Grain and Sugar Free Baking Challenge!

[FairyRae]

So, I'm really interested in learning to bake grain free goods that are also sugar free. By sugar, I mean most typical natural sweetners like honey, maple syrup, molasses etc. I'm looking to use just fruits (bananas, applesauce, etc.), dried fruits (dates) and stevia. I'm scared of alcohol sugars (like xylitol) so want to avoid those as well. And grain free I'm trying to utilize things like coconut and nut/seed flours (we avoid almond but usually easily sub pumpkin seed or sunflower seed 'flour' in it's place) but am open to any (grain free) ideas!

I know there are already some recipes here that meet this criteria, (Metasequoia's chocolate, pumpkin seed flour, banana or applesauce sweetened cupcakes come to mind!) some of which I plan to find and link to this thread. I'd love to come up w/ a couple of decent cookie recipes and maybe some muffin and cake recipes as well. (I've got a muffin recipe in the works that I need to revisit--thinking it might be good though!)

Cookies are where I'm really looking first as these are the most requested by my ds. I'd love to figure out how to make some kind of meringue cookies w/out using sugar...

So, anyone want to join me? Have any tested recipes you want to share??

[425lisamarie]

Well I use stevia and dates. I love fruit nuts and dates pureed up in to fudgy stuff. The couple things I do are:

Puree half dates, half almonds, some coconut oil and puree in food processor leaving chunky, press in to a pan. You can slow bake them or dehydrate just to the point of being less sticky so they will keep at room temp and not smoosh if you try to wrap them and take them along.

Blend eggs, flax seeds, coconut oil smooth in a blender. Add some nuts and blend a few seconds to chop them up, then add dried fruit (I love cranberries/cherries) and some natural shredded coconut and bake in muffin tins....i use the silicone which don't stick but you'd maybe want to oil regular ones.

I sometimes add cocoa powder to these.

This might sound weird but it's reallly good. I blend eggs, (I use more whites, saving yolks for pudding or something) apple, carrots, raisins or dates, pumpkin and flax seeds and fry in a round pan with the lid on, then flip and fry other side then cut in to wedges or eat the whole big thing like a pancake. I slather the top in coconut oil and almond butter to make kind of a syrup. It's SO good. I do the same thing with eggs, flax, cocoa and some nut all blended up and fried in coconut oil in a pan. I use like a 10 inch skillet and it makes a big round plate sized pancake.

[Koalamom]

We can't even just use a little natural sweetener?

[FairyRae]

Yay! Thanks for the yummy ideas lisamarie!!

And BBM1--you can do whatever you want! *I* really want to *try* using no natural sweetner, for fun, to see if/how I can do it. But if you have an idea that only uses a little, please share. (If I want to try the recipe w/ no natural sweetner, I'll try and modify. A recipe that uses a TBS of honey will be easier to modify than one that uses a cup full, for sure!)

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

Yay! Thanks for the yummy ideas lisamarie!!

And BBM1--you can do whatever you want! *I* really want to *try* using no natural sweetner, for fun, to see if/how I can do it. But if you have an idea that only uses a little, please share. (If I want to try the recipe w/ no natural sweetner, I'll try and modify. A recipe that uses a TBS of honey will be easier to modify than one that uses a cup full, for sure!)

I dont' even eat honey, nothin. I don't know why I just don't like sweeets much, but I do like sweet tasting things a bit, but dates totally are sweet enough for me. I'll use a couple drops of stevia since I put spinach in things.

If you want amounts to try, here's what I just ate and it's so filling.

2 eggs, 1 "serving" of flax which is like 13 grams or 2 tblsp ground, one serving of nuts 28 grams, half a banana, a tablsepoon of cocoa powder, a copule dates (I don't always use them but felt like it this morning). Blend everything in the blender for a minute until smooth. The nuts will probably still be a fine ground like flour, but if you blend longer like in a vitamix liek I have it will be totally smooth. Pour in to a really hot pan with coconut oil to fry, turn on like medium and put the lid on. It will puff up a little and start looking dry around the edges and set in the middle, then flip it and fry again. I use a half tblsp of each coconut oil and almond butter as my syrup. I don't eat butter but if you do that would be yummy. This takes me literally 2 minutes to put everyhting together and the only mess is the blender. I probably eat it on average of twice a day cause it's just so good. i put greens in mine but don't the first time to taste it and see kind of how sweet it is.

ETA: I track calories/protein to an extend, so if you care, this is 550 calories and about 29 grams of protein. That's because all the nuts you can cut down on the nuts to make it lower, I end up using 1.5 ounces between in the batter/on top and the spoon of oil. Sometimes I make a bigger one with1.5 the amounts and eat half then wrap half for when I'm out.

[stilllearning85]

Oooh! Great thread!! Can't wait to bum recipes off everyone!! Going completely off sugar (and maybe grains) after the holidays, so this is perfect timing!!!

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

And BBM1--you can do whatever you want! *I* really want to *try* using no natural sweetner, for fun, to see if/how I can do it. But if you have an idea that only uses a little, please share. (If I want to try the recipe w/ no natural sweetner, I'll try and modify. A recipe that uses a TBS of honey will be easier to modify than one that uses a cup full, for sure!)

No I do want to join, but I am just not going to without a mini fight. I really love maple syrup. I have a great cookbook that it called Sweet and Sugar Free; I should go brush the dust off it and try some recipes.

[mom61508]

This is so yummy!!!! Even my "unhealthy" eating friends loved it!!!

http://www.nourishingdays.com/?p=707

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

No I do want to join, but I am just not going to without a mini fight. I really love maple syrup. I have a great cookbook that it called Sweet and Sugar Free; I should go brush the dust off it and try some recipes.

LOL! I totally hear you!

Let us know a/b the recipes! I've tried to just wing a couple and had not great results...(nothing I'd want to share )

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by mom61508

This is so yummy!!!! Even my "unhealthy" eating friends loved it!!!

http://www.nourishingdays.com/?p=707

This cake IS fabulous. Probably my faver gf/grain free cake EVER! (It does have honey though. ) I'd love to find a way to sugar-free it....

[Koalamom]

One of my favorites is a egg, pear custard, and no sweetener. So yummy with nutmeg sprinkled on top.

[Koalamom]

We had fluffy teff injera sourdough pancakes for breakfast. Just teff, and brown rice starter. Fried up, and topped with ghee and a puree of mangos and bananas, no other sweetener. We could have left out the banana for a richer mango flavor. I felt so good afterwards and was satisfied for many hours. We will be having this more often!

[lil_earthmomma]

This is a recipe I've come up with that's grain free and sweetener free:

I boiled heavy cream with a splash of vanilla and until reduced quite a bit. Then I cooked apple slices with some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in the cream until they were softish but still firm (if that makes any sense! lol I just don't like mushy fruit!) Then I removed most of the fruit (just left a scoop of the apple slices in) the fruit, and let the cream really reduce, and thicken a bit. I pureed it in the food processor, added four egg yolks, and poured the liquid over the apple slices in a greased baking dish.

I topped the apple mixture with toasted chopped almonds and chopped pecans. (Raisins might be nice next time, or dried cherries etc.)

Baked at 350 for 20 min, served with unsweetened vanilla whipped cream.

It was thick and creamy and so good. My guests couldn't believe how good it was.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I've made this now with a mix of raspberries and blueberries as well, and plan on trying a dark chocolate banana version soon.

Tonight we're having chocolate fondue with dark chocolate and heavy cream and fruit to dip!

Next time I make cheesecake I will try sweetening it with only fruit and will report back!
It would be even better baked in individual ramekins.

Thought I'd share in case others were having trouble thickening fruit dishes.

[Zoeanne]

I've made meringues with just stevia. The egg whites don't get quite as stiff, but it seems to work fine.

I'm afraid I can't really give you any measurements; I just save egg whites when I use yolks in smoothies, and when I've got a container full, I make the cookies.

Beat the egg whites until fairly stiff. Adding some salt or cream of tartar can help them stiffen. Then I add some stevia, shredded coconut, and often some almond flour or carob powder. Drop onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. I bake them as high as 350 degrees, or lower, if I'm trying to preserve enzymes and whatnot.

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

This cake IS fabulous. Probably my faver gf/grain free cake EVER! (It does have honey though. ) I'd love to find a way to sugar-free it....

Ooopppsss sorry

[FairyRae]

I'm excited about all the ideas!

One I forgot about that is really yummy. (Not baking, but sugar free...)

Strawberry Banana Coconut Milk Ice Cream

In a food processor blend the following (all measurements approximate)

1/2 frozen banana
5-6 frozen strawberries
1 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract

Puree until there is a smooth consistency--add more/less coconut milk to get the right ice cream-like texture.

SOOOOO delicious--my dh thought it tasted as good as the usual homemade ice cream, and he can be pretty picky, esp. when it comes to *my* cooking. If you keep a few bananas and a bag of strawberries in the freezer, you can make this in minutes. My favorite part is that there is no sweetner needed--the bananas make it sweet enough!

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by mom61508

This is so yummy!!!! Even my "unhealthy" eating friends loved it!!!

http://www.nourishingdays.com/?p=707

I wonder if we reduce/replace the coconut milk with a fruit - like pear/apple sauce or added banana somewhere & a few drops of stevia glycerite.

I'd prefer no honey too.

I'm going to do some experimenting...

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

I wonder if we reduce/replace the coconut milk with a fruit - like pear/apple sauce or added banana somewhere & a few drops of stevia glycerite.

I'd prefer no honey too.

I'm going to do some experimenting...

Woo hoo! Can't wait to hear your results...it's a REALLY yummy recipe...any variation on it would be awesome...

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

I wonder if we reduce/replace the coconut milk with a fruit - like pear/apple sauce or added banana somewhere & a few drops of stevia glycerite.

I'd prefer no honey too.

I'm going to do some experimenting...

I've made a similar type cake with date puree as the liquid. Pour boiling water over chopped dates in a blender, cover with lid and sit a bit, then blend until smooth. I like to use date puree with banana

[leila1213]

Subbing!