pistachio cheesecake

Pistachio Cheesecake

pistachio cheesecake

(Best if made the day or 2 days before)

Ingredients:

5 – (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
2/3  cup organic cane sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 package pistachio pudding-n-pie filling (Jello)
5 large eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Nielsen (Massey preferably)
¼ tsp. salt (preferably sea salt)

Crust:

1/2 cup Pistachios  shelled
½ bag Stella Doro – Margarite blend – plain vanilla – (12 cookies)
1/8 stick melted butter or 2 oz.
1- 9 inch spring form pan

stella dora cheesecake crust

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Cooking time 75 to 80 minutes

1) Make the pistachio crust by blending the Stella Doro cookies in food processor with pistachios. Once blended to a nice crumble, add the melted butter.

2) Place the crumbs in a thin layer on the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Cook until the crust is a slightly browned on top approximately 12 minutes. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes while you make your filling.

    Pistachio Cream Cheese Filling:

Whip in a mixer, 3 packages of the cream cheese, slowly for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup sugar. Whip for 1 more minute. Scrape the bottom well lifting up the cream cheese mixture. Add the pistachio pudding mix and remaining sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Continue beating slowly adding eggs one at time for about 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom well with a spatula. Add heavy cream until well incorporated.

Gently pour the cheese filling on top of the chilled pistachio cookie cracker crumb spring form pan.

Place the spring form pan in a large shallow baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Fold the foil around the spring formed pan with the cheesecake filling in it. Be sure the aluminum foil acts as a barrier to not allow water to soak through the bottom of the spring pan. Add hot water 1/2 way up the outside of the spring pan aluminum barrier. Easiest to add water once pie is in placed in oven.

Bake the cheesecake until lightly browned on top and firm. DO NOT OPEN OVEN.

Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven, WITHOUT opening the oven door for at least 2 hours. *This will prevent cracking. Do not open the oven door. Once cooled, cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Leave in the spring form pan until ready to serve.

Serve with whipped cream to garnish.

healthy-peach-cobbler

Healthy Peach Cobbler

The mixture of pecans with the hazelnut gives the peaches extra added flavor. It is an unusual combination of flavors your taste buds will love.

Ingredients:

8 inch round cast iron pan or oven sauté pan

4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup organic Turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Dash of kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp.. coconut flour

 roasted-peaches

Crumble Ingredients:
½ tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup hazelnut meal flour finely ground (Bob’s Mill, grain free & gluten free)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup organic Turbinado sugar
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
• Vanilla ice cream to serve over the top

Instructions:

Preheat the over to 425°.

Prepare the peaches by roasting them in the sauté pan and combining the first 7 ingredients.  Roast peaches for 15 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble in a food processor by adding the next 8 ingredients and blend in processor for approximately 2 minutes until it is a coarse consistency. Lower temperature of oven to 35o°.  Add crumble to the peach mixture in the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

This can be prepared a day ahead and baked off while your guests are having dinner.

Health Benefits of Peaches:

Antioxidant Capacity: The peels and the pulp of peaches possess significant antioxidant proper ties. The presence of chlorogenic acid in peaches also contributes to their protective effects. Antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-crytoxanthin help in scavenging the oxygen-derived free radicals and protect the body against the harmful effects of various diseases.

Hypokalemia: Peaches contain potassium, which is vital for proper nerve signaling and cellular functioning of the body. The potassium content in peaches also helps in metabolic processes, utilizing carbohydrates, maintaining electrolyte balance, and the regulation of muscular tissues. A lack of potassium in the body can lead to hypokalemia which can affect muscular strength and can cause an irregular heartbeat. Read more…

Gluten Free Healthy Apple Pie Recipe

Gluten Free Apple Nut Pie

As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are approaching, I wanted to share this deliciously, easy apple pie recipe as you start entertaining guests or attending parties.  This will become your signature dessert that everyone will request. There is an abundance of apples in the markets right now. Here are just some of my favorites: Honeycrisp, Gala and Braeburn.

Ingredients:

 9 inch Spring Form pan

9 Inch Spring Form Pan

Pecan crust:
1 cup pecans
½ cup hazelnuts
½ cup walnuts
Dash sea salt
1 tsp organic raw sugar
Dash salt
Dash cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted Ghee

Apple filling:
5 apples cored and sliced organic
(Honeycrisp , Gala and Braeburn)
1 tsp. Madagascar pure vanilla
2 tsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp. raw honey
¼ organic maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp. of organic sunflower butter(I <3 “Once Again”)
½ tsp lemon zest
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
1 Tbsp. coconut  sugar

Directions:
Make crust by combining all pecan crust ingredients in food processor. Spread evenly on bottom of spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Pecan Crust Pecan Crust Spring Pan Baked Pecan Crust

Meanwhile:
Place slice apples in a bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over apples. Add remaining ingredients.
Allow apples to marinate for 15 minutes while you make crumble topping.

Peeled Apple Sliced Apples

Almond Walnut and Hemp Seed Crumble:
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup hemp seeds
½ cup almonds
3 Tbsp. Ghee melted
1 Tbsp. Pure organic cane sugar
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
Dash of salt

Blend all ingredients for crumble in food processor.

Walnuts Walnut Crumble

Assembly:
Layer apples on baked pecan crust. Add crumble topping. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits the more the flavors infuse.

 Gluten Free Healthy Apple Pie Recipe

Did you know?

According to medical journals Apples help ward of diabetes and dementia in addition to breast cancer.
Learn more >>

Holiday Chocolate Crunch Bar – Healthy Candy

chocolate crunch bars
Getting Back to Chocolate….
Who says chocolate is not good for you. This chocolate candy with the purest ingredients like Raw Cocoa powder is considered a superfood and is a “healthy way ” to get back to chocolate.”

All ingredients are best left at room temperature ( this allows mixture to come together when stirring and blends well)

2 cups almond butter

3/4 cup of cacao powder
1 cup coconut oil
2 cups brown rice crispies
¼ cups honey
¼ cups maple syrup
1 tbsp. Maldon Salt or ( kosher salt)
1 tbsp. vanilla Madagascar paste

Erewho

http://m.vitacost.com/products/navitas-naturals-organic-cacao-powder-raw-chocolate-16-oz-2

http://www.beanilla.com/vanilla/vanilla-paste

Blend all well with rubber spatula. Put chocolate in any favorite mold or place on a cookie sheet and break into bite size pieces when ready for consumption.

Leave in freezer. Take out when ready to serve.
This chocolate bar is so rich in nutrients and flavor you will not crave more chocolate as you would a store bought candy bar.
You will feel satisfied completely with only 1 to 3 ounces of this rich chocolate bar. It will be hard to go back to eating inferior chocolates .
Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder provides us with antioxidants and important minerals like magnesium and iron. It is gluten free, organic kosher and raw. This is cocoa powder in its purest form.
Pure raw chocolate lowers blood pressure Cacao is the highest whole food source of magnesium, which also happens to be the most deficient mineral in the diet of modern cultures. “Magnesium relaxes muscles and the dark chocolate antioxidants have been clinically proven to literally dissolve plaque built up in the arteries which helps in reversing heart disease and causes naturally lower blood pressure. Also, various other vitamins and minerals in raw cacao benefits the cardiovascular. “

** The Theo bromine naturally found in raw cacao is a mild, non-addictive stimulant that some believe can treat depression.

Of course, this chocolate bar is an expensive endeavor but we are all worth it . It is a great way to wean yourself off store bought chocolate

http://www.secrehttp://www.secrets-of-longevity-in-humans.com/raw-cacao-benefits.htmlongevity-in-humans.com/raw-cacao-benefits.html

Pistachio Layered Cake w/ White Chocolate Marscapone Cream Frosting

Pitachio cake2

Who doesn’t love pistachios. This cake is extra moist because of the macadamia and coconut oil along with the fresh pistachios. This cake has a very intense fresh pistachio flavor .
The white chocolate marscapone frosting is an excellent complement to our Pistachio Cake . If you do not bake, this cake could be an excellent start to your new baking career.  It is simple and quick.

       Cake 

Use 2- 9 inch layered cake pans

1 box (18.25 ounces) white cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 cup seltzer water
4 eggs
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup half & half

cakemix

JellO

Pistachio Nut Butter:
Separately in food processor:
Blend next 4 ingredients for 2 minutes to a chunky pistachio nut butter:

½ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup pistachios
¼ cup macadamia or pistachio oil (Roland)*
2 Tbls. coconut oil
Cake3

Cake:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl beat: cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, seltzer water, vanilla extract and half  & half at medium-high speed for approx 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.
3. Separately, in food processor, make pistachio nut butter . (Recipe above). Add to cake and pudding mixture . Beat batter 2 minutes longer until well blended .
4. Equally divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn cake layers out directly onto wire rack and cool completely.

Frosting

2 -8 Oz. pkg. cream cheese at room temperature
1  16 Oz. marscapone cheese
1  12 Oz. pkg. white chocolate morsels melted
1 cup of half & half

*5-8 drops green food coloring depending on your color preferences

Blend Well. Frost the pistachio cake after it has chilled in refrigerator for a few hours. A fantastic combination.This cake stays moist for almost a week.Who doesn’t love pistachios. This cake is extra moist because of the macadamia and coconut oil along with the fresh pistachios. This cake has a very intense fresh pistachio flavor .
The white chocolate marscapone frosting is an excellent complement to our Pistachio Cake. If you do not bake this cake is an excellent start to your new baking career.