no added sugar sweet potato pie

 Trying to keep my added sugar consumption quite low, I'm surprised at how little there is for this on-line without adding artificial sweeteners - which, yuk. 

So here is my first attempt at no sugar added sweet potato pie.

For reduced sugar, I took this pie with the sugar cut to scant 1/3 cup.  That breaks down to (with full 1/3 cup), about 8.3 added grams of sugar per slice.  That is not bad compared to almost everything else.  I took it to Thanksgiving and it was very good.

But I also want to lean into my date paste and what a great sweetener it is.  It's worked so well with muffins.  I need to remember how I made it because it's great tucked back in the fridge for months.  I also need to remember the whole wheat pie crust recipe I used for this pie.  (I froze one crust, as it made two.)

So here is how I made this sweet potato pie, and I will rework it until I'm satisfied.

• 1.5-2 pounds sweet potatoes cooked
• 2 T butter
• 1/3 cup date paste
  
• 1/4 c. milk (any percent, half & half, evaporated, etc.) (note: this is cut from 1/2 cup because the date paste provides moisture)
  
• a bit of salt
• 1tsp+ vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• mace or cardamom or other spices
• 2 eggs

Bake sweet potatoes (about 3 medium) for about 55 minutes at 425 degrees.  Allow to cool and peel.

Blend sweet potatoes in a food processor.  Add butter and process some more.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process together.

Bake in uncooked pie crust at 350 for about 55 minutes. 

**

Verdict: DELICIOUS.  It was a little grainy, probably from the date paste that I had made in the food processor.  If it mattered (like taking to fancy company), date paste in the blender.  But I do not mind grainy in my pie (at all), so for me it's perfect!   The color wasn't even off, which I'd feared.  The date paste is a not very appetizing gray-brown, so I thought it would make the pie off-color, but it was like pumpkin pie, which people eat without complaint.)

white bean & spinach enchiladas

 I plan to make some white bean and spinach enchiladas today and I keep forgetting my plan, so writing it down and will update as necessary.  I picked up some green Hatch chili sauce from Costco and need to use it up, so this will be tasty as the enchilada sauce.  

They key for my goals is using white beans and a green (chard this time because I had half a bunch).  Various other vegetables would be great to add in to empty the refrigerator. :)

• tortillas (I'm in a hunt now for fresh tortillas and am thrilled to learn there's a tortilleria not too far)
  
• 1 can white beans, drained
  
• 1/2 pound spinach (frozen/thawed/squeezed dry or fresh/wilted), chopped
  
• 4 oz shredded pepperjack cheese
• tomatoes (a can of drained tomatoes would be good, thawed frozen, or fresh) 
  
• green onions, chopped
• poblano, optional
  
• cilantro, chopped
  
• cumin
• garlic powder, onion powder
  
• taco seasoning is also good 
• lime juice
  
• enchilada sauce
  

Mix together the beans, spinach, cheese, green onions, cilantro, spices, lime juice, cheese.  Heat the tortillas and fill. Cover with enchilada sauce.  Note: this time I was using chard and poblano, so I sauteed them with some fresh tomatoes until reduced, then added green onions, spices, and beans. 

Bake about 40 minutes at 350.  

I think I'll enjoy it with some spicy roasted sweet potatoes and maybe some curtido or sauerkraut.

tomato paste for canning

 Today I'm canning tomato paste.  These are all San Marzano tomatoes that I grew in my garden, and as I got overwhelmed with processing them in the summer, I just cleaned them and tossed them into Ziplocs in the freezer.  I pulled out a couple of bags last night and filled the pot and put in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.  Spoiler: they didn't really thaw, but they were thawed enough to be able to chop them.  

I'm using the official recipe from here, with some modifications.  Yield they say is about 4-4.5 half pints (though I'm putting into quarter pints and reusing other small jars). 

Tomato paste recipe

Ingredients

•  7 pounds tomatoes - paste variety
• 1/2 tsp citric acid or ** lemon juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

• Prepare jars (4-5 half pints worth) and lids; keep warm.
• Clean tomatoes if not already done.  (Recipe calls for coring which I did not do.)
• Chop tomatoes.  I chopped them in half or quarters depending on size (they were small); recipe calls for 1/2-3/4 inch size.
• Bring to a boil, then slowly simmer until volume reduced by half (an hour or more).  Keep stirring regularly to keep from burning or sticking.
• Remove from heat and run through a food mill or a sieve.  (Recipe specifically says not to use food processor or blender but I"m not sure everyone follows that)
• Return to pot, add remaining ingredients.
• Cook slowly until reduced by half again (two or more hours).  Stir frequently and be careful of hot spatter.
• Remove bay leaf and garlic.
• Put into prepared jars, remove air bubbles, 1/2" headspace, clean rims, lid.
• Process for 45 minutes in half pint jars.  
  

 

kuri squash stuffed with wild rice and sausage

This is very tasty and satisfying.  From here.

Ingredients

• 1 red kuri squash, seeded and cut into quarters or eighths depending on squash size
•  olive oil, divided
•  salt & pepper
• 1 pound ground/bulk sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 2 sprigs fresh
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 cup cooked black rice, or other variety rice (I cook 1/2 cup dry which ends up more like 1.5 cups cooked) 
•  

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the squash pieces onto a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes, flipping each piece halfway through. Squash should be golden brown on all sides and fork tender when done.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by heating the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
• Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up with a spatula into small pieces.
• Add the onions, celery, mushrooms and rosemary. Stir to combine and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the apples, pecans and raisins. Stir and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper then turn off the heat.
• Add the cooked rice to the skillet and toss to combine.
• Once the squash is done roasting, remove from the oven and transfer 1-2 pieces to a plate. Spoon the prepared stuffing on top of the squash and serve

 

lower sugar berry crisp

 I've been carefully avoiding sugar for a few months now, and I'm trying to strike a balance with a small enough amount each day that still allows tasty treats.  Aiming for less than 10 grams per day, which means A LOT of label reading and avoiding processed foods.  I've found Blue Stripes and some other dark chocolates are a great bang for grams, with like 3-4 grams added sugar for half a chocolate bar.  That's like than a slice of Dave's Killer Bread or less than a tablespoon of ketchup, and it's way more satisfying to my sweet tooth.  I allow a half tablespoon of jam on a muffin made with no added sugars (sweetened with mashed dates) or slice of whole wheat sourdough toast.  Or hot chocolate made with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.  These are satisfying still.

But I've stayed away from making other desserts, as I do not want to use fake sugar.  I'm thinking of making a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving with whole wheat crust and maybe 1/4 cup maple syrup.  That's a whole lot better for me than what else will be served.  

And I have a heap of berries frozen from picking this summer, including a mix of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  (I keep my strawberries for chia seed pudding with no sweetener.)  

HEre's what's in the oven now and I hope it's great!

• 5 cups (or so) of mixed berries
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon/cardamom/whatever sounds good
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine berries, corn starch, and white sugar in a baking pan.  Then in a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, mixing by hand and sprinkling over the berries.  

Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Eat with yogurt! 

summer squash scramble

 I keep struggling with what to prepare for breakfast, and I also struggle with what to do with the vegetable bounty from my garden.  

Finally, after a week of staring at an identified summer squash (not what I planted, but what grew), I realized I can just saute it with eggs and add parmesan that I shredded too much of, and make it a meal.

I can do this with most vegetables, adding whatever cheese or other thing is about like salsa.

Not sure why I keep forgetting this, but putting it here to remind me. 

- Chop up squash or whatever vegetable is lurking

- heat cast iron skillet, add olive or whatever oil

- saute vegetable

- mix in bowl: eggs (I usually use two smaller), salt, pepper, seasonings such as onion and garlic powders

- add egg mixture to vegetables and cook to desired doneness

- top with cheese, salsa, or whatever else needs to get used up

whole wheat sourdough flatbread

 I'm super grateful that Trader Joe's has whole wheat flatbread with no preservatives, etc.  I'm eating it daily as I avoid refined sugar/grains/seed oils.  

Someone on Facebook posted this with a tasty photo so I'm adding it to my to-do list when I want from scratch, which is of course always better.

Flat bread

Farmhouse on boon

Ingredients

* 260g or 2 cups flour I use freshly milled hard white wheat

* 250g or 1 cup starter

* 5g or 1 tsp salt (note: this is high, that would be over 1000 mg of salt per flatbread??, cut it to 1/4 tsp)

* 135g or 1/2 cup milk

* Olive oil for cooking (optional I don’t use it)

 

Instructions

1. Mix sourdough starter, flour, milk, and salt together. Knead for a few minutes.

2. Cover and allow to rise for for 2-4 hours (or overnight for long fermentation). I leave 24 hours!

3. Divide into 8 equal pieces.

4. Roll flat (about 1/4” thick) on a lightly floured work surface.

5. Add a small amount of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and preheat over medium. I don’t use oil, just put straight on the pan.

6. Cook each flatbread for a minute or two on each side until it starts to brown a bit.