Archive for the ‘Dessert’ Category

Cinnamon Blondies

Posted 9 Oct, 2010 in Dessert [ 3 Comments ]

I felt like baking this weekend for some reason. It’s an amazing day outside which is so refreshing given that it has been a pretty awful Winter with lots of rain. My house is definitely a Summer house as we have French doors that open out to the courtyard which means a great indoor/outdoor flow. I love sitting in my lounge as it feels like I’m sitting outside without getting fried from the sun. Don’t get me wrong- I love the sunshine. But here in the southern hemisphere, the sun really burns.

So I made these Cinnamon Blondies with the intention of baking cookies. But once I mixed everything through, the batter was way too runny for cookies. I just put the whole batter into a square cake tin and this is the end result. As usual, this is completely grain-free, gluten-free, and low-carb. I really like this recipe as it doesn’t contain any eggs.  A lot of baking with coconut flour or even almond flour often turns out with a strong egg-y taste which a lot of people don’t like. This just tastes like a lot of cinnamon with a hint of almonds.

I had a couple of slices with coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is too rich to drink but when you water it down as per this recipe with a little bit of honey, it makes a great drinking milk.

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Cinnamon Blondies

Recipe adapted from here

1/3 cup coconut flour sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs cinnamon
45 grams honey (about 3 tablespoons)
250 grams almond butter (about 1 cup)
100 ml coconut milk (full fat)
150 ml water

  1. Preheat oven to 175ºC.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients- coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients- honey, almond butter, coconut milk and water.
  4. Mix the dry into the wet ingredients.
  5. Stir with a wooden spoons until there are no lumps
  6. Grease a square cake tin with butter or coconut oil.
  7. Pour batter into the greased cake tin and spread evenly.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  9. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24 slices.

Grain-free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Posted 30 Aug, 2010 in Dessert, Recipes [ 8 Comments ]

I have a confession. I took last week off from the primal lifestyle. A few things contributed to this:

  • I didn’t go to the gym and any other form of exercise was quite minimal.
  • I went out to client lunch and had a few too many glasses of Pinot Noir. I also indulged in the bread basket.
  • I went out for after work drinks and had many more glasses of Pinot Noir and indulged in chips and other fried foods.
  • I ate….gasp…a sandwich for lunch on Saturday.
  • I’ve been having a couple of Salada crackers (Australian version of saltines)  with peanut butter and jam for breakfast.
  • I spent too much time working and not enough time playing.

It’s not terrible but I definitely felt like shit all of last week.  Maybe I was a bit hung over for a part of the week. Work stress definitely contributed to this erratic behavior. And the best justification of all- sometimes you need to fall off the wagon to see how good you have it when you are .  I’m fully back on board and have really realized that this way of eating and exercising really does give me more energy and a sense of sanity.

I’m not going to lie. I loved having my Salada crackers with peanut butter and jam for breakfast. This is comfort food as this is what I used to snack on when I was young. I’m going to attribute the 80/20 rule to this. I can try to make my own low-carb crackers but sometimes it’s just not worth it.  I’d rather eat the real thing but have it in moderation. But there are some things that are just as good using primal ingredients as they are to the real thing.

With that in mind, I made this a few weeks back and it’s pretty good. I’m calling it a pound cake, because the texture reminds me of the frozen Sara Lee pound cake that my mom loves. This cake is meant to be eaten cold as it firms up in the fridge.

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Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
168ml coconut milk (about 1/3 cup)
60 grams butter melted (3 tbs)
1 cup mashed sweet potato
3 tbs honey

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a food processor, mix the eggs, coconut milk, butter, sweet potato, and honey.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the food processor and mix.
  5. Grease a cake pan with butter.
  6. Spread the batter evenly.
  7. Bake at 175°C for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
  8. Cool completely.
  9. Place in the refrigerator to firm up overnight.
  10. Enjoy cold with a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes about 16 small squares.

Sugar-free Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Posted 4 Jul, 2010 in Dessert [ 1 Comment ]

I know it’s Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and I’m seething with jealousy as I sit here for yet another rainy day in the middle of Winter. But I have to remind myself that the shortest day of the year has just passed so it’s really now just counting down to Summer.

Pumpkin is in season for those us of down in the Southern Hemisphere. One of the many things that I really miss about being in America is pumpkin pie. It’s not such a common thing here and I certainly can’t find conveniently canned pumpkin at any of the supermarkets here.

Regardless of convenience, pumpkin is dirt cheap and currently in season. This is a super easy way to whip up a quick but healthy primal treat using pumpkin. I simply simmer cubes of pumpkin in coconut milk until they are soft with pumpkin pie spices. I then puree the whole lot in the blender and sweeten it with a few drops of stevia to my liking. It turns thick and creamy if you let it set in the fridge overnight. That is if you can wait that long.

A taste for sweetness is like a taste for spicy foods. The degree of preference varies from person to person. So I’m a huge adding sweetener at the end. I used stevia for this recipe but it’ll also be really nice with a drizzle of honey and topped with some homemade whipped cream.

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Sugar-free Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Pudding

2 cups pumpkin cut into small cubes
165ml full cream coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Stevia or other sweetener of your choice
Grated dark chocolate for garnishing (optional)

  1. All all ingredients in a pan and bring to boil.
  2. Low heat and simmer until the pumpkin is cooked and tender.
  3. Puree everything in a blender until smooth.
  4. Chill overnight.
  5. Add sweetener of your choice and garnish with freshly grated dark chocolate.

Makes 2 small servings.

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