Now this isn't just any apple pie.  As I was growing up, the first and foremost requirement of a dessert for dad is that it's sugar-free.  Since apples have some of their own natural sweetness, we're off to a good start!  Next criteria, a more recent realization on his part, is that he does much better following a gluten-free diet.  Having been strictly gluten-free in the past myself, and continuing to be mostly gluten-free now, I felt this didn't present too much of an issue (Especially since Thanksgiving, when I made a fantastic pumpkin pie with the Sweet & Salty Spiced Pecan Crust from Oh She Glows - this really boosted my confidence in making gluten-free pie crust!).  The final bit of criteria for my dad's birthday pie was for it to be dairy-free; not essential for him, but important for me so that I could enjoy it with him!

So, a sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free apple pie?  Is this actually going to resemble apple pie when it's done??  I wasn't too worried about it.

As for apples themselves, the old adage goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  How much truth is there to this statement, anyway?  Actually, apples are rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, and dietary fibre, and may reduce the risk of cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and heart disease.  They are also protective against neurotoxicity and stroke, and may help to lower LDL ('bad') cholesterol.

One additional note - apples are an important fruit to consume organic, as they rank highest in pesticide residue of all produce, according to Environmental Working Group.  To read my posting about pesticides on produce, click here.

Enough on the health benefits - let’s get started!  This recipe is adapted from Jules’ Fuel (blog of a nutrition consultant, life & health coach); when I saw that the crust featured ground nuts instead of gluten-free flour, I knew we were off to an excellent start in both the taste and texture departments!

The crust was the first task.  This nut crust features ground almonds as the main ingredient, and an egg to hold it all together.

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups of almond flour

1/8 teaspoon salt


1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Combine almond flour and salt in a large bowl.  Add egg and melted coconut oil and mix well to form dough.  Press dough firmly and evenly into the base and sides of a 9” pie dish.  Using a fork, poke a few holes into the crust before baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Next step – the juicy, spiced apple filling.  No wonder this is dad’s favourite dessert!  I did some research into the best apples for apple pie, and honestly, for the most part it seems to be up to personal preference.  For this pie, I decided to use a combination of Fuji (my favourite apple for eating out of hand) and Pink Lady.  Both are sweet, juicy, and delicious.  Other apples that do well in pies are the classic Granny Smith and Honeycrisp (another of my favourites!).  It's best to avoid apples with flesh that breaks down during baking, such as McIntosh and Red Delicious.  It’s hard to go terribly wrong with your apple choice, but these general guidelines will help to prevent a mushy pie.  If you’d like a more in depth discussion of choosing the best apples for pie, read here.

Filling Ingredients


4 large apples
1 tablespoon vanilla
 extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cut apples into thin slices, or smaller if preferred, and place in a large bowl.  Health tip:  Don't peel your apples - most of the fibre and antioxidants are in the peel!  Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well to coat apples evenly.  Layer apple mixture evenly in the pre-baked pie crust.

And the glorious finishing touch – crumble topping!  This is my favourite way to complete a pie crust, as it takes advantage of the best of apple crumble and traditional pie crust.  Having this crumbly mixture on top adds incredible flavour and texture, and truly is the perfect finishing touch to any pie.

Crumble Topping Ingredients 


1 cup coarsely ground walnuts

1/4 cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Process walnuts in food processor or magic bullet, and mix with coconut flour and cinnamon.  Sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the filling, and add a drizzle of honey evenly on top, if desired.

I drizzled honey on less than half of the pie - I didn't notice it made much of a difference to the flavour.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour.  Allow to cool briefly and serve hot with coconut whipped cream. 

Don’t forget the candles if it’s Dad’s (or anyone’s!) birthday!

... into baking, that is!

I've been intrigued by the Paleo Diet for awhile now.  Especially - I admit - when friends share amazing muffins, breads, and cookies that are not only free of gluten and dairy, but grain-free as well!  It gets me thinking that there must be something to this seemingly restrictive diet, after all.  And so I began my research.

'Paleo' is short for 'Paleolithic', and refers to the paleolithic era, a time period lasting about 2.5 million years and ending about 10,000 years ago as traditional diets were lost with the development of modern agriculture.  The basic premise of the Paleo Diet is to consume foods that resemble as closely as possible those eaten by our ancestors - all the way back to 'caveman' days, if you will.

The Paleo Diet is rich in good quality protein, healthy fat, fibre, potassium, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant phytochemicals, while being low in carbohydrates, high glycemic index foods, and sodium.  The goal of this way of eating, ultimately, is to prevent modern chronic diseases by consuming a diet containing only those foods which were possible to eat before the advent of modern agriculture and food processing.  Since dairy is already long gone from my diet, and I'm pretty sure we could all eat fewer grains and sugar with the goal of a longer, healthier life, I was intrigued to say the least.  And, I could still do some baking??  I'm game!

In a nutshell (no pun intended!), these are the basic guidelines for the Paleo Diet:

I'm not sure I'd commit to strictly following the Paleo Diet in the long-term, but I definitely see the benefit in adopting a lifestyle of consuming more of the foods on the left and fewer of those on the right.  Over time, I've gradually adopted an 80/20 sort of approach - consume Paleo-friendly foods 80% of the time, and eat freely the remaining 20% of the time.  I've found that this works quite well, as it allows me to eat well and yet not feel overly-restricted or inconvenienced - not to mention, I don't have to miss out on baking that doesn't happen to be Paleo!

Most recently, Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies that my colleague shared with our clinic group last week is what really peaked my interest in the Paleo Diet.  So, after years of experimenting with being gluten-free and dairy-free, I decided to try my hand at a new style of baking - Paleo-licious!


Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will need:
3 cups almond flour (or coconut flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (4 eggs if using coconut flour) 
½ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut oil (add extra ¼ cup coconut oil if using coconut flour)
1 ½ cups Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

Instructions
1.     Preheat oven to 350°F (I used 275°F in my hot oven)
2.     In medium sized mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients
3.     In a small mixing bowl beat eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla with a hand mixer
4.     Pour wet ingredients into dry and beat with a hand mixer until combined
5.     Melt coconut oil, pour into batter, and continue to blend until combined
6.     Stir in chocolate chips
7.     On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop balls of cookie dough, approximately a tablespoon in size 8.     Bake for 15 minutes (8 minutes in my hot oven if using almond flour; a little longer for coconut flour)
9.     Let cool and enjoy!

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Sources:
http://thepaleodiet.com/

Chocolate is everywhere at Christmastime!  And while pure cacao most definitely has health benefits, it is easy to be led astray with the simplified notion that 'chocolate is good for you'.  What is important to understand is that while consuming pure dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao) confers many health benefits, there are also many sugar and fat-laden chocolate treats on the market that do not have the same effect.

Let's begin by understanding the art of chocolate-making.  Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are crushed and mixed with other ingredients such as cacao butter, sugar, milk and vanilla to improve the texture and taste.  Varying amounts of these ingredients is what results in different percentages of cacao in the finished product.  Milk chocolate is typically a lower percentage of cacao and contains more sugar and milk, while dark chocolate traditionally contains less sugar and no milk at all.  On the other hand, white chocolate contains none of the cacao solids, only the cacao butter.  The higher the percentage of cacao, the richer and less sweet chocolate tends to be.

As you can probably imagine, the health benefits of chocolate do not come from the added milk or sugar, but rather the cacao solids, the amount of which is represented by the percentage of cacao in the finished product.  Cacao is best known for its beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, due to the antioxidant flavonoids it contains.  Flavonoids are compounds present in plant foods, and have been linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke and coronary heart disease.  In terms of cardiovascular health, favourable actions include:

• Increase in HDL 'good' cholesterol
• Decrease in LDL 'bad' cholesterol
• Inhibition of oxidation of LDL cholesterol by free radicals, thereby prevention of atherosclerosis (plaque formation inside arteries)
• Regulation of inflammatory and immune processes in blood vessel walls
• Regulation of vascular tone (blood vessel constriction), a factor in high blood pressure

If you are looking for a healthy homemade chocolate recipe this Christmas, my Chocolate Bliss Wedges have been a hit with everyone I've sampled them on so far.  You can put your own twist on them by using any combination of dried fruit & nuts that strikes your fancy.  Be  creative and have fun with it!

Chocolate Bliss Wedges

¼ cup coconut oil, melted (see my earlier post on the health benefits of coconuts)
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup cocoa powder
Crushed walnuts
Raisins
Unsweetened coconut, if desired
Vanilla bean (scraped from inside of vanilla bean, not liquid extract) or vanilla powder

Mix all ingredients together, adding the desired amounts of walnuts and raisins to hold the mixture together.  Freeze for 15 minutes, then cut into wedges and enjoy!  Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Sources:
http://sta.uwi.edu/cru/Healthbenefits.asp
http://www.eufic.org/article/en/artid/health-benefits-cocoa-flavanoids/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19998197@N00/3238445535/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blakekirkland/5484215198/sizes/m/in/photostream/

It's pretty easy to go coo coo over something as delicious as coconut.  Especially now that so much research is coming out about coconut's health benefits, it seems to be appearing everywhere.  No longer only in traditional Thai and South Indian cuisine, coconut is increasing in popularity as a staple in many non-dairy alternatives for milk, yogurt and butter.

For years, coconuts were demonized for their high saturated fat content.  Recently, however, researchers have discovered that the saturated fats present in coconut are unlike those in animal products.  The difference lies in the type of fatty acids they contain; coconuts contain a unique type of fatty acids called 'medium chain triglycerides' (MCTs).  MCTs are quite different from long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which are abundant in animal products, and have more beneficial effects on the body.  MCTs are metabolized differently in that they bypass the usual digestive processes and are sent directly to the liver.  MCTs are then immediately used for energy, rather than being stored as fat, and are therefore seen to boost metabolism and assist with weight loss.  In addition, MCTs do not negatively affect cholesterol levels like LCFAs can, making them a healthy fat for those concerned about atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Aside from being a healthy source of fat, coconut are delicious too!  Normally, I go for chocolate desserts, but today, a friend of mine made one of the most delicious desserts I've ever tasted, and it didn't contain a trace of chocolate.  This time, the key ingredient was coconut, and when I got home, I was inspired to re-create her masterpiece.

Coconut Crack Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons coconut oil (melted to liquid)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Combine all ingredients and mix - I used my trusty Magic Bullet, but a food processor or even mixing by hand would work just fine.  Transfer mixture to a small pan or container and press to form an even layer.  Refrigerate for one hour before cutting, or put in the freezer for 15 minutes if you can't wait that long!

I recommend enjoying these with a cup of tea or beverage of your choice, as they are very rich on their own.  And as a warning, they are called 'crack' bars for a reason... you might not be able to stop at just one!

¡Buen provecho!

Eating on the go is an inevitable part of a busy lifestyle, but doing so healthily shouldn’t be impossible!  That’s why my mom and I came up with this healthy breakfast recipe back when I was in high school, so I could continue to eat well amidst my busy schedule of school, dance, and commuting between the two.  We called them ‘Breakfast Cookies’, as they are essentially the contents of a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form, for a quick and easy breakfast!  Unlike a traditional ‘cookie’, however, they are free from any added sugar or fat; their natural sweetness comes from raisins and spices, and their moisture comes from applesauce.

This recipe features oats, which have medicinal properties as a food as well as in their botanical form.  When consumed as a food, oats are rich in fibre, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.  They are useful in balancing blood glucose levels, decreasing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, lowering cholesterol levels, and overall improving cardiovascular health.

Botanically known as Avena sativa, oats are a true nutritive for the nervous system.  When given as a botanical tincture, oats have mild anti-depressant properties, and are also indicated for nervous exhaustion, anxiety and insomnia.

This recipe features oats, which have medicinal properties as a food as well as in their botanical form.  When consumed as a food, oats are rich in fibre, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.  They are useful in balancing blood glucose levels, decreasing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, lowering cholesterol levels, and overall improving cardiovascular health.

Botanically known as Avena sativa, oats are a true nutritive for the nervous system.  When given as a botanical tincture, oats have mild anti-depressant properties, and are also indicated for nervous exhaustion, anxiety and insomnia.

Oats are also extremely nourishing and moisturizing to the skin when applied topically, and can be used for many conditions including inflammation, eczema, acne, dry and irritated skin.  My favourite is an oatmeal face mask: simply grind a couple tablespoons of oats in the blender and mix in a small bowl with enough warm water to form a thin paste.  Massage gently into skin and allow to dry.  Rinse off after 20-30 minutes.

But since eating oats is the most fun, see the recipe below!

Scarlett’s Breakfast Cookies

First, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Then, mix together in a large bowl:

1 1/3 cups of whole rolled oats
2/3 cup rolled oats, ground into flour in the blender
½ cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
2/3 cup walnuts (or other nuts/seeds)
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1 ½ cups applesauce
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place cookie batter in small flattened mounds, an inch or so apart, to make 18 cookies.  Bake for 15-17 minutes, then allow to cool on a wire rack.  These cookies can be eaten immediately, or stored in the fridge for up to a week.  Enjoy for breakfast or as a snack anytime!

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Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhall209/2530281404/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54