Orange-Car​damom Date Nut Bars

It’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day and this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of orange & cardamom.  My very first thought were of some delicious orange & cardamom Christmas cookies which I haven’t had in years, but as I’m not eating wheat, gluten, sugar or sweeteners these days, they weren’t going to happen.  But, I did have my heart set on something sweet which would fit into my current diet and after a little looking around I found this wonderful recipe for Orange-Cardamom Date Bars with a Nutty Crust. 

I made only one small ingredient change to better fit our diets and I simplified the process of making the bars.  The bars are delicious and sweet with no added sugar or sweeteners and the flavor of the orange and cardamom works perfectly with the flavors of the nuts and dates.  Even though there’s no cooking or baking involved, the nuts make a wonderful crunchy crust and the date puree in the center is creamy and delicious.  A wonderful little treat if you’re looking for a healthy sweet dessert or snack.

Orange-Cardamom Date Nut Bars (adapted from here)

• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
• 2 medium oranges
• 1 lb. Medjool dates, pitted
• 4 oz. raw almonds
• 8 oz. raw pecans
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan with the coconut oil.  Working over the bowl of a  food processor, peel the oranges and remove and discard all the white pith and the membranes.  Add the dates and process to a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl.  Rinse and dry the processor bowl.  Add the almonds to the empty processor bowl and process until very finely ground. Add the pecans, cinnamon and ground cardamom and pulse until the pecans are coarsely chopped. Add 1/4 cup of the date puree and pulse until the mixture holds together. Using oiled fingers, press half of the nut mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer. Spread the date puree over the crust. Crumble the remaining nut mixture evenly over the filling; pressing down to compact it. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to cut.

Cut into 24 squares and serve.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

• October 2013 Cake & Frosting:  Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free
• September 2013 Macaroni & Cheese: Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free
• August 2013 Vanilla & Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
• July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
• June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes
• May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
• April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
• March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
• February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
• January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
• December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
• November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
• October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
• September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
• August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
• July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
• June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
• May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
• April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
• March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
• February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
• December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
• November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
• October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

Sweet Potato Cranberry Nut Cookies

Here it is, January 1, 2013 and I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Year’s eve and we wish everyone a wonderful and delicious year.  I’m hoping that in this new year I can be a bit more organized and caught up with things as here I am, still posting recipes from Thanksgiving. 

After Thanksgiving I had some leftover sweet potatoes and I couldn’t decide what to do when them until I saw a recipe for Sweet Potato Cookies on Stephanie’s blog, Eat Your Heart Out and I thought, what a perfect way to use them, and as it worked out,  I had all the other ingredients needed for the recipe already in my pantry.

These cookies were wonderful, almost a cross between a cookie and muffin.  I loved these cookies plain, but even better when they were heated a little in the microwave, split open and topped with a nice pat of butter  My parents too really loved the cookies and my Mom has been asking for weeks now, that I post the recipe, so for her this is my first recipe of the new year. . 

Sweet Potato Cranberry Nut Cookies (adapted from here) 

• 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup packed Whey Low Gold or brown sugar   
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid at room temperature 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour   
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 
• 2 tsp. minced crystallized ginger    
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two baking sheets lined with Silpats or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and Whey Low Gold (or brown sugar) until thick and pale.  Whisk in the coconut oil until well combined.  Stir in the sweet potato & vanilla extract.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda & spices. Fold together with a spatula until no flour remains. Fold in the crystallized ginger, cranberries and chopped pecans.

Using a large cookie scoop portion out the batter onto the prepared pans.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cookies comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 4 days. If storing in layers, separate with parchment or wax paper so they don’t stick together.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples

I know, here it is the last day of November and I’m still trying to get my Thanksgiving recipes posted and shoot, this isn’t even my last one.  Busyness, continued sickness and tiredness…well I’m just behind and maybe one day I’ll catch up…maybe by next Thanksgiving??  I mentioned both over on my Moments with Maisie and on this blog that this year with all the food restrictions and sickness, I went really simple with our dinner and especially with dessert.  I mean think about it, what do you make with the following restrictions?  Maisie can’t have wheat, egg or dairy, my Mom can’t have dairy, my Dad limits sugar, Eammon really doesn’t care for desserts which are too chocolaty and I’ve been avoiding flour & sugar and also, though I enjoy crisps, crumbles & some tarts, I generally don’t care for pies, the making or the eating.  

Dessert really was a dilemma until I saw a recipe for Crock-Pot Baked Apples on the blog, Skinny Chef.  The recipe was perfect as it it was the right seasonal flavors and it pretty much met everyone’s dietary restrictions.  Even better, it was simple to prepare and once it was put in the slow cooker no one had to think about it until dessert was served.  Even though the original recipe met most of our dietary restrictions I still tweaked it a bit by changing out the trans-fat free margarine called for in the original recipe, instead using coconut oil and I also decided to add dried cranberries, crystallized ginger and some additional spices to make the dish more my own. 

I loved the simplicity of the dish and the flavor of the filling and the apples.  The only thing I would do differently next time is to use less fat and that’s only because I didn’t care for the mouth feel but on that, I was the only one who complained.  We enjoyed these apples both hot and cold as leftovers.  These apples provided all of the flavors of the holiday without all the heaviness, calories, fat and work of pies and by having these apples I think we all felt a bit less stuffed and possibly…even a bit healthier!

Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples (adapted from here)

• 6 Honey Crisp, Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries  
• 2 TBS coconut oil (I would cut this to 1 TBS.) 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. finely minced crystallized ginger 
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves   
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 TBS orange liquor (optional)

Using an apple corer and a serrated grapefruit spoon, core the apples, scooping out all the seeds and opening the cored hole a little wider at the top of the apple than the corer.  It’s okay if you go all the way through as the apples don’t move when they cook and if you carefully scoop them from underneath when serving, the filling stays in them without a problem. 

In a large bowl, mix the Whey Low Gold, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger & ground clove.  Fill each apple with approximately 2 TBS. of the filling, packing it in, and place the filled apples in the crockpot. Pour in the apple cider and orange liquor.  Cover and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Enjoy!

Apple Dumplings

Recently I saw a recipe for apple dumplings on Tina’s blog, Moms Crazy Cooking and they looked so easy and delicious I just had to make them.

When I say easy, I mean easy.  Peel and slice an apple.

Wrap each apple slice in a triangle of refrigerated crescent dough.

Lay the wrapped apples in a greased pan.

Pour on a mixture of melted butter, sugar and vanilla.

Spread on some partially thawed apple  juice concentrate and add some water.  

Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped pecans and then bake. 

Like I said, super simple and what you get are hot and delicious apple dumplings.

Apple Dumplings (Adapted from here)

1 stick butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1 granny smith apples
1/2 can frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
ground cinnamon 
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Peel and slice your apples. Wrap each slice in a crescent dough triangle and place in a sprayed (greased) 8x8-inch pan.  In a bowl melt the butter and then lightly stir in the sugar and vanilla so that the mixture remains grainy. Pour over top of the wrapped apples. Spread the frozen apple concentrate over the wrapped apples and pour in the water.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and pecans. Place in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who commented and emailed with food suggestions, websites and links in helping me with food substitutions and suggestions so that I can feed Maisie with her recently diagnosed allergy to wheat, milk and egg whites.  I am beginning to find my way and hopefully soon I’ll easily be cooking up a storm of wonderful foods that are safe for Maisie to eat.

Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here we are already, the second month of the Improv Cooking Challenge which is now being hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  How this challenge works is, each month two ingredients are assigned and you can make any recipe of your choice as long as it includes those two ingredients.  Last month, for the inaugural challenge all the participants made recipes using caramel and apple and I have to say, the Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies that I made were over the top wonderful.  I loved seeing all the other wonderful caramel and apple recipes, eighty-two to be exact, that the other participants submitted and if you’re interested in seeing them all, just click over to my Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies post and scroll to the bottom to see all the submissions. 

This month we were challenged to make a recipe which included cream cheese and pumpkin and to this end I decided on a Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I decided that I would use a basic cheesecake recipe that I have been using for decades and that I would change it up a bit and get that pumpkin pie flavor in there.  Next I chose to not only top it with praline but to also carry those flavors through by only using brown sugar throughout the cake and also by adding pecans to the crust.  In the end I managed to make one of the best cheesecakes I have ever made.  The flavor of the brown sugar with the pumpkin, the spices, the toasted nuts, well they melded perfectly and this recipe is going to be made again and again.  I hope that you’ll give this cheesecake a try as it’s beyond delicious and a perfect dessert to grace your holiday table.

The crust came together quickly as all the ingredients went into the food processor.

A couple spins of the blade and the crust was ready to bake.

Press the crust ingredients into the bottom of a 10-by-3 inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust bakes and cools, drain the pumpkin squeezing out as much liquid as possible.

Once the crust is baked and cooled place the pan in an oven bag and roll down the edges.  I find that the oven bags are easier and work much better than layers of foil for keeping the water out of the pan.

Pour the filling over the crust and then put the pan into a large roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water so that it comes half way up the springform pan.

Cheesecake, crack free since it was cooked in a water bath.

Once the cheesecake is cooled completely top with the praline topping and chill to allow the topping to set.

  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk

Filling
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin 
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups brown sugar 
2 tsp. roasted ground cinnamon 
1 tsp. ground ginger  
1/2 tsp. allspice 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 

Praline
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TBS. butter
1 TBS vanilla extract 
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to at 375°F.

To make the crust:  In a food processor pulse the pecans, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, flour, butter and egg yolk until fully mixed. Press into the bottom of 10-by-3 inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Once the crust is cooled completely, put the pan into a large oven bag and roll down the edges so that they are the same height as the pan.

Once the crust has baked, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.  Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

To make the filling:  Drain the pumpkin purée by placing it on several layers of paper towels. Cover with additional layers of paper towels and use your hands to gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the purée.  In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl and add the pumpkin purée and mix until well blended.  Add the egg, sour cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and nutmeg and blend until everything is well incorporated.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and then transfer the oven bag lined pan to a large roasting pan and place in the preheated 325°F oven.  Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan so that it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.  Bake the cheesecake for 60 minutes and then turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes longer.  Lift the cheesecake from inside the oven bag and keeping the cake in the springform pan, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the praline topping: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the pecans, single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden and aromatic. Coarsely chop the nuts. Stir together the brown sugar, cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Boil the mixture for about 1 1/2 minutes making sure it does not boil over. Do not stir. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and pecans. Cool the praline about 30 minutes so that it thickens up some before pouring over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Pour over the cheesecake and then chill a few hours or overnight allowing the praline to harden a bit.  When ready to serve, if necessary, run a sharp knife around the inside of the springform pan before opening the clasp and removing the ring.

Enjoy!!