Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookies

Every year, my wonderful aunts, Barb and Sis make TONS of cookies for friends and family.  For years now, we have had a wonderful tradition of have a "cookie day" the Saturday before Christmas.  Its one of my favorite traditions... I love spending all day with them making yummies.  This year, Madi was sad because she couldn't eat any of the cookies.  She was still (and probably is even still) trying to accept this whole gluten free business.  So I decided to try to find a SUPER easy cookie recipe... and of course I didn't plan ahead, so it needed to only use ingredients I had on hand, none of that flax seed or xantham gum craziness. 
As I searched, I came across 3 different recipes for flour less cookie and kind of put them together to make this recipe.  And it seriously is this easy and this simple. Seriously.  :o)

(Madi had a fun time adding carob chips and Christmas colored sprinkles!)

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

2 cups peanut butter (we used regular cause that's what I had, but all-natural would be healthier and wouldn't have as much sugar.)
1-2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons
In a bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, combine peanut butter and sugar and baking soda; fold in egg whites. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

We topped them with the carob chips before they went into the oven instead of mixing them in so that batter didn't collapse.  I liked them because they were light and almost airy (thanks to the egg whites!).

Hopefully this weekend, Madi and I will attempt to make these again... this time with Splenda instead of sugar.... then these would be a low carb AND gluten free snack!

Black Bean Brownies

So, in my search for things that are low carb or no carb, things with no sugar, or no flour, or gluten free, I've been finding some interesting ideas.  One of them was black bean brownies.  Now... before you say EW and skip this post, hear me out.
I will be flat out honest.... you could tell they weren't plain 'ol traditional brownies.  BUT... they did taste good.  They had more of a dark chocolate, fudge brownie-ness to them, and the texture wasn't quite like a flour-filled treat, and they are better cold, or room temperature (for me at least).
In the recipe, I used Splenda, but next time, I think I will try Stevia so there is no faux-sugar aftertaste.

Black Bean Brownies

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. Splenda (if your like us, you might want them a little sweeter, so add another tablespoon or two of splenda)
2 large eggs
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Drain and rinse black beans as thoroughly as possible. Add eggs, beans, and melted butter into the bowl of a food processor (I used my magic bullet since I don't have a food processor). Blend until smooth. Add in cocoa, vanilla and salt and blend until completely pureed. Gently stir in chocolate chips then pour into an 8"x8" pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
You could add walnuts to this... and I will be experimenting with this recipe to see how peanut butter brownies or even cheesecake brownies could be made.

What I LOVE about this recipe is that it didn't raise my blood sugar.  And I felt good about eating it.  I did serve it with a "whipped topping" that I made, but I didn't measure when I made it, so here is my estimates for it. 

1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 a block of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of whipping cream
3 tablespoons of Splenda
5 heaping spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa powder
Using mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy.  It should expand a good bit.  Since I didn't bother to measure, and I'm only guessing... taste it as you go.  Add more or less, this is not an exact recipe.  (The brownies are tho... I have learned to MEASURE measure measure when I bake!!!).

Mmmm, Vanilla!

Thank you, Pinterest.... once again you have sparked my imagination and made me want to try something new.  And you maed my hubby roll his eyes, once again!  This time I have decided to make homemade vanilla extract.  The original website called for vodka.  I didnt have any and vodka is not gluten free, so I had to think.  We had some rum left over from another recipe, so I decided to use that.

What you need:
1 Jar with a tight closing lid, or a cork.  (I used a mason jar)
2-4 vanilla beans
Enough rum or liquer of your choice to cover beans.

(This is such a lazy recipe!)
Cut beans in half length wise, place in jar, cover with alcohol, put on lid. 

Seriously.  Thats it!

Now... the down side is that it takes 2 months to develop... you should store it in a dark place away from heat, and shake it at least once a week.   Also, as you use the extract, you can replace the alcohol so you have a never ending supply of it.  This would be great as Christmas gifts too... all ya gotta do is find some cheap cute little jars (think... Goodwill store!) and some ribbon and voila!  Gift!

Sorry about my picture... it looks kinda gross, but hey, its a cell phone pic.  What are ya gonna do?

This is someone elses picture and product.  The darkness is how it would be with a clear alcohol after the 2 months.  Dont forget to shake it!!

I want to make more stuff with real vanilla, cause it smelled so stinkin' good, and cause it tastes so good... so whats your favorite use for real vanilla?

What is Agave and Why am I using it!?


Agave nectar is a natural sweetner made from the agave plant.  It has a low glycemic impact and is super tasty.
It kinda tastes like honey, but not such a strong flavor.  Its also less viscous than honey and disolves better, so you can use it in cold drinks easily. 
There are different levels of agave, ranging from light with a neutral, mild flavor, to raw with a very rich caramel or maple flavor. 

Agave is vegan and gluten free and we found an 11.75 oz bottle that is ORGANIC for around $3.50 (Madhava brand).
What I am loving about it is the fact that it is a sweetner that you can use when watching your blood sugar becuase of the low glycemic impact it has.  It doesnt cause high spikes of sugar or the inevitable crash after the high.  While I do try to use splenda or stevia to sweeten things, sometimes they just dont work (like my pumpkin seeds... I tried splenda... FAIL!).  In fact, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar actually has a lower glycemic impact than a medium sized apple!
Here is an easy guide to replacing other sweetners with Agave...

Substituting Agave Nectar for Liquid Sweeteners


Honey
Replace each cup of honey with one cup of agave syrup.

Maple Syrup
Replace each cup of maple syrup with one cup of agave syrup.

Brown Rice Syrup
When replacing a cup of brown rice syrup, use 1/2 to 1/3 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/2 a cup.

Corn Syrup
When replacing a cup of light corn syrup, use 1/2 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/3 of a cup. Like corn syrup, agave nectar will not crystallize.

Substituting Agave Nectar for Granulated Sugar

White Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup. This substitution will also work for Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice, or Sucanat.

Brown Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 cup. Because the moisture content of Brown Sugar is higher than that of white sugar, liquids may not have to be reduced as much when substituting agave nectar.

Other Considerations
Agave syrup may cause baked items to brown more quickly, so reduce oven temperatures by 25°F is and increase baking time slightly.
Agave nectar may substituted for part or all of the sugars or liquid sweeteners in many recipes. Drinks, salad dressings, sauces and many desserts are among the easiest substitutions. More experimentation may be necessary when substituting for sugars in recipes containing precise chemistry - for example, cooked candies and some baked goods.

Candy recipes like toffees and nut brittles rely on chemical reactions provided by refined sugars which may be disrupted by substitutions. It may be possible to substitute, but ratios could take some tinkering to produce optimum results.
Similarly, recipes for baked goods containing white sugar may be too sensitive to changes in the moisture level of ingredients. If replacing all the sugar in a recipe (while reducing liquids) does not produce good results, try replacing only half the sugar with agave nectar

So far, I only have one reipe with the agave, but I did use some to sweeten a pumpkin mousse cheesecake I made yesterday.  Check out my Salty Caramel Pumpkin Seeds!

Salted Caramel Pumkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

At Halloween this year, we made our super cool "Jesus Pumpkins" (as Made likes to call them), and decided to roast the seeds for snacks.  I found a couple different recipes on Pinterest but, since I cant follow a recipe, I made my own!  Then, we went to our local health food store, Sonnewald's and found hulled pumpkin seeds.  I did a little research and pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) are full of awesomeness, and have a low glycemic impact, their GI number is only 10.  But I did NOT like them untoasted... or unflavored.  So instead of all sugar in the recipe, I decided to use Agave nectar.  Agave has a low GI compared to sugar, so its good for diabetics or people who just don't want the spike of sugar rush and then the fall that leaves you feeling like you need your 5th nap of the day.

What you need:

3 or 4 cups of pumpkin seeds (hulled tasted better to me, but both were good, so whatever you prefer or can find!)

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp agave nectar (i used light because I wanted sweetness, not a maple flavor... although that would be tasty too!)

2 tsp olive oil

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

First, you have to toast those bad boys (i think they are kinda icky raw), so you put them in a dry skillet on medium heat.  You have to stir them almost constantly, or they will burn.  They will be ready for the next steps when they start to pop and have a light brown color to them.  (Oh, good hulled pumpkin seeds are an olive color and not dried out looking.)  Once they are toasted, add your olive oil and brown sugar.  Mix around till the brown sugar starts to caramelize.  Turn pan down to low and add agave and salt.  Stir until everything is coated.  From here, you can add other flavors.  I have tried cinnamon (YUM) and ginger (I liked them, but Madi wasn't crazy about it), and I'm sure you could try lots of others (chili powder?!?).  Once everything is mixed pour into a bowl or onto a sheet pan covered in wax paper to cool.  The fun thing about the agave is it made clumps of seeds... Madi said it reminded her of caramel popcorn. 

(As always, I don't measure ANYTHING when I cook, so I'm kinda guessing here... if it isn't sweet enough, add more agave.)

AND.... these are gluten free!

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken
This is a great shredded chicken recipe that can be used for so many things!  We used it for Asian Chicken Wraps, salad, empanadas, and even used leftovers in a casserole.

3-5 large chicken breast- frozen or thawed
1 can crushed pineapple, juice and all
3 cloves of garlic, or a few tsp of the pre chopped kind
1-2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced (you could probably substitute powdered maybe 2 tsp)
1 can chicken broth (i used low sodium all natural stuff... no msg please!!)
2 tsp ground mustard
black pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce (to keep this recipe gluten free, i used gluten free soy sauce, but if you cant find gf soy sauce, you could leave it out.)

Cook on low for 5 hours.  Then shred chicken (by this point it just falls apart!!) and cook for another hour.

Asian Chicken Tacos.  Just pile some lettuce, carrots and chicken on corn tortillas and a little of your favorite asian dressing (I made my own with gluten free soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame seed oil, and a few spoonfuls of pineapple or madarin orange juice from a can).  Super healthy!!

To make this into a more "Spanish" style do the above, but add a chopped green pepper and a small chopped onion, then, after shredding it add some lime juice and chopped cilantro.  We made some of the best empanadas I have ever had with this chicken!

To make Shredded BBQ Chicken (kinda like pulled pork), take some chicken, put into a pot with a splash of root beer, coke, or dr. pepper, some brown sugar, and a small bit of ketchup or your fav bbq sauce. Cook on medium until it makes a sauce.  This is great for sandwiches or wraps.