Browsing Tag

low sugar

Breakfast

Sneaky Pinks… A Healthy Treat!

August 29, 2015

A dangerous thing has happened to me. And it’s personal.

Directly across from my bedroom & kitchen windows, making a visual & olfactory bee line for my eyes and nose,  is a Donut Factory.

Their kitchen is soin such close to mine that we busy cooks can wave to each other, the warm smells from our respective work spaces wafting out to blend & mix in the middle airspace between my apartment and  the Donut Factory.

What’s a grain-free, gluten-free, low-sugar gal to do?

Here’s what. Try the recipe below. It provides a sneaky way to give yourself & your family a donut-like treat that is full of nutrition, very low on sugar, and zero of gluten & bad fats!

SNEAKY PINKS

Into a mixing bowl, add

  • 2 Free-roaming eggs
  • 2 Tsp Fresh lemon juice
  • 5 Drops liquid Stevia (or 4 packets if you don’t have liquid)
  • 1/3 Cup good quality sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups Pureed Cooked (fresh or from a can) Beets
  • 1-1/2 cups Gluten-Free Pancake mix (See my photo)
  • 1/2 Tsp. Baking power
  • Pinch of salt

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Blend on high with a hand mixer or hand blender until completely incorporated.

Coat your favorite frying pan with Cocout Oil or Butter or Good Earth Butter sub.

(I used a tiny pan, the kind one would use to make an individual egg for a McMuffin type sandwich. But… you can use a larger pan and just made small rounds, dropping in each PINK  ROUNDwith a spoon.)

When your pan is nice and hot, drop in your pink batter, any size you like.

Immediately lower the head to medium-low. Allow to cook on one side until you see the top batter bubbling and the cake is firm enough to flip without spilling.  Then cook another minute  and remove from pan.

Arrange on a plate any way you like, and dust with powdered sugar. They are surprisingly moist and sweetly satisfying.

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Breakfast

Healthy Craving Fixer

May 10, 2015

imageAs a little girl, no trip to “the city”, a.k.a, New York City was complete until, at my mother’s pleading, my dad pulled the car over at 86th and 3rd, to fullfil her craving for the then exotic fruit, slightly odd tasting fruit, papaya,  always available at the now historical Papaya King.   She adored this gorgeously colored fruit which, to my young palette tasted a bit, well, off. Still,  I loved anything coconut, and a trip to Papaya King meant a coconut treat for me!

As I grew up and traveled some,  my taste buds came on board. In the Southern Philippines, I learned to stab a slice of fresh papaya with my fork, and then fill the tiny rows of holes with fresh squeezed Calamansi, a kind of citrus, not quite like a lemon or a lime, but these will do.

calamansiIt was here that I also learned  to love crisp, tart, unripe, green papaya, sliced into sticks, then dipped in vinegar and spicy salt. Later, in New York City, I learned you can julienne green papaya to add to salads and savory dishes.

 

Calamansi

green papayaIn Mexico and in Panama, I came to love thick fruit smoothies, either alone or paired with bananas or pineapple or strawberries.  I cut the papaya into cubes and store it in bags in the freezer. This way my smoothies are cold and fruity, undiluted by water or ice cubes.

Today,  I enjoy teaming my papaya up with the taste of coconut, which I still adore.

But when I was first diagnosed as pre-diabetic (I have corrected this with my diet), I steered away from sweets, including fruits in general, since sugar is sugar… isn’t it?

With a Glycemic Index value of 59, Papaya is generally considered a “medium” sugar threat.  And now for the good news: On the Glycemic Load Index, papaya measures at a low 10.

The Glycemic Load refers to the body’s response to sugars by taking into account both the quantity of carbohydrates as well as the type of carbohydrates. For a detailed explanation of glycemic values and how they are calculatedClick Here.  In short, this means that eating papaya occasionally, especially if paired with other foods, doesn’t necessarily cause blood sugars to spike.

When I have a true craving for something sweet, I make this delicious treat using only four healthy ingredients.

1 Cup papaya, diced.
2 Heaping tablespoons coconut milk (I like to spoon it on, chilled)
1 Tablespoon crushed flax seeds (easy to crush up in a coffee grinder!)
1 Slice of Lemon or Lime

TIP:  Keep papaya cubes cold and handy by freezing them. Then, use the same above ingredients to blend into a  fresh smoothie, and, if you are feeling festive, add and ounce and a half of rum!