Crustless Apple Pie

Gosh I love apples and they're starting to come into season again.  I made a bit of apple sauce last winter and stored it away in my pantry.  I'm just finishing off the last jars now just in time for the next season!

Last night, this is what I had for a treat after work: Spiced Apple Sauce with Whipped Cream on top aka Crustless Apple Pie.

Spiced Apple Sauce

10 medium apples, peeled and chopped

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 cinnamon quills

1 star anise

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cloves (whole)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for 12 hours.  Remove cinnamon quills and star anise. Process apple sauce with a hand blender until smooth. Spoon into sterilized jars and seal. 

Serve in a little bowl or ramekin and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Voila!

Almost-Vegan Banana Chocolate Mousse Tart

The Crust

2 Cups LSA (1 cup flax seeds, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup almonds)

1 cup cashews

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 large Medjool dates

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

The Filling

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and seeded

4 Tbsp cocoa

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 banana

Add LSA mixture, cashews, vanilla extract, medjool dates, 1 Tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp sea salt into a food processor and process until the crust starts to rise on the sides of the bowl. 

Press crust crumbs onto the bottom and sides of a pie pan to form the crust.  Place a layer of sliced banana evenly on the top of the crust.

Place avocados, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt into a food processor and process until completely smooth and creamy. 

Spread the chocolate filling on the top of the bananas, then add a top layer of banana slices.  Chill at least one hour prior to serving.  Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The Result:

The Verdict: 

Yum!!  The chocolate mousse was so good!  The creaminess obviously comes from the avocado.  Although avocado has around 14g of fat per 100g, it also has a good amount of fiber which you will not find in regular pudding/mousse. I did think the crust was a little salty; not real salty but just a little bit too prominent.  Next time I'd probably half the amount of salt in the crust. I was surprised the crust held up so good.  It slices really easy and stays together nicely when transferred to a place.

source: adapted from Renata Holicova's original recipe http://fromgreytogreen.co.nz

The Custard Apple

Also known as a Cherimoya here. Have you ever eaten one of these before?  They're not very common in the supermarkets.  They grow in sub tropical climates; I think ours come from Australia but they're also commonly grown in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India & Africa.

I'd describe the taste as a combination of mild mango, banana and a touch of apple.  It really is a lovely taste and it has a creamy texture as the name suggests.

Nutritionally it has an excellent source of Vitamin C, a good amount of dietary fibre and respectable amounts of  of Vitamin B6, magnesium and potassium.  Not exactly a superfood, but definitely a tasty fruit!

Not only is the fruit nutritionally sound, the leaves and bark of the plant it grows on is used in natural remedies.  The leaves are used as a tonic for cold or digestive remedy; it can also be added to baths to aid rheumatic pain such as tired muscles and aching joints.  The bark and roots are given as a tonic to halt diarrhea .  The root itself can be administered as a drastic treatment for dysentery.  The seeds are toxic and can be crushed to treat head lice. Very interesting!

As I don't eat them very frequently, I have never used them to cook with or use them in a recipe; I usually just enjoy them as is.  To serve, I usually slice it in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  As you can see you have to dodge quite a few stones.  I imagine they would make quite a tasty dessert if you choose to use it in recipes; I did find one recipe for Custard Apple cream which looks very nice from the Australian Custard Apple Growers Association website.

Custard Apple Cream

3tsps gelatine
1/3 cup boiling water
500g soft light cream cheese
½ cup caster sugar
190ml cream
2 custard apples, cut into segments, deseeded and pureed with a squeeze of lemon

Dissolve gelatine in one-third of a cup of boiling water. In a bowl beat softened cream cheese thoroughly then add gelatine mixture, caster sugar and cream. Add custard apple puree and beat until smooth. Pour into dessert glasses or pots. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Spiced Baked Pears

2 Large Pears, quartered

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tablespoon crushed ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 cup caster sugar 

30g unsalted butter, melted

30g raw almonds, chopped

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well.  Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and place pear mixture in dish. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes  The spice mixture should be caramelised and have toffee like bits - delicious!  Serve with a little whipped cream if desired.

Sorry, no photo for this one, but believe me it is appetizing.  It's the first time I've made it and I plan to make it again next Sunday or Monday for my refeed!

Sweet Baked Buttercup

I love pumpkin, squash and buttercup, especially in dessert.  It's going out of season down under as spring is here but I still love using it in recipes, savory or sweet.

1 small Buttercup, halved

5 tablespoons of Splenda (or brown sugar)

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

1 teaspoon All Spice

30g Almonds, chopped

30g Butter, finely cubed

Scoop out seeds from buttercup and set in baking dish with water covering the bottom.  Mix Splenda/Sugar, Cinnamon, All Spice and Almonds in a seperate bowl then gently stir in butter.  Distribute mixture between the two halves and place in oven at 350 degrees Farhenheit for about 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool a little before serving.

Chocolate Brownie Cake

This is a good one. I found it on a fitness forum almost a year ago and have only just made it now! I modified it slightly to suit what I had in the pantry.

No flour, a good amount of fiber and a rich chocolate taste. Using coffee accentuates the chocolate taste, so even if you dislike coffee do not omit it! Using Splenda cuts down on calories and carbohydrates but if you're wary of using artificial sugars you can substitute with regular sugar.

1 can of black beans

1.5 cups of Splenda (or sugar if you wish)

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp Baking Cocoa

3 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 Tbsp nut butter

1 handful of chopped nuts

Rinse the black beans well in water and set aside.

Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a food processor. Add baking powder, coffee, cocoa, vanilla bean paste and nut butter (your choice - I used cashew butter as that's what I had in the pantry). Blend until smooth. Add the black beans and blend again until smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a clean bowl.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

With a clean metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Pour cake batter in a greased cake tin and cover with chopped nuts (your choice - I used macadamia nuts, but walnuts would also be good). Place in an oven @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Wait until slightly cooled before cutting and serving.

Voila!

A second day

...there was PSMF (again).

Pretty straight forward today.  I set my alarm for 6am to go for a morning walk, but when morning came around I discovered it's still dark at 6am (who knew?).  I don't like walking outside in the dark, so I decided to sleep in.  I'll try again tomorrow for 6:15am and leave at 6:20am!  But do not worry!  I actually did go for my walk after work - a 30 minute brisk walk.

The supermarket sucked today.  I went there to stock up on chicken breast, eggs, broccoli and cottage cheese.  I got the eggs, I had to get the steroid chicken (not my normal free range) and there was no broccoli or cottage cheese!!  Bloody hell people!!

Diet today was spot on:

M1: Protein shake with a shot of espresso

M2: Chicken Spinach Salad

M3: Jelly Fluff

M4: Chicken & PSMF Broccoli Soup

M5: Grilled Lamb Loin + Rest of Jelly Fluff as dessert

Supplements: 10 Fish Oils, 1 Centrum, 1 Calcium

For those of you that have not experienced the glory of Jelly Fluff, behold:

Jelly Fluff

1 packet of jelly/jello made to packet directions

250-300g low fat cottage cheese

Add cottage cheese to set jelly and blend with a stick blender (the easiest option).  Place in refridgerator to set.  Enjoy!  I swear, this stuff keeps me sane when dieting.  My favourite flavours are lemon, lime and orange.

And for those of you not dieting: please try out Pioneer Woman's Cauliflower Soup for me. I love soup so much and that one looks glorious!

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Pumpkin Pie Filling

300g cooked pumpkin
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or similar - I use Muscle Milk Cake Batter)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (50% cinnamon, 25% ginger, 12.5% nutmeg, 12.5% allspice)
Splenda or Stevia to taste

I actually had this while I was dieting for my competition now and again and it was heaven! It has around 20g of carbs and depending on what protein powder you use, around 20g of protein.