Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Gluten-free

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.


Red, White, and Grey?

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Happy Flag Day!

Did you know it was flag day? Honestly, I never really know these things until I look at my calendar in the morning and say, “Hey everyone-It’s Flag Day!” (In the United States atleast)

I never knew this before, but Flag Day is the day that the United States adopted the flag Betsy Ross made in 1777. Wave those flags high! And eat ’em, too!

~One Size Fits all Pancakes with frozen strawberries, melted.

I tried to make the pancakes “blue” by adding some concord grape juice, but they ended up turning grey. It would be better if I had some blueberries, but I didn’t have any at the time. I need to fix that!

Grey, yet delicious!

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

What was the last cooking oops you did?

I’m always experimenting with different ideas and recipes. One time I tried to make banana waffles in a panini maker instead of a waffle iron. Well…let’s just say I ate some caramelized goop for breakfast that day and spent the rest of the morning cleaning the panini maker.

 

Spoonful of Gluten Free

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Yes, gluten free. The past week or so I have been having tummy issues (every time I eat, it hurts!), so I have decided to experiment by going on a gluten-free diet to see if it helps my poor tummy.

This means my last, yummy cornbread recipe is off the menu, right?

WRONG-O!

I picked up a pack of brown rice flour to experiment with. I used the exact same recipe, found HERE, but instead of adding 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour I added 1/2 cup brown rice flour.

Served with a bowl of veggie-rice-and-bean soup

It turned out great! I might have liked it even better than my original recipe. The brown rice flour made it a bit fluffier, but it still had that authentic “corny” taste.

Also, a shout out to Krystal for converting my cornbread recipe to gluten-free with her own style:

Krystal's Cornbread

Anita also had a great idea, and suggested that I toast the cornmeal in the cast-iron skillet before I bake it. Thanks, Anita! I will try that out next time!

Now, onto a gluten-free breakfast crepe:

HEAB has been taunting me nonstop with her flourless crepes. I have made a few of them, and simply spread some coconut butter on it. These crepes haven’t been too special, but today’s was especially noteworthy.

Savory Carb-Free Crepe

~This crepe is free of carbs, gluten-free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free! It is great for a fancy luncheon or brunch, but quick and easy for any meal during the week.

Ingredients

Serves 1

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • salt and pepper (I used about 1/8 teaspoon of each)
  • Tablespoon of fresh herbs of choice (Today I used fresh cilantro leaves, but oregano, thyme, or basil would work great, too!)
  • Fillings: I used sliced bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, spinach, and capers.

Using a dab of olive oil, lightly coat a skillet (I used my cast-iron) with the oil. Heat pan on medium heat. Next, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, herbs, baking powder, and salt and pepper together. Pour the mix into the pre-heated skillet and cover. Let the crepe bake until the top gets bubbly and fluffy, there is no need to flip it. Carefully remove the crepe from the skillet-try hard not to break it because it is just so darn pretty! Then fill with your favorite fillings and wrap it up! Top with more herbs for a beautiful garnish.

The crepe by itself
Filling it up...
Rolled up and ready to eat!

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

Have you ever gone on a gluten-free diet? I actually tested myself a few years ago, and went on a semi-gluten-free diet for a little while. I just like to challenge myself, and try new things!