Just because you eat gluten free, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a Valentine’s Day dessert. This decadent treat comes from the new cookbook, Straight from the Heart, by Taos chef and owner of Graham’s Grille, Lesley B. Fay.

Her 224-page cookbook includes recipes for appetizers, soups, salads and dressings, sandwiches, entrees and desserts; butters and spices and resources, shortcuts and tips.

Lesley’s flourless cake stands out due to its unique combination of espresso and merlot wine. Make sure to double check that ingredients like baking powder and vanilla are gluten free. The cake is best if it’s made the day before. Since it makes 16 cakes, you can put a few aside for midnight munchies after the fun on Valentine’s Day (hint, hint) or for the kids.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Crème Anglaise

Makes 16 individual cakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 pound butter, softened and divided in half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee
• 1/2 cup merlot wine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon xanthan gum
• pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped bar) sugar and cocoa powder for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the semisweet chocolate with half the butter, and mix in the vanilla, espresso and merlot. In a separate bowl, cream the rest of butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until light yellow and smooth (about 5 minutes on high speed).
3. Mix together the cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Add these dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture to butter and sugar, alternating, and mixing well after each addition.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg, about 1 minute. Add semisweet chocolate chips. Pour into buttered cupcake tins or paper holders that have been sprinkled with sugar and cocoa powder.
5. Place a large open container of bowling water on the bottom rack of the oven. The stream helps cook the cakes and keeps them moist. Bake cakes on rack above the boiling water for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, open oven door and let rest for another 8 to 10 minutes. They should rise and be medium-soft to the touch. The trick here is to cook them long enough so they don’t fall, but not so long that they are dry.
6. Serve each cake in a puddle of Crème Anglaise. Garnish with fresh raspberries or a ribbon of lime (optional).

Crème Anglaise

Makes two cups.

Ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients:

1. In a heat-resistant mixing bowl, stir together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg with a wooden spoon until well combined. The sugar should be somewhat dissolved in the yolks. Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat and warm the milk just below the boiling point (the milk will start to form bubbles on the edges of the pan and it will become steamy just before it boils).
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir just a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the eggs and sugar, mixing well the whole time. Gradually add the rest of the milk, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan over low to medium heat. Heat the sauce until it thickens, but do not boil or the yolks will curdle. The sauce is done when it stays on the wooden spoon without dripping (this takes about five minutes but will depend on your pan and your burner). As soon as the sauce is thickened, immediately remove it from the heat.
3. Pour the sauce into a heat-resistant bowl (you can pour the sauce through a strainer to remove any lumps).
4. Stir the vanilla extract and cover the sauce with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down on top of the sauce, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Picture courtesy of Lesley B. Fay.

Valentine’s Day: Flourless Chocolate Torte with Crème Anglaise #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

There hasn’t been a good foodie movie since Julie and Julia came out in 2009. (Well, that was half of a good foodie movie as the parts with the blogger Julie were annoying.) Now we have the movie, Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, based on food writer, Nigel Slater’s book of the same name. The movie just came out on DVD in the US – just in time to buy it with that Amazon gift card you got for Christmas or Hanukkah!

In Toast, we quickly learn that Nigel’s mum literally cannot cook – well just about everything but mince pies. Her idea of making dinner is taking canned food, placing the unopened cans in a pan of water, and boiling them until heated. Poor Nigel is starving for a decent meal (he doesn’t even like the milk at school), but at least has his mum’s love – and toast with butter – to sustain him.

Nigel’s mum passes away from severe asthma while he’s still young. Nigel and his distant, sad father bumble through trying to care of each other. Nigel attempts to fill the void by cooking dinner himself. Instead, he ends up with a very burnt dinner that his dad assures him is just fine. It’s rather touching.

Life changes for these two sad blokes when their new cleaner (housekeeper) Mrs. Potter, played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, shows up. She’s dressed like a tart and has the amazing ability to make enticing and picture perfect tarts, cakes, pies, roasts, and British classics like Toad in the Hole. Her cooking goes straight to Nigel’s dad’s heart and he moves them all out to the country, so he can live in sin with Mrs. Potter and her fabulous cooking. There’s something to be said for the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

Meanwhile, Nigel discovers the Domestic Science (home ec) class at his new school and his talent for cooking. Nigel soon starts a culinary rivalry over scones and lemon meringue pie with Mrs. Potter for his dad’s affections. Instead, Mrs. Potter turns up the kitchen heat a notch until she literally feeds Nigel’s dad to death. Fortunately, with his parents gone, cooking serves as a way for Nigel to leave all the madness behind him and start his adult life.

Toast is a lovely snapshot of England in the ‘60s and a sweet, funny story. However, I almost feel much of it is lost on American audiences as Toast’s appeal is nostalgia for a lost time in British life. Still, if  you’re a food aficionado, you’ll enjoy Toast’s classic vintage food presentations while rooting for Nigel – and marveling at Mrs. Potter’s wicked kitchen skills.

And now for a dessert recipe from Toast’s food stylist, Katharine Tidy. Read an interview with her to find how she made all those amazing movie food dishes at Q & A With Katherine Tidy: Buttering Up the Food Stylist From BBC Films Toast from the LA Weekly blog.

Lemon meringue pie

Pastry ingredients:

• 8 ounces flour
• 4 ounces butter
• a pinch of salt
• cold water to mix

Pastry directions:

1. Sieve flour into a bowl rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
2. Gradually add the water approx 2 tablespoons mixing with a knife then your hands until the mixture comes together.
3. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes then roll out the pastry and line a flan case and bake it blind for approx 10 minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with rice or dried beans and cook until golden brown.

Lemon layer ingredients for a 9 inch pie pan:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• the peel of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• 10 grams of gelatin powder
• yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer ingredients adjusted for very deep pie pan or flan pan:

• 2 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 3 3/4 cups warm water
• the peel of 2 lemons
• 1 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 10 eggs
• 10 grams of gelatin powder
• yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer directions:

1. Put all the ingredients except the eggs into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, mixing slowly to combine allowing the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and thicken.
2. When it has reached boiling point continue mixing for about a minute.
3. Separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks and gradually add the thick lemon mix.
4. Return to the heat but do not allow to boil.
5. Sprinkle 10 grams of gelatin powder into a tablespoon of water leave for a few minutes until it looks spongy. Slowly heat until the gelatin has melted.
6. Add to the lemon mixture along with yellow food coloring for that total Toast effect.
7. Pour into the prebaked flan case and allow to cool.

Meringue ingredients:

• 4 egg whites for the 9 inch pie pan

OR

• 10 egg whites for the deep dish

Meringue directions:

1. Whisk the egg whites until thick and you can hold the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out.
2. Gradually add the sugar.
3. Spread the meringues onto the lemon mix making sure to cover right to the edge then pile the rest of the meringue on top or pipe in a decorative design.
4. Bake in the oven at its highest heat for about 5-10 minutes until lightly colored.

________________
Disclosure: I received a movie screener (not the full DVD version) to facilitate this review.

Don't forget that you can save any of the recipes you see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet to an online recipe box by clicking the Save Recipe button below.

Toast: a movie review and a recipe for lemon meringue pie is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Today’s guest post from Holly Clegg focuses on healthy holiday baking. Since fresh cranberries freeze up to a year, you can bake up her Banana Cranberry Bread all year round. This is a terrific recipe for using up any overripe bananas you may have, too!

Check out more of Holly’s trim& TERRIFIC® recipes at hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog.

Homemade healthy holiday treats

Looking for a healthy gift that keeps on giving? Quick breads are one of my favorite homemade gifts as they are easy to make, budget-friendly, and something you make yourself. What could be better during the holidays than my festive favorite, Banana Cranberry Bread?

Quick breads are so easy to prepare as there is no yeast and there is no need for a mixer. I wrap the individual loaves in plastic wrap, and then store in a zip top bag to freeze until I’m ready to distribute them to my neighbors and friends. Tie several mini loafs with a ribbon and your gift is done!

Banana Cranberry Bread

From Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup dried cranberries or fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Coat 9x5x 3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, beat bananas until puréed. Add sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.
3. In separate, small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture alternately with buttermilk into banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing only until combined.
4. In separate, small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture alternately with buttermilk into banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing only until combined.

Prep Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 - 45 Minutes

Total Time: 55 - 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Nutrition Grade NA from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

Servings: 16 slices

• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 144
• Calories from Fat: 37
• Total Fat: 4g
• Saturated fat: 1g
• Unsaturated fat: 3g
• Sodium: 50mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 25g
• Sugar: NA
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 27mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 0.5 fruit, 0.5 fat

This Mama's tips

Here are some tips to further “health up” Holly’s recipe:

• Instead of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar, use 1/4 cup powdered stevia and 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar.
• For the 1 cup of all-purpose flour, substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. This may dry out the recipe a bit, so add a tablespoon or two more of the buttermilk.
• To make this recipe gluten free, substitute your favorite all-purpose gluten free flour mix for the regular flour.
• Try substituting 2 egg whites for one of the eggs to lower the fat content.

Photo courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Healthy holiday treats: Holly Clegg’s Banana Cranberry Bread is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Having had a Jewish father, I grew up eating wonderful cookies and cupcakes at the Jewish-style bakery my parents frequented by my dad’s office in Red Bank, New Jersey. If you lived in the area in the 1970s, it was the bakery by Red Bank Catholic High School and down Main Street from Norman’s Deli, if I remember correctly. I don’t think it’s there anymore.

I never realized that black and white, lace, and rainbow cookies were typical of Jewish treats until I read Inside the Jewish Bakery: Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking by Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg. It’s a wonderful cookbook and would make a great Hanukkah or holiday gift.

I always thought of these treats as “back East cookies” that you could only find in New York City and Northern New Jersey. I never came across them in other parts of the country and only see them when I go back to New Jersey for someone’s bat or bar mitzvah.

My favorite Jewish cookies are the rainbow ones. I was hoping to experiment and come up with a gluten free version. (You can see a non-GF version of rainbow cookies here on the publisher’s website.) However, since they contain almond paste and almond extract – and I have a child who’s allergic to nuts – I didn’t think it was too smart to cook up a batch. Plus, I’d have to eat them all myself, which is a recipe for disaster especially with all the holiday treats out there this time of year.

Instead, I chose to make gluten free coconut macaroons. When my mother-in-law went gluten free over 11 years ago, there were very few premade gluten free products around. One exception was coconut macaroons that I’d find in the ethnic section of the supermarket during Passover. Here’s my healthed up, alternative sweetener version of Inside the Jewish Bakery’s recipe.

Featured at Jane Deere Blog Fusion Fridays.

Coconut Macaroons

Based on the recipe from Inside the Jewish Bakery by Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg © 2011 Camino Books. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons powdered stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (grapeseed, canola or coconut oil works well)
• 3 to 4 large egg whites, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If you’re using “natural” unsweetened coconut from the health food store, you may need to chop up the coconut into smaller pieces. You can do this in a food processor or a blender. Chop until the coconut is confetti-sized.
3. Blend all ingredients except egg whites on the low speed of electric mixer.
4. Increase speed to medium. Then add egg whites in a thin stream, mixing until smooth. Use only enough egg to get dough to the consistency of putty.
5. Using a small cookie scoop, spoon mixture on to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (I use the silicone making mats made by Wilton.)
6. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops of the cookies turn light brown. Do not over bake.
7. Allow to cool on parchment or silicon mat. (If the cookies stick to the parchment, turn paper over and wet it lightly so the macaroons will come off easily.)
8. Carefully remove cookies with a cookie spatula and store in an airtight container.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

Nutrition Grade C- from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

Servings: Makes 36 cookies

• Serving size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 34
• Calories from Fat: 25
• Total Fat: 2.8g
• Saturated fat: 1.7g
• Unsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Sodium: 37mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 2.2g
• Sugar: 1.7g
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Protein: 0.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

____________
Disclosure: I received a review copy of Inside the Jewish Bakery: Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking to facilitate this review. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Holiday cookies: Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh, author of 300 Best Potato Recipes: A Complete Cook's Guide writes in her cookbook:

I once knew a family of Carolinians who moved from the South to New York City many years ago. No doubt because of their Southern roots, these folks always called sweet potatoes “Carolinas.” This is the pie they made every Thanksgiving, which I think is the best sweet potato pie I have ever tasted. Serve it with unsweetened whipped cream.

Sounds like a Thanksgiving dessert winner to me!

Carolina Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe is excerpted from 300 Best Potato Recipes: A Complete Cook's Guide by Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh © 2011 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission.

Equipment:

• 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate
• Handheld blender or electric mixer

Pastry ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1⁄4 cup ice water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling ingredients:

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 pound butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Zest of 1 small orange, finely grated
• 1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1⁄2 cup table (18%) cream

Pastry directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or a large fork, cut in lard and butter until mixture is crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ice water and egg, then stir a little more than half into flour mixture until blended into a dough (add more egg mixture if dough still looks too crumbly and does not hold together when pressed between your fingers).
3. Divide dough in half and gently flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate one disk for about 2 hours. (Freeze second disk for another use. Uncooked pastry can be frozen for up to 3 months if properly wrapped and sealed.)
4. When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit pie plate. Transfer to pie plate, trimming the edges. Set aside.

Filling directions:

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and add cold water to barely cover. Cover loosely and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain well.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg and mash until blended.
3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk egg yolks.
4. Using a wooden spoon, beat into mashed sweet potatoes along with orange zest, orange juice and cream until blended.
5. In another bowl, using a handheld blender, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold into sweet potato mixture (do not over mix).
6. Scrape mixture into pie shell, gently smoothing top.
7. Bake in preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for about 35 minutes or until filling is puffed, crust is golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

This Mama’s tips

• If time is not a factor, cook the sweet potatoes whole, in their skins, for maximum flavor.
• If you’re pressed for time, feel free to use a premade pie crust. I won’t tell!
• If you’re gluten free, use a GF pie crust mix or purchase a frozen GF pie crust at Whole Foods or your favorite health food store.
• To reduce saturated fat, use your favorite buttery spread instead of butter in the filling. (I’m not sure you can get away with it in the pie crust.)
• An alternative to brown sugar is coconut palm sugar. It’s naturally low on the glycemic index (GI about 35), unrefined and gluten free. It has a soft caramel flavor, similar to light brown sugar.
• To cut down sugar calories, substitute stevia powder for half the brown sugar.

Photo credit: Colin Erricson

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Carolina Sweet Potato Pie is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Day of the Dead – Dia de los Muertos - is a Mexican holiday which focuses praying for and remembering friends and family who have passed away. It takes place on November 1 and 2 in conjunction with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. People build private altars honoring the deceased and decorate them with sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.

I’m a big admirer of Day of the Dead artwork and have been collecting it for a few years after my husband started bringing home Day of the Dead figurines, sugar skulls and shadow boxes from his fishing trips to La Paz, Mexico. He’s also bought me an Day of the Dead patterned apron and a bolt of cloth.

Thus inspired I thought I’d come up with a healthy drink to toast the day and remember friends and family who have passed.

Traditional Day of the Dead dishes

According to About.com’s Mexican Food page, many of the traditional foods for Dia de los Muertos are sweet – sugar skulls, chocolate skulls and coffins, Pan de Muerto, and Candied Pumpkin (Calabaza En Tacha).

Instead of sugar, I decided to use SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia flavored drops as a healthy, natural alternative. I prefer liquid stevia when cooking, because it’s easier to use than the powdered form. Since SweetLeaf’s liquid stevia comes in glass bottles with droppers, you can control the amount you use down to the drop! SweetLeaf contains zero calories, zero carbs, zero glycemic index, and zero chemicals.

Since I have a food sensitivity to whey in milk, I decided to use soft tofu instead of yogurt, making this recipe great for vegans and those avoiding milk products due to allergies or sensitivities.

Pumpkin Tofu Smoothie

You can also use this recipe for a Pumpkin Tofu Pudding. Omit the ice cubes and cut back the coconut milk to 1 cup. Then chill until firm.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 14 ounce package soft tofu
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 70 drops SweetLeaf Clear Liquid Stevia (or to taste)
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3 cups light coconut milk
• 1 large handful ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 10 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B- from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 6

Servings: Makes 8 servings

• Calories: 258
• Calories from Fat: 212
• Total Fat: 23.5g
• Saturated fat: 19.4g
• Unsaturated fat: 4.1g
• Sodium: 20mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 10.6g
• Sugar: 5.2g
• Fiber: 3.7g
• Protein: 5.9g
• Cholesterol: 0g

Day of the Dead Pumpkin Tofu Smoothie #vegan #milkfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Looking for a delicious but somewhat healthy treat for the holidays? Check out my post at the Attune Foods blog, Healthifying a Decadent Treat: Cranberry & Cherry Crunch Bark.

The recipe features gluten free Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal, dried cranberries and cherries, and chocolate. Not only is it a yummy treat, but it makes a great homemade gift for the holidays.

Enjoy!

Cranberry & Cherry Crunch Bark #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

We’re getting the house we’ve lived in for 11 years ready to be put on the market. After the movers left Tuesday (we’re putting most of our stuff in storage so the house looks larger and can be “staged”) I’ve been in a complete funk. All I’ve wanted to do sit in bed, watch The Walking Dead, and eat comfort foods.

Zombies and comfort foods? Well, since it’s Halloween and pumpkin season, how about a homey bread pudding using pumpkin puree and some sweet yet tart cranberries?

Bread pudding tips and tricks

This recipe makes a huge amount of bread pudding – perfect for a Halloween or Thanksgiving party. It’s also makes a decadent (but not too unhealthy) breakfast goodie when family is visiting from out of town. If you’re making this for dessert for your immediate family and don’t want a couple of weeks of leftovers, cut the recipe in half.

You can make the Pumpkin and Cranberry Bread Pudding gluten free or not depending on the type of bread you use. Also, it’s a great way to use bread ends, if your family’s like mine and refuses to eat them. (I freeze bread loaf ends and use them in meatloaf, Thanksgiving stuffing, French Toast, and bread pudding.)

Feel free to substitute raisins or dried cherries for the cranberries. Serve with a whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream if you’re not watching the calories. (Try my fellow Attune Food Ambassador, Janel’s recipe for Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Recipe if you dare!) The Pumpkin and Cranberry Bread Pudding reheats very well in the microwave, but it’s delicious cold, too. You can also make it several days ahead. Just cover with aluminum foil, refrigerate, and reheat in a microwave (by the serving) or the whole pan in a 325 degrees F oven for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Pudding

Based on a recipe from the Joy of Cooking.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 24 ounces whole wheat bread, stale but not hard (you can also use gluten free bread)
• 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (I used coconut palm sugar)
• 3 cups skim milk
• 2 12-ounce cans fat free evaporated milk
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Spray the inside of a 15x10x 2 inch rectangular baking dish and set aside.
2. Cut or tear bread into 1/2 inch pieces. You should have about 10 lightly packed cups of bread pieces. Place in a large bowl.
3. Cover bread with dried cranberries.
4. In a medium bowl whisk eggs and egg whites.
5. Add vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt , sugar, skim milk and condensed milk to eggs and whisk until blended.
6. Pour egg, spice and milk mixture over bread and cranberries. Mix together bread and liquids until bread is saturated. Let stand for 30 minutes periodically pressing the bread down with a spoon or spatula to help bread absorb the liquid.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Baked the pumpkin and cranberry bread pudding in a in a bain marie (water bath) until puffed and firm in the center - about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Serve warm or cold, either plain or with whipped cream or ice cream.

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

Servings: 16

• Serving size: 1/16 of pan
• Calories: 263
• Calories from Fat: 25
• Total Fat: 2.8g
• Saturated fat: 0.8g
• Unsaturated fat: 2g
• Sodium: 452mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 47.1g
• Sugar: 29.8g
• Fiber: 4.1g
• Protein: 13.2g
• Cholesterol: 49mg

Featured at:

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Pudding #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

The folks at Truvia challenged me to replace a usual lunchbox snack (be it chocolate milk, pudding, cookies or candy) with a no-sugar-added, naturally sweetened healthy snack from one of their Truvia-sweetened recipes.

One of the not-so-healthy items I used pack for my kids was chocolate pudding. We gave it up years ago because it was laden with empty calories and a bunch of stuff I wasn’t comfortable giving my kids. Truvia’s school lunch makeover gave me an idea for making a healthier chocolate pudding.

By using coconut milk and rice starch, I went one step further and changed the recipe so kids who can’t have dairy or corn could eat it, too. It's also gluten free. (Feel free to use skim milk and corn starch from the original recipe if you or your child doesn’t has any food sensitivities or allergies.)

This is a very quick and easy healthy snack recipe to make since it’s done in the microwave. You can easily make up a batch on a school night. Put the pudding in plastic containers covered in plastic wrap overnight. Snap on the lids in the morning and add it to your child’s lunchbox. They’ll be thrilled!

Chocolate Pudding

Based on Easy Chocolate Pudding with Truvia Natural Sweetener

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons rice starch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 11 Truvia packets
• 2 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
• 2 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, cut into small chunks - I used Dagoba Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (gluten free)

Directions

1. Assemble ingredients.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, place corn starch, salt and Truvia® natural sweetener
3. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
4. While whisking, add coconut milk to dry ingredients and mix until no lumps or dry spots.
5. Add chocolate pieces to the milk mixture.
6. Place in microwave and heat for 1 minute. Remove and stir well.
7. Repeat step 6.
8. Place back in the microwave and heat mixture for 2 minutes, stir well, and heat for 2 minutes again until thickened.
9. Add vanilla and stir.
10. Allow to cool at room temperature for 5 minutes.
11. Portion into individual serving dishes and cover with plastic touching pudding to prevent skin from forming.
12. Chill in the refrigerator until cooled and set.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition Grade C+ from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4

Servings: 4 servings

• Serving size: 3/4 cup
• Calories: 181
• Calories from Fat: 134
• Total Fat: 14.9g
• Saturated fat: 11.6g
• Unsaturated fat: 3.3g
• Sodium: 189mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 15.5g
• Sugar: 8g (Erythritol 7g)
• Fiber: 2.4g
• Protein: 3.7g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Nutrition facts per serving  for original recipe: Calories 160; Total Fat, 8g; Saturated Fat, 4.5g; Trans Fat, 0g; Cholesterol, 5mg; Sodium, 280mg; Total Carbohydrate, 26g; Dietary Fiber, 2g; Sugars, 8g; Erythritol, 7g: Protein, 7g; Vitamin A, 6% DV; Vitamin C, 2% DV; Calcium, 20% DV; Iron, 15% DV.

Kids like Truvia sweetened snacks

Lucie and Nathan both loved the pudding. Nathan especially liked the texture and taste. I’m sure they’ll be asking for more Truvia sweetened pudding soon!

Featured on Jane Deere's Fusion Fridays.

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Disclosure: Truvia provided me with samples of their product and a gift card to pay for ingredients.

School lunch makeover challenge: chocolate pudding is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

The kids are back to school signaling the end of one of the craziest summers we’ve had in a long time. My husband was laid off in June and he’s spent the summer being a stay at home dad while job hunting. As the current bread winner, I’ve been busier than ever working here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet (I hope you’ve noticed) and on other freelance work.

It may also be our last summer in Colorado, so we’re trying to savor every last bit of it, from dinners we make from locally caught trout to berries, vegetables and herbs we grow in our yard.

One of the things I wanted to do this summer was make homemade ice cream from our berries. I bought a Cuisinart 2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker last spring with plans to do so, but I didn’t have the time until last week.

Instead of cream, whole milk and sugar, I wanted to use Native Forest Organic Light Coconut Milk and liquid stevia so it would be dairy free and relatively guilt free, too. I did a search and found a recipe for Blackberry Ice Cream from Kristen at Passion 4 Eating. I liked that she used bananas in her recipe, which was perfect because I had a few overly ripe ones in the refrigerator. I substituted liquid stevia for the sugar Kristen used, and played around with ratios and amounts a bit.

The mixed berries I used were mostly raspberries and some blackberries from my garden. You can use any type of berries you like.

Mixed Berry & Banana Sorbet

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Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 small bananas
• 2 - 13.5 ounce cans light coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups fresh or frozen berries, thawed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid stevia, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Directions

1. Peel bananas, and toss into a blender with the coconut milk. Blend until combined.
2. Add the blackberries, 1 tablespoon of the liquid stevia, the vanilla extract and the lemon juice. Blend until the berries are completely pureed.
3. Taste, add more stevia if too tart. Add a bit more stevia than you think you need as the flavor will change when the liquid sorbet is frozen.
4. When you’re satisfied with the level of sweetness, make sorbet in a two quart ice cream maker according to manufacture’s directions.
5. Serve immediately.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Nutrition Grade D from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

Servings: 1 3/4 quarts or 20 scoops

• Serving size: 1 scoop
• Calories: 39
• Calories from Fat: 19
• Total Fat: 2.1g
• Saturated fat: 1.9g
• Unsaturated fat: 0.0g
• Sodium: 10mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 5.4g
• Sugar: 2.2g
• Fiber: 0.7g
• Protein: 0.7g
• Cholesterol: 0g

Should you buy an ice cream maker?

I thought my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker did a good job – the sorbet was creamy though a bit softer than regular ice cream.

However, the sorbet turned into a solid mass when put into the freezer. If you have leftover sorbet, you’ll need to thaw it out before serving. If you leave it out too long, it’ll turn into a milk shake. You can either put it back in the ice cream maker to turn it back into a sorbet. Or you can drink it as a shake – up to you!

I’ve also made traditional ice cream using whole milk and whipping cream in the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I actually had better results with the sorbet as the ice cream was too runny! The recipe I used for the ice cream made a bit more than two quarts, so I feel my ice cream maker does better with smaller batches.

You can’t beat the price making your own ice cream, especially if you have berries or fruit growing in your backyard. What I really like is that you can control what goes into your ice cream or other frozen treats, so you can make sure your recipe fits any dietary needs, food sensitivities or allergies you may have.

You can also make grown up concoctions like frozen margaritas from better-for-you ingredients like fresh lime juice and berries, agave nectar, stevia and organic tequila. Sound like fun? Then go for it!

Saying goodbye to summer – Mixed Berry & Banana Sorbet {vegan friendly, sugar free} is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!