Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Balsamic Apple & Onion Relish

Ingredients

For the soup:

1 large butternut squash (approximately 2 1/2 lbs.), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 inch pieces*
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into sixths
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tart, firm apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and cayenne pepper to taste (I used 3/4 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. cayenne)
4-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

* buttercup or kabocha squash also works well

For the relish:

2 tart, firm apples, cored and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large cookie sheet, or in a large roasting pan, toss the squash, apples, onions, and garlic with the olive oil to coat. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until everything is fork-tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes.

2. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and place half in a blender or food processor, along with 2 cups of stock. Process until you have a smooth puree. Repeat this process with the other half of the vegetables and the stock. Transfer the pureed mixture to a large pot or bowl, and add more stock if the soup is too thick. Serve warm, topped with the Apple and Onion Relish (directions below).

3. To prepare the relish (I like to do this while the vegetables are roasting), heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the diced apples and onions and sautee for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the apples have started to soften. Turn the heat to low, add the salt, and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the onions are lightly caramelized. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

soup recipe adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil
relish recipe by Kristen Magee

Sugar Free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
adapted from Scoop by Ellen Brown
recipe makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup xylitol
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 vanilla beans
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the xylitol, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream mixture. Add the vanilla pods to the pan.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the xylitol has completely dissolved. The mixture will be hot, but be sure not to let it come to a boil.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pods, and stir in the milk, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

4. Pour the ice cream base into an airtight container and chill for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Make the ice cream according to your ice cream machine’s instructions. Serve immediately for a soft serve ice cream, or freeze for several hours for a scoopable ice cream.

Gluten Free, Sugar Free Peach & Raspberry Cobbler

Note: If you like a higher ratio of filling to topping, halve the topping recipe.

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING (adapted from Southern Peach Cobbler)

8 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted, and sliced into thin (1/4″) wedges
1 pint fresh raspberries
6 tablespoons xylitol
1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

FOR THE TOPPING

1 cup cornstarch
1 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons xylitol
1/8 teaspoon liquid stevia
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, chilled, cut into small cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2 egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, raspberries, xylitol, stevia, cinnamon, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss the mixture to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients from the topping list: cornstarch, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and xylitol. Using a fork or a small whisk, mix the ingredients until well blended. Add the liquid stevia, buttermilk, and egg whites to a small bowl and whisk until the egg whites are incorporated. Set aside. Add the butter to the dry mix, and blend in using your fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture has a sandy, crumbly texture. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Using a disher or a spoon, drop the topping onto the filling. Place baking dish onto a foil covered cookie sheet to prevent any spillover into the oven while baking. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Gluten Free, Sugar Free Chocolate Beet Cake
recipe by Kristen Magee
yields one 9 inch cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoom baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup xylitol
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup beet puree (see instructions below)

FOR THE GANACHE

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup xylitol
1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap beets (about 3 medium or 2 large beets for 3/4 cup of puree) loosely in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are soft enough that a knife can easily be inserted. Remove from the oven, carefully unwrap (beware of hot steam), and allow to cool for about 15 minutes, or until the beets are not too hot to touch. Remove the skins (you might want to wear kitchen gloves so you don’t stain your hands), cut beets into large chunks, and puree in a blender with the canola oil. You can also use a hand blender. Set aside.

Lower the oven temp to 350F, and line a 9 inch cake pan with oven parchment, or grease with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the millet flour, almond flour, cornstarch, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the xylitol, stevia, eggs, and canola oil/beet mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until all of the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet, one third at a time, and mix until just combined. After all of the dry ingredients are added, mix for an additional minute. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, and smooth evenly using a spatula. Rap the pan against a hard surface to get rid of any large air bubbles, and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before removing from the pan and topping with ganache.

In a small saucepan, add the coconut milk, xylitol, and stevia and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until the xylitol is completely dissolved. Break the chocolate into large chunks and place into a medium heatproof bowl. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir until glossy and smooth. Pour over the cooled cake and spread with an offset spatula or spoon. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free, Sugar Free Carrot (Pulp) Bars
recipe makes 12 bars

Ingredients

FOR THE BARS

1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup blanched almond flour
6 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup carrot pulp
4 oz. unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup xylitol
1/2 tsp. liquid stevia

FOR THE FROSTING

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup xylitol
1/2 tsp. liquid stevia
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with oven parchment, or lightly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the millet flour, almond flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a medium mixing bowl and hand-held electric mixer), combine the carrot pulp, applesauce, eggs, canola oil, xylitol, and liquid stevia. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until well mixed.

Add the dry ingredients to the carrot mixture, half at a time, on low speed and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly in the pan using a rubber spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center with just a few crumbs on it.

While the cake is cooling, add all of the frosting ingredients (minus the cinnamon) to a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat on high for 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is fluffy and the xylitol granules have dissolved. Add the cinnamon and mix for another minute. When the cake has cooled completely, frost and cut into bars to serve.

Sugar Free Peanut Butter Eggs
recipe yields 10 to 12 eggs

Notes: Depending on how thick your peanut butter is at room temperature, you may have to adjust the number of crackers in the recipe. Use 2 to 4 more crackers if your peanut butter is kind of runny, and use 2 to 4 less if your peanut butter is really thick. If you’re not on a sugar free diet, you can replace the stevia and xylitol with 1/2 cup of sugar.

Ingredients

3.5 ounces sugar-free milk or dark chocolate
3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 tsp. liquid stevia
1/4 cup xylitol
1 Tbsp. water
10 gluten-free crackers (I use Glutino brand original crackers)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, add the stevia, xylitol, and water. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the xylitol crystals start to dissolve. Meanwhile, add the crackers to a food processor and process until they are broken down into very fine pieces (as close to powdered as you can get).

2. Add the peanut butter and the butter to the saucepan and cook over low heat until the butter is completely melted. You’ll notice that the mixture will get thicker and will become more difficult to stir as it heats up. Remove the saucepan from heat, add the powdered crackers, and stir the mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Set aside until it’s cool enough to touch, about 10 minutes.

3. Line a small cookie sheet with the oven parchment or waxed paper. Take enough of the peanut butter and cracker mixture to make a ball about one and a quarter inches in diameter. Press the ball between your two hands until it’s about 3/8 inch thick, and mold it into an egg shaped using your fingers. Repeat this process for the remainder of the peanut butter and cracker mixture. Chill the eggs in the refrigerator for about one hour.

4. In a small, heat safe bowl, add the chocolate and cook on high in the microwave, 15 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is completely melted (about 30 – 45 seconds total), stirring after each 15 second interval. Remove the chilled peanut butter eggs from the refrigerator and, one by one, add them to the bowl of melted chocolate. Use two spoons to coat the egg in chocolate and to maneuver it around in the bowl. When the egg is completely coated, tap off any excess chocolate, and use the spoons to place the coated egg back on the lined cookie sheet. Repeat this process for the remainder of the eggs. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before eating, or eat right away if you don’t mind getting a little messy.