Tag Archives: Yeast free

Happiness is Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake

Posted on May 21, 2012 by | 4 comments

Happy birthday indeed! I enjoyed a wonderful weekend with visits, calls and cards from my family and friends. I also was treated to a delicious dinner out with my grandmother, MIL, FIL and SensitiveHusband. After the meal we drove back to our house for dessert…that SensitiveHusband baked! Not only was the cake delicious, it was free of cane sugar, yeast, and all of my other “sensitive” ingredients. I think cake tastes even better when someone else bakes it, don’t you agree?

SensitiveHusband perused my recipes and decided on the Chocolate Agave Cake with the Honey Peanut Butter Frosting. What a delicious combination! The cake was extremely light and moist and the frosting was fluffy. Good thing I have a bit left…I look forward to having another piece.

What is your favorite dessert? There is one week left to take the poll on my home page. Simply click your favorite dessert and then click “vote.”

Chocolate Agave Cake
Ingredients:
2/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one nine-inch round pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the agave nectar, egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Honey Peanut Butter Cream Frosting
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/8 cup peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/3 cup honey

Preparation:
Cream butter and peanut butter. Add the water, salt, and vanilla and cream again. Slowly add the honey and beat until creamy.

Please note: refrigerate the butter creams if either becomes too runny to use for frosting. A few minutes in the cool temperature will correct the consistency.

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Food Trip Friday and Simple Living.

4 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Dipped Bananas are Delicious Yet Gluten, Dairy & Cane Sugar Free

Posted on May 14, 2012 by | 3 comments

This past weekend SensitiveHusband and I enjoyed a lovely evening with some family friends. I have known these wonderful people all of my life and I feel privileged to be able to continue this extended family connection.

Each couple contributed something to the meal, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to bring a dessert. What a great experience to bake one of my favorites as well as try something new! As for the favorite, I made a chocolate agave cake and I doubled the recipe to make a layer cake with a cherry jam filling. I topped the cake with homemade whipped cream. I will definitely make this again!

My new creation involved chocolate dipped bananas. You can probably guess the two main ingredients! I had fun topping this dessert with all sorts of tasty treats as seen in the photograph above.

Chocolate Dipped Bananas (Gluten, Cane Sugar and Dairy Free)

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch disks
1 bar (3 oz) dark chocolate (The dark chocolate with raspberries Endangered Species brand is gluten, dairy and cane sugar free)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Assorted toppings (such as peanuts, granola, coconut, or cinnamon)

Preparation
Melt the chocolate on low heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Dip the bananas into the melted chocolate so that about half of the banana is covered. Place bananas on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Top the bananans creatively. The close-up photo shows one dusted with cinnamon. Freeze for at least half an hour. Once frozen, you can transfer the bananas to another bowl or zip lock bag. Allow bananas to defrost for a few minutes before enjoying.

P.S. If you have not already done so, please answer the poll on the web site just to the left of this post. It just takes two clicks of your time. The results are very close and I hope to get a large enough sample to declare a winning dessert. Thanks for your participation!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Cybele Pascal Allergen Free Cuisine, Food Trip Friday and Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

3 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , ,

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Posted on April 22, 2012 by | 13 comments

This recipe for honey-roasted sweet potatoes meets all of my official criteria for being a great dinner component: (1) the potatoes are really tasty with a soft texture and a hint of sweetness; (2) they are easy to prepare, especially if you can find someone else to do the peeling; (3) they travel well and can easily be reheated, so they are nice to bring to a group dinner; and (4) they are a comfortable accompaniment to a weeknight or weekend meal. The recipe below is inspired by Ellie Krieger’s Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes – I used a little less salt and just a pinch of extra honey than the original instructions.

Just in case you were wondering, sweet potatoes are a Native American plant that are packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Although sweet potatoes are harvested in August through October, they are available in supermarkets throughout the year. Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams, but yams are large, starchy roots grown in Africa and Asia. Yams are rarely available in American supermarkets yet it is acceptable to use the term when referring to sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain an enzyme that converts many of its starches into sugars as the potato matures. The sweetness continues to increase during storage and when cooked. Thanks to Food Reference for these facts!

And back to the recipe – for Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
–Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
–Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in 9×13 baking dish.
–In a small bowl stir together oil, honey and lemon juice.
–Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat.
–Sprinkle with salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

Have a great day, enjoy your sweet potatoes, and see you at the CTVegFest next weekend!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Food Trip Friday and Simple Living with Diane Balch.

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

13 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Vegetables

Tagged , , ,

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Posted on April 10, 2012 by | 2 comments

You might be thinking, “Did I read that title correctly?” You certainly did. Below is a recipe from my colleague/friend Kristi, who makes a delicious mousse that looks like a dark pudding. No one will know there is avocado in the dessert unless you tell him or her!

I love chocolate (who doesn’t), so when I started modifying my diet to include more clean foods, I was excited (and amazed, as will you) to find a wonderful chocolate mousse recipe made from…. wait for it….. avocados!! Not only is the recipe easy to make, but you will also easily fool any guests because it doesn’t look like or taste like avocados.  Enjoy!

In a food processor, blend:
4 avocados
1 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla (I used a homemade version from SensitiveEconomist)
1 cup raw cacao (or unsweetened cocoa powder for baking)

options: add 1 tablespoon coconut or 2 teaspoons cinnamon

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Cybele Pascal Allergen-Friendly Cooking and Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

2 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , , ,

Continuing the Celebration with Chocolate Chip Cookie 2.0

Posted on April 1, 2012 by | 4 comments

This week I have been celebrating my blog’s one year anniversary. It has been fun to think about all of the new foods I have tried and shared, and my favorite recipes that I have revised. One year ago I posted my first recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It was a wonderful recipe that substituted the refined sugars with natural sweeteners. Since then I have made that recipe dozens of times because I like to have a steady supply of dessert in the house. There is something quite nice about kicking back at the end of the day with a homemade cookie.

At first I was only concerned with getting the refined sugars out of the cookies. Over the past year I have tinkered with the ingredients – how could I add nutrients? Reduce saturated fats? Reduce gluten? Make them fluffier? Well, I think I have managed to update last year’s version – I removed one stick of butter and added applesauce, used some oat flour to reduce the overall gluten amount, let the butter soften naturally for a lighter texture, used my own homemade vanilla extract for added flavor, and added some more chocolate chips (I really tested the last point thoroughly). I hope you enjoy this recipe. Have a nice day!

Mix Dry and Set Aside: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt

Mix Until Creamy: 1 stick softened butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add to Creamy Mixture: 2 eggs

Then Add to Creamy Mixture: the dry mix (noted above)

Then Stir In: 1 bag grain-sweetened chocolate chips plus a “few extra” (I like Sunspire brand)

Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-11 minutes.

Enjoy!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Food Trip Friday.

4 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , , ,

Celebrating One Year without Refined Sugars with Chocolate Mousse

Posted on March 29, 2012 by | 12 comments

One year ago today, I wrote my first post as SensitiveEconomist. What a fun year this has been – with almost 90 posts, more than 10,000 web views and hundreds of comments. Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts, insights and recipes. It’s quite rewarding to be part of a community that is interested in making foods healthier, removing “sensitive” ingredients, and talking about food in the economy.

In honor of this special day, I am sharing with you one of my favorite celebratory foods – chocolate mousse! When I see this dessert on the menu of a nice restaurant, I tend to order it. It’s a shame that I can’t order it out anymore because it is loaded with refined sugar…but that is not the case with the recipe below! I altered it from the original recipe for Eggless Chocolate Mousse that is adapted from “The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook,” by Mireille Guiliano.

This is one delicious dessert that is sure to please. Make it for a special occasion…or just because it’s Thursday!

In the words of Lucy Van Pelt of “Peanuts” fame: “All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Well said, Lucy!

In a small, heavy saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream to a boil; do not scorch. Meanwhile, chop 2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (70 to 80 percent); place in a large bowl (This Endangered Species dark chocolate bar is sweetened with beet sugar). Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate. Let melt 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Cool until mixture is warm to the touch. Whip 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream until stiff peaks form; be careful not to over whip. Gently fold half the whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Mousse will be a bit soft. Spoon into 2 serving dishes; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with shelled, toasted pistachios or cinnamon and more whipped cream.

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Food Trip Friday, Cybele Pascal Allergen-Free Cuisine and Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

12 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , ,

Recipe Appreciation & MaryAnn’s Gluten- and Sugar-Free Muffins

Posted on March 26, 2012 by | 7 comments

Later this week I will celebrate one year with this blog! I have learned so much about food during the past twelve months including many new, delicious recipes from a number of family members, friends, colleagues and blog writers. So many of you have taken the time to adapt your favorite foods to be free of yeast and refined sugar, and have shared your results with me. I appreciate your help tremendously! A sample of the wonderful contributors to this blog so far include:

–MIL and FIL have shared Garlic Shrimp with Pasta, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Peach Ice Cream and Apple and Raisin Stuffing
–A tasty Spinach Gratin from Rachel
–Refreshing Salad Dressing from Natalie
–Healthy Baked Squash, Popovers and Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes from Bree
—Homemade Yogurt from Leslie and Rick that’s a great idea
–Bill’s creative Triple Nut Mix
–Wonderful Oatmeal Pancakes from Beth
–SensitiveHusband made delicious Peanut Butter Cups and Agave Chocolate Milk
–MaryAnn created some excellent Oat Bran Muffins

Thank you for all of your efforts and ideas…I appreciate you tapping into your “sensitive” side to create delicious yeast-free, refined sugar-free food!

Let’s celebrate a year of collaborating with a recipe: MaryAnn has created another great muffin and this time it is gluten- and sugar-free. You can get creative with the fruit additions to this tasty treat.

Ingredients:
–1 1/4 cup Pamela’s Muffin Mix (this is a gluten-free flour blend)
–1/4 cup water
–1/3 cup honey
–1 large egg
–1 teaspoon vanilla
–1/2 cup fruit (such as bananas or blueberries) OR 1/2 cup dried fruit (such as raisins) with 1/4 additional cup of water

Preparation:
–Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
–Grease muffin pan.
–Mix all of the ingredients together.
–Pour batter into muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes.
–Yields 6 muffins.

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Food Trip Friday.

7 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Bread, Recipes - Breakfast

Tagged , , , ,

Vanilla Pudding Squares with Whipped Cream and Pistachios

Posted on March 18, 2012 by | 8 comments

My colleague, Steve, has made pistachio squares for office functions over the past number of years. Last week, in preparation for my company’s dessert potluck, I asked him if he would share the recipe so I could see if I could make it without refined sugar. When he showed me the recipe, I started to get excited, because I could easily make the crust, cream cheese and whipped cream layers. As for the pudding…how could I make it without cane sugar? I was puzzled. I found a recipe for vanilla pudding and decided to give it a go.

My first batch looked like sweet milk…it never solidified. Hmm…I was stumped. So I tried again, this time using a bit more cornstarch and stirring the warm mixture on the stove for much longer. Within one hour in the fridge I had pudding! Instead of making pistachio-flavored pudding I stuck to the basics and created the vanilla version although I added chopped pistachios in the second layer and on the top. I enjoyed the result – it was nice and sweet with pudding and whipped cream and a nice crust. Thanks, Steve, for the original recipe that inspired this version!

Here are a few cooking notes: Make the vanilla pudding (third layer) first. While it is chilling, bake the crust (first layer) and allow to cool. Next, make the whipped cream (for the second and fourth layers) and then chop the pistachios (for the second layer and topping). Once all of these pieces are made and cooled, assemble the layers and voila – vanilla squares with pistachios!

First Layer (Crust):
Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 cup melted butter. Press the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to fully cool before layering.

Second Layer:
Blend 8 ounces of cream cheese with 2/3 cup agave nectar, 1 cup homemade whipped cream (see fourth layer for instructions) and 1/3 cup chopped pistachios.

Third Layer (Homemade Vanilla Pudding):
In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 cups milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, 1/3 cup agave nectar, 4 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, whisking to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon butter. Chill completely (about one hour); add as the third layer.

Fourth Layer (Homemade Whipped Cream):
Blend 1 pint whipping cream, 1/4 cup agave nectar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a mixer on a high speed until stiff peaks form. Use 1 cup to blend in the second layer, and the rest as the fourth layer.

Sprinkle with you favorite toppings, such as chopped pistachios and chocolate. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Food Trip Friday, Cybele Pascal Allergen-Free Cuisine and Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

8 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Dessert

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Anjou Too Will Enjoy These Pear and Oat Scones

Posted on March 11, 2012 by | 7 comments

I have been on a bit of a scone kick lately. It all started with the raisin millet scones, which have turned out to be a lovely snack at any time during the day or evening. When I saw this recipe for apple and oat scones in the February 2012 Martha Stewart Living magazine, I became inspired and decided to add them to my repertoire.

The next morning I took out my mixing bowl and ingredients. Since I did not have any apples I used pears instead. In order to eliminate the brown sugar and turbinado sugar, I added maple syrup and maple sugar to retain the sweetness. I shortened a few of the steps (I did not rotate the baking sheet while cooking or flatten the dough into disks as suggested in the original recipe). The result is a sweet and chewy treat that is delicious with a cup of tea. I also discovered the beauty of parchment paper – it makes baking sheet cleanup a breeze. Enjoy these scones with pears or apples, or perhaps a combination of the two!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, plus more for topping
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups diced pears (cut into 1/4-inch cubes)
2/3 cup cold buttermilk (or 2/3 cup milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
Maple sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together flour, oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives (or rub in with your fingers). The batter will resemble crumbs. Add pears and buttermilk (or milk plus lemon juice), stirring until dough just comes together.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle, and cut into twelve 2-by-2-inch squares with a floured knife. Place about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with maple sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Something Swanky, Food Trip Friday, Cybele Pascal Allergen-Free Cuisine and Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

7 Comments

Posted in Recipes - Bread, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dessert, Recipes - Snacks

Tagged , , , , ,

Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa is a Gluten Free Treat!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by | 1 comment

A few months ago, I shared a delicious recipe for garlic shrimp with pasta that was created by my MIL and FIL. SensitiveHusband and I just love this meal because it is fairly quick and easy to prepare, especially if we work on it together. However, we recently tried a variation of this dish that was also quite good – instead of tossing the shrimp and peas with pasta, we used quinoa.

Keen-what? Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is an amino acid-rich seed that has a slightly crunchy texture and nutty flavor when cooked. Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables. Click on this web site from the George Mateljan Foundation for a helpful chart that shows the daily percentages of magnesium, folate and other nutrients in quinoa. It is also gluten free, which is a welcome benefit to many people’s diets.

In order to make this dinner, follow the instructions for MIL and FIL’s Garlic and Shrimp Pasta. Just cook up some quinoa instead of the pasta and toss with the shrimp and garlic at the end to serve. Enjoy this dinner!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage and Food Trip Friday.

1 Comment

Posted in Recipes - Entrees, Recipes - Grains

Tagged , , , , , , , ,