Refreshing Lime Quinoa Salad - Gluten Free & Healthy

This healthy, vibrant salad is very fresh tasting and delicious. It's an easy keeper in the fridge and is a nice staple to have around for quick meals.

The lime makes the salad bright tasting and the maple syrup tempers the acidity perfectly.

You may serve this with gluten-free corn chips, served over top romaine lettuce or baby spinach, as a lettuce wrap filling, or eat it as-is. It's all good.

You can omit any salt in the recipe so that the salad stores well in your refrigerator a few days without getting watery. Add a touch of salt, to taste, to the portion that is served.

I hope you enjoy this nutritious, easy to make salad as much as we do!




Refreshing Lime Quinoa Salad Recipe:

Salad:


1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1 can black beans, rinsed well
2 large tomatoes, diced small
4 small scallions, including the green tops, minced (or 2 large)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro leaves

Dressing:

zest of 2 large limes (about 1 heaping T.)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (or rice bran oil)
2 T. real maple syrup
1/2 to 1 t. BioSalt or sea salt
1 to 2 t. salt-free seasoning of choice, optional


Method:

Place the quinoa in a large fine mesh strainer. Rinse the quinoa and soak at least 15 minutes in a bowl of water, and rinse again.

Simmer the quinoa and the 2 cups water in a pot, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let stand on the burner for another 10 minutes.

Strain off any excess water, then let cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.

Combine the dressing ingredients together in a serving bowl, to taste.

Add the cooked quinoa to the salad dressing and toss well.

Add the drained black beans, tomato, scallions, and fresh cilantro and toss well.

Serve warm or chill and serve cold.


NOTE: 

If you plan on storing in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, only add salt at serving time, as you eat it. This prevents the tomatoes from releasing as much juice, eliminating liquid at the bottom of the bowl. If liquid does accumulate, no worries, just stir and serve.

Enjoy,

Leila.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yummy Sun Warrior Butterscotch Protein Pudding (Low-Carb, Vegan & Sugar-Free)

Butterscotch Pudding with Crispy Toasted Almonds and Monkey-Break Bananas.

Here It is as promised... Now you can have dessert for breakfast. 

Here is our delicious low-carb, sugar-free Butterscotch Protein Pudding recipe! First we came out with a yummy chocolate protein pudding. Next I will be posting a recipe for Vanilla Protein Pudding!

We love these puddings because they are really good for you and they are very enjoyable to eat. I feel good about offering this to my family, and you can too. Like the chocolate protein pudding, this is low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free, corn-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

You also get a nice dose of healthy coconut oil in this recipe. Research the virtues of coconut oil if you are unfamiliar with it's health benefits.

This pudding is silky, creamy and dreamy. You will be very surprised when you review the ingredient list. It is unusual but trust me, it's good. It is very quick to mix up a batch in your VitaMix (high-powered blender). This pudding is"cooked" just like the Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein Pudding. You can then transfer it to serving size mason jars and store in your refrigerator, and it will be ready when the cravings hit. It freezes beautifully too.


Sun Warrior Butterscotch Protein Pudding Recipe:

3 c. hot water
1 1/4 c. Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Raw Vegan Vanilla Protein powder
1/2 to 1 c. Golden Lakanto Zero-Calorie Sweetener, to taste
3 T. deodorized coconut oil
1 T. caramelized ghee  (or omit and just use 1/4 c. coconut oil)
1/4 c. raw cashew butter (could try roasted cashew butter)
1/4 c. Kitchen Cheetah's sugar-free maple syrup
1 c. deep orange baked yam (without skin)
1/4 t. Kitchen Cheetah's BioSalt
Kitchen Cheetah's Stevia Glycerite
Butterscotch flavor, to taste (or vanilla and butter flavor, plus rum or brandy flavor)

Method:

Place the HOT water into a VitaMix blender container.Then add the 1 1/4 cup protein powder, and 1 cup Golden Lakanto.

Put the VitaMix lid on and blend on medium speed just until combined. Turn off the blender and then scrape down the sides of the blender.

Secure the lid on tightly and process on highest speed until steaming hot and perfectly smooth. The temperature should reach at least 130 degrees F. for the pudding to have the best texture and flavor (don't go over 170 degrees). The friction of the blades heats the liquid after a short time. Measure temperature with a thermometer.

Turn off the VitaMix, remove lid and add the rest of the ingredients to the blender, except for the stevia glycerite and flavoring.

Place lid tightly on and process on the highest speed until the pudding is steaming hot and smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed (with the blender turned off!). If the mixture gets a little too thick, use the "Tamper" to help it along. 

Turn off the VitaMix, Taste the pudding. Add stevia glycerite, a few drops at a time, to taste if you want the pudding sweeter. Add flavorings to taste.

Give a final blend and taste for balanced flavors.

Portion finished pudding into serving-sized jars and store in the refrigerator. The jars of pudding also freeze well!

To Serve:

A good way to serve this is to top the pudding with sliced or broken bananas and crushed gluten-free pretzels. Pour your favorite cold, milk over top and dig in! Our favorite milks are whole organic milk, almond mylk, coconut/almond mylk, or cashew mylk.

Notes: 

This pudding thickens more when chilled due to the coconut oil content. If the chilled pudding turns out thicker than you would like, just stir in a bit more water to suit your individual taste.

We add the flavorings to the pudding to make the most of the butterscotch flavor and to make the least of the pea protein flavor!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy,