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Ingredients Archives: Cocoa Powder

Paleo Chocolate Pudding Bars

By on March 12, 2019 in Guilt-Free Treats

I am a church-going Christian. I have friends of other faiths and we get along well. One thing we all have in common, is that at any given church function that includes, we mostly have the same dishes. We always have the cheesy cornflake potato dish (which goes by many different names depending on your religion), a “salad” that includes pudding and/or whipped topping, ham, and this chocolate pudding dessert. The original chocolate pudding dessert included several tubs of Cool Whip and some Jello Pudding. This version is whole-food based. Win/ win!! I can take this to a church potluck and share it with my fellow Christians and not have a food hangover the next day. And don’t worry. You don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy this famous church potluck dish.

I can’t take full credit for this recipe, because I used the crust from Bakerita’s Mocha Almond Fudge Bars (click here for recipe). I recommend only using half the crust recipe for these bars. If you haven’t checked out Bakerita yet, you definitely should. Her recipes do not disappoint and are especially great for those of us with food sensitivities.

This recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan (egg-free) and refined sugar free. That means it’s good for most food sensitives.

Rather than use a tub of a substance that resembles whipped cream, I use coconut cream as the base. If you haven’t tried to whip up coconut cream, you’re missing out! It’s like magic. Be sure to use either coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk . I always have good results with the Thai Kitchen brand. Make sure it gets at least 4 hours in the refrigerator so the fat and the liquid separate. When you open your refrigerated can, you’ll find a solid, white mass on top of the clear liquid. This is exactly what you want. Scoop out the solid part and reserve the liquid to use later in a smoothie. It’s delicious!

Because I’m on a candida cleanse (I’m sure I’ll share more about that another time) I used sugar-free sweeteners. Be careful when choosing sugar substitutes. There are a lot of not so fabulous ones out there. I prefer erythritol, xylitol, stevia and monk fruit extract. My favorite powdered sweetener is Swerve powdered sweetener. Feel free to use a powdered raw or coconut sugar, or even a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey.

This is a layered dessert but because we use the same base for both cream layers, this recipe comes together quickly and easily. Not as easily as opening a tub of Cool Whip, but pretty darn close.

You can top this with whatever you choose. Nuts, chocolate chips or my choice, shaved chocolate. I topped my personal serving with raspberries because that combination seemed delicious to me. It was.

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Healthy Remake: No-Bake Cookies (Vegan, No Sugar)

By on October 9, 2018 in Guilt-Free Treats

When I was a kid, I was basically a professional at making no-bake cookies. This was kind of awesome because my mom (who is a great cook) could not make them. Since she loved them so much, I got to make them a lot. My BFF and I still reminisce about how we used to come home from school and make no-bake cookies in my mauve and mint Formica-clad kitchen. Awe the 90’s.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I’m still a big fan of no-bake cookies. There are few better treats in my opinion. The problem is, the butter and milk are a problem for me. I cannot do dairy unless I want to spend the next week covered in rashes and acne. Since I don’t think it’s fair to have acne and gray hair, I try to avoid dairy (and I don’t really like scratching all day).

But being the amazingly caring wife I am, I told my husband I’d make him ANYTHING he wanted for his birthday dessert. His answer: no bake cookies. I looked at him for a moment like he’d just kicked my childhood puppy. How could he do this to me??? I couldn’t even lick the pan! I decided to put my wants aside and make him his treat… sort of.

Yes, I made him a batch of standard no-bake cookies full of butter, milk and sugar. They were fabulous, of  course, but I knew my self control would get the better of me. I got out a smaller saucepan and made some dairy-free no-bake cookies at the same time. The success had me almost in tears. I licked the pan, I ate the cookies and I was even able to keep them all to myself because they all wanted Daddy’s cookies. It was pretty awesome.

Since I was making my own batch and since sugar doesn’t exactly make me feel awesome either, I used Lakanto sugar substitute (monk-fruit/erythritol combination). You could use plain cane sugar instead, but I was very satisfied with the substitute.

The thing I really love about these cookies is that they are stable at room temperature. So often when I make a “substitute” it has to be kept in the fridge or freezer or it will just turn into a puddle. These stored fine at room temperature in a glass container. Not that they were around long…

This recipe is gluten-free and vegan so it’s versatile enough to take to events or share with friends. Now my husband can ask for no-bake cookies anytime and I can still be an awesome wife without sulking.

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5 Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

By on July 12, 2017 in Guilt-Free Treats

We do dessert every Sunday night because it just makes life better. A few weeks ago I made some grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free cookies. They were DELICIOUS, but I wanted something more. I didn’t have much time so I decided to whip up some extremely easy, creamy, sweet chocolate peanut butter pudding. Dipping the cookies in the pudding was basically heaven!

It all starts with coconut cream. Coconut cream is the solid portion of canned coconut milk. Getting it is super simple. Just stick a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours (I usually stick mine in the night before). I really like to use the Thai Kitchen brand. I prefer the taste and consistency to other coconut milks. Then using a spoon, gently scoop the solid cream into a bowl. You’ll be left with a clear liquid. Save this for smoothies or to thin out your pudding a bit.

Coconut cream is so stable, you can add it the honey, cocoa powder and vanilla all at the same time.

Whip this up with a hand mixer and then add in the peanut butter. I call it good there. But this pudding is extremely thick. So thick this could even double for a frosting. If you like a thinner pudding, just keep whipping in the liquid from the coconut milk until you’re satisfied.

I highly recommend this with a cookie… or three…


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Gluten-Free Brownie Pudding Cake

By on May 17, 2017 in Guilt-Free Treats

When I was a kid, my mom would make brownie pudding cake on cold, wet days. It was so comforting topped with a big scoop of whipped cream that melted into the gooey chocolate. It really doesn’t get more comforting than that. One bowl of that and every problem would disappear. It was basically unicorn tears topped with whipped unicorn tears. Tears of joy that is. There’s no room for sadness here. Best. Thing. Ever.

A few weeks ago we got one of those miserable spring snow storms. Snow in winter is expected, but snow when I’ve spent the last week in skirts and flip flops? Not cool. I needed some warm gooey comfort. But I didn’t want the next day sugar/gluten hangover I get. So I set out to make a grain-free, low sugar version. I was so pleased with the results, the unicorns and I cried together.

This brownie pudding cake is super rich and dark. If you don’t like it that dark, up the sugar and down the cocoa powder. But I can’t image finding comfort from chocolate that isn’t dark chocolate. That’s just me though…

The reason this is so good is that it’s a moist rich cake with a gooey, smooth inside. I topped it with whipped coconut cream that melted into the warm cake just like the version from my childhood. It was so nostalgic I felt like putting on my rainbow bright leg warmers.

This cake comes together in three layers that all come together to make a gooey bowl of joy.

The cake layer:

The topping layer:

The boiling water which makes a crispy top and a gooey middle:

You can’t look at this without smiling.

 

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The Healthy Wendy’s Frosty

By on July 1, 2016 in Guilt-Free Treats

Girls’ night in college usually involved my roommates and I going to a movie, getting dessert at midnight in a restaurant, daring each other to do something really stupid and then dancing until 2 a.m. when someone would suggest making cookie dough, which we’d do, and then eat the entire bowl before falling asleep on the couch about 4 a.m. Now that I have a daughter, we do regular girls’ nights. Though these days, they usually involve painting nails, watching Angelina Ballerina and making a treat together. I have to say, I prefer these girls’ nights.

Last Friday after our nails were sparkly turquoise and Angelina was having a dilemma about being jealous of another mouse ballerina, we decided it was treat time. Giving my daughter loads of sugar right before I send her to sleep does not make for a happy ending to girls’ night. Instead, we made this healthy version of a Wendy’s Frosty with only 3 ingredients, all of which are healthy and easy to pronounce.

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Just throw the frozen bananas, cocoa powder and a milk of your choice (we went with almond milk) in a blender and you’re good to go! I really want to make some sweet potato fries to see how they taste dipped in. Come on. You know you used to dip your fries in your frosty.

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Seven Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate Recipes

By on January 29, 2016 in Guilt-Free Treats

2015-02-23 11.47.20My 5-year-old loves to play in the snow. She wants to sled, build snowmen, make snow angels, shovel, etc, etc, etc. And she has more snow stamina than I do. After about half an hour I’m totally done and want to come inside and heat up a rice sock. She stays out until she can no longer feel her hands. Oh to be five again. Every time she comes in from a snow extravaganza, she declares she needs hot chocolate. After all, nothing warms up cold feet like drinking hot chocolate. At least that’s what my daughter tells me. Since I’m not a big fan of the ingredients in packaged hot chocolate, we started making our own. Luckily, it passes my daughter’s after-snow hot-chocolate requirements.

For basic hot chocolate, just whisk together the almond milk, cocoa and sweetener of your choice. For my kids (including my husband), I always use the honey instead of stevia. I always use stevia in mine.

Start on the lower end of measurements and add to your tastes. I use a full tablespoon of cocoa while my daughter prefers two teaspoons. You can always add but you can’t take away.

To make life more exciting (because now that I’m a mom in my 30’s, new hot chocolate flavors really does qualify as exciting), try these variations.

Almond Hot chocolate

  • 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
  • Stir in 1/8 t almond extract

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

  • 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
  • Stir in 1/4 t peppermint extract or 1 drop pure peppermint essential oil

Coconut Hot Chocolate

  • Make 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate, but use coconut milk instead of almond milk
  • Stir in 1 tsp coconut butter

Mexican Hot Chocolate

  • 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
  • Whisk in 1/4 t cinnamon and 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Orange Hot Chocolate

  • 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
  • Stir in 1/4 t orange extract

Raspberry Hot Chocolate

  • 1 recipe Guilt-Free Hot Chocolate
  • Smash 3 raspberries in bottom of mug before adding milk. Whisk together with the cocoa powder.

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No Sugar Chocolate Banana Muffins

By on January 8, 2016 in Breakfast, Guilt-Free Treats, Healthy Snacks

Every morning my son’s breakfast includes a mini muffin. This is my way of cramming a bit more protein and nutrients into him in an unprocessed way before sending him off to second grade to solve the world’s great problems. I always look for muffin recipes heavy on nuts and/or eggs and low on sugar. We generally stick to banana muffins, but to keep things interesting, I’m always trying to find something else. I found this recipe from Yummy Mummy. It looked delicious, but since I was giving it to my son every morning for breakfast, I wanted something without added sugar or sugar substitutes and without chocolate chips. So using Yummy Mummy’s recipe as my base, I came up with a version without sugar. We’re all very pleased with the results and I can continue to give my son a muffin every morning without feeling guilty. Luckily as a mom, there are still plenty of other things I get to feel guilty about every day.

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No-Bean Chili

By on November 6, 2015 in Main Dishes

I don’t like beans. It’s not the taste or the texture; it’s the after effect. The night I eat beans, I’m groaning on the couch, my stomach churning. The problem is, I love chili. I love it on chips, I love it on fries, and I love it in a bowl with avocado and sour cream. But every no-bean chili I’ve tried is usually just glorified Sloppy Joe meat. So I decided we needed to come up with a healthy no-bean chili that still has that great chunky chili texture. Here is what we came up with.

Start by cooking the meat and onion, just as you do in every chili.

The great texture comes from a bunch of vegetables. Add a chopped carrot, red, green and yellow peppers and a can of diced tomatoes.

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Then add the great flavor with your seasonings. Stir in your seasonings and flavored liquids and let this simmer in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

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Eat this in a bowl with your favorite toppings or spoon it over hot dogs, sweet potato fries or veggie chips. Better yet, freeze half and reheat it to use in a fun, new way.

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