Successful sugar-free caramel experiments today!

Sugar Free Caramel experiments in the Kitchen Cheetah Test Kitchens

Imagine a dab of rich, buttery, creamy smooth caramel on your finger tips, just waiting to be tasted...

That's what I got to do today. CARAMEL.

We have been working on formulating a delicious sugar free caramel, not an easy task. Today, great progress was made towards our goal!

Years ago, when my husband and I owned a gourmet candy manufacturing business, I experimented with sugar-free caramel and toffee. At the time, maltitol and maltitol syrup (sugar alcohols) were pretty new to the market and I experimented with those. I was only somewhat satisfied. I had to add some other natural ingredients to create caramelization (also known as the maillard reaction). Sugar alcohols do not caramelize on their own, which is a problem for sugar-free candy manufacturers. Artificial flavors and colors are used to achieve a caramel-like look and taste - but they don't really fool you.

Maltitol causes gastric distress in most people, but was an improvement over mannitol. Sugar alcohols cause gastric distress in general. Xylitol is generally better tolerated than maltitol, plus xylitol has many health benefits. Still, you only want to eat it in small doses.

Erythritol is generally tolerated the best out of all the sugar alcohols. However, erythritol recrystallizes much quicker than regular sugar does, leading to grainy caramel, grainy marshmallows, grainy fudge - yuk. Erythritol also does not brown, so you can't make caramel with just erythritol.

There are some newer, healthy sugar alternatives on the market now, which we are experimenting with. We are very close to reaching our goal of a delicious, natural sugar-free, chemical-free caramel that is firm enough to wrap in caramel wrappers, or dip in our sugar free chocolate. SO EXCITING.

I just had to share!

Freshly made sugar-free caramel.

This caramel has a nice rich color and caramel taste!

Sugar-free caramel experiment - after the cold water test. Nice texture :)

Stay tuned!

Author, Leila.

Super Easy & Delicious Fried Egg Sandwich

Quick Egg Sandwich

Sometimes you just need something FAST. This sandwich fits the bill nicely. You can use gluten-free bread if you like. The bread toasted with butter (or coconut oil) on the griddle is the way to do it. I like to cook the egg over easy, so that you can spread the yummy yolk around (spread the joy).

Fresh minced onion sprinkled over the cooking egg makes the sandwich. Dried onion will do in a pinch. Top with fresh ground pepper and sea salt or bioSalt to taste. you're good to go!





Quick Egg Sandwich Recipe:

1 extra large organic egg
butter and/or coconut oil
2 sliced whole grain bread or gluten free bread (1 slice for open face)
2 t. minced raw onion
fresh ground pepper, to taste
BioSalt or sea salt, to taste (recipe on this blog)


Method:

Heat a cast iron skillet.
Butter the outsides of 2 slices of bread and place on one side of the skillet.
Add a dab of butter on the opposite side of the skillet and crack the egg on top.
Sprinkle egg with onion and fresh ground pepper.
Cook the egg over easy. Don't burn your bread!
Lay the finished egg on top of 1 slice of toasted bread. Spread yolk around and then salt to taste.
Top with the other piece of toasted bread and chow.


Note: Salting eggs after they are cooked keeps the eggs tender.

Enjoy, 

Leila

Home Made Spicy Indian Tamarind Chutney - To go with my Butter Chicken Recipe (Copy Cat)

Tangy-Sweet Indian Tamarind Chutney (Restaurant Copy Cat Recipe)

Homemade Spicy Tamarind Chutney

I love the tamarind chutney that Indian restaurants serve. The tangy-sweet contrast it gives to Indian food really appeals to me. Sometimes it is too sweet at the restaurants, or it isn't served with the meal at all . Sad. Anyway, I wanted to recreate it at home, since it is not readily available. 

Tamarind is sour on it's own and has a wonderful fruity complexity. It is used in refreshing beverages and also in many sauces like Worcestershire sauce. It is high in pectin so it thickens naturally as it simmers. Tamarind chutney is a wonderful way to discover tamarind, if you haven't already.

You can find tamarind paste at ethnic food markets. You can also make your own tamarind paste from tamarind concentrate or even from whole dried tamarind pods. Just simmer the tamarind in water until soft. Dilute with enough water so that you can strain it through a metal strainer, pressing the liquid from the seeds and pulp. I dilute the pulp a couple more times, straining and pressing the pulp to remove all the usable juices. Simmer gently to concentrate into a thick sauce, or paste.

I love serving this chutney drizzled over my Indian Butter chicken recipe posted on this blog, or on Vegetable curry (recipe coming soon)!



Tamarind Chutney Recipe:

1 c. tamarind paste
1/2 c. erythritol (or Lakanto's zero-cal sweetener)
1/2 c. xylitol
2 to 4 T. vegetable glycerine, to adjust sweetness
1/2 to 1 c. purified water, or more as needed
2 to 3 t. coriander seed powder, to taste
1 to 2 t. cumin powder, to taste
1 t. ancho chili powder
1 t. fennel seed powder
1 t. black pepper powder
1/2 t. cinnamon powder
1/4 to 1/2 t. cardamom powder, to taste
1/2 t. bioSalt or sea salt (recipe on this blog)


Method:

Grind the spices together in a seed mill until very fine.

Mix everything together in a small saucepan and gently simmer a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Thin with water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Taste for sweetness and adjust the vegetable glycerine to taste.

Keep refrigerated. It thickens when cooled.

Serve with Indian food. YUM.



Note: The erythritol, xylitol, and vegetable glycerine replace 1 cup of regular sugar in this recipe.

Tip: Kitchen Cheetahs now has an original recipe for a Faux Tamarind Paste here.

An example of tamarind paste. This time I made my own paste however.

Simmer the chutney to thicken up a bit.

The Simmered chutney. You can see that the spices could be ground up finer, which I will do next time.

Finished Tamarind Chutney

Enjoy!

Leila

Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins using a new Gluten-Free Grain called Canahua (Recipe with Variations)

Canahua (Kaniwa), a little known powerhouse of a grain... 

And a recipe for Glazed Lemon Canahua Muffins

Canahua from Bolivia is a little known gluten-free grain that is related to quinoa. It is high in protein (15 to 19%) and has a complete amino acid profile. This grain is claimed to be allergen-free as well.

Unlike quinoa, canahua does not have a protective saponin layer. That's the bitter, soapy-tasting saponins that can give off-flavors to your gluten free baked goods. This means you do not need to prewash canahua to remove the bitterness. You do need to prewash quinoa to remove the saponins, in case you didn't know that already.

Often canahua is first toasted (creating a desirable and tasty Maillard Reaction - think of caramelization...yum) and then ground into a flour. Canahua is a very useful, protein-packed nutritional additive. Use it to enhance the nutrition of baked goods, hot cereals, soups, desserts, smoothies, yogurts, energy bars and other neutraceuticals.

PREPARATION - The most common preparation is to clean, lightly roast the beans and then grind the beans to give a kind of flour commonly called "Pito". Is consumed by mixing with cold or hot drinks, over 15 different ways to prepare whole grain and the "Pito" are known. 
In the same way in baking excellent results have been obtained mixtures incorporating 20% "WHISTLE ".  (Source: http://ccbolgroup.com/amaranto.html)

Cañahua / Cañihua

Relationship of quinoa and other grains Cañahua

Pra 100% Cañahua Wheat Quinoa Rice Barley Proteins 16.2 11.5 13.8 8.7 10.6 Lipids 8.04 2.0 5.0 2.2 2.1 Carbohydrates 58.6 59.4 59.7 74.6 57.7 Calcium mg. 157.0 41.0 85.0 39.6 26.0 Magnesium mg. 210.0 91.0 204.0 119.6 57.0 Iron 13.6 3.3 7.0 2.0 2.0

(Source: http://ccbolgroup.com/amaranto.html)

Below are instructions for cooking the canahua. You can even cook it with quinoa, since they are so similar. For the muffin recipe below, use just cooked canahua.

The following muffin recipe is gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan. I have yet to remake the recipe into a lower carb gluten-free formula, but I wanted to give you an example of how you could incorporate this new grain. I want to try this muffin recipe with our "kitchen Cheetahs healthy 4-Flour Blend" (recipe found on this blog). If you beat me to it, message me and let me know how it worked for you.

To Cook Canahua:

Cook 1 part canahua in 2 parts boiling water.

The cooking method is the same as for cooking quinoa. add canahua to the boiling water, cover and turn heat down to a simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Glazed Lemon Canahua Muffins: 

• 1 1/4 cup superfine brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup  sweet white rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 c. potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon BioSalt or sea salt (recipe on this blog)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 c. erythritol plus 1/4 c. xylitol (equivalent of 3/4 cup granulated sugar) *
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
• 1/2 cup warmed coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, neufchatel, or vegan cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia glycerite (recipe on our blog) or NOW brand stevia glycerite, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh organic lemon zest
• 3/4 cup cooked canahua

Method: 

Preheat oven to 350 °F, with a rack  positioned in the middle of the oven. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, including the granular sweetener and salt, in a large mixing bowl.

In small bowl, Mix together the lime juice and milk and set aside until curdled.

In a separate medium bowl, cream the cream cheese until fluffy with a hand mixer.

Add the curdled milk to the cream cheese and mix together well.

Add the liquid coconut oil and stevia glycerite to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.

Taste for sweetness and adjust as desired, adding more stevia glycerite if needed.

Stir in the flour mixture along with the lime zest, then fold in the cooked canahua.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 lined cupcake compartments and let rest 30 minutes before baking.

Bake 32 to 35 minutes, or until slightly golden on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 

Let muffins cool completely and then cover with glaze.

* Note: You may use 1/2 c. Lakanto's zero-cal sweetener instead of the 1/2 c. plain erythritol.

Muffin Variations:

You can add 1 T. poppy seeds and 1-2 t. almond extract for a lemon poppy seed variation.

You can replace the lemon juice and zest for lime juice and zest, and add 1 -2 t. almond or vanilla extract.

Smooth Sugar-Free Glaze:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered erythritol or Lakanto's white zero-cal sweetener, finely powdered.
• 3 teaspoons egg white protein powder (plain)
• 1 teaspoon Cal/Mag (calcium magnesium powder, to make glaze whiter and more nutritious)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable glycerine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• water, coconut milk, or almond milk to thin to desired consistency

Glaze Variations:

Add 2 T. marmalade along with 1 t. fresh lemon juice (omit vanilla extract).

Add 2 T. sour cherry preserves along with 1 t. almond extract and 1 t. lime juice (use lime juice in the muffins).

Add 2 T. sour cherry preserves along with 1 t. lemon juice, omit vanilla extract. 

Add 2 T. lime juice in place of the lemon juice (also use lime juice in the muffins), flavor both with almond ext.

Method:

To make the glaze, mix all the powders together and stir into the 2 T. glycerine. Whisk together until smooth. 

Add lemon or lime juice and vanilla or almond extract to taste. Thin with desired liquid, if needed.

Enjoy experimenting,

Leila.

How to make canned re-fried beans taste GOOD!

Super Speedy Re-fried Beans




Refried beans from a can are yucky. Admit it, you only use them because you don't have time to make a good batch by scratch. I find that most Mexican restaurants refried beans aren't the greatest either. It's a shame because they can be SO good.

My favorite refried beans are served at La Casita Mexican restaurant in Springville, Utah. They most certainly have copious amounts of lard in them. They are so creamy and yummy... Well, since they won't deliver to my house at the drop of a hat, I have to make my own, often at the drop of a hat. If I would actually plan ahead, I'd make my favorite made-from-scratch refried bean recipe  It's my copycat version of La Casita's refried beans. I need to remember to post that recipe too.

Anyway, I created this easy recipe and it has been the best solution for a quick compromise, that our family really enjoys. A trick is to thin the beans with water, so they don't have such a gacky texture. Then I re-fry the "refried" beans in coconut oil, adding some seasonings. Big improvement.

Note about coconut oil: We eat it in our home for it's health benefits. Some health experts recommend consuming 2 T coconut oil per day. No problem, I use it in my cooking all the time.





Easy Re-fried Beans recipe:

2 T. virgin or deodorized coconut oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 pinch hot red chili pepper flakes
1 can refried beans of choice
1/4 c. plus 2 T. purified water, divided
1/2 t. onion powder
1 pinch cumin powder


Method:

Saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in coconut oil until very fragrant and sizzling.

Add the can of beans and stir to mix together.

Add 1/4 c. water to thin the beans, mixing in well.

Add the onion powder and a pinch of cumin. mix in well.

Brown the beans, turning occasionally, until they thicken up and have areas that are browned nicely. This gives a great flavor to the re-fried beans.

Add a touch more water (about 2 T.) to thin the beans to a nice consistency.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. If you used unsalted beans, add salt to taste.

Serve hot.



Note: You can use half bacon fat and half coconut oil for even more flavor!



Photos of the cooking process:

Get out all your ingredients first.

Coconut oil, garlic, and red chili pepper flakes go into a frying pan.

Saute the spices until they become very fragrant and sizzling.

Add the boring canned refried beans and stir.

Add 1/4 c. purified water to thin.

Add onion powder and cumin.

Brown, with occasional stirring.

The beans are done browning. Add a couple more T. water to thin again to desired consistency.

Serve the now delicious refried beans with your meal of choice (in this case, fajitas).

Enjoy,

Leila.

Chicken Masala - Copy Cat Indian Restaurant recipe

Crazy Good Indian Butter Chicken

(Murgh Makhani Masala)

I'm not kidding, this dish is amazing. For years I have wanted to duplicate Indian Masala dishes found at my favorite Indian restaurant, The Bombay House, in Utah. My girls and I ADORE masala. Nothing made at home ever came close, I never found good recipes in books or online.

Sigh...

I get stubborn about these things sometimes... I again did my research, and still did not find what I was looking for. BUT, I decided to start with a basic Indian gravy and work from there. I knew I wanted a creamy, buttery tomato base. I did not want to taste an over abundance of cumin, which most home made recipes have. I also did not want the sauce to be acidic tasting from the tomato, again, most home made sauces are too sour. I wanted a harmonious marriage of exotic Indian spices, peeking their way through, delighting the taste buds. The sauces I love also have a subtle sweetness to them too and I wanted to duplicate that.

I cooked and tasted carefully, adding more spices and "stuff" until the sauce "officially arrived".

The sauce turned out so rich and flavorful. The chicken was so moist and tender, with a touch of tang that perfectly complimented the decadent sauce. Served over basmati rice, and garnished with cilantro, it was perfect. We enjoyed it more than the version served at most Indian restaurants. I usually have to have tamarind chutney on the side to fully enjoy this dish, but this has such a nice flavor that I didn't need it at all. We fell into a blissful Indian food coma after this incredible meal. We were SO happy, just sayin'.

This is a sauce you can add any meat to, not just the marinated chicken recipe below. You can make it vegetarian, by adding Paneer (an Indian cheese). Oh, how I love paneer... I tried making it once - epic fail. I'll figure that one out too some time.

This makes enough sauce to serve about 8 people, or 2 meals of 4. I like to make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed. Restaurants also make their sauces in advance, in big batches, to save time. They will then customize it to order for their patrons. Marinating your meat ahead of time makes for quick meals come dinner time.

This recipe is surprisingly easy to prepare.  How great is that?

Serve with basmati rice for authenticity and true deliciousness. I like to garnish with fresh chopped cilantro too.

Garlic Naan is a natural to serve with Indian food, My recipe is not gluten-free (yet), so I will not share it with you here.

Here is my original prized recipe, I now present it to you...



Marinated Chicken:

3 to 4 fresh or thawed skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 T. mashed garlic
1/2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 T. plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works too)
1 t. garahm masala powder (recipe on this blog)
1/2 t. tumeric powder
1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. BioSalt (recipe on this blog)


Method:

Mix the marinade with the chicken in a heavy duty Ziplock bag. Coat the chicken evenly.

Let marinate in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight is even better (you may store in your refrigerator up to 3 days this way).



Makhani Masala Sauce (a thick buttery tomato based sauce):

2 T. virgin coconut oil
1/2 c. pureed onion
1 T. fresh grated ginger (paste)
1 T. smashed garlic (paste)
1/2 to 1 T. kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), optional to taste (Indian food stores)
1 1/2 t. Graham masala powder
1 t. Ancho red chili powder
1/2 t. plus 1/8 t. Saigon cinnamon
1/2 t. cardamom powder
1/2 t. tumeric powder, optional (I left it out this time)
1 pinch red hot pepper flakes
1 green chili, minced, optional (I left it out this time)
3 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 c. hot water
1 c. heavy cream (Dairy-Free Version: omit cream and water, add 2 cans full-fat coconut milk)
2 t. xylitol
1 1/2 t. BioSalt, to taste (recipe on this blog)
1 T. butter (omit if dairy-free version is desired)



Method:

Heat 2 T. coconut oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat..

Add ground onion  and saute until it starts looking translucent.

Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and kasuri methi, if using (I did not have any).

Saute until the mixture until it starts to sizzle and let it sizzle a few minutes. Don't let it burn.

Add a touch of water if you feel the onion is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the graham masala, chili powder, cinnamon, cardamom, hot pepper flakes, and green chili.

Mix well in the pan. Add the tomato sauce and 1 c. hot water.

Turn the heat down to medium, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 c. heavy cream and 2 t. xylitol, stir and then bring up to a boil again, uncovered.

Add 1 1/2 t. BioSalt and 1 T. butter, stir in and remove from heat.

Taste for seasoning. It should have a subtle sweetness from the xylitol and sweet spices.

Use the sauce immediately or pour into a quart jar and store in your refrigerated until needed.

There is enough sauce to prepare 2 batches of the marinated chicken above.



To Prepare The Meal:

Prepare the basmati rice according to the directions for your rice cooker, using 3 cups rice, the amount of water called for, 1 T. butter and a heaping t. BioSalt.

In a large frying pan, heat the 2 T. coconut oil and fry the chicken pieces for about 3 minutes on each side, until starting to brown. don't over crowd the chicken in the pan.

Once the chicken is done, Add the prepared sauce, about 2 cups worth.

Stir together and gently heat through. Thin with a little water as needed.

Top with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve over hot cooked basmati rice.



Notes: 

In the future I may puree the sauce to make it even more velvety.

I used our home made Garam Masala spice blend recipe found on this blog.



See pictures of the cooking process:

The sauce is the boss!

Sauce ready to put into the fridge.

The chicken is marinating...

Virgin coconut oil is perfect for this dish.

Coconut oil is melted in the pan and marinated chicken is placed inside...

Saute chicken until golden and flip over to brown the other side.

Pour in about half a jars worth of  prepared sauce.

Add a bit of water when the sauce gets too thick.

The finished chicken and sauce.

Served with Basmati rice and Naan.

Enjoy!!!

Leila.

Easy Homemade Gyoza Dipping Sauce - Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free

Gyoza (Pot Stickers) Dipping Sauce

So my daughter was preparing a pan of organic gyoza for our dinner tonight, when we discovered at the last minute that we had NO DIPPING SAUCE!

Yikes!

I looked online at a few different recipes. They all seemed to be too heavy on the soy sauce, and too vinegar-y too. I wrote down some ideas and then proceeded to prepare my own version of it, tasting it along the way.  I don't like using more soy sauce than vinegar. I don't like the vinegar without some sweetness added to balance it out. I like a touch of heat too. I added a little toasted sesame oil, not too much or it will overpower everything else. I love lots of fresh ginger, and a little fresh garlic, so I added that too.

I have posted the recipe I came up with, and it closely resembles the sauce that comes in those little packets that most bags of frozen gyoza contain. But this sauce is better.

This sauce is also sugar free and gluten free.

This is a super simple recipe. It's quick too. I researched it and made it, just as my daughter finished our gyoza for dinner. I am posting it because it is a delicious version of this sauce, and I have listed several ingredient options, so you can play with the sauce to suit your tastes.

In the stores, a bottle of this sauce will cost you about $5.00. It is much less expensive (and tastier) to make it yourself.


Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe:

1/3 c. rice vinegar (gluten free and sugar free)
1/4 c. tamari soy sauce (gluten free)
2 t. xylitol or Lakanto white granular zero-cal sweetener, to taste (sugar-free)
1 t. toasted sesame oil
Sriracha to taste (or 1/4 to 1/2 t. red chili flakes)
1 t. finely grated ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced fine (up to 2 cloves)
1 scallion, finely sliced

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired


Method:

Mix the vinegar, tamari, and xylitol to taste. Stir well to dissolve the xylitol.

Add the sesame oil and Sriracha. If you plan on storing the sauce for longer than 2 weeks time, it's best to leave out the fresh ginger, garlic, and scallion until serving time.

At serving time add the ginger, garlic, and scallion to taste.

Use as a dipping sauce for prepared gyoza.


Tips:

You may use garlic chili oil or regular chili oil in place of the red chili flakes or sriracha.

You may add wasabi to the sauce if desired.


Enjoy,

Leila