Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Tart with Homemade Cinnamon ice cream

photocredit: http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/

I've been sick for two days with "the crud." It's like the common cold on steroids; sore throat, itchy eyes, sneezing, hacking. So for two days I've quarantined myself in my house and after about 12 hours of that, let's just say I got bored. Really bored.


I had apples, I had cranberries, I had time and I had enough almond flour to feed an army, and thus my new recipe was born. Sadly my camera is out of commission so I had to borrow a photo, but I kid you not, it looked almost exactly like this.


For that tart crust:

2 cups almond meal
5-6 medjool dates
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (I like a mixture)
coconut oil 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons organic palm sugar

This is the easy part. Throw all the ingredients in adding the coconut oil as you need to until it starts to form a ball in your food processor. Roll it out this on wax paper and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then add it to your pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes on 375 until the edges get golden brown.If you add too much oil, never fear, just add more almond flour.

For the filling:

7 sweet small red (gala or crisp) apples chopped
1 bag whole cranberries
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a saute pan cook the apples and cranberries together with the coconut oil and honey on medium-high for about 20 minutes. The cranberries should start to pop and open. Make sure to stir continually so that the cranberries do not burn and so the apples get consistently soft. They will be done when the apples are the consistency of an apple pie filling and the cranberries have opened to color the apples and the sauce a fuchsia pink.

Once you've cooked your pie crust as instructed above, simply pour the hot filling in and drizzle honey on top. Let it cool for about 20 minutes before cutting to serve with your ice cream.

For the homemade ice cream:

2 cups 2% milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
1 cup organic palm sugar
1 tablespoon saigon cinnamon

In a saucepan, add the milk, flavoring, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon and set it on medium until the sugar starts to dissolve. Once that is done, pull off heat and set aside. Meanwhile mix the three eggs with the other 1/2 cup of sugar and once the milk mixture has cooled, add that and again bring it to medium temperature slowly (so you don't cook the eggs). Do this until all sugar is combined and the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker for 35 minutes or until firm, place in an airtight container in a freezer for at least one more hour before serving and voila!

Seriously, my whole family loved this. The almond crust pairs nicely with the apples, cranberries, and cinnamon ice cream. So good! If you're going dairy free, simply replace the cow's milk with coconut milk (full fat) to make your own version of the cinnamon ice cream. This recipe can also be vegan if you take out the honey and use either agave, coconut nectar, organic palm sugar or other sweetener to the filling.

Sometimes being sick has it's creative advantages!

Check out more healthy recipes here at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday here and here for the Newly Weds Recipe Link up!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

I love pumpkin. I mean, I really love pumpkin. There's nothing better than pumpkin paired with nutmeg and cinnamon and thus the pumpkin pie bite was born, also a product of being forced to watch the baseball game with my husband. I got bored, wandered in the kitchen and decided that these had to be made!

What you'll need:

2 tablespoons organic canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 cups of Almond meal
1/2 cup whole walnuts
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
5 pitted dates
1 tablespoon coconut nectar
1/2 cup chia seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
organic coconut flakes


How you do it:

These are easy and taste just like a bite of pumpkin pie. Everything but the coconut flakes will go in a food processor. Pulse for five minutes. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in coconut flakes. Voila! Makes 8 bites.

Nutrition:

Chia seeds are a great source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, not to mention fiber, while coconut nectar sweetens these bites with a low glycemic punch (boasting only 10% fructose content and rating 35 on the glycemic scale.) Pumpkin is a great source of Vitamins C, E, folic acid, iron, and magnesium and for only 20 calories! 

All in all these were a great success (my husband even popped a few!) And they scratch that pumpkin itch that comes with crisp cool nights and 'trick or treaters.' Pumpkin soup is definitely in my future somewhere, but until then, these'll have to do!  I'm also dying to try Healthful Pursuit's no bake pumpkin tarts. Ah, fall! 

Find this recipe along with many others at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. 

Chocolate Hazelnut truffles

*Whew*

It's been a long, hard day and that to me always says chocolate, healthy chocolate that is. And if you like Nutella, then I'm about to introduce you to a much healthier version. Enter Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. It's amazing, and there are no preservatives or crazy amounts of unrefined sugar. In fact the line of nut butters from Justin's changes lives, really! You'll thank me later for introducing you, I promise.

What you'll need:

2 tablespoons Justin's Hazlenut Chocolate Spread (bonus that there's no preservatives and it's gluten-free)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
5 pitted dates
organic coconut flakes

How you do it:

Combine all ingredients except the coconut flakes into the food processor and pulse until mixed well. Then roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and dust with coconut flakes. Makes 6 truffles.

The Nutrition Info:

Chia seed is a great source of fiber and  30% of chia seed oil is Omega 3 while another 40% is Omega 6 and bonus, you don't need to grind the chia seed like you do with flax seed for it to be easily digested.  Using Justin's ready made hazlenut chocolate spread is an easy way to make these and there is no added sugar or preservatives.Hazelnuts contain the minerals magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, calcium and selenium as well as vitamin K. They also contain amino  and fatty acids leucine, arginine, aspartic acid, alanine and glutamic acid. Dates are rich in fiber, helping prevent LDL cholesterol absorption in the intestines. It works as a bulk laxative. The fiber content protects the colon mucous membrane and acts to bind to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. Coconut is a great source of fiber and protein and it gives these that finished touch and crunch.

 If you wanted to nix the hazelnut butter in lieu of a homemade version you could easily make your own with crushed hazelnuts, coconut oil, and cocoa powder.

Next time you  need chocolate, reach for these instead of your Godivas and Hersheys. Your tastebuds will be happy and your body will thank you!

Pumpkin Breakfast Muffins

I love muffins in the morning, especially one's that are healthy and delicious! This is one of my go to recipes during the fall and I know you are going to love it too!

1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut G-free oats
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp organic vanilla
1/3 cup coconut oil (heated, so in liquid form)
3/4 cup agave nectar (sub honey)
1/2 cup almond milk (sub rice milk or regular)
1 cup organic pumpkin
1/2 cup walnuts (crushed)

Mix the dry ingredients first, then add the wet. Stir and fold in pumpkin and walnuts last. Cook for 25 minutes on 325 (or until golden brown). Use a toothpick to ensure they are done (pumpkin can make muffins finnicky.)

Voila! Amazing Muffins. My mom, Nonna, and my husband all loved 'em. Gluten Free and Vegan, these are so good (and good for you!) Makes 10 large pumpkin muffins.

Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's the first real rain after summer. (And frankly, for us Texans it's been so long since we saw rain, I'd forgotten what it looked like!) It's cold, dreary, and absolutely the perfect day to try out some new recipes. I woke up late to every animal we have sleeping lazily on our bed. Apparently they got the memo too. Since then we've done...nothing at all. Rainy days are lazy days for our family, days where we enjoy cozying up on our comfy couch with blankets and a good book. Today however, baking adventures called, and frankly I really wanted some chocolate.

There is nothing better to me than a hot cookie the oozes chocolate. Add oatmeal and cranberries and you've got the perfect fall comfort cookie. I have to say too that I was proud that this only took one try to make. Most of the original recipes I try end up costing me a few trials and errors. Not this time, although I did cheat by using a pre-mixed gluten-free flour blend. So sue me! (it's a lazy day, remember?) These are sugar-free in the sense that there is no processed sugar, and they are also dairy free.

 Okay, so to the cookies.....

Dry:

1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
2 1/2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon xanthan guym
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet:

1 cup almond (or rice) milk
4 tablespoons whole berry canned  organic cranberry sauce (get the no-sugar added kind)
3 tablespoons local organic honey (sub agave nectar)

*a tip, you can used dried cranberries, but you'll have to up the moisture factor with extra almond milk

Combine the dry ingredients first, then add the wet. Stir together and place on baking sheet at least two inches apart. Bake for about 20 minutes on 375 degrees or until golden brown. Overcooking them though will make them more spongey than gooey, so watch them closely.

Local honey from the Romanian Church down the street. Yum!

Holy Chocolatey goodness batman!

Okay, any gluten-free batter I've ever tried ends up tasting disgusting when wet. But, cooked, these are heavenly. Even my hubby couldn't resist trying one. And bonus? They are pretty healthy for you.

I also think you can sub organic canned pumpkin istead of cranberry sauce. In fact, I might just do that for my second batch!

Happy Baking!