Caramel Apple Cheesecake Parfait

 
 Ingredients:
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup vanilla nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Fuji apple, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 8 graham crackers, crushed
• 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

How to make the cheesecake:
MIX cream cheese and 2 Tbsp. sugar until blended; stir in yogurt.

MELT butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add apples, remaining sugar and cinnamon; cook 2 to 3 min. or until apples are tender, stirring frequently.

MICROWAVE caramel sauce in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. or until warmed; stir in salt.

LAYER half each of the graham crumbs, cream cheese mixture, apples and caramel topping in 4 parfait glasses. Repeat layers.

*you can always substitute peach slices for the apple slices.

 

Grandma's Apple Cake

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup veg oil (beat with eggs until foamy), add
1-3/4 cup sugar {Try Stevia instead -better health tip}
1 tsp vanilla (mix together), then add:
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda (mix all together)
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts -then add:
3-4 cups thinly peeled and sliced or diced apples (about 4 – I use Granny Smith)

Frosting:
1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
3 TBL melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar {Try Stevia instead-better health tip}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Add vegetable oil to eggs in mixer and beat until foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix. Now, add the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix together. Add thinly sliced apples, walnuts, and coconut by folding in with a spatula. The batter will be very thick but this is normal and there will seem to be more apple then batter. Again, this is what you want.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Frosting:
Mix ingredients til smooth. Add a little coconut milk IF it's too thick...

Source: Grandma★

Warm Lemon Pudding Cake

A delicious, fresh and light lemon dessert, with a creamy, warm lemon pudding on the bottom and a light souffle-like “cake” topping. A perfect meal-ender.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. (28 grams) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (225 grams) Stevia, divided
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 cup (25 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (250 ml) Coconut milk
• 2/3 cup (158 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp. Stevia, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F with rack in center of the oven and lightly butter one 1.5 quart baking dish or 4-6 individual, small ramekins. Have ready a high-sided roasting pan and place the prepared dish (or dishes in to the roasting pan). Bring 8-10 cups of water to a simmer (will be added to the roasting pan to bake the puddings). Separate your eggs and have ready.
2. Set aside 2 Tbsp. of the Stevia. Add the rest to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter and beat until mixture is grainy but light. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and mix in. Add the flour and salt and mix. Add the milk and lemon juice and mix until combined. Set aside, or if using your stand mixer, remove to a large bowl and wash your mixer bowl really well (you’ll be whipping the egg whites in it next, so be sure it is squeaky clean!).
3. In another bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat your egg whites until they’re frothy and beginning to form soft peaks. Sprinkle in the reserved 2 Tbsp. of  Stevia and beat again until stiff peaks form.
4. Spoon the whipped egg whites on top of the egg yolk mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites in to the egg yolk mixture by pulling a bit of the batter up and over the egg whites. Continue working gently until the mixture is uniform in color and texture. Do no over mix, but be sure there aren’t any large chunks of egg whites.
5. Pour or ladle your batter in to the prepared dish or dishes, set in the roasting pan. Carefully pour simmering water in to the roasting pan so it comes about halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Carefully transfer the roasting pan with the water and ramekins in to the preheated 350° F. oven. Pudding(s) will bake anywhere from 30 minutes (for small, individual servings) to 45 minutes (for one large pudding). Baking times will vary though, so do watch closely. You want the top to be firm and golden, but not browned.
6. Remove the pudding from the oven and transfer baking dish or dishes to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before dusting with stevia. Serve warm and enjoy!

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 60 min

Number of servings (yield): 6

Adapted from How to Feed a Family: The Sweet Potato Chronicles Cookbook

Classic Cream of Mushroom Soup

Classic Cream of Mushroom Soup

This recipe makes 2 large bowls or 3 smaller ones. I keep the recipe in these increments since it equates to one tray of mushrooms and the better part of one carton of chicken broth. I’m also only cooking for 2 or 3 most often. That said, you can double or triple the as needed, to feed more.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp. pieces
• 1/2 cup (125ml) yellow onions, finely diced
• 8-10 oz. mushrooms (button or mixture of button, cremini, oyster etc), cleaned and sliced (1 standard “tray”)
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme (less if your thyme is powdered)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (750ml) chicken stock/broth
• 1/2 cup (125ml) heavy (35% whipping) cream (if using a lighter cream, mix with a couple teaspoons of cornstarch before adding to soup)

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper and the second 1 Tbsp. of butter. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the last 1 Tbsp. of butter and stir to melt. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the stock and stir while returning the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. *At this point, if you like a thicker soup, you can remove a few of the mushrooms with a bit of soup to puree and return to the pot or simply pulse a few seconds with an immersion blender. Neither is necessary if you’d rather leave it with all whole mushroom pieces.
3. Add the cream and cook for a further minute or two to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 10 min | Total time: 20 min

Number of servings (yield): 2

via:seasonsandsuppers.ca

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Pancakes {For One}

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
• 2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened almond milk (or any kind of milk you like)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 packet stevia (about 1/4 teaspoon powdered stevia)
• 3 tablespoons almond meal
• 1 teaspoon coconut flour
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 pinch cloves, and 1 pinch ginger)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch sea salt
• A little butter or coconut oil for frying
• 2-3 tablespoons Paleo Salted Coconut Caramel Sauce, for topping
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, for topping

Instructions

1. Whisk together the egg, pumpkin puree, milk, vanilla, and stevia in a medium bowl; whisk in all remaining ingredients (except the butter or coconut oil for frying and the toppings) until smooth, then let the batter sit for 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a bit of butter or coconut oil and swirl it around the skillet.
3. Add batter by the spoonful (I make my pancakes on the smaller side – about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter each), and spread each pancake out slightly. (Work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.)
4. Cook until golden on the first side, then flip and cook until golden on the second side. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and cook the remaining batter the same way.
5. Serve warm, topped with Paleo Salted Coconut Caramel Sauce and chopped walnuts.

Notes

My Tip for Making Perfect Pancakes: I start out with the pan over medium heat; once hot, I add a little bit of butter or oil and spread it around. Then I add the batter and once it’s in the pan, immediately turn the heat down just a touch. Cook the pancakes until golden on both sides (flipping once), then wipe out the skillet, turn the heat back up to medium, and repeat the entire process with the next batch of batter.

Pumpkin Oat Bread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup rolled oats + 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, for topping

Directions:
Place oats in a food processor or blender. Pulse until oats are finely ground. Pour into a large bowl along with flour, spices, baking soda, and pecans. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin, vanilla, maple syrup, butter, and eggs, until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Scrape batter into a greased 8 or 9-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with additional oats and pecans. Bake at 350˚ for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes: 1 loaf (approximately 10 servings)