Copy Cat Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup

Thick, rich, slightly sweet, and perfectly spiced = Decadent - that's what this soup is...

This soup reminds me of pumpkin pie. Pie you can drink! Actually, it's not nearly as sweet as pumpkin pie, but I do think it is richer. A good friend of mine loves this soup from Kneader's Cafe in Utah. Because it is so rich, she orders in in a small 1/2-cup size and enjoys a salad with it. That's all you need, trust me! She, knowing I love to cook, has commented a few times about this delicious soup. I told her I wanted to taste it because I thought I could duplicate the recipe if I did. On our next visit, she brought me some. So I made my own version of this soup, tasting and comparing it with Kneader's soup as I went.

I am very pleased with the outcome. I used plain canned pumpkin instead of butternut squash, because it is super convenient. Either kind of squash works, just make sure it is a smooth puree. The sweetness level is identical. The spices are right on. The texture is also a match. You can use half organic milk and half heavy cream if you want to lighten the soup up a touch. If you want to lower the carbs, use 1/2 c. cream and 1/2 c. water instead.

I have not tried it yet, but I think rich coconut milk would work great in this recipe, for a dairy-free option. Coconut oil instead of butter could be used as well, but butter tastes better!

This is an autumn and winter soup, good enough to serve company. The fact that it is so easy to make is a bonus. I hope you like it!




Copy Cat Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup Recipe:

1 T. Flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 T. butter
3 T. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar) (use Golden Lakanto or brown 'Just Like Sugar' for a sugar-free version)
3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. butternut squash puree (or plain canned pumpkin)
1 1/2 c. purified water
1/16 t. onion powder
1/2 t. organic chicken base
1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. cream

Method:

In a medium sized soup pot melt the butter over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the flour and make a roux, letting the butter brown for flavor.

Add the coconut palm sugar and let it caramelize a little for rich caramel flavor notes. Do not burn.

Add the pumpkin pie spice and let it sizzle a few seconds to bloom the spice blend's flavor.

Add some of the water (carefully) and stir in until all the palm sugar is dissolved.

Add the butternut squash or pumpkin puree and the rest of the water, stirring to blend.

Add the onion powder and chicken base and then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.

Add the cream and let it simmer about 5 minutes, Do not let it boil.

Check for consistency before serving. Add more water if it is too thick. It should not be thin and running off the spoon, but it shouldn't be falling off the spoon in blobs either.

Serve hot in 1/3rd to 1/2 cup portions.

Garnish with butter toasted pecans that have been dusted with a mixture of cinnamon and coconut palm fruit sugar (replacing regular white sugar)


This is a very rich, decadent soup!

Notes: 

For the pecans I would chop them, saute then in just a bit of butter or coconut oil, then dust with cinnamon sugar. You can mix 'Just Like Sugar' (natural sugar substitute) with cinnamon for a sugar-free version. You may use organic coconut palm sugar for a healthier sugar (not sugar-free).

For the croutons I would use gluten-free bread cubes tossed with a bit of melted coconut oil and then toasted until crisp in the oven. While they are still hot, sprinklecroutons with your desired cinnamon sugar mixture and let cool.

This is what Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup looks like. They top it with cinnamon pecans and a cinnamon sugar crouton.

The pecans seem like they are lightly sauteed in butter then sprinkled with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar.

Kneader's soup in the plastic cup compared to my version on the plate. They look very similar.

My finished copy cat version.

Cinnamon toast would be nice on the side, or make your own sugar-free cinnamon sugar GF croutons. 

Enjoy!

Leila.

Easy Beef or Buffalo Mexican Taco Meat (No commercial flavor packet used!)

Favorite taco meat

Here is our family's favorite taco meat. it is incredibly easy to make and it tastes so much better than taco meat made with those commercial flavor packets you can buy at the store. I actually hate the taste of those flavor packets, but my mom always made hers from scratch...Yes, I know I'm spoiled.

You can make this taco meat with either organic ground beef, ground buffalo, or beefalo. Even ground turkey works.

At times, I have also added up to 30% of a soy protein meat substitute into the mix, to extend the meat. I pre-hydrate the meat substitute first before adding it to the rest of the meat. Then I add the onion, garlic, and seasonings and saute it all together. I do prefer the 100% meat version, but my family hasn't seemed to notice the difference.

I like to make a big batch of taco meat and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for quick meals later in the week. This meat also freezes well.




Best Taco Meat Recipe:

2 pounds organic free-range ground beef or buffalo
2 onions, minced
8 cloves garlic, smashed with the salt
1 t. sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. onion salt
2 t. Ancho chili pepper powder
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. paprika
1 t. organic beef base
40 grinds black pepper
1/4 t. psyllium husk powder
1/4 c. purified water


Method:

Brown the meat with the onions and garlic over medium-high heat in a large skillet, until the onions are translucent and the meat is cooked through. Break the meat up as it cooks.

Add all of the seasonings, psyllium, and water and simmer until thickened.

Taste for seasoning and serve while hot.

Serve as a topping for a taco salad, inside organic corn tortillas, or gluten-free flour tortillas.

Saute the meat with the rest of the ingredients.

The finished taco meat- beef in this case.

This large grater is fun for shredding the cheddar cheese.

Heat deodorized coconut oil until a piece of corn tortilla sizzles and quickly browns.

A piece of corn tortilla sizzling away...

Fry your desired amount of corn tortillas.

Fry the tortillas until they start to brown. For stiff shells, bend in the center and fry a little longer.

Place tortillas between layers of paper towel.

Putting the taco fixings on the table.

Start putting on your taco fixings: first the meat, then cheese, then lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc.

A beautiful plate of tacos!

YUM!

Enjoy,

Leila.

Copy Cat Tiger's Milk Bars - Part 1 - How I incubate a formulating idea

I have a confession. I love Tiger's Milk Bars.

But as a Kitchen Cheetah (which is in the cat family), and considering the fact that I am a LEO, I guess I should not be surprised.

My mom would shop at health food stores when I was little (she still shops at health food stores) and would often let me pick out a treat there. I would often select one of these Tiger's milk Bars. I love the chewy texture they have. They used to make a flavor called Peanut Butter & Jelly that I absolutely loved. They stopped making this flavor many years ago. A sad day. My mom did not have candy, chips or soda pop in the house. We rarely had desserts either. We did eat fruit, and I remember pulling homemade buttery honey taffy with my mom. My tiny hands could hardly pull that slippery warm taffy. I sure loved eating it though!  Anyway, she did us a favor in keeping junk food out of the house.

As I look at a Tiger's Milk Bar ingredient label, I'm now inclined to think that Tiger's Milk Bars are not much elevated above junk food status. Hmmmm, I don't think the ingredients were exactly the same as when I was a child. No matter, I want to remake them. 

So here is what I'm thinkin'...

I think I will keep the carob coating. this is one of the rare places where I would actually choose carob coating over chocolate... It's a nostalgia thing. About the only other time I like carob is over bananas,which are then rolled in sunflower seeds and frozen (another treat my mom made me when I was little). Carob pods grew (on trees) in Southern California where I grew up. I remember a friend of my moms picked some and told me I could eat the carob pods. I did, and soon after got sick and threw up. Let's just say I never ate carob pods again.

Anyway, I will start with an organic smooth salted peanut butter.Tiger's Milk Bars also list peanut butter powder. I do not have any of that right now, so ill just pour off the oil that floats on top of my peanut butter, and call it good for now.

For the protein component, I will experiment with a combination of non-fat dry milk powder, soy protein isolate (or whey protein isolate), and a touch of calcium caseinate (which is also in my homemade healthy High Protein Coffee Creamer Powder). Maybe I will even add collagen powder! Good idea.

Then I think I will make a binding syrup of IMO syrup, raw honey, a little vegetable glycerine, a touch of stevia extract powder, and gums for added soluble fiber and binding power. I'll heat it up gently, adding the raw honey last.

I may use inulin or IMO powder in place of the maltodextrin and use Hi-Maize resistant starch (a dietary fiber) instead of the rice flour they use.

And I'll add a little calcium/magnesium powder for good measure.

Last, I'll melt down some some naturally sweetened carob coating from the health food store and en-robe the formed protein bars.

Sounds like a good rough sketch to me.

I included the ingredient labels for the Protein Rich and peanut butter & honey flavor. I like these too.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Author, Leila.

P.S. This post on Tiger's Milk Bars and the 2 subsequent trials that follow are being moved to my new blog called beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com. 

Due to the brown sugar and corn syrup these copy-cat recipes contain, they do not belong on Kitchen Cheetahs, which is a clean eating blog.

When I remake these bars using healthy sweeteners like IMO, Erythritol, Stevia, and such, I will post the healthified Tiger's Milk bar recipes here on Kitchen Cheetahs. T-T-F-N!

Tiger's Milk Nutrition Bars, Protein Rich Flavor

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 bar (35 g) Servings Per Container: 24 Amount per Serving Calories Total 140    from Fat 45 Amount per Serving % Daily Value+ Total Fat  5 g 8%   Saturated Fat  2 g 9% Cholesterol  0 mg 0% Sodium  60 mg 2% Potassium  105 mg 3% Total Carbohydrate  18 g 6%   Dietary fiber  <1 g   Sugars  13 g Protein  6 g % Daily Value Vitamin A   IU 15% Vitamin C   mg 10% Thiamin (B1)   mg 35% Riboflavin (B2)   mg 40% Niacin (B3)   mg 20% Vitamin B6   mg 30% Vitamin B12   mcg 25% Biotin   mcg 6% Pantothenic acid   mg 15% Calcium   mg 15% Iron   mg 20% Phosphorus   mg 20% Magnesium   mg 30% Copper   mg 20% * Daily Value not established. + Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Peanut Butter (roasted peanuts, salt), Corn Syrup, Carob Coating, Brown Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Powder, Carob Bean (Ceratonia Siliqua) Powder, Soy Lecithin (as an emulsifier), *, Soy Protein Isolate, Peanut Flour, Dry Milk (nonfat), Rice Flour, Contains Less Than 2% of calcium caseinate, Calcium Phosphate (Calcarea Phosphorica), Magnesium Phosphate, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Ferrous Fumarate (Iron), Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate), Niacinamide, Calcium D-Panthothenate, Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), Copper Gluconate, Thiamine Monohydrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin (Vitamin H)

Peanut Butter & Honey Flavor

• 1.23 oz Bar

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Bar (35 g)
Servings Per Container 24

Amount Per Serving

Calories 140

Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value

Total Fat	5g	8%
Saturated Fat	2g	10%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	80mg	3%
Potassium	150mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate	19g	6%
Dietary Fiber	1g	4%
Sugars	14g
Protein	5g
Vitamin A		15%
Vitamin C		10%
Calcium		10%
Iron		20%
Thiamin		40%
Riboflavin		40%
Niacin		20%
Vitamin B6		30%
Vitamin B12		30%
Biotin		6%
Pantothenic Acid		15%
Phosphorus		20%
Magnesium		30%
Copper		20%

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Ingredients: Peanut Butter (Roasted Peanuts, Salt), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Carob Coating [Sugar, Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Carob Powder, Whey Powder, Milk, Nonfat Dry Milk, Soy Lecithin (as an emulsifier), Salt, Natural Flavor], Nonfat Dry Milk, Peanut Flour, Maltodextrin, Corn Syrup, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, contains less than 1.5% of Brown Sugar, Calcium Caseinate, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Ferrous Fumarate, Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate), Niacinamide, Calcium d-Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Copper Gluconate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Salt.

Copy Cat Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade plus a Delicious Teriyaki Rice bowl - Gluten-Free, Sugar-Alternative, Paleo, Clean-Eating

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Do you like that nice, thick, sweet teriyaki sauce you get 

at your favorite Asian restaurant or takeout joint?

With this new recipe you can now have it at home. 

I have tried a few home made Teriyaki recipes through the years, but they are very runny and usually too heavy on the soy sauce. I want to taste the ginger and garlic, not just sugar and soy sauce. I created this recipe to be used over Teriyaki bowls, or for glazing and dipping grilled chicken or salmon in, or even drizzle over a sushi roll! I wanted the sauce to cling nicely to the meat, not run off in a salty puddle at the bottom of my dish. I'm even going to try it in a dish called Yaki Udon (Grilled chicken, stir-fried vegetables, drained, cooked udon noodles + this sauce).

I have made this Teriyaki sauce with a healthier sweetener called organic coconut palm sugar. It looks like a more granular, dry brown sugar and it has a brown sugar type taste. It is high in minerals and is lower on the glycemic scale than regular sugar. It is not zero calorie like erythritol, but it tastes better in this sauce. If I were to make this sauce completely sugar free, I would use a combination of erythritol, xylitol, stevia glycerite and a touch of black-strap molasses. Just sayin'.

I also use a gluten free soy sauce called Tamari. It is a high quality soy sauce and is easy to find at oriental markets or your better grocery stores. Alternately you may use Bragg's Aminos, but this is not my first choice. 

I prefer to use fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor. I like to store whole ginger root in a small freezer bag in my freezer (in a place where I can find it!). Whenever I need fresh ginger, I just pull it out of the freezer and grate the amount I need with a small Microplane grater. You can grate fresh garlic with a small Microplane too, but I prefer to smash it to death in my mortar & pestle.

I thicken this sauce with xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is easy to use and is a healthy soluble fiber. I much prefer it over using corn starch or other starches for thickening. Starches must be cooked unless they are modified starches. Starches also have carbs unless they are resistant starches. Xanthan gum thickens regardless of it being heated or not. I love using it in my home made salad dressings too. The easiest way to mix xanthan gum into your liquid ingredients is to first blend it with some of the dry ingredients, like sugar, salt, flour, etc...

This sauce recipe is easily halved. You can also start out making it less sweet by adding 3/4 cup of the sweetener, bringing it to a simmer, taste for sweetness and then add more sweetener as desired.

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce Recipe:

1 c. Tamari soy sauce (or Bragg's Aminos, are both gluten free)
1/4 c. Mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/4 c. purified water
1 T. minced fresh garlic (about 6 large cloves)
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 c. organic coconut palm sugar
3/4 to 1 t. xanthan gum


Garnishes (optional):

sesame seeds
scallions sliced on the diagonal
toasted sesame oil


Method:

In a small sauce pan mix the soy sauce, mirin, water, garlic, and ginger.

Turn the stove on to medium heat.

In a separate small bowl mix together the palm sugar and the xanthan gum.

Whisk the sugar mixture into the soy sauce mixture.

Bring up to a gentle simmer with stirring to dissolve the palm sugar. 

Once it starts to simmer, time it for one minute and then remove from heat. 

Set aside to cool and use to glaze your favorite meat or use as a dipping sauce.

Add garnishes as desired at serving time.

Store unused Teriyaki Sauce in the refrigerator. Gently reheat to use.


To Make as a Marinade:

Make the sauce in the same way, except omit the xanthan gum.The result will be a thin marinade.

Note: I also use the thickened sauce recipe as a marinade.


Tips:

For a less sweet sauce, cut the coconut palm sugar down to 1 cup, or to taste.

For a slightly thinner sauce use only 3/4 t. xanthan gum.

Mixing the xanthan gum into the dry sugar first makes the xanthan gum easy to disperse into your sauce without clumping issues. If you forget to do this, use a stick blender to blend the xanthan gum into your sauce thoroughly.

 Photos of making Teriyaki Sauce and Teriyaki Rice Bowl:

Putting the sauce ingredients together.

The xanthan gum is blended into the coconut palm sugar.

The sauce before cooking.

The thickened Teriyaki Sauce after simmering 1 minute.

Skinless boneless chicken breasts ready for marinating in Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce rubbed onto the chicken and marinated 30 minutes.

Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage, Onion, and celery chopped and ready for steaming.

The prepared vegetables in the steamer.

Steam vegetables only until tender-crisp and bright in color.

Sushi rice , steamed vegetables & grilled chicken topped with our Teriyaki Sauce. YUM.

Enjoy,

Leila.