Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake

All of the sweet and caramelly goodness of a traditional apple crisp, baked on graham cracker crust cheesecake and topped off with a dollop of softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. From cakescottage.com.

Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake


Ingredients:

Graham/Oats Crust
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (without problem ingredients)
¾ cup rolled oats
½ cup butter, melted

Cheesecake
(2) 8 Ounce Packages Cream Cheese, Softened
2 tablespoons corn starch
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoons ginger (if tolerated)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Apple Crisp Topping
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 medium to large GALA or FUJI apples, peeled & thinly sliced
Caramel Sauce, if desired (try Smucker’s Simple Delight Salted Caramel Topping)
Whipped cream topping, if desired (without problem ingredients)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, butter, and brown sugar together.

3. Press into a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.

4. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from over to cool.

5. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cornstarch.

6. Once well combined pour on top of your graham cracker/oat crust.

7. To start your apple layer, arrange the thinly sliced apple on top on the cheesecake in a single layer.

8. Top with the Apple Crisp Topping. Bake for 40-50 minutes.

9. Once it’s done cooking, cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

Monkey Bread

An old favorite recipe that everyone enjoys! From allrecipes.com.

Monkey Bread


Ingredients:

3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough (without problem ingredients)
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (if tolerated)
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, if tolerated)
1/2 cup raisins (if tolerated or omit)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch solid tube/Bundt pan.

2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

*Use only solid tube pans for this recipe. Hot syrup will leak from removable bottom pans.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A quick and easy 30 minute chicken soup – so cozy and comforting! We swap out the noodles for cannellini beans for added protein and fiber with way less calories! Add lemon juice if you can tolerated it or omit. Substitutions for lemon juice are provided. From damndelicious.net.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (if tolerated)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced (if tolerated)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups chicken stock (without problem ingredients)
2 bay leaves
2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste (if tolerated or omit the lemon to make it IC friendly. You can also use a lemon substitute)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (if tolerated)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill


Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Whisk in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in cannellini beans and chicken, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, parsley and dill; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5. Serve immediately.

Foolproof Butterscotch Fudge

An old fashioned and foolproof butterscotch fudge recipe that is sweet and decadent. From grandmotherskitchen.org.

Foolproof Butterscotch Fudge


Ingredients:

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon light molasses
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature


Directions:

1. Line a 7 inch round springform pan with parchment paper and grease with butter. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugars, salt, molasses and milk and boil rapidly for 8 minutes.

3. Add butter and stir until melted.

4. Cool until lukewarm.

5. Beat until smooth with an electric mixer or vigorously by hand.

6. Pour into a 7 inch round pan and let cool until set.

7. Remove pan and cut into squares.

The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread

An easy recipe for classic cornbread with a healthy makeover! Lightly sweetened, perfectly tender & absolutely guilt-free! From amyshealthybaking.com.

The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread


Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups (150g) finely ground cornmeal (measured like below)
½ cup (60g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour (measured like below)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (without problem ingredients)
2 tbsp (30mL) honey or pure maple syrup
¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk (or any kind of milk)


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the honey. Alternate between adding the cornmeal mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the cornmeal mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the cornmeal mixture in 3 equal parts.)

3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. (For the best texture, let it cool completely to room temperature.)


Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: ¼ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

Measuring: All-purpose, whole wheat, gluten-free, PB2, cocoa powder, and even oats are all the same. Lightly spoon them into the measuring cup (I like to shake my hand back and forth a little, like you’d do with a hair drier) until the measuring cup is overflowing, then drag the flat backside of a knife across the top to level it off. Do NOT scoop the flours, cocoa powder, or oats directly out of the container with the measuring cup or pack them in. This results in 1.5 times more than is required in a recipe, which dries out your baked goods and turns them crumbly. Not good!

It’s very important to measure both the cornmeal and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your cornbread, instead of the moist and tender texture it should have.

I know vanilla sounds like a strange ingredient for cornbread, but trust me! Vanilla enhances butter’s flavor, so it makes this cornbread taste just as indulgent as traditional recipes. (I highly recommend using butter instead of coconut oil, for that reason!)

Pure maple syrup or agave (if tolerated) may be substituted for the honey. We prefer our cornbread on the not-so-sweet side since we usually serve it with a drizzle of honey (and a small pat of melted butter, if you’re feeling indulgent!). If you like sweeter cornbread, substitute additional honey, pure maple syrup, or agave in place of an equal amount of the milk.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}

Blueberry Watermelon Smoothie

A frosty Blueberry Watermelon Smoothie is exactly what you need. From addapinch.com.

Blueberry Watermelon Smoothie


Ingredients:

3 cups blueberries
3 cups cubed watermelon
1½ cups ice

Directions:

Add blueberries and watermelon to the container of a blender. Blend on high for about 40 seconds or until completely pureed. Then, stop blender and remove the lid. Add ice to the puree and secure the lid back onto the container. Turn the blender on high for 40 more seconds or until completely blended and smooth with no ice pieces remaining. Serve immediately.

Notes: Add 1 cup Greek Yogurt (without problem ingredients) if you prefer your smoothies creamier and with yogurt.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

So cozy, so comforting and just so creamy. Best of all, this is made in 30 min from start to finish – so quick and easy! From damndelicious.net.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (if tolerated)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced (if tolerated)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock (without problem ingredients)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup half and half, or more, as needed*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional for garnish)
1 sprig rosemary (optional for garnish)


Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

2. Melt butter in the stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaf and chicken thighs, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

4. Stir in half and half until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.

5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and rosemary, if desired.

*Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.

Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

Healthy, no-bake granola bars with just 5 ingredients and a sweet, crunchy texture. Peanut butter and maple syrup complement each other perfectly in this ideal portable breakfast or snack.
From minimalistbaker.com.

Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars


Ingredients:

1 heaping cup packed (~220 g) dates, pitted (deglet noor or medjool)* (without preservatives)
1/4 cup (84 g) pure maple syrup or agave nectar (if tolerated) or honey if not vegan
1/4 cup (64 g) creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
1 cup (112 g) roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped (see instructions below for roasting nuts)
1 1/2 cups (135 g) rolled oats (gluten-free for GF eaters)
optional additions: white chocolate chips, raisins, nuts (if tolerated), vanilla, etc.


Directions:

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (Mine rolled into a ball.)

2. Optional step: Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I prefer the toasted flavor.

3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl - set aside.

4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.

5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)

6. Press down firmly until uniformly flattened - I use something flat, like a drinking glass, to press down and really pack the bars, which helps them hold together better.

7. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.

8. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars (or 9 squares). Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.