Gingerbread with Orange Cream Cheese

This was a special request for Thanksgiving that sounded something like, "Hey you need to come up with a recipe for gingerbread and orange cream cheese." My friend didn't actually think I was going to make it, and neither did I.  Damn I'm sure glad I did.
One thing about this recipe is that the almond does tend to overpower the ginger... so I had to up the ante about 1/4 tsp.  Make sure you taste the batter before you pour it and see if it still needs more. And try to stop yourself from sitting on the couch with a spoon and the bowl of cream cheese because it will tempt you.
This would be a great cupcake and frosting situation.  ... I'm thinking minis...

Gingerbread
10 pitted organic dates
1 organic orange (juiced)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 pastured eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder (Grain Free)
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
1 tbs xylitol
1/8 tsp stevia extract
1/4 tsp organic cinnamon
1/8 tsp organic ground clove
1 1/4 tsp organic ground ginger
1 1/2 tbs coconut oil (lard or butter)
1/2 can organic full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 3/4 cups almond flour
pinch of sea salt


Directions
Put the dates in a bowl or container with the orange juice and vanilla extract and leave it at room temperature for about an hour. This is to soften them. When it looks like some of the liquid is disappearing, they are ready. Preheat the oven and put your oil (butter or lard) in a loaf pan and stick it in the oven to melt.  Add your spices, the eggs and stevia to the date mix and blend it all together until you have a nice smooth liquid. In a large mixing bowl put all the other dry ingredients together then add the blended date mix, coconut milk and melted oil. Mix with a hand mixer and taste it to check the sweetness and ginger. Pour the mix into the loaf pan (or cupcake molds) and bake in the middle of the oven at around 375 until there is some color on the top. Serve with delicious orange cream cheese.


Orange Cream Cheese
1 package organic cream cheese
4 tbs organic coconut milk
1/4 cup organic orange marmalade (I make my own - see below for substitution*)
pinch of organic ground ginger
1/8 tsp stevia extract


*If you can't get organic marmalade or one without sugar, you can take a whole orange and puree it, put the puree in a sauce pan with a tiny bit of liquid (water or fruit juice) and simmer it with a tbs of xylitol. Taste it for the level of sweetness you want but try to keep it a little tart. Once it seems to have reduced or thickened, let it cool.


Directions
Whip the cream cheese and coconut milk together in a bowl and add the other ingredients while you mix. Check the taste as you go, adding more marmalade or sweetener as you desire. It is not supposed to be an overpowering orange flavor... it is more of a hint. Smother on a piece of gingerbread and welcome to heaven.

Sweet Mashed Potatoes

Here is a great Thanksgiving recipe that will help your whole family eat a little healthier. My sister and I consulted each other on this one in attempts to get our family away from good ol' green bean casserole. Everything in that recipe is canned... it's just so wrong... and yet somehow it became family tradition. Hopefully this week I can post enough recipes to break all of the unhealthy traditions going around.
This is a much healthier potato dish than your standard mashed potatoes. Tried and documented by Kelly Sharon (my sister).

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

3 organic sweet potatoes

½ of an organic sweet yellow onion

1 head of roasted organic garlic

Organic or homemade Chicken broth (set aside 1 1/4 cups)

Butter or lard (for dairy-free)

1 package of bacon 
1/2 tsp sea salt

sea salt & pepper to taste

organic rosemary

Directions 

Put the garlic in the oven to roast. Boil the sweet potatoes in half water, half chicken broth with about 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Boil until fork tender, then drain the water. Mash the potatoes with the roasted garlic, about 6 tbsp of butter and approx 1-1 ¼ cups of chicken broth. Add in the chopped onion and about 5 pieces of chopped bacon.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Put in a greased baking dish with the rest of the crumbled bacon on top and a little more butter.  Baked on 400 deg for about 20 minutes.

Steak sauce

One thing I really miss is A1 Steak Sauce, and with all those steaks we eat, there has to be a substitute. So, this is what I came up with.

Ingredients
1/2 cup organic orange juice (I squeezed my own)
6-8 pitted organic dates
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons organic dijon mustard (sugar free)
1/2 cup brewed coffee
2 tablespoons organic ketchup (sugar free)
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp stevia extract (optional- add after ingredients have cooked down)


Directions
Blend all ingredients in the bullet and pour into a saucepan to simmer. Once the mixture has thickened, check the taste and add the stevia if you would like it to taste sweeter. You can also add a little arrowroot powder to help with the thickness (1/2 tsp or so).

Chocolate Mousse tart

This is a chocolate lover's delight! Another experiment gone perfect led me to this mousse on a crunchy crust. My husband keeps saying I should do it without the crust, but I prefer the texture. Plus, the cacao nibs are awesome.

Oh, and... did I mention you can eat this for breakfast? It won't hurt you one bit and is packed with protein.

Crust
1 Tbsp Lard, Butter or Coconut Oil
1 Cup raw organic cashews
1/4 Cup organic cacao nibs
1 Cup organic almonds
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 Cup organic cocoa powder
1/2 Cup xylitol
1/8 tsp stevia extract
1 Tbsp coffee grounds


Filling
6 Whole pastured eggs
1/2 Cup xylitol
1/4 tsp stevia extract
1/2 Cup organic cocoa powder
1 tsp brewed coffee
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 Cup organic orange juice


Directions
For the crust: Put all of the ingredients, except the cacao nibs, in a food processor and chop until the nuts have broken down, but maintain a chunky texture. Mix in the cacao nibs with a mixing spoon, not with the processor blade. Pour the crumbles into a square baking dish and push into the sides. Place in a preheated oven (about 375 or 400 if you live at altitude) and let bake while you make the filling.

Filling: Whip all ingredients in a blender, food processor or bullet and pour into the crust.
Bake the tart until the top gets a little color and the center is not jiggling. It will probably inflate like a brownie when it's almost done, but it will deflate when it cools. It tastes great at room temperature or chilled.

Eggnog (dairy and sugar-free)

I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with eggnog (sans the alcohol). Every year I get super excited for the season. I usually go through a half-gallon in a week on my own, and that is with a mix of half eggnog - half milk in my glass. It is dessert for me. But because it is primal, that means I can have it any time of day, in a latte or by itself. The fact that I now can drink a ton of it and not gain weight is unbelievable to me.
This recipe is dairy AND sugar free because my husband and I are staying away from dairy (even though that is the best way to have it).

Ingredients

6 pastured eggs

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 tbs xylitol + some stevia extract (to taste)

1/8 tsp freshly grated organic nutmeg 

1 can of organic coconut milk/cream (for dairy version, use 1 pint of heavy cream + 2 cups milk if you prefer it not so thick) 

Directions

In the bullet or a blender whip the eggs, sweetener, vanilla extract and nutmeg. When the eggs look thoroughly mixed add the coconut milk (or cow's milk) and continue to whip. Chill and serve with a little nutmeg as a garnish.