Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

protein

Flourless Berry Puffed Pancake

By

Do you want a breakfast that is light, yet decadent at the same time?

Something to impress guests without overloading on sugar, flour, and butter?

Perhaps something made with only 5 fresh, whole ingredients?

Looks like you have too many demands, and your wishes are impossible….

 

Only kidding! It is all possible with this berry souffle.

 

 

Print
Flourless Berry Puffed Pancake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Flourless Berry Puffed Pancake

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen berries
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*
  2. Heat oil in a 10" saucepan on medium heat. Add berries and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the berries are soft and form a thick liquid.
  3. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the vanilla and cinnamon for a couple minutes.
  5. Fold the yolk mix into the egg whites until combines.
  6. Pour the egg mix on top of the simmering berries and let cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.
  7. Transfer saucepan to oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the pancake puffs and is slightly brown.
  8. Place a plate over the pan and flip it over so that the fruit is faced up.
  9. Slice and eat warm with a drizzle of coconut milk or Whipped Coconut Cream, if desired.

Notes

~Paleo, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free, Soy-free, and Sugar-free

https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/04/02/flourless-berry-puffed-pancake/

*This recipe was featured on Daily Health Buzz Top 9 on April 9th, 2012.

Health Benefits:

  • Eggs: A great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Due to the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin, eggs are great for the eyes. They are a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.
  • Coconut Oil: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body has no opportunity to store the medium-chain as fat. Coconut is also a great source of dietary fiber with a whopping 5 grams per oz!
  • 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 recipe that is easy to make, and uses minimal ingredients?

Roasted Sweet Potato and Rosemary Frittata

By

Lately, omelettes, frittatas, and eggs have replaced my bowls of oatmeal and pancakes. Savory foods with capers, olives, and oregano are on my mind.

With family in town, it makes more sense to make large quantities of food rather than making breakfast individually. Frittatas take much less hands-on time, in my opinion, so I have more time to play with this cutie while breakfast cooks:

Yet even though there are more mouths to feed, leftovers still arise. Last night we made a huge batch of Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary. Instead of simply heating up the leftovers, I threw them in with some eggs and a handful of spinach. Whisk, pour, cook, cover, and serve with a dash of salt and pepper.

Print
Roasted Sweet Potato and Rosemary Frittata

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 large frittata slices

Calories per serving: 160 per slice

Roasted Sweet Potato and Rosemary Frittata

~Dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, soy-free, and sugar-free.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Either use leftover roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary, or make it fresh by chopping approximately 2 sweet potatoes (or 2 cups) with skin on. Toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Lay on baking sheet and roast at 450* for 40 minutes, or until slightly brown and soft. Stir occasionally while it bakes.
  2. Preheat a 12 inch pan with a dab of oil to prevent sticking.
  3. Beat eggs until fluffy and stir in spinach.
  4. Place roasted sweet potatoes in the preheated pan and pour egg-spinach mix on top so that it evenly covers it.
  5. Cover and cook on low heat until a toothpick comes out clean (about 10 minutes).
  6. Slice and serve with salt and pepper, to taste.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/03/22/roasted-sweet-potato-and-rosemary-frittata/

Health Benefits:

  • Eggs: Great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fat. They are great for your eyes because of the carotenoid content. Also great for your nervous and cardiovascular system because of the choline content. Contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol, and it is one of the only foods with naturally-occurring vitamin D.
  • Rosemary: Rosemary is rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium. It has good amount of phosphorus, sodium and iron with small amount of zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. It is also useful in increasing blood circulation, improving concentration and digestion. It stimulates the immune system, reduces the severity of asthma attacks and helps prevent breast cancer.
  • Sweet Potatoes: Click HERE for a post about the benefits of sweet potatoes.

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

When you have guests over, what is your go-to breakfast/brunch?

I love making pancakes, frittatas, or baked oatmeal!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Digital Measuring Cup Giveaway!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichoke and Olives

By

Sometimes we get too busy during the day to cook a meal when we get home. We also get too tired and hungry after the long day, so all we want to do is put something in our mouth fast!

This is where the slow-cooker, or crockpot, comes in.

I’ve been loving my slow-cooker lately, especially when the kitchen was being remodeled (which is done now. I’ll give you pictures soon!). I love how I can prepare everything quickly the night before or morning of, and then just turn the crockpot on. When I get home, all I need to do is dig in!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichoke and Olives

~This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts (skin and bone on or off does not matter)
  • 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 14 oz can pitted olives (any kind will do. I used a mix of kalamata and black)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • few Tablespoons capers, optional
  • 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour, optional (or other flour of choice)

Clean all ingredients and place in crockpot. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours. Make sure chicken is cooked through and not pink before serving.

Optional: If you are not absolutely ravenous when you get home, I suggest making a gravy with the sauce before eating. Drain the juice from the chicken and put in saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Let it simmer until it becomes desired thickness. Pour the gravy back over chicken and vegetables and serve.

I topped the chicken with cherry tomatoes for extra color, but this is not required.

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

Do you like to cook with alcohol (beer, wine, etc.)?

I love the taste of it in food. I’m excited to share the beer-braised pork chop recipe with you soon!

Antipasto Skewers

By

Happy November Everyone!

Can you believe it? The months of 2011 are racing by. Pretty soon we’ll be lighting off fireworks for New Years!

These were one of the appetizers I served at my Apple a Day dinner party. They were a huge hit, and probably one of the best dishes of the evening.

Antipasto Skewer of Chicken Apple Sausage, Roasted Tomato, Artichoke Heart, and Olive

~These skewers are dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free! 

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. Chicken Apple Sausages (I used Applegate Farms because they use minimal ingredients, they were organic, and I already knew that I loved the taste)
  • 1 small carton cherry tomatoes
  • 1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
  • olives of choice (I used a mix of kalamata and manzanilla olives)
  • 1 teaspoon oil of choice, for pan
  • wooden skewers

First, slice the fully-cooked chicken sausages into 1 inch slices. Put 1 teaspoon oil on pan and heat to medium-high. Place each sausage piece on pan and brown each side, about 5 minutes. Next, add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook slightly until it has turned slightly brown in spots, about a minute.

Take your wooden skewers and skewer the olive, artichoke heart, tomato, and then the sausage. Look at the picture below for help. Arrange on baking dish and cover with foil. Heat sausages in 350* oven for about 5-10 minutes or until warm.

You can also prepare these the day before and simply heat them in the oven before serving.

It makes a beautiful appetizer, and it is quite simple to make. You could even have your kids, young cousins, etc help with the skewering.

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

Did you have a happy halloween? What did you do?

I hope you didn’t eat too much candy! If you did, consider signing up for the sugar-free challenge to give your body a sugar-detox.

Exciting News: Crunchmaster donated their Sea Salt 7 Ancient Grains and Multi-Seed Crackers to the challenge. Each participant is entered to win this prize or the Artisana nutbutters. There will now be two prizes with two different winners! Sign up HERE. 

Cookies…for Breakfast!

By

Has anyone ever had cookie crisp cereal?

My parents didn’t buy me sugared cereals when I was young, so I think I only tried it once. It probably wasn’t even that great since I don’t remember it.

Full of white flour, sugar, and artificial flavors, Cookie Crisp Cereal would not be considered “A Healthy part of a Balanced Breakfast.”

But….what if I were to create a cookie that can be considered a balanced breakfast?

Full of Protein, No added Sugars, No flour, No Gluten, No Dairy, No artificial flavors, No Preservatives. Just whole delicious cookies in breakfast form.

Simply make the High Protein cookies, recipe found HERE.

Follow the directions, but instead of dropping the dough on a cookie sheet by tablespoons full, use 1/4 teaspoon to scoop out the dough. Keep a bowl of warm water handy to rinse of the measuring spoon between scoops. This will make it easier to scoop.

The cooking directions are up to you, though. Personally, I like soft cookies, so I baked them for 15 minutes at 375*. If you want a crisper cookie, you may bake at 400* for a bit longer.

Awww! A teeny tiny cookie!

I ate mine in a bowl with unsweetened almond milk. Coconut milk also tastes delicious with its rich, creamy flavor.

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

Did your parents ever buy you “sugar” cereals for breakfast as a kid?

My parents never bought them for me, but, of course, my siblings and I begged them to buy them! Now, I can’t even imagine eating cereals full of sugar any time of day. Especially not for breakfast!

Not Your Ordinary Steak

By

Remember a few days ago when I showed you my latest cooking gadgets?

In the beginning of that post there was a large cooking collection given to me by a neighbor. I have had a blast looking through the pages of those books. Hundreds of recipes to try in all sorts of different cuisines. No, they aren’t all sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free, and many are far from being called healthy; however, I’m having a lot of fun trying to recreate these recipes.

Looks like a regular steak, right?

This is my recreation of the “Garrick Steak.” This steak is supposedly a specialty from the famous Garrick Club in London. It requires a bit of prep work, but cooking the steak is relatively easy.

It is stuffed full of mushrooms, shallots, ham, and herbs. I suggest serving it with a large salad with a light dressing like a simple drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The Garrick Steak

~Adapted from the 1972 Grand Diplome Cooking Course Book. Dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and sugar-free. 

Ingredients

  • 1-3 lb top round or flank steak, preferably grass-fed and organic
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped ham
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

First, prepare the mushroom stuffing by sautéing the mushrooms, shallot, ham in 1 teaspoon olive oil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the herbs and seasoning.

Meanwhile, slit the steak from one side to the other to form a large pocket. Fill with the mushroom stuffing. Sew with trussing needles (if you don’t have one, you may simply pin it together with toothpicks), and lightly brush with olive oil.

Broil for 5-6 minutes each side for a rare steak, up to ten minutes each side for a well-done steak. Garnish with extra parsley and serve as 1/2 inch slices.

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

Rare, medium, or well done? -Medium-well for me, please!

To the vegans out there: do you miss steak? Is there a certain non-vegan food you miss sometimes?