Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

dairy-free

Pecan Sticky Buns

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No one guessed what yesterday’s food was!

There were a lot of close guesses, though. Monkey bread, bread pudding, french toast, and muffins were all guessed. Many people guessed there were walnuts in it, too, but nope! Pecans! 

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Grain-Free Pecan Sticky Buns

Yield: 10 buns

Grain-Free Pecan Sticky Buns

~These sticky buns are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • "Dough" Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup squash puree (you can't really taste the squash in the buns, but it keeps them moist. Pumpkin, butternut, or sweet potato will all work fine.)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup chia gel (mix 1/4 cup water with 1 Tablespoon chia and let sit for 15 minutes.)
  • 3 Tablespoons ground flax
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Topping Ingredients:
  • 5 dates, chopped (or substitute other dried fruit of choice)
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. Mix together all the dough ingredients. Pour into a greased muffin pan 3/4 full. Evenly spread the topping onto each bun.
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/06/24/pecan-sticky-buns/

Health Benefits
  • Almond Butter: Almonds are a major superfood, and they are full of monounsaturated, good-for-you fats. It contains many nutrients that benefit the brain, and regulate cholesterol. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Dates: A laxative food with a high-fiber content, so it can help those suffering from constipation. They are digested quite easily and are great for when you need quick energy. Also, regular consumption of dates has been found to help the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
  • Flax: Full of healthy Omega-3′s to help your heart stay strong. It is also a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber to keep your gut healthy and help you stay full. Flax also contains lignans which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. These lignans help protect against cancer by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.
  • Pecans: They help boost your immune system, reduce LDL cholesterol, and protect against Breast Cancer because of the high levels of oleic acid. It contains vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and fiber, as well as antioxidants.
  • Cinnamon: Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.

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

What is your favorite type of nut? Pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios??

I am really digging the pecans right now. One of the reasons I created this recipe!

 

 

 

On-the-Go Bitter Chocolate Cakes

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Warning: The following is for hard-core chocolate lovers.

My Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate for One was a hit. Who knew that so many people enjoyed bitter chocolate?

The only problem is, how can I make and eat a cake when I am in hurry or need a snack traveling?

Solution: make mini cakes (aka cookies) ahead of time!

Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Cookies

~These pillowy clouds of chocolate are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, oil-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Serves 1, but feel free to double, triple or quadruple the recipe as needed.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 Tablespoons of squash puree, like pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash
  • splash of vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • water
  • Optional: unsweetened chocolate chunks, nuts, coconut, mint extract, fruit pieces
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. Place batter on cookie sheet by tablespoons full. Top with optional ingredients, if using.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookie’s bottoms are nice and brown.
Makes a lot of cookies for only 120 calories. You also get the added health benefits of the antioxidant-loaded chocolate and the vitamin-loaded squash!

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

Do you ever get intense chocolate cravings?

I find that I always crave straight-up unsweetened chocolate when I am out of town. These cookies would be a great thing to pack for trips!

 

When You Don’t Have Any Tomato Sauce

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And those pizza cravings hit.

I rummage through the cupboard and there is not a can of tomato paste, pasta sauce, or a single tomato in sight. Then, in the fridge I spot salsa.

It’s made out of tomatoes, so why not put it on a pizza?

I made my Socca Pizza Crust, topped it with salsa, a crumbled black bean burger, and some black olives. Broiled until nice and warm and topped with fresh spinach.

You could top it with any of your favorite taco toppings: beans, meat, avocado, tomatoes (if you have them!), cilantro, or onions.

Still hungry for more grain-free Mexican Pizzas? Try my Taco Meatza!

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

Pencils or pens?

I like pens-gel pens to be exact. My sister has tons and tons of gel pens in all sorts of colors! They feel so great when I write with them, and they come in gorgeous colors. I may or may not have taken a few 😛

 

Eat Your Vegetables!

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It is National Eat Your Vegetables Day! So I challenge you:

Eat some kind of vegetable with every meal, snack, or dessert you eat today!

Maybe you will have a…

Vegetable omelet for breakfast.

A BIG salad with Ginger-Miso Dressing for lunch.

Some Chocolate-Mint Pudding for a snack.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken dipped with Homemade Barbeque sauce and sautéed vegetable for dinner.

Napoleon Cheesecake Surprise for Dessert.

And all of these contain vegetables? Yes, of course!

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

So what do you say? Are you going to take the challenge and eat vegetables with every meal today?

High Protein Cookies

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I’ve made High Protein Cookie Dough…

So the logical thing to do is make High Protein Cookies! Duh!

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High Protein Cookies

High Protein Cookies

~These cookies are high in protein because of the garbanzo beans. Don’t shy away from it, though, because it tastes fantastic! Dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and, of course, sugar-free

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, well-rinsed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup nutbutter (I prefer making it a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough by using peanut butter)
  • 1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk. Water will probably work, too)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. First, drain and wash chickpeas well. Make sure they are well-washed so that the cookie dough doesn’t taste like beans.
  2. Add all the ingredients except chocolate into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Adjust liquid as needed. Stir in chocolate chunks.
  3. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls on an un-greased cookie sheet.
  4. Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are nice and brown.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/06/15/high-protein-cookies/

These cookies make fabulous “protein bars.” I eat them before and after I work out. For my taste buds, they are perfect because I love bitter chocolate and non-sweet peanut butter. However, those who do not like unsweetened things may not like the flavor. I suggest adding a mashed banana to the batter. Not only would it taste fabulous, but it would add a bit of sweetness.

 

Health Benefits
  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • Chickpeas: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chickpeas.
  • Peanuts: These legumes are full of protein with 7g per ounce. They also have a great monounsaturated fat content that helps your heart and brain. Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries. It also has a high antioxidant and high niacin content that helps in the recovery of cell damage and provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive problem.

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

After you work out do you crave carbs, fat, or protein? Do you crave sweet or savory?

I am always hot and sweaty after I work out, so I crave cold drinks like smoothies or a V8.