Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat

Meaty, savory, chewy & perfectly salty - that's what this taco meat is! This is a new favorite recipe of ours!

A couple of my daughters took a road trip to go visit my parents. Lucky them, they got to eat grandma's food! My mom created this terrific vegetarian meat substitute on the 25th of this month. Mom will flavor this meat various ways. This recipe is for a taco meat flavor, and it is SO GOOD.

My daughter Lexi has been a vegetarian for a few years. Lexi has recently introduced a little meat to her diet, but is still generally vegetarian. As long as she remains healthy, we support her in her choice. Grandma and Lexi created this recipe together, so it is now officially named "LexiBurger".

This meat is high protein from the tofu and egg, and high fiber due to the perfectly chewy brown rice. You do not need to tell your family that they are eating tofu, because you cant tell it's in there! Freezing extra-firm tofu is a trick our family has used for years. When you thaw it and press the excess water out, it has an awesome meaty texture when you crumble it. Just buy some extra-firm tofu and throw it in your freezer just for this purpose.

The egg helps to bind everything together perfectly, just so you know.

Are you wondering what the "Umami" is mentioned below??? It's another flavor profile that they know about in Japan. It gives amazing full-bodied, rich, complex flavors to savory foods. MSG enhances umami, for example. Umami flavors are found in slow-roasted stews, and sauces made with fond which have been reduced to concentrate the flavors, mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. It's a mysterious flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but you really notice when it's there because the food tastes so amazing, you just want to stuff your face! Look "umami" up online for a more detailed description.

Put this delicious taco "meat" in tacos, burritos, with or without re-fried beans and cheese, on top of nachos, or on top of a taco salad. Lexi brought some of this meat to my house and we made nachos for a tasty filling treat. YUM. I have pictures of our nachos in this post.

 Look at this meat, it tastes even better than it looks!

Crazy good vegetarian taco meat nachos.

Vegetarian Lexi Burger:

1 package organic extra-firm tofu
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. chewy cooked organic short grain brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 c. soaked chopped dried onion
2 T. rice oil
1 T soy sauce (Tamari for gluten-free)
1 to 2 T. hot taco sauce, to taste
2 t. sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), up to 3 t., for richness
1 small beaten organic egg
2 t. organic paprika (or ground chili)
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. mushroom powder (to add full-bodied complex "Umami" flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 t. cumin powder
Chipotle powder, to taste
1/2 c. or more deodorized coconut oil, for browning the mixture.
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Seasonall seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
1/2 c. more cooked rice, if needed


Method:

Do ahead of time:

1.  Slice and freeze the box of tofu for at least 24 hours. THAW. Press firm to remove excess water and crumble finely.

2.  Cook the short grain brown rice only until it's nice and chewy, then chill at least overnight for best results (over-cooking makes the rice mushy).


The day of making the Vegetarian Taco Meat:

Mix the crumbled tofu with the 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice and soaked dried onion flakes in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the rice oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, and sunbutter, and toss well to combine.

Add the beaten egg and toss well to coat completely.

Toss with the paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, mushroom powder, cumin, and chipotle.

Heat 1/2 c. coconut oil in a large skillet, when starting to sizzle, dump in the tofu mixture and stir-fry it like you would fried rice. You want to brown it a little, but do not over-brown or it can get a little dry. Add more oil if needed.

Season to taste with pepper, Seasonall, garlic salt, etc.

If the vegetarian meat mixture turns out too rich and oily, just work in another 1/2 cup or so of cooked rice.

For the nachos, we melted cheddar and jack cheese over gluten-free tortilla chips. Topped the nachos with the warm "meat mixture, drizzled on salsa and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I was too lazy to go get a can of olives, but we would of loved some along with fresh guacamole!

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Copy Cat Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing - Formulated and tasted side-by-side for accuracy! Fresher tasting than the original.

This is not just another average copy cat recipe. This dressing actually tastes like the real deal!

Copy-Cat Olive Garden Salad Dressing

This is the best copy cat version of Olive Garden's Italian salad dressing that I have tasted so far. I actually like this better than Olive Garden's bottled version. Their bottled version does not taste as fresh as my version does. Their soybean oil tastes a bit funky (usually rancid) and has some other off-taste in there that I'm not sure of where it is coming from...

Anyway, I have tasted many copy-cat versions of Olive Garden's dressing. There are a lot of versions online. They are not it. Most of them are too sour (too much vinegar), or are flat tasting, or are too runny, or have too much mayonnaise in them... They just aren't right.

My version has a zesty punch, but is balanced with all the other flavors. You need to have a hint of sweet to tame the vinegar, and enough salt to blend all the flavors and keep the dressing rich and tasty when it is actually dressing your salad. This dressing is thick and creamy enough to cling to the lettuce and not just end up as a watery mess at the bottom of your salad bowl.

I like my blend of seasonings but I may actually smash a clove of fresh garlic with the salt called for in my recipe next time. I do not taste fresh garlic in Olive Garden's version, but I think it would taste better with fresh garlic.

I used a blend of both Parmesan and Romano cheeses. I may just go back to using only Romano, increasing the portion to 3 T. (21 grams). Romano is stronger tasting, so you decide what you'd like.

The xanthan gum is critical to my recipe. The dressing will be very runny without it. Notice that the first ingredient in Olive Garden's version is WATER. That is why water is the first ingredient in my dressing too. It is much too vinegary if you do not add the water. Olive Garden's trick to thicken their dressing is adding the xanthan gum. Go get yourself some xanthan gum, I use it in almost all of my salad dressing recipes. Guar gum is an alternate option to using the xanthan gum. Look in your local health food stores or in the gluten free baking section of grocery stores to find it.

The annatto powder is used to give a richer color to the salad dressing, omit it if you choose to.

Olive Garden's ingredient listing on their salad dressing bottle:
water
distilled vinegar
soybean oil
high fructose corn syrup
salt
eggs
Romano cheese
garlic
sugar
xanthan gum
spice and spice extracts
parsley
lemon juice concentrate
calcium disodium EDTA (to protect freshness)
extractives of annatto.
(Contains milk, eggs).

I used my formulating background to recreate this dressing for my family and for yours. I hope you enjoy it! I conducted side-by-side taste test comparisons. I also compared ingredient lists. My version is healthier, although not sugar-free. I may formulate a sugar-free version later. My goal for this recipe was to as closely duplicate the original as I possibly could at this time. Let me know your thoughts on this recipe after you try it for yourself.




Leila's Copy Cat Version of Olive Garden's Italian Dressing:

1/2 c. (100 grams) purified water
1/2 c. (128 grams) Best Food's Mayonnaise (contains eggs)
about 1/2 c. (87 grams) white distilled vinegar (I prefer white wine vinegar)
1/4 c. (60 grams) extra-light olive oil (regular olive oil tastes too strong)
2 T. (36 grams) IMO syrup to replace corn syrup
2 T. (16 grams) Parmesan cheese
2 T. (14 grams) Romano cheese
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 t. sea salt
2 t. xylitol, or slightly more, to taste
1/2 t. + 1/8 to 1/4 t. xanthan gum (3/4 t. xanthan gum makes dressing thicker than Olive Garden's)
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. parsley flakes
20 grinds fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t. granulated garlic
1/16 t. red pepper flakes
1/16 t. annatto powder (Mexican foods section of grocery store)


Method:

Mix the water, mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, and IMO syrup together until fully combined with a stick blender (or blend by hand).

Add the cheeses and lemon juice.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, xylitol, xanthan gum, Italian seasoning, parsley,black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and annatto powder.

Sprinkle the dry seasoning blend over the liquid and mix until well combined.

Chill in a jar with a tight fitting lid to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve over a salad of romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, vidalia onion slices, black olives, pickled pepperoncini, garlic croutons, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Leila.

DIY High Protein Coffee Creamer - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb & Healthier than Coffee Mate!

 High-Protein, Low-Carb Coffee Creamer Powder.

Replace unhealthy sugar-filled creamer with this great tasting protein packed creamer!

This is a really cool formula and I have not seen anything out there like it anywhere. I have been thinking about making a healthy creamer for a long time. Creamer manufacturers make a liquid slurry and then spray dry it into a powder form - Not something we can do at home. Quite a conundrum....

Plus, I wanted a creamer powder that would enhance my diet, not take away from it! Commercial creamers are as bad for you (or worse?) than margarine. This creamer is a delicious and healthy way to include more protein in your diet. You also avoid all the empty carbohydrates and unhealthy fats too. It is wonderful added to herbal chai, herbal coffee substitutes, fruit smoothies, boba drinks, hot cocoas, protein drinks, herbal milk teas, herbal Thai tea etc...

It takes only a few minutes to make this super easy creamer powder. Now you have a better alternative to the corn syrup and chemical laden commercial creamer powders. PARTY.


Here is the ingredient label to Coffee Mate creamer powder:

Note: They say 1 tsp (2 grams) is a serving. Who ever uses only 1 tsp.?

According to their label: 1 gram is carbohydrates (sugar) + .5 g is saturated fat + .5 g is other stuff. 

That means Coffee Mate is 50% corn syrup solids (sugar), and 25% fat. The sodium caseinate is at least 15 % of the formula, probably a little bit more, because the rest of the ingredients are listed as being less than 2% (which would fall under 10% of the total).

This is a cool way to read an ingredient label, huh?

Coffee Mate ingredient label.

Personally, I can do without all the corn syrup solids (the main ingredient), unhealthy hydrogenated fats, and aluminosilicate (aluminum), and artificial flavors. What about you?

Did you notice that the protein content per serving was a big fat ZERO?

I'm good with the sodium caseinate (milk derived protein) and natural annatto coloring (annatto is a brick red colored spice and colorant used in Mexican cooking). I find the lecithin powder colors this enough to make it look like Coffee Mate's creamer powder. If you are against all dairy, this creamer is not for you. I personally find these proteins agreeable to me and they have a much nicer texture than gritty vegetable proteins.

Our creamer dissolves nicely in liquids, and gives a milky look to them. This is low in lactose, due to the type of milk proteins used. Note that this is not a dairy-free creamer. Making a non-dairy creamer powder will be a project for later...

I noticed that if your beverage sits a while (as in, it's starting to get cold), the protein in this creamer settles to the bottom of the glass a bit. I just give it a stir, and it's fine.

The coconut oil I use here does not add a coconut oil flavor and adding it makes the creamer dissolve easily in liquids (hot or cold). My formula is lower in fat than Coffee Mate's, although I don't mind fat from coconut oil, since it is so good for you. The lecithin helps to emulsify the coconut oil into the water-based beverage. Lecithin is also really good for you and it helps your body digest fats in your diet, among other things.

The sweeteners I use here do not negatively impact your blood sugar levels. The IMO powder (related to inulin) is a mildly sweet tasting fiber. You could omit the IMO and just add a bit more erythritol, however, erythritol is a cooling sugar and is slow to dissolve, IMO is warming and dissolves easily, so they balance each other out. F.Y.I.

I also added Collagen (Collagen hydrolysate) powder. Why? Because it is a very clean and bio-available protein, with many health benefits! It dissolves quickly and seems to disappear into what ever you add it to. Collagen is like gelatin, except that it does not set up like gelatin (think Jell-O). At Kitchen Cheetahs, we like to add it to protein drinks, hot chocolate, soups, stews and gravies, gluten free baked goods, and of course desserts!

Here is a link to a very interesting article about gelatin (collagen) and why it is so important to our health. It's called "Gelatin, Stress, and Longevity", by Dr. Ray Peat. He discusses how collagen impacts our hormones, sleep patterns, thyroid, stomach issues, heart arrhythmia, body inflammation, aging, and lots of other cool stuff. I hope you take the time to read it. The take away? Eat collagen.

I also have special organic flavor powders that enhance the cream flavor of my creamer beautifully. Unfortunately, the public does not have access to these flavor powders, since they are made available to us because we are professional food formulators. I would recommend you add some vanilla flavor powder instead.

I really enjoy this creamer with my home made herbal chai tea, and home made boba drinks and smoothies. It is a wonderful substitute that leaves your beverages tasting rich and creamy.

I will be tweaking this recipe further...because I can't leave well enough alone. But this first recipe is definitely worth posting now. This formula is so much better than just mixing powdered milk with powdered sugar and calling that creamer - YUK. Hold out and get the needed ingredients to make this instead, you will be happy you did.

What may I do when I decide to tweak this recipe?

I will add another T. or more of melted deodorized coconut oil.
I will add at least another 2 T. of healthful collagen powder. (a T. of collagen a day is a good dose)
I may add another T. of lecithin powder.
I may lower the whey pro isolate to 1 1/4 cup and add another 1/4 cup calcium caseinate
Then I may need to up the sweeteners a bit, say, IMO to 40 grams and erythritol to 64 grams?

Anyway, here is the yummy recipe I am using now...


High Protein Coffee Creamer Recipe:

1 1/2 c. ( 120 g) plain 100% whey protein isolate
1 c. (80 g) calcium caseinate
6 T. (48 g) finely powdered erythritol
4 T. (32 g) IMO powder
3 T. (24 g) lecithin granules
2 T. (12 g) collagen powder
1 T. (8 g) Hi-Maize resistant starch, optional
Vanila flavor powder, to taste, optional
2 T. (26 g) melted deodorized coconut oil


Method:

Grind the erythritol with the Hi-Maize until finely powdered. The Hi-Maize is an added fiber that also acts as a processing aid for grinding the erythritol without it getting overly sticky. I use a small coffee mill to do this.

Weigh out all of the ingredients, except the coconut oil into a medium sized bowl. whisk to blend.

Process the powder in batches in a small food processor until all is a fine powder.

With the powder still in the food processor, drizzle the coconut oil over top of the powder. Place the lid on the food processor and pulse to blend very thoroughly. The powder will start to cling together nicely.

Transfer the creamer to an air-tight container and store in your pantry.

To use: spoon the desired amount into a hot beverage and stir to dissolve. I use 1 T. for a mug of herbal chai, or 2 T. for a big smoothie. Add to taste freely - It's healthy!

Assemble your ingredients.

Whisk the powdered erythritol with the other dry ingredients.

Here is the creamer after the coconut oil has been well blended in,

Ready to put in my pantry.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Classic Potato Salad - Flavorful and Sugar-Free

Classic Potato Salad

This classic potato salad is easy to make and very flavorful. The hot potatoes first soak up a seasoned brine so that they absorb nice flavor, and then after they have cooled down a while, the other ingredients are added.

This is one of our families favorite potato salads. It keeps very well for a few days in the refrigerator and it is a classic for summer outings and B-B-Q's.



Classic Potato Salad Recipe:

4 pounds boiling potatoes (like Yukon Golds, long whites, round Maine, red new potatoes)
1/2 c. raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup xylitol (or sugar)
1 T. BioSalt or sea salt
1 t. dry mustard powder, optional
1 c. minced white onion
2 c. diced celery
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 c. Best foods or Hellman's mayonnaise
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 c. diced dill pickles or sweet hot pickles, optional
Additional BioSalt or sea salt, to taste


Method:

Scrub the potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water.

Bring the potatoes up to a gentle simmer and simmer 15 to 25 minutes, just until firm-tender.

Drain and let cool slightly.

Make the vinegar brine by mixing the vinegar, sweetener, salt, and mustard powder in a small sauce pan. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Taste your brine and adjust to your liking. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, if desired (the peels are usually bitter), cut into 1" pieces and place in a medium-large bowl. Add the onions to the bowl.

Pour the vinegar brine over the hot potatoes and onions, and gently toss to coat the potatoes.

Let the potato mixture cool to room temperature. Or chill for a while.

Add the celery, eggs, mayonnaise and pickles (if using) and stir gently.

Serve immediately at room temperature or chill until serving time.









Enjoy, 

Leila.

The Best Bacon Salt Recipe - And It's Healthier Too!

If you like bacon, you will love this bacon salt! 

Have you ever tried a good bacon salt? A potent bacon salt packs quite a smoky punch and livens up almost any dish you can dream up.

Bacon Salt

We love to sprinkle a bit of this amazing seasoning on grilled burgers, our Roast Chicken, eggs, hash browns, Our Copy-Cat Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad, breakfast casseroles, mac & cheese, potato salad, pop corn, grilled cheese sandwiches, B-B-Q chicken pizza, baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, oven fries, savory nut mixes, vegetable casseroles, grilled corn on the cob, tuna topped garden tomatoes, steamed or roasted asparagus, and any other place you'd want bacon in.

We have perfected the art of bacon salt making here at the Kitchen Cheetahs test kitchen. Most homemade bacon salts are oily, clumpy, and weak on the smoky bacon flavor. We set out to solve these problems. This recipe is the result of these efforts.

This bacon Salt is very fragrant and flavorful. A little goes a long way. We love it!

Bacon alone does not give the flavor punch we were looking for, so we added a high quality smoke salt and a nutritional yeast product called "Bakon Yeast". It is a natural hickory smoked Torula yeast product that is used as a smoky bacon flavored seasoning for snack foods, sauces, meats, and vegetarian foods.

We also use our in house BioSalt recipe in pace for regular salt. We like our salt because it is balanced for the body and does not promote water retention. BioSalt is a staple in our kitchens.

Feel free to make this recipe to suit your tastes. You may add more or less bacon, vary the type of smoke salts used, and add however much salt you want here. Have fun with it.


My research shows that you can find this Bakon Yeast here:


Bakon Yeast Products are available from Ohly Americas located in Hutchinson, MN.  Their website is :http://www.ohly.com .  
MN telephone: 800-321-2689



Some online retail sites carrying it are:


http://abchealthfoods.com/index.php/brands/bakon-yeast.html


http://stores.wholesome-essential.com/bakon-yeast-hickory-smoke-seasoning-2-oz/



Best Bacon Salt Recipe:

1 c. well rendered bacon (1 to 2 pounds raw smoked bacon)
1/2 to 1 c. BioSalt or sea salt, to taste
1/4 to 1/2 t. of your favorite smoke salt, to taste
2 T. Bacon-Yeast
1 t. fresh ground black pepper, optional, to taste


Method: 

Use the healthiest, most flavorful smoked bacon you can find.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the strips of raw bacon onto a cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.

Place the bacon in the oven and bake for at least 30 minutes, or until very crispy and quite dark in color. Render the bacon long and slow to remove as much fat as possible (or the bacon salt will really clump together - not good).

Remove bacon from the oven and let cool completely. Dab with paper towels to remove fat.

Process the rendered bacon in a food processor until it looks like grainy bits.

Add the salt, to taste.

Add your chosen smoke salt to taste.

Emphasize the bacon salt flavor by adding the "Bakon-Yeast" seasoning.  The Bakon-Yeast also helps to absorb some of the oil from the bacon.

Add the pepper if using. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.

Store air-tight.


Tip: Alderwood smoke salt is good. Mesquite smoke salt is good for mexican foods.


Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Sugar-Free Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Would you like a delicious, lighter, crunchier, grain-free, low-carb granola? Well, here it is!

Here is our unique and delicious recipe for a sweet cinnamon-frosted grain-free granola. Our recipe calls for an unusual ingredient: YAMS. That's right, soft baked yams or sweet potato. It is a great binder for our granola, making cute crunchy clusters of goodness. 

We will be posting many other unique yammy recipes under the Kitchen Cheetahs category called, "I Yam That I Yam". 

This granola stays crunchy in milk for a long time and the dried fruit stays nice and chewy too. We like that.

There are no almonds (give the poor bees a break!), no grain, and no sugar added to this recipe. It is sweetened only by the erythritol, dried fruit, and sweet potato.

This is a very versatile recipe. There are 4.5 cups of mixed nuts and seeds in this recipe (in addition to the coconut). Feel free to make your own substitutions with any kind of nuts or seeds you wish. For example, you could swap almonds for the walnuts. You may also use other dried fruits like dried diced California apricots, organic raisins, chopped dates, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc. There could be almost limitless variations...


We can think of many uses for our granola:

You could make a granola "crumb crust" very easily out of it.
You could use it as a base for killer granola bars.
You can sprinkle it on top of ice cream sundaes.
You can make yogurt parfaits with it.
You can create awesome trail mixes with it as the base, adding more dried fruit, chocolate chips...
You can sprinkle it on top of our chocolate or butterscotch protein pudding recipes.

Yes, we really like this granola. It is crunchy and chewy at the same time, and has a real nutty- cinnamon-y flavor. PLUS, it's "CINNAMON FROSTED" 

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola Recipe:

Dry Ingredients:
2 c. chopped walnuts (or pecans or almonds)
1 c.  coarsely ground raw sunflower seeds
1 c. dried coconut chips (wide thin ribbons)
1 c. flaked dried coconut (macaroon-style)
1 c. organic raisins (or chopped dates or chopped dried figs)
1/2 c. freshly ground flax seed meal
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. Brazil nut flour (or other nut flour)

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. sea salt
1 c. warm mashed sweet potato (baked until soft)
1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. hot water

Cinnamon Frosting:
1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T ground cinnamon


Method:

Mix together the listed dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a food processor puree the listed wet ingredients together until smooth.

Scrape the pureed wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and combine well.

Crumble the combined mixture into small clusters onto 2 large rimmed cookie sheets.

Bake in a preheated 300 degree F. oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and bake for another hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets.

Toss thoroughly with the Cinnamon Frosting mixture and let cool completely.

Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy with your favorite vegan milk.

Enjoy with your favorite milk.
This is almond coconut milk and I was surprised how delicious this combination is!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, High-Fiber, Paleo

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce

Enjoy this rich, smooth, and chocolaty hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream or use as a chocolate fondue. 

The secret ingredient here is soft baked sweet potato. It adds body to the sauce as well as healthy fiber. The quality of this yummy chocolate sauce surprised even us. We are having a lot of fun playing with soft baked yam/sweet potato in our test kitchens. More recipes using these lovely tubers are coming. I created a special section for our recipes containing yams and sweet potatoes called, "I Yam That I Yam". Don't tell me that's corny, I already know.

We love that this is a guilt-free hot fudge sauce. It's sugar-free, dairy-free, high-fiber, vegan, paleo, and contains healthy coconut oil.

Try it,we think you will like it!


Amazing Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe:

2/3 c. of your favorite milk (vegan, coconut, almond, cashew, lactose-free, low-carb...)
1 c. powdered white or golden Lakanto brand sweetener (or erythritol)
2/3 c. dutch cocoa powder
1/3 c. white sweet potato flesh (baked until soft)
3 T. coconut oil (deodorized)
1 pinch sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. real vanilla extract
1 to 2 T. of your favorite sweet syrup (IMO syrup, agave, maple...), optional
A few drops stevia glycerite, if you want it sweeter


Method:

Puree all of the ingredients together until smooth with a stick blender.

Heat and stir the mixture until it reaches 180 degrees F. to fully dissolve the Lakanto crystals.

Cool the mixture 5 minutes.

Taste the mixture to check for sweetness and adjust as desired.

Puree the mixture again on high speed with the stick blender until it is smooth and thickened.

Serve the sauce warm over your favorite dessert.

Store the unused fudge sauce in the refrigerator and gently reheat to serve. Any crystals from the erythritol that form will easily dissolve when the sauce is reheated.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Kitchen Cheetah Strikes Again!

My mother is a Kitchen Cheetah, I tell you! 

I can't keep up with her. 

She is coming out with so many recipes so fast, it's like rapid machine gun fire. A machine gun that shoots marshmallows, that is. This is why this blog is called Kitchen Cheetahs. She cooks faster than I can type. That may not be saying much, if you have seen me type. I'm an Artist - Not a Typist!

My grandpa was one of the fastest typists in the land and I did not inherit his gift. He has since passed on to the next life. I think he should come back and be my ghost writer!

Mom emails me recipes she is working on. We get all chatty about them. We perfect the recipes. I put them on the blog. That's how it goes. However, my email is filling up faster than I can blog. Plus, I cook too (and do other stuff)!

I guess what I'm saying is, we have A LOT to share with you. My mom and I are excited about that.

Some of the recipes piling up on my email are:

How to make browned butter GHEE
Key lime pie
Banana cream pie
Chocolate cream pie
Artichoke preparation and garlic dipping sauce
Sugar-free coconut bars
To die for sugar-free, grain-free PALEO granola
Cinnamon frosted granola
Gluten free jiffy bread,
Healthy sugar-free caramel sauce
Creamy dreamy healthy vanilla ice cream
Healthy chocolate ice cream
A bunch of delicious recipes using Kamote tops (sweet potato leaves)
How to caramelize yams
Sugar-free honey
Chocolate sauce (sugar-free)
Fudge sauces (her recipe and then my recipe)
Gluten free naan bread
Various snack recipes
Various smoothies
Delicious green drinks
Fat bomb brownie bites
Cre'me Anglaise
Homemade healthy nutella
Vegan lemon jello - Super cool!
Fat bomb fudge
Chocolate hazelnut sauce
Pecan Brazil nut pie crust
Homemade Lox (salmon)
Caraamel nut chews
Honey caramel with peanuts
Gluten free, sugar-free waffles
Corn bread (grain free, sugar free)
Bran muffins (gluten free, sugar free)
Mini carrot cakes (gluten free, sugar free)
Mini chocolate cakes (gluten free, sugar free)

But wait, there's more...

Then there are the recipes that I am working on... Because I'm a Kitchen Cheetah too.

We move this fast!

Love, 

Leila & Nancy

The Kitchen Cheetahs!

Raspberry Cream Protein Shake Recipe using our Vanilla Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Protein BASE

Raspberry Cream Protein Shake

This is a fabulous protein smoothie recipe. It's thick and creamy with a big raspberry punch.

It's a favorite refreshing smoothie around these parts. We love - love - love that this is sugar-free and high in protein. You will feel like you are drinking a dessert but you are really doing your body a favor.

For this smoothie, we use our VANILLA Protein BASE recipe (pictured below in the mason jar). This convenient BASE only takes a couple minutes to whip together and then you are prepared in advance for several smoothies. We love that too.

Oh, did I mention that all of our Sun Warrior smoothie recipes are great for athletes, and those who want to slim down? They are also for the lactose intolerant and those of us who are watching our sugar and carb consumption. It's all good!

Mom's Favorite Raspberry Cream Protein Shake Recipe:

1 c. prepared Vanilla Warrior Blend Protein BASE (made with coconut + almond milk is best)
1 c. frozen raspberries (a generous cupful)
1 c. cold water
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. almond extract
6 ice cubes


Method:

Put 1 cup prepared Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein Base into a VitaMix container (a high powered blender).

Top with the frozen raspberries, lemon juice, almond extract, and ice.

Blend on high speed until creamy. Taste for sweetness and add a little of your desired sweetener to taste (we like our stevia glycerite).

Blend well to fully incorporate the sweetener into the smoothie.


Tip: Sweeteners that can be used:

Stevia glycerite, vegetable glycerine, agave nectar, raw honey...

Vanilla Protein BASE at the ready to add to smoothies any time!

1 cup of the Vanilla Protein BASE is added to a blender.

A generous cup of frozen raspberries is added to the blender.

Add the rest of the raspberry smoothie ingredients and blend. YUM

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe + A Vanilla Protein Base Recipe Too!

Mug Shot of our Vanilla Warrior Blend Smoothie.

Here is another recipe for creating an even creamier, tastier Sun Warrior protein shake!

The flavor we are featuring in this post is VANILLA and we also show you how to make a super fast and easy Vanilla Protein BASE that can be used in smoothies, ice creams, puddings, etc...

We love using the Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" vegan protein powders and we have created a way to make this great protein powder even better. You can create creamy, smooth , and delicious vegan protein drinks, shakes, smoothies, and more with Sun Warrior's "Warrior Blend" protein powders and our techniques we show here at Kitchen Cheetahs.

Vegan protein powders by nature, are not the smoothest substances on the planet. They can have a bit of grit to them, not fully dissolving in beverages. Sometimes vegetable proteins also have off-flavors from the vegetable sources they are used from. We show you how to counteract this.

Are you sensitive to the taste of stevia sweetened drinks? Stevia is now commonly used as a healthy sugar substitute and also sometimes causes off-taste issues for some people. We personally love stevia and use it daily in our homes. we have learned some tricks in using it that we will pass along to you here.

So my dad was wondering what my mom was whipping up in the kitchen this time (there are always adventures to be had in my mother's kitchen). A vanilla protein drink, she said. Hmmm, he said. Do you want to taste it, she asked? He acted only minorly interested (after all, it's only vanilla, right?). He took a sip, and he thought it was nice. Well, my mom walked away for a few moments, and when she came back to her vanilla protein shake dinner, it was all gone. He drank it all. Oops. The good news is, he loved it. He told her it tasted really rich and creamy and he felt full and satisfied after drinking it. This drink will keep you nourished for quite a while. My dad drinks a lot of protein drinks and he's really picky about them. He really likes this vanilla shake. We think you will love it too.

First I will give you the formula for the easy to make VANILLA Protein BASE. Make the BASE ahead of time so that it is cold before using.

Next, I will give you a smoothie formula using this BASE.


Just so we are real clear:

Recipe # 1 is the Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein BASE.

Recipe # 2 is the Sun Warrior Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake.

Are you ready?

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein BASE:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

3 c. cold milk of your choice (almond, coconut, cashew...)

Start blender on med-low and add:

1 c. Sun Warrior Vanilla flavored "Warrior Blend" protein powder

add the protein powder 1/4 cup at a time.

Add:

1/4 t. lecithin

Put the blender lid on tight and switch to the highest speed and blend until the mixture heats up to the desired temperature (from 118 to 155 degrees F). *

For the smoothest texture, use the tamper that comes with the VitaMix blender and heat to 150 to 155 degrees F.

Add:

1 t. almond extract and blend in very well.

Pour and scrape the finished BASE into a 1-quart mason jar and refrigerate overnight before using in the Creamy VANILLA Protein Shake recipe below.

This BASE needs to be kept cold and used within 4 to 5 days.



Tips: 

* 118 degrees F is for "raw"smoothies - heat up to 155 degrees F for the smoothest texture.

The BASE will be cooked at a low temperature and will be steaming at 150-160 degrees F. Some people find this "cooked" pea protein easier to digest.

Use an instant read thermometer for more accurate results.

Our favorite milk combination is 2 c. almond milk and 1 c. full fat coconut milk. Any combination of vegan milks will work to equal 3 cups of total milk used.

Lecithin is a healthy addition and makes it creamier and smoother. Lecithin is especially good for emulsifying the coconut milk.

1 cup of this prepared BASE contains 1/4 cup of the Warrior Blend protein powder.



NOTE: See our Raspberry Cream Smoothie recipe using this Vanilla BASE HERE.

____________________________________________

The following protein shake recipe is like a blank canvas, ready for you to add any combination of fruits or other ingredients that you want. Have fun with this basic recipe!


Sun Warrior Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

1 c. cold almond milk (or other vegan milk of choice)
1 c. prepared Vanilla Warrior Blend BASE, well chilled
1/4 c. coconut milk powder or 1 to 2 T. of your favorite nut butter, optional for a richer shake
1/4 to 1/2 c. mashed baked white sweet potato, or banana (makes it creamy)
3/4 to 1 t. real vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 t. almond extract
1 pinch cinnamon, optional
10 ice cubes (use only 8 ice cubes if not using coconut powder)

Blend everything together on high speed until nice and creamy.

Taste for sweetness level and add:

 2 T. vegetable glycerine, optional to sweeten to taste

Blend in well and serve while cold and icy.



NOTES: 

The vegetable glycerine is super low on the glycemic scale. Glycerine also enhances athletic performance by preventing dehydration. Cool huh?

The baked mashed yam, sweet potato, or banana both thickens and sweetens the drink and also cancels out the taste of the stevia, which is part of the Sun Warrior protein powder formula.

You may use other sweeteners to sweeten to taste like: Stevia glycerite, raw honey, agave nectar, etc...

Have fun with this rich and creamy basic vanilla shake recipe. You will see us use this a lot in upcoming smoothie recipes.


Here's some photos of my mom making the Rich & Creamy Vanilla Shake:

Adding ingredients for the Vanilla Shake (including the Protein BASE above).

All of the ingredients are now in the VitaMix blender.

The ready to drink Vanilla Shake topped with a sprinkling of fresh chopped figs!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Creamy-Chocolate-Dreamy Protein Shake Recipe + A Chocolate Protein Base Recipe Too!

Hi - Do you want a smoother, creamier, tastier Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein Shake recipe? Do you want to know how to make any Stevia off-flavors disappear?

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Creamy-Chocolate-Dreamy Protein Shake

We have the recipes and the answers for you here!

Our new Warrior Blend Base is a breakthrough recipe strait from the Kitchen Cheetahs Test Kitchens. 

All in one sweep, this recipe greatly improves the texture of plant protein shakes, as well as canceling out any stevia taste issues (chilling the BASE overnight alone helps mitigate objectionable stevia taste ☺️).

Our Chocolate Protein BASE only takes a minute to make, then you have a ready supply of the "BASE" for making tasty & creamy chocolate protein shakes at the drop of a hat! NICE.

By the way - Any flavor of "Warrior Blend" protein powder works well for making this thick and creamy protein BASE, but if you want the chocolate version shown here, then you need to use the chocolate flavored "Warrior Blend" protein powder.

Sun Warrior "Classic" can also be used to make this "BASE". However, rice protein does not soften much, so it won't make as smooth a protein shake as the "Warrior Blend" made from pea protein.

Remember, with this BASE, you can make several smooth & creamy Chocolate Warrior Blend protein shakes. This is very convenient for those busy days.

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Chocolate Protein BASE:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

3 c. cold milk of choice (like almond, coconut, cashew...) *


Start blender on med-low and add:

1 c. Sun Warrior Chocolate flavored "Warrior Blend" protein powder

add the protein powder 1/4 cup at a time.

Add:

1/4 t. lecithin

Put the blender lid on tight and switch to the highest speed and blend until the mixture heats up to the desired temperature (from 118 to 155 degrees F). *

For the smoothest texture, use the tamper that comes with the VitaMix blender and heat to 150 to 155 degrees F.

Pour and scrape the finished BASE into a 1-quart mason jar and refrigerate overnight before using in the Creamy Chocolate Protein Shake recipe below.



Tips: 

* Our favorite combination of milks to use for the BASE are 2 cups almond milk plus 1 c. full fat coconut milk.

** 118 degrees F is for "raw"smoothies - heat up to 155 degrees F for the smoothest texture.

The BASE will be cooked at a low temperature and will be steaming at 150-160 degrees F. Some people find this "cooked" pea protein easier to digest. 

Use an instant read thermometer for more accurate results.

NOTES:

1 cup of this prepared BASE contains 1/4 cup of the Warrior Blend protein powder.

Lecithin is a healthy addition and makes it creamier and smoother. Lecithin is especially good for emulsifying the coconut milk.

____________________________________________

Sun Warrior Creamy Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

1 c. prepared Chocolate Warrior Blend BASE, well chilled
1 1/2 c. cold almond milk (or other vegan milk of choice)
2 T. coconut milk powder or 1 to 2 T. of your favorite nut butter
2 T. Dutch cocoa powder
2 T. vegetable glycerine
1/4 to 1/2 c. mashed baked sweet potato, yam or banana
1/2 t. real vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1 pinch cinnamon

Blend everything together on high speed until nice and creamy. 

Garnish with sugar-free chocolate crumbles for added texture and chocolaty flavor and Serve at once.

If you would like a colder, thicker shake, reduce the almond milk called for to only 1 cup and add 4 to 6 ice cubes or cubes of almond milk. Process in the VitaMix to a texture of fine ice crystals.


NOTES: 

The vegetable glycerine is super low on the glycemic scale. Glycerine also enhances athletic performance by preventing dehydration. Cool huh?

The baked mashed yam, sweet potato, or banana both thickens and sweetens the drink and also cancels out the taste of the stevia, which is part of the Sun Warrior protein powder formula.

A fresh batch of our Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Creamy-Chocolate-Dreamy Protein Shake.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy

The Kitchen Cheetahs!