Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Gluten-free

Birthday Boy!

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Happy Birthday

to my Pretzel-Making

Little Brother!

Love you, man!

 

We’ll start by celebrating the day with some One Size Fits all Pancakes:

(He’ll probably ask for chocolate chips, and I’ll give it to him. It’s his birthday!)

We have a lot of fun games lined up for him. Egg toss, three-legged races, a pinata, water balloon fight! You know, stuff that makes you roll around in the mud and giggle without caring what you look like.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What was your most memorable birthday?

I would say what was your best birthday, but I think that’s an unfair question. So many great birthdays are unique in so many ways-it’s hard to choose!

 

 

Bitter Chocolate Waffles

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Sorry to leave you all hanging with that delicious stack of…

Chocolate Waffles!

Pure torture to live another day without these.

If you don’t have a waffle iron, you have two options:

  1. Make these into pancakes.
  2. Go buy a waffle iron.

Print
Bitter Chocolate Waffles

Bitter Chocolate Waffles

~These waffles have no added sweetener, so they are bitter. If you are not a fan of bitter chocolate, top your waffles with lots of fresh fruit! Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour (simply blend oats in blender until smooth)
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup water or milk substitute
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons oil or applesauce
  • Optional: Add a few tablespoons of ground flax for extra fiber and omega's. Substitute 1/2 of oat flour for protein powder of choice. Add a handful of chopped unsweetened chocolate for an extra boost of flavor!

Instructions

  1. First, combine the dry ingredients.
  2. Then, add wet and mix until smooth.
  3. Follow your waffle iron's instructions to cook. Make sure you cook it thoroughly. I made the mistake of taking them out too soon, and I ended up with a bowl-full of waffle pieces!
  4. Top with any combination of nut, fruit, coconut, peanut butter, chocolate shavings, or anything else you can imagine!
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/08/11/bitter-chocolate-waffles/

They freeze well, so you can make a big batch to save for later. Simply throw them in your toaster to warm. Much better for you (and tastier!) than Eggo’s frozen waffles.
This batch is topped with a dollop of Peanut Butter Frosting, Banana Slices, and Shaved Unsweetened Chocolate.
You could probably make my One Size Fits all Pancakes made with brown rice flour in a waffle iron, too, if you are feeling adventurous.
If you haven’t tried the Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate combo yet, do it. It’s worth it. I have so many recipes with that delectable combo.
Click HERE for nutrition information on Oats and HERE for nutrition information about chocolate. They both boast plenty of good properties.
Try not to drool all over your computer.
In other news, I have finally hopped on the Twitter bandwagon. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure the whole thing out. My Twitter name is SugarFreeAlex, so make sure to follow me!

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you have a twitter account? If so, any tips or tricks?

Also, what is your favorite waffle topping? You already know mine!

Plum Socca Tart with Rosemary

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Sometimes the simpler the dish, the better the taste.

Not everything has to take 3 hours to prep, 1 hour to cook, overnight to chill, and another hour to cut and serve.

 

Although sometimes the journey is better than the end result, more time enjoying the company of others with a great dish is never a bad thing.

This dish takes 10 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to cook, five minutes to cool, and less than a minute to devour!

Plum and rosemary might sound like a strange combination, but it works. It captures the sweet, the savory, and the sour all in one delicious bite.

 

 

Socca is a chickpea flatbread. It can be made in a variety of ways, but for this particular recipe it is best thoroughly-cooked with crispy edges and no custard center. Check out Pure2Raw for more ideas, or my recipe for Pesto Socca Pizza with Grilled Veggies and Chicken Sausages.

 

Plum Socca Tart with Rosemary

~Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, nut-free, corn-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil (olive oil would work fine, too)
  • 4 plums
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried or fresh

Preheat oven to 425*. Mix together the chickpea flour, salt, and water in a small bowl. Batter will be thin. Spread the oil on a 10-12 inch round pan and then pour the batter in the pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the socca is slightly set but still soft on top.

In the meantime, thinly slice the plums. Take the socca out of the oven and layer the plums on top of the socca in a circular formation (or just throw ’em on top if you don’t care about the look!). Sprinkle with rosemary and place back in oven. Bake for another ten minutes or until the socca’s edges are brown and crispy and the plums are soft.

Let cool for five minutes before slicing. You may either slice the socca in the pan and serve or carefully lift it out of the pan and slice and serve on your favorite plate.

The leftovers taste great, too. It made for a wonderful post-workout snack.

Enjoy.

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

If you could bottle and save time, what would you do with it?

You say Tomato…

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 Recently, a friend gave me this tomato plant. I planted it in a larger plant, and I cannot wait for it to start producing some fruit! Then I can make some more delicious “lasagna.”

(Bad camera pictures, still. I will be getting my camera back tomorrow, so I will have some better food pictures soon!)

Instead of noodles, I sliced some zucchini into thin slices.

Layered it with tomato sauce and a variety of veggies and mushrooms.

Some ground beef.

And made a vegan “ricotta cheese” with walnuts, cashews, tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt.

I baked it for 30 minutes at 375* and topped it with fresh basil.

It was very tasty, but I still need to tweak the recipe a bit. There was too much “juice” with the tomatoes and sauces that I needed to drain it before serving.

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

What is your favorite way to eat tomatoes?

I like mine in bruschetta, fresh salsa, or as “buns” for burgers!

 

 

Homemade Protein Bars

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Supposedly “healthy” protein bars resemble candy bars more than energy-lifting, muscle-building real food bars.

Consider a typical protein bar like the PowerBar:

Power Bar High Protein Bar Chocolate Peanut Butter

Nutrition Facts per Bar:

Calories 300

Calories from fat 50

Amount/Serving
% DV*
Total Fat 6g
9%
  Saturated Fat 3.5g
18%
  Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
1%
Amount/Serving
% DV*
Sodium 210mg
9%
Total Carb 39g
13%
  Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
  Sugars 19g
Protein 23g
46%

Ingredients: POWERBAR TRISOURCE™ PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE), GLUCOSE SYRUP, CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA, WHEY, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), CANE SYRUP, GLYCERIN, MALTITOL SYRUP, NATURAL FLAVOR, PEANUT BUTTER, PEANUT FLOUR, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, ALMOND BUTTER, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, ZINC GLUCONATE, IRON (FERROUS FUMARATE), COPPER GLUCONATE, CHROMIUM ASPARTATE, VITAMINS: VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID), VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN B3 (NIACINAMIDE), PANTOTHENIC ACID (CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE), VITAMIN B6, VITAMIN B2, VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN MONONITRATE), FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12. CONTAINS ALMOND, MILK, PEANUT AND SOY INGREDIENTS. MADE ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES WHEAT.

The commercially-made protein bars contain four different kinds of sugars, highly-processed proteins, and a multitude of preservatives. The 38-ingredient long list compared to my recipe with only 6 ingredients, no sugar, and a natural source of protein.

Simply take my recipe for High Protein Cookies and bake in a pan instead of making it in cookie form. Cut into squares and wrap for on-the-go convenience.

I calculated that it costs less than $3 to make an entire batch of homemade protein bars (makes about 20 bars at 15 cents each!). Compare that to buying commercial protein bars that can cost $3 each!

Mine taste better, too.

Nutrition Facts per Bar
Amount Per Serving
Calories 115
Calories from Fat 58
Total Fat 6.4g
Saturated Fat 2.1g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 37mg
Total Carbohydrates 11.8g
Dietary Fiber 3.7g
Sugars 2.3g
Protein 5.1g
Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 4% • Iron 10%

 

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

What are your thoughts on commercially-made protein bars? Do you buy them? If so, do you have a favorite kind? Would you consider making your own?

If your still in the mood for protein bars, try making Sweet Potato Spice bars or some Crazy Healthy Granola bars!

Again, apologies for the bad camera pictures!

Tomato Buns

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I apologize in advance for the following pictures’ poor quality. My sister borrowed my camera for this week, so I’m taking the pictures with my phone. Not very good quality photos, but trust me when I say the food tastes good!

Sauteed Cabbage and Oregano

~This might be my favorite side dish-ever. It is fresh enough for the summer, and hearty enough for the winter. Above all, it is simple to make. Leftovers make great additions to salads.

Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cabbage, chopped (any color)
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized onion, chopped (any color)
  • 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon oregano
In a saucepan, saute the onions with the olive oil on medium heat. Next, add the tomato, cabbage, vinegar, and oregano. Stir as needed to prevent burning. Cook until the cabbage is golden and soft, about 15 minutes.
Tastes great served with my 5-minute burgers and Homemade Potato Wedges.
Also I found a great gluten-free, grain-free replacement for Hamburger buns: Tomato Slices! 

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

Ketchup or mustard?

I’m a mustard girl all the way! Never have liked ketchup (it is always full of sugar anyway!).