Chocolate Chip Cookies

 The simplicity of chocolate chip cookies sounds so comforting. My migraine came on yesterday afternoon and is finally almost on it's way out. I felt so horrible all morning. I was well taken care of, though. Coffee and a yummy omelette were brought to me in bed this morning. 

My boyfriend is the sweetest!

 Staying home sounded like the best plan for me today. When I used to stay home sick from school as a kid I always baked during the day. Most of the time I just pretended to be sick. I never liked school. So for today, baking seemed like a good idea. Something simple, easy, and comforting. Chocolate chip cookies fit the bill. These aren't the classic cookies I remember from my childhood but a healthy updated version that satisfies my sweet tooth these days as I try my best to avoid gluten and sugar. These cookies are almost sugar free. I used bittersweet dark chocolate chips. As much as I use unsweetened carob chips for everything, I knew the result wouldn't be the same... They just don't melt like real chocolate. The recipe I used was from Elana's Pantry. It calls for yacon syrup as the sweetener. For those that aren't familiar, yacon syrup is derived from the root of the yacon plant native to South America. It is free of glucose, therefore having a low glycemic index which doesn't spike blood sugar. It's great for diabetics and people who follow a candida conscience diet. I used to use yacon in most of my dessert making until I discovered Jerusalem artichoke syrup. It has pretty much the same properties of yacon and an almost identical taste. Plus it's about half the price so it's what I use now. Two other changes I made to the recipe was using almond extract instead of vanilla and replacing 1 Tablespoon of almond meal with ground flax. I love the flavor the almond extract gives to the cookies.

Hope everyone has a lovely day! Today is my Sunday so I'm excited to go back to work tomorrow.

Sugar and Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

 The weather is finally cooling down a bit and it’s starting to feel like fall. I love seeing the all the colored leaves falling from the trees. In keeping with the season, pumpkin cheesecake was one of the flavors on the weekly menu for Enjoy Cupcakes this past week. Not being able to eat sugar or gluten was torturous on me. On Sunday morning while at work, I was thinking to myself how I could make a gluten and sugar free pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is approaching and I need an alternative. I’ve been making quiches lately so I thought I could use a similar recipe for the crust. In my first attempt I used equal parts almond and coconut flour with equal parts water, grapeseed oil, and almond milk. This crust came out too thick and dry. The recipe for the filling was found on Kath Eats Real Food. The end result had too much spice added to it giving the mixture a grainy texture. Overall it was decent but I knew I could make it even better with some revisions. Today I made my second attempt. The recipe is below. After my first bite I knew my alterations had paid off. I will be making this for Thanksgiving. A larger batch of course. This mini pumpkin pie can be eaten in one sitting by one person. Yes, that would be me.

Sugar and Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

For the crust

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon almond flour

1 Tablespoon coconut flour

1 Tablespoon ground flax

1 + 1/2 Tablespoons Earth Balance (I use the soy free)

1 teaspoon xylitol

1/2 teaspoon water

pinch of salt

Sift together all dry ingredients. Beat butter until well combined and then add the water. Form dough in a ramekin and bake for about 13 minutes at 350°. 

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

For the filling

1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin (fresh could be used in place)

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

37 drops liquid stevia (I use the Kal brand.)

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of vanilla extract

Mix well to combine

Once your pie crust is completely cooled, fill with pumpkin pie filling.

Garnish with slivered almonds if desired... Chopped pecans would probably be good too.

Place in freezer for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove and enjoy the pumpkin pie goodness without sugar or gluten.

Sugar Free Desserts are Possible

When people are faced with certain health issues, it's imperative to avoid foods that will proliferate their condition.  For some, this can be the hardest thing. Many people resort to foods that are convenient... not paying any attention to what they are putting in their bodies. When told they must avoid these foods, they are clueless on what to eat. This is how I felt two years ago when I was told I had a sensitivity to soy and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of yeast. Also having candida, I had to give up sugars. My diet was healthy at the time except for all the sweets I was eating. Desserts are my favorite. When I look at menus online for restaurants I want to try, the dessert section is where my eyes wander first. Okay, I needed to follow a diet free of yeast, sugar, and soy. The yeast seemed easy to avoid but the soy and sugar not so easy. These are two ingredients that are added to what seems like everything. 

Stevia and yacon syrup became my two new favorite ingredients. I needed to get my sweet fix somehow and these two alternative sweeteners made it possible. Many know about stevia but yacon syrup isn't that commonly used. The only place I've found it is at Whole Foods or online. Yacon contains a healthy type of sugar called fructooligosacharides or FOS. It is not digested by the body so it doesn't spike blood glucose levels, making it safe for diabetics, people with candida overgrowth, or even people who just want to watch their weight.

As of now I can include small amounts of soy into my diet. I've been on and off sugars for the past two years and recently went sugar free again. I do feel so much better eating this way and it allows me to be much more creative in what I prepare for myself.  When you can't have sweets all you want is something sweet, right? Which brings me to the photo above. The other night after dinner all I wanted was something sweet. I'm a sucker for cookie dough so I've been playing around with different variations. I based the idea off this recipe found on spark recipes. I love the idea of this recipe because it's the perfect portion size and you won't be tempted to overindulge. Here's my most recent variation.

Gluten free Sugar free cookie dough

2 heaping Tbsp blanched almond flour

2 tsp yacon syrup

1tsp grapeseed oil

1 tsp soy free Earth Balance

pinch of salt

a few drops of vanilla extract

mix everything together and you have a delicious cookie dough. 

I topped this with a little bit of peanut butter and unsweetened carob chips. It was just like eating a chocolate chip peanut butter cookie.