Category: Sugar-free

Basic White Bread

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This recipe can be made without a mixer, but is much easier if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer and use the dough hook.

2/3 cup warm water
½ tsp sugar (or honey)
4 tsp yeast

1 cup warm water
4 Tbsp sugar (or honey)
2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp oil
6 cups flour* (approximately)

  1. Dissolve the yeast and (½ tsp) sugar in (2/3 cup) warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, measure (1 cup) warm water into a mixing bowl. Add (4 Tbsp) sugar, salt, oil and the yeast mixture.
  3. Gradually add the flour, mixing well until it forms a soft dough.
  4. Form dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
  5. Cover and let rise somewhere warm (like in the oven with the light turned on) for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled.
  6. Punch down, knead for several minutes and shape into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Brush tops with oil.
  7. Cover and let rise for another 1 to 1.5 hours.
  8. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until the loaves are golden brown on top.

Makes two loaves.

* Note: You can substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour. If doing so, add it first, and then finish by adding the all purpose flour.

Carmelized Onions (Instant Pot)

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Caramelized-Onions12 cups onions, sliced (not too finely)
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pepper

  1. Mix together all the ingredients.
  2. Sauté for five minutes in the instant Pot.
  3. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Then do a quick release.
  4. Sauté (while draining excess liquid occasionally) for about ten more minutes until the onions have a nice caramelized appearance.
  5. Freeze in small portions to use in future recipes.

Note: I got four cups of caramelized onions and one cup of liquid.

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken

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1 ¼ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
½ a red onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
¼ cup water

Cabbage, grated (or store-bought slaw)
Ranch dressing (made from recipe below, or store-bought)
Tortillas
Any extra toppings you like

  1. Place all chicken ingredients in the Instant Pot.
  2. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (20 if frozen).
  3. Release the pressure (natural or quick release, depending on your timing) and shred the chicken directly in the pot.
  4. Transfer shredded chicken to a baking sheet, using a slotted spoon to leave the liquid behind. Broil at 475 for 10-15 minutes until browned.
  5. Toss cabbage with dressing to make a slaw.
  6. Serve chicken in warm tortillas with slaw, ranch dressing, extra pineapple, sliced avocado, red onion…

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dried dill
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh chives (or sub ½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

  1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Whole Wheat Bread

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¼ cup warm water
½ tsp honey
1 Tbsp yeast

1 ¾ cups warm water
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp molasses
¼ cup oil

1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp salt
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ – 2 cups all-purpose flour

  1. Dissolve the yeast and (½ tsp) honey in (¼ cup) warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, measure (1 ¾ cups) warm water into a mixing bowl. Add (2 Tbsp) honey, molasses, oil, egg and lemon juice. Add yeast mixture. Mix well.
  3. Gradually add 2 ½ cups of the whole wheat flour, beating vigorously after each addition.
  4. Let stand 15-20 minutes until mixture is very light.
  5. Stir salt into remaining 1 cup of whole wheat flour and stir into the dough (adding enough all-purpose flour) to make a soft, workable dough.
  6. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface (or using a Kitchen Aid mixer) for 10-15 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  7. Form dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
  8. Cover and let rise somewhere warm (like in the oven with the light turned on) for 50 minutes or until doubled.
  9. Punch down and shape into two round balls.
  10. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
  11. Form into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Brush tops with oil.
  12. Cover and let rise for another 50-55 minutes.
  13. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Makes two loaves.

Spicy Sausage Soup (Instant Pot or Stove-top)

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1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy), removed from casings and chopped*
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
4 cups (32 oz) vegetable stock or chicken stock
½ tsp oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup heavy cream (or coconut cream)
2 cup chopped kale (or spinach)

 

Instant Pot Instructions

  1. Cook the sausage on the ‘Sauté’ setting in the Instant Pot until it’s no longer pink, about three minutes.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for another three minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes, stock, and spices. Stir together.
  4. Lock the lid and cook on ‘High Pressure’ for 10 minutes. Quick release the pressure when done.
  5. Stir in the cream and kale and serve.

Stove-top Instructions:

  1. Cook the sausage in a in a large pot over medium heat, until browned and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
  2. Add onion and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
  3. Add stock and potatoes and cook over medium heat, until potatoes are tender, 23 to 25 minutes.
  4. Stir in kale and let cook until leaves are tender and bright green, 1-2 minutes, then stir in heavy cream and simmer 2 minutes more.
  5. Season with pepper and serve.

* I prefer the homemade sausage from Metro. It’s not nearly as greasy as others I’ve tried. If I use others, I cool the soup and scrape the fat off the top before adding the cream and kale.

Popeye muffins on a plate

Popeye Muffins (Sweet Spinach Muffins)

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Popeye muffins on a plate

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 oz spinach (about 10 cups of torn raw leaves)

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
1 large banana (over-ripe is best)
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Melt the butter. Blend all the wet ingredients (including spinach) in a food processor or blender until completely pureed.
  3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together (do not over-mix).
  4. Spoon the batter into 12 lined muffin cups.
  5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool before serving.

Banana Pancakes (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free)

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1 overly ripe banana
3 large eggs
¼ cup milk (can be non-dairy like coconut or almond)
1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/3 cup almond flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

  1. Mash the banana well. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Whisk them into the wet ingredients and let them sit for 3-5 minutes to let the coconut flour soak up some of the moisture.
  3. Fry over medium heat in a greased frying pan. (The batter is quite runny and it’s easier if you make the pancakes small, about ¼ cup of batter per pancake.)
  4. Serve hot, with maple syrup or melted chocolate chips.

For a super-simple version, you can mash one banana, beat in two eggs and fry. Recipe here: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/2-ingredients-eggs-banana-pancakes-501408.

Brownies (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free)

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1/2 cup unsalted butter (or palm shortening)
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped*

1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 large eggs

  1. Melt the chocolate and butter together. (I just microwave it on medium heat, stirring a few times as it melts.)
  2. Stir in the honey and vanilla and let cool.
  3. In a food processor, grind the coconut sugar, almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the chocolate mixture and blend until smooth. Add 1 egg at a time, blending for 15 seconds between additions to fully combine.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 11 pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.

Suggestion: Instead of unsweetened baking chocolate, I use 30 squares of the PC bitter-sweet (or extra dark) 300g chocolate bar, and omit the coconut sugar, since the chocolate is sweetened.

Carrot & zucchini muffins (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free)

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¾ cup pitted dates
¾ cup shredded zucchini
½ cup shredded carrots
3 eggs
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 cups almond flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp sea salt

  1. Place the dates in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to soften.
  2. Blend the dates, eggs and apple sauce in a food processor for 30 seconds until smooth.
  3. Mix the almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients.
  4. Wrap a paper towel around the veggies and give them a slight squeeze to remove excess moisture and fold them into the batter.
  5. Pour into 12 muffin cups and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

Carrot Orange Muffins

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½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar* (original recipe had 2 cups)
2 eggs
1 cup carrots, grated
1 orange, peeled, then grated
2 cups whole wheat flour (can substitute all purpose)
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

  1. Mix together the oil, sugar and eggs. Then stir in the carrots and orange.
  2. Mix together in another bowl the flour, soda, powder and salt. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in the nuts last.
  3. Pour into greased muffin tins.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

* For a sugar-free option, you can replace the sugar with 1 cup of honey, or 2 cups of pureed dates.

If you have a food processor, just grate the carrots in there, and then puree the orange afterwards to save on dishes.