumpkin before spreading it. If you wish to add chopped nuts to the pumpkin, add some now.

Then, roll the crepe, and garnish with an extra scoop of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nuts (if using):

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Have you made plans for Christmas, or Hanukkah, or another holiday you celebrate yet?

I am so excited to visit my aunt and grandparents in Arizona this Christmas. I haven’t seen them in two years, and am very excited to see them! I’m making them all gifts. I would tell you what they were, but I am afraid they might be reading this! Let me keep it a surprise!

Do you like surprises?

My sister is a big surprise person! She will not let anyone tell her what her gift is, and she will not tell anyone what she made/bought them. It is actually quite fun to tease her with this 😉

A Bitter Christmas…

December 3, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

I have been hesitant to post all my numerous chocolate recipes because I always eat 100% dark chocolate! The majority of people don’t have a taste for the bitterness of this dark of a chocolate, but I think the bitterness makes it the best! 100% dark chocolate does not have any room for milk or sugar, just chocolate. This makes the flavor intensely dark.

Well, I have finally decided to share a few of my chocolate recipes, even though most people won’t like them. For you sugar eaters out there who can’t handle the bitterness of 100% dark, please feel free to add a few stevia drops or a drizzle of honey to this recipe.

Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Cake for One

~Like I said above, please feel free to add a drizzle of honey or some liquid stevia drops to the recipe before baking so that it may satisfy your liking of chocolate. This cake is meant to serve one person, but feel free to double, triple or quadruple the recipe. The cake is gluten free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I like using Hershey’s Dark cocoa because it has a great, intense flavor)
2 Tablespoons of squash puree, like pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash
splash of vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
water
Optional: 100% dark chocolate bar (I used Baker’s)

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix all of the above ingredients together. Then add a splash of water until it reaches the consistency of a thick pudding. Pour batter into a mini bread pan or a muffin tin (It makes about 4 muffins). If using, chop the 100% dark chocolate bar over the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

More Ideas: Try adding mint extract to the batter to make a mint chocolate cake. Also, use different topping like nuts to personalize the cake to your liking.

100_1256 — Oooo....yum...the chocolate pieces on top are nice and melty! Also, for those counting calories, the whole cake is only 120 calories. It is one big cake, too! Most people would probably stop eating it halfway through because it is very large.

I made this cake last night while I was watching Tim Allen’s Santa Clause.

LOVE this movie! So heart-warming and fun!

You definitely know it’s Christmas time when ABC starts showing a Christmas-Related movie every night! What’s on tonight while I bake myself another Bitter Chocolate Cake?

The Polar Express. Another great holiday film. I loved the book, too! Have you read it?

This recipe is a shout-out to those who asked for more grain-free recipes; those who like bitter chocolate cake more than the sweet kind; those who love bitter chocolate; and of course, all others who enjoy chocolate for their taste and health benefits!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Would you like me to post more of my chocolate recipes? I have tons of them ranging from grain-free pancakes, to mousses, to puddings, to breakfast parfaits.
Have you tried 100% dark chocolate yet?? If not, then DO IT! I’m begging you to! Pick up some Baker’s chocolate squares or a Ghiradelli bar in the baking aisle of your grocery store. When you try it, roll it around in your mouth and actually taste it. Don’t go by your first bite. Take another bite and think about chocolate-not the other chocolate-flavored impersonators out there!
Last question-I promise! What do you think of all the holiday movies showing at this time of year? Personally, I love having an upbeat, sometimes corny movie to watch every night. I love all the Christmas films because they put me in such a great mood! There is no way that I could choose a favorite because there are so many good ones out there!

Peanut Butter, Bananas, and Chocolate-Oh My!

November 29, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

I Love Peanut Butter.

I Love Chocolate.

I Love Bananas.

Put them all together, and you have the perfect snack.

Step 1: Make Chocolate Pancakes

I made these delicacies by mixing 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 egg, 1 tsp baking powder, splash vanilla extract, and adding liquid (almond milk) to desired consistency.

Step 2: Make Art

Spread with a good amount of peanut butter-don’t be skimpy! One of my pet peeves is when people skimp on the peanut butter-don’t do it! Then, top with sliced bananas and shaved unsweetened chocolate (like Baker’s or Ghiradelli. Both found in the Baking aisle of most grocery stores)

Step 3: Admire your art

Step 4: Devour

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is one of your favorite food combinations?

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Hello! Just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What are you thankful for?

Tennis Update:

Today is the first day of the tournament, so wish me luck! I have Katie’s Fudge babies to give me some energy:

They don't look that pretty, but trust me-they are good!

I am full of energy, and I am hugging a Vegan for Katie’s Hug a Vegan month! Double whammy 🙂

Friends by Recipes Recap

November 24, 2010 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Well, my Friends by Recipes Challenge has come to a close. I had so much fun making all of your recipes! It was also great to make more friends through a creative way. Below is a recap from my 11 friends I made from 11 different recipes. Click on the pictures to access the recipes.