Flax Pumpkin Pie Nuggets for Health Nuts - High-Fiber, Sugar-Free, Grain-Free (with Vegan option)

This is a strange little cookie. That being said, my daughter and I eat them all the time. 

Flax Pumpkin Pie nuggets for Health Nuts

My recipe uses flax meal instead of flour, which gives these more of a pumpkin pie-like texture inside. You do taste the flax, although it is tempered by the use of the spices and almond extract. These cookies are not overly sweet either, but the chocolate chips totally save the day.

These little nuggets are best eaten warm. Then the chocolate is all oozy and delicious. This is why we warm them up for a few seconds before eating them. There is no sugar to preserve these cookies, so they must be stored in the fridge.

Why do we eat these nuggets? They are super healthy (and we are health nuts in this house). These are basically all fiber. I will eat a few of these for breakfast or a snack and they fill me up if I drink a healthy dose of water with them. These are fabulous for helping your blood sugar levels stay even, again, thank all the fiber for that. I add the protein because, well, I wanted protein in them too!

These cookies have helped me when I have set my mind to slim down a bit. They are ready for any snack attacks if I have them at the ready in my fridge. It doesn't take much time at all to bake up a new batch when we are out either.

If you hate eating flax, you may see these cookies as an improvement for flax, or you may not.

I say, live on the edge and make yourself a half-batch, and see how it goes. Warning: They grow on you (not like a fungus though).


Flax Pumpkin Pie Nuggets

1 29-0z can plain pumpkin puree
1 large egg (can omit for vegan)
1 t. real vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
3/4 t. stevia glycerite
1/2 c. erythritol
1 t. sea salt or BioSalt
3 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 t. psyllium husk powder
1 c. plain whey protein isolate (or vegan protein powder)
2 1/2 c. freshly ground flax meal
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar-free or regular)


Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone liners and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine by hand, the canned pumpkin with the other wet ingredients.

Add the eythritol, salt, spices, and psyllium husk powder and mix together very well.

Add the flax meal and combine until uniform.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Portion dough using about a 1 tablespoon sized ice cream scoop. Place close together onto the cookie sheets (the dough does not spread).

Bake for 12 minutes. the outsides will be set but the insides will remain very soft.

Remove from oven and let cool completely on the cookie sheets.

When cooled, transfer to air-tight containers and store in the refrigerator.

To serve: Place a few nuggets into a plate and microwave them 20 to 30 seconds.

I'm adding some pictures of our dog Moki because he is cuter than these cookies.

Enjoy,

Leila.

A New & Improved Way To Prepare Amazing Zucchini Pasta - Or Yellow Summer Squash - Low Carb & Gluten Free!

Summer Squash Pasta with rich Itallian meat sauce and home made pesto!

Here we show you a superior way to prepare delicious zucchini or yellow summer squash pasta. 

It looks and tastes more authentic for delicious low-carb Italian pasta dishes. We LOVE using our new technique, and we think you will love it too. This new method has never been offered before. This is a Kitchen Cheetahs original!

Our method is super easy and speedy fast, and you can use either zucchini or yellow summer squash to make your tasty low-carb noodles.

The process of making amazing Zucchini Pasta:

First peel the zucchini or summer squash. It is important to peel all the green off before making into noodles. If your zucchini are organic, you may save the peelings to add to green smoothies, they taste great.

Use an ordinary vegetable peeler to get consistent shaped noodles. Use the peeler with firm even pressure to make substantial "al dente" style noodles. This is a very important part of the process.

When you start to see the seeds inside the squash, STOP.

You can save and use the seedy centers in green smoothies, soups etc... 

Choose Zucchini at least this size (shown above). larger zucchini have firmer flesh that's more suitable for our faux noodles. This is a great time to use up those overgrown zucchini from your garden that you are always trying to find a good home for! We have successfully used zucchini over a foot long  as well as the shop-worn zucchini - you know the ones... They have been in the fridge for a while and have gotten a little dented and flabby (like the one pictured above). Just peel down to the unmarked flesh below, and you're good to go!

Also shown are our 2 favorite vegetable peelers that work great for making wide noodles. You may also use a spiralizer but they seem to require more time to set up and clean up. We like the toothsomeness of these noodles, and they carry a lot of awesome sauce! 

After you have peeled your noodles, toss the noodles with plenty of your favorite olive oil, then toss with a bit of garlic powder (NOT garlic salt).

 Let the noodles marinate at least 10 minutes - up to a couple of hours. The garlicky oil infuses flavor into the noodles and transforms them! If you do not like garlic, you can use finely powdered dry onion (NOT onion salt). 

NOTE: The garlic powder or onion powder should be as fine as flour to infuse the noodles evenly with flavor. This also helps to prevent your pasta from burning or looking speckled as you stir-fry it.  

Preheat a large nonstick skillet - it should be very hot! Then dump in your oil-marinated pasta and immediately begin tossing it just as you would for any quick stir-fry. You could also use a wok or a very well-seasoned griddle to do this. 

Keep stirring and tossing and you will soon notice the noodles soften and develop a few fragrant caramelized parts. However, the idea is not to brown these noodles as you would sauteed onions...just cook them quickly and evenly. 

Stop cooking the second you notice moisture beginning to show up in the pan! Tip the pasta at once onto your serving plate.

Do not toss with sauce until you are ready to sit down and eat. WHY??? Because salt, and any sauce containing salt, will draw out moisture from the zucchini noodles and you'll end up with a watery dish... So just ladle your sauce either on top of the pasta or on the side at serving time. 

EVERYONE loves zucchini pasta prepared this way and we have never seen it shown to people in this manner. This is a much, much superior version of zucchini pasta.  

Here's the process using yellow summer squash:

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy.

Dad's Healthified Orange Julius - with a Secret Ingredient (Copy-Cat)

So over the top good and refreshing & good for you too!

My dad comes up with killer protein drinks. Being an athlete and trainer for athletes, he drinks protein drinks a lot. You have to mix it up a little if you drink a lot of them, or YAWN....

He makes protein drinks we WANT to drink. This is one of them, and it has a unique secret ingredient... Angostura Bitters.

As a family, we have been exploring bitters and tonics. Some people use them for alcoholic drinks, but actually bitters are old fashioned remedies for digestion and general health. We like to use them to create depth of flavor in various recipes and non-alcoholic beverages, much like you would use vanilla or almond extract. As far as bitters go, Angostura Bitters is king. It is affordable and has great flavor. It is the secret ingredient in this version of an Orange Julius. Give it a try.


Dad's Orange Julius Recipe:

Makes 2 big servings:

10 ice cubes
1/4 to 1/3 c. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 c. almond milk
1 scoop (3 T.) whey protein isolate
1 pinch sea salt or BioSalt
1 pinch orange flavor powder or 1 to 2 drops tangerine essential oil
stevia glycerite, to taste
Angostura Bitters, to taste


1 big serving:

5 ice cubes
2 to 3 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. almond milk
1 1/2 T. whey protein isolate
mini-pinch sea salt or BioSalt
mini-pinch orange flavor powder or 1 drop tangerine essential oil
stevia glycerite, to taste
Angostura Bitters, to taste


Method:

Place all but stevia glycerite and bitters in a blender and blend until smooth.

Add stevia glycerite and bitters to taste, blending in well.

Serve cold.


Enjoy,

Dad.

Outrageous Santa Rosa Plum Jam - Healthy & Sugar-Free

This is an easy recipe for a beautiful fresh fruit freezer jam. 

Fragrant Santa Rosa Plum Jam

When you find ripe plums in your store or local farmer's market (their alluring perfume will find you), pick out a pound of the ripest ones and use them to make some of this lovely jam.

My dad brought a few of these delicious plums home for my mom. They were so good that my mom immediately went back to the store and hand picked some of the ripest ones to take home and make into this jam. You rarely find plums of this quality in grocery stores, so when you do, jump on it.

The only thickening used for this jam is finely ground psyllium husk powder, so it takes some time to thicken up. Let the jam sit in the refrigerator over night to thicken completely. Store the jars you are not using immediately in your freezer.


Outrageous Santa Rosa plum jam Recipe:

1 pound Santa Rosa type plums - sweet, tree-ripened and fragrant
3 ounces pitted black sweet cherries
1/2 c. erythritol
2 T. xylitol
1 T. fine psyllium husk powder
1/4 t. monk fruit extract, 80% strength
1/8 t. BioSalt
2 T. IMO powder (or IMO syrup) 
2 T. vegetable glycerine
stevia glycerite, to taste


Method:

Wash and pit the ripe, fragrant plums. Roughly chop and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients together well, and set aside.

In a food processor, puree the pitted cherries with the dry ingredients, vegetable glycerine and IMO syrup, if using. Stop the food processor. 

Add the chopped plums and pulse to desired texture.

Pour jam into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave to 110 degrees F., with occasional stirring. Or heat on the stove-top in a non-metallic pan to 110 degrees F., stirring until the erythritol is dissolved.

Sweeten to taste with the stevia glycerite.

Store the jam in the refrigerator overnight to allow it to fully thicken.

The next day, portion into jars for freezing and freeze.

Note: The cherries add beautiful color but do not  compete with the plum flavor.

Freshly made, before the thickening process has completed.

Plum jam now completely Thickened - So smooth and rich and exotically perfumed.

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

About Vegetable Glycerine in Sugar-Free Cooking

Here is some useful information about food grade vegetable glycerine.

We use food grade vegetable glycerine a lot here at Kitchen Cheetahs. It works wonderfully as part of sugar-free sweetening systems. We use it as the base of our home made Stevia Glycerite (a NOW brand copy-cat recipe). We use it in sugar-free syrups. in icings, salad dressings, in baked goods, among other things. We have used this basic ingredient for years and love it!

See it used here in our Super Low Carb Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce.

We highly recommend having it in your pantry, because it is in several Kitchen Cheetah recipes.

Review some of it's good features below...


FOOD GRADE VEGETABLE GLYCERINE:

* is made from coconut or palm oil (heating under pressure with water)
* is GRAS
* is approved by Health Canada
* does not affect blood sugar – perfect for diabetics
* does not cause tooth decay
* helps prevent dehydration
* enhances athletic performance
* helps prevent constipation
* used as a humectant for skin conditions, specially dry skin.
* medically used to prevent brain swelling (intravenous)
* medicaliy used to reduce pressure within the eye (intravenous)
* is an excellent food preservative
* is an excellent emulsifier
* is used in eye-drops for dry eyes (pharmaceutical grade)


VEGETABLE GLYCERINE  is classified as a "sugar alcohol"....  as is ERYTHRITOL and XYLITOL.


Stay tuned,

Leila & Nancy

The Kitchen Cheetahs

Super Low Carb Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce

This amazing secret sauce is intensely punchy & sweet & spicy & fragrant...

And here is an even lower carb version for the athlete!

Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce

Happy 4th of July! This zippy recipe is our gift to you. We thought you should have some fireworks for your mouth to go along with the exploding night sky.

My mom created this healthy sauce while living in the Fijian islands, thus the name. Many people have asked for this recipe but alas, it could not be acquired - UNTIL TODAY. Do you feel loved?

"Fiji Sauce" brings it all together.

Our original Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is much lower in carbs and sugars than a traditional Thai sweet chili sauce and you can use our yummy sauce in much the same manner.

This lower carb version omits the ripe banana and orange juice called for in the original recipe. No xylitol is used either, because it has more carbs than erythritol.

My dad has a black belt in Judo and is an instructor as well.The many athletes he trains and coaches want this very version of our Fiji Sauce because of it's super low carb and high fiber content. It helps these athletes keep their body fat percentage down, yet allows them to have a sweet treat, usually forbidden in their strict diets. This sauce does make you feel like you are cheating, it is so delicious!

Erythritol is used as the main sweetener in this lower carb version of Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce. Stevia glycerite is used to enhance the sweetness further.

Our punchy Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is delicious as a condiment with just about anything. It makes a great dip, topping, sauce, dressing... uhh, main dish?

My dad has some of this punchy sauce everyday with his lunch or dinner. It is a beloved staple here at Kitchen Cheetahs! The picture above shows my dad ready to dig into a plate of our favorite Chicken Bake, with a side of our Quinoa Tabouli topped with this Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce.


Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce Recipe:

10 ounces frozen raspberries
12 ounces frozen pitted cherries

Mix the fruits together and set aside to thaw to room temperature.

While the fruit is thawing make a Habanero Paste:
4 to 6 habaneros
1/2 c. granular erythritol

Wearing gloves, remove the seeds and and pith from the habanero peppers.
Finely mince habaneros and then smash with the 1/4 c. erythritol to make a very smooth paste.

Puree the above thawed fruit with:
The prepared Habanero Paste above
2 16-ounce jars of "fire roasted" red peppers and their juice
4 c. granular erythritol
1/2 c. whole psyllium husks
3/4 c. raw apple cider vinegar, or a little more (to desired tanginess)
4 T. FINELY grated frozen, peeled ginger root, to taste
1 to 3 t. fresh orange or tangerine zest, to taste (or 1 to 2 drops orange or tangerine essential oil)
3/4 t. sea salt or BioSalt, or a little more, to taste
1/2 t. turmeric powder
1/8 to 1/4 t. garlic powder, to taste

Pulse/grind into a medium smooth sauce. Do in batches to accommodate your food processor.
Put the processed mixture into a large non metallic bowl or pot.

Stir in:
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. vegetable glycerine (food grade)
Stevia glycerite to taste

Add stevia glycerite to taste. It will take quite a lot (don't be surprised) to make a very sweet sauce balanced by zip and tang.  

Gently heat and stir the sauce until it reaches 110 degrees F, to blend flavors and activate fiber.

Let sauce cool before transferring into mason jars. Put 1 jar in your fridge and freeze the rest.


Notes: 

Start with 1 t. of orange zest, stir in well and then taste the sauce. You can try adding a little more orange zest, but you dont want the sauce to taste like oranges... just be highlighted in a subtle way.
.
This sauce mellows and changes a little overnight. The heat mellows and the apple cider vinegar mellows, so make sure you use enough peppers and vinegar to give a strong punch to this sauce!

My mom prefers the flavor of our first version of Fiji sauce that used more fruit plus xylitol. She is on a super low carb diet right now and does not mind the few extra carbs in the fruitier sauce.

 Photos of the process:

Be very sure that the Habanero pieces are very fine so you don't bite down a piece of ultra-hot pepper....  This also ensures that the unique Habanero flavor is dispersed beautifully throughout the sauce.

HABANERO PEPPERS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS SAUCE ‼️(however, you may reduce  from 3  peppers down to 2 if you absolutely must)

Frozen ginger grates best! Use a very fine grater or a micro plane grater  so that the ginger is essentially powdered for Best results.

Psyllium husk's thicken the Fiji Sweet-Hot Sauce. It's a good idea to purchase organic psyllium if you can, as it is guaranteed to be clean.

Summer chicken snack: Coarsely shred chilled white chicken breast and serve with your favorite mayonnaise and a side of Fiji sweet hot sauce.It's super fast. Super quick. Super delicious!

Mayo and Fiji sauce dipped chicken

Chicken breast dipped in mayo and Fiji sauce - It doesn't get better than this.

3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce️️

Gorgeous birds eye view of the 3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce

Well, Hello Gorgeous!

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy.