Dessert Archives - Page 3 of 4

Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo & Dairy-Free)

07.31.1807.30.12 by Lea

Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream @PaleoSpirit

This post should probably be titled “Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream and Perfectionism.” It’s been a while since my last post and I’ve been pondering why I have been so slack. It IS summer and we DO have a lot going on. But I realize the other major reason is I am letting my tendency to perfectionism take over. This is not a good thing.

Perfectionism does not mean everything one does is perfect. Far from it! Having a streak of “perfectionism” means, among other things, the tendency to be highly critical of oneself and to set standards impossibly high. I want my posts to be relevant and useful in some way. But recently I have gotten into a mode of avoiding making a post if I not able to do it “perfectly”.

It can become a crippling habit!

Take this recipe of Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream for example.

I have tested it a few times and each time it has turned out delicious – as verified by my ice cream connoisseur husband, G. I have wanted to share the recipe with all of you because it is a great dairy-free, lower sugar alternative to “normal” ice cream. But I have delayed in posting it. Why? Because I have been doubting my ability to photograph it properly!

How silly is that?!

I could lay some of the blame at the feet of Pinterest with all its amazing food photography. But the truth is it is my own issue born out of a tendency to be perfectionistic when I have high expectations of myself.

Making recipes is fun and so is taking photos and I want to keep it that way. I plan to continue working on my photography and let my perfectionism drive me to improve. But I am resolving to chill out a bit more, stop comparing myself to others and be happy with the best I am able to do right now.

Enough with my personal angst. Now on with the recipe. 🙂

Paleo Chocolate Birthday Cake

10.30.2306.30.12 by Lea

Paleo Chocolate Cake with Bacon Frosting

For my husband’s birthday a few weeks ago I made him a Coconut Flour Paleo Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Bacon Frosting. It was a big hit. (You could easily leave the bacon out of the Chocolate Ganache Frosting if you are less than thrilled about trying that seemingly crazy scheme.) Here’s a closer look at the cake after it was sliced. Sorry, but I can’t resist showing off my blue hydrangeas. I love hydrangeas!Back to the chocolate cake. Don’t you just want to dig in?!

In the chocolate ganache frosting post I promised to provide the recipe for the cake itself in the next entry. But I lost my notes! (Can you say ADHD?) I was about 90% sure of the ingredients but needed to make it again to validate the recipe.

Poor me.

This time I chose to make the coconut flour cake with a Coconut Honey Frosting. (Hydrangeas again)And because the layers were quite thick, I cut each one in half and made a four-layer paleo chocolate cake. The cake cooked up and tasted just like the other one so now I feel comfortable sharing the recipe. Whew!

Souvlaki for the Soul: Food and Travel Blog

06.21.1206.21.12 by Lea

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Peter from the food and travel blog, Souvlaki for the Soul, about my recipe for Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake. He has a gluten-intolerant friend who had been craving chocolate cake. How many of us can relate to the chocolate cake craving?! Peter had done an internet search for … Read more

The Paleo Perspective on Babycakes NYC™

06.19.1206.16.12 by Lea

It was the last full day of school for my two boys (yes, school ends late around here) Taking advantage of the time, I trekked into New York City for a little fun on my own. One of my stops was a bakery I first visited last summer: Babycakes NYC™. Found on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Babycakes Bakery serves

“all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.”

As someone with food allergies and intolerances, as well as some strong preferences, I greatly appreciate owner Erin McKenna’s vision. She set out to create a bakery that would serve, not a “vegan” cupcake, but a delicious cupcake that just happens to be vegan. I love that.

Let’s take a peek inside and learn a little more about Babycakes.

Chocolate Ganache Bacon Frosting

06.26.1806.12.12 by Lea

Okay, I know what you are thinking. There’s no way this is going to be good. Or, then again, maybe you have already tasted the wonders of the chocolate and bacon combination. My first taste was with a very expensive chocolate bar at Whole Foods: Mo’s Dark Bacon Bar.

Folks, it was good. Really good.

In my humble opinion, dark chocolate and crunchy bacon go great together. It reminds me of chocolate covered pretzels in the sense that it is a salty and sweet, crunchy taste sensation. I cannot eat pretzels so….why not add bacon?!

My husband, G, just had a birthday and I was trying to convince him to let me make him a paleo-friendly coconut flour birthday cake. He was reluctant because he, unlike me, is not crazy about coconut flour. To gain his acquiescence I suggested a chocolate cake. He was more interested. Then it occurred to me that I could make a chocolate frosting that included some bacon. So did he come around, you may ask?

Let’s just say I had him at “bacon”.

Here’s what I did to make the chocolate ganache bacon frosting:

I found some high quality 100% dark chocolate – there’s no sugar added, just cacao.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

10.30.2306.08.12 by Lea

Just last week I posted a recipe for Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies. A salad or a healthy fish recipe would seem to be in order after that. Posting two dessert/treat recipes in a row seems overly indulgent. But I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with almond flour and this Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is the result. I can’t wait to share it because it turned out really well.

Types of Flour in this Paleo Cookie

Almond flour has a high fat content. Using it in recipes generally results in moist confections. This can be a good thing when making cakes but when it comes to cookies I prefer something a little more firm and possibly crunchy. To make this happen in a chocolate chip cookie recipe I decided to add some coconut flour. Coconut flour is the opposite of almond flour in the sense that it is very dry. A little bit goes a long way. I have been playing around with combining these two flours to get the optimal mix for a cookie. The result is a tender chocolate chip cookie that has a little bit of crunch around the edges. It’s paleo because it is grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and legume-free (I have actually seen cookie recipes that use bean flour!) These paleo chocolate chip cookies are even vegan.

This cookie is also non-political and loves puppies and little children. Basically, this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Here’s Nathaniel posing for me. This child really should be paid to be my model. He is always being asked to pose and does a great job. Someday he may command a hefty fee but for now I get away with giving him cookies for his hard work as my model.

Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free and Vegan)

10.30.2305.30.12 by Lea

I generally use coconut flour for Paleo dessert recipes because our oldest son, Benjamin, is allergic to nuts. But after hearing great things about it, I finally ordered some blanched almond flour. I started out to create paleo chocolate chip cookies but creativity got the best of me and I ended up with something a little different. I decided to make a Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie instead. And remembering how coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, something I learned when making the Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake, I also added a packet of Starbucks Via (instant coffee) to the cookie batter.

There’s enough of a resulting coffee flavor in the cookie that the word “mocha” seems appropriate to describe the coffee and chocolate combination.

It seems a little mean to bake these mocha chocolate chip cookies when Ben cannot eat them. But he was a good sport about it saying, “it’s okay, I’m used to it.” I’m not really sure what he meant by that since I go out of my way to ensure he can eat most of my recipes. But he let me off the hook so I won’t worry too much about it. He knows I’ll make him something tasty that he can eat a little later.

Update:

During subsequent allergy testing, we discovered Ben is not allergic to almonds. His allergist even told me I should feed him almonds or almond flour goods every so often to keep up his immunity.

Paleo Shortbread Tea Cookies

10.09.2305.13.12 by Lea

Today I am sharing my recipe for Paleo Shortbread Tea Cookies along with instructions for creating them in the shape of a tea bag. Perfect for tea time!

What Does Mozart Have to Do with Cookies?

Have you ever seen the movie Amadeus? It’s my favorite movie of all time. There is a scene where the composer Antonio Salieri, looking at the impeccable first drafts of Mozart’s compositions, marvels at the perfection of the work. He recognizes the hand of God.

“He had simply written down music already finished in his head. Page after page of it as if he were just taking dictation.”

I have to agree with Salieri that God was clearly involved in Mozart’s musical genius and used him to grant us amazing beauty in the form of his compositions. I could write a thesis on how God has provided mankind with many blessings of beauty and how those things point us back to Him. But this is a recipe post and right about now you are probably wondering what in the world this has to do with Paleo shortbread cookies! Well…..you see, I can relate to poor old Salieri. At one point in the movie he laments how, in his view, God has not granted him genius but has, instead, cursed him with the ability to recognize genius when he encounters it. This frustrates Salieri and causes him to hatch a plot against Mozart.

While I am not hatching any plots against others who happen to be more artistically talented, I do find myself at times feeling a bit envious of their abilities. When I see works of great artists, or hear amazing music or read brilliant poetry I long for a similar talent. This is also true when it comes to crafts. I can appreciate the crafts of others but have never been blessed with the crafting gene. HOWEVER, today I feel as though I have finally overcome my deficit in a small way with the following paleo shortbread tea cookies!

This recipe falls into the category of dessert/treat AND craft. (Look out, Martha Stewart!) It would work really well at a tea or a wedding or baby shower. The paleo tea cookies could even be used as party favors. They are grain free, gluten free, nut free and sweetened only with maple syrup and a small amount of sugar in the dark chocolate coating.

Gluten Free Shortbread Tea Cookies

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In love with LOVEBEAN Fudge

02.05.1503.19.12 by Lea

While back in my home state of Texas for the Paleo FX Symposium – Theory to Practice in Austin, March 14-17, I encountered LoveBean Fudge.

It was a magical meeting. (The symposium was good too….)

The husband and wife team behind LoveBean are huge believers in high-density super foods. Together they have created some chocolate products that are really nutritious and absolutely delicious! One thing that caught my attention about LoveBean Fudge is the fact it is made with organic coconut nectar instead of evaporated cane juice. I have used coconut nectar or coconut crystals in several recipes, such as Paleo Coconut Cream Pie and Paleo/Primal Chocolate Cheesecake. I even use it in my popular Paleo Pancakes recipe. Coconut nectar/sap is very low glycemic (GI of only 35), is an abundant source of minerals, 17 amino acids, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH. Some may argue there is not much difference between cane syrup and coconut nectar. But even if the insulin response to either form of sugar is largely the same, I would choose coconut nectar for the added nutrition and the unique and delicious flavor.

Here’s Sweat Pea eating some LoveBean Fudge. Hmm. Funny but he doesn’t seem to notice the insulin response! (And BTW Austin DOES rock.)

Korean Shingo Pear Flaugnarde (Clafoutis)

07.31.1802.23.12 by Lea

When I initially made this recipe I referred to it as a clafoutis. But it turns out a clafoutis is a rustic French dessert traditionally made with black cherries. Whenever the same dish is made using a different type of fruit it is known as a flaugnarde. Here’s how to pronounce flaugnarde. I had to play that soundbite a few times to get the pronunciation down (in spite of my slight Texas twang). It’s a funny word that sounds a lot better than it looks. And the dish itself is delightfully warm and filling.

This flaugnarde recipe makes use of Korean Shingo pears. These pears are similar to other asian pears but they are larger and very round. (You could substitute with other types of pears or even apple slices.) The Shingo pears have a high sugar content and a delicate, almost floral taste. They are nicely crisp and would probably be terrific in a salad. But they also work particularly well with this flaugnarde which is perfect as a breakfast or brunch dish. It is not a particularly sweet dish but could still be used as a dessert. If you like custards and/or bread puddings like I do then you will probably enjoy this moist flaugnarde. The 1/4 cup of coconut crystals is optional. I tried it both ways and it was good each time – just a little sweeter with the coconut crystals.

A slice of the flaugnarde for breakfast with a couple of farm fresh eggs fried in ghee is pretty heavenly. My sons, who eat dairy, like to slather it with full fat Greek yogurt.