Sugar-free Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2/3 cup xylitol

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix cocoa, xylitol, and salt into a medium sized pot.  Slowly mix in the water to make a smooth paste.  Add the vanilla extract then turn to medium heat.  Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly.  Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and continue to boil for 2 minutes.  Be careful!  The chocolate mixture will begin to expand and try to bubble over.  After 2 minutes, turn off heat and let the syrup cool.  Store in a well sealed container like a jam jar.  I used an old glass jar to save time and money.  You can drizzle this over your Healthy Brownies, coffee, frozen yogurt, or make yourself a guilt-free glass of chocolate almond milk.  Enjoy!

*Chocolate Syrup recipe was created by my friend Kaleigh Tully whose life has been greatly impacted by the sugar-free magic of xylitol!  

Healthy Brownies

Ingredients:

3 cups rinsed black beans (canned is ok)

1 ripe banana

4 eggs

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup water

1 cup xylitol

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

5 tbsp cocoa powder

1/3 cup chocolate chips (opt - if no, add an additional 1/4 cup xylitol)

First combine all dry ingredients in a food processor: cinnamon, coconut flour, baking powder, xylitol, sea salt, chocolate chips (opt), and cocoa powder.  Next add wet ingredients: black beans, banana, eggs, water, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk.  Blend together until thoroughly mixed.  Pour batter into a greased pyrex dish or magic brownie pan.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed without drawing up any brownie batter.  Store brownies in a tupperware container in the fridge.

Serve by itself or with a chocolate syrup drizzle.

Chai Tea

Chai Tea is big in my house, but it uses sugar and milk. So I decided to try and tweak a few ingredients to make it better for my husband and me. We use tea granules that we get at the local Indian store, but you can find them in almost any store; just make sure they are not instant tea granules before purchasing them.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp tea granules

1/2 cup almond milk

4-6 packets Stevia

In a medium pot combine water and ginger, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling add the tea granules.  Continue to boil the mixture for 10-15 min, but be careful not to let it overflow.  Lastly, add almond milk and Stevia to the tea to taste. Pour into cups using a strainer, and  enjoy your healthy Indian ginger Chai Tea!!

Healthy Hawla

Hawla is one of my husband's favorite Indian sweet treats, and it is loaded with sugar!  Well no longer will I deprive my husband of his favorite treat from home.  I have made his favorite treat healthy, and you can not tell the two apart!

Ingredients: 

2-3 bags large carrots

2 cups original unsweetened almond milk

2 cups xylitol

10 cardamoms

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1/2-1 tbsp ghee or organic butter

Peel the carrots by hand, and then shred them in your food processor (or you can crate them by hand). Place the grated carrots in a pressure cooker with almond milk and cook until the pressure cooker gives two whistles.  If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can boil the mixture for 10-15 minutes.  Transfer the carrots from the pressure cooker to a large heavy pot heated at a low temperature; add in your xylitol and ground cardamoms.  The mixture will need to simmer for about 1-2 hours on low to get rid of all the liquid.  Near the end, in a separate pan sauté cashews in ghee or organic butter.  Lastly, add your sautéed cashews to your Halwa, and mix up well.  Serve this treat warm.  Enjoy!

Healthy Homemade Sweet and Salty Hot Chocolate

This is my healty homemade version of Starbucks Sweet and Salty, and Starbucks can't touch this! Here it is: 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups original almond milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup xylitol

Heat your liquids on low in a pot.  Once you start to see steam add in all your dry ingredients, and whisk away. Heat to desired temperature then pour into two mugs or, if you're like me, one big mug!  This recipe makes enough for two regular cups or one big one.  Sprinkle cinnaomon, nutmeg, and sea salt to garnish.  To make this a Sweet and Salty Mocha just brew one cup of your favorite black coffee (no cream or sugar), and add 1/2 cup per serving. Enjoy!

Sugar Free Cocoa Roasted Almonds

16oz Raw almonds
3 TBSP Raw cocoa powder
2 egg whites
1/2tsp sea salt
1tsp cinnamon 
1tsp vanilla extract
*1/2tsp stevia











 Preheat oven to 250.  In a large bowl add in your egg whites whisk and add in all your other ingredients but leaving out on tbsp of cocoa powder.  Whisk until well blended, then add in the almonds fold until well coated.  Then on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper dump the coated almonds and sprinkle the last TBSP of cocoa powder.  Place in the oven for 15 mins then mix the almonds around and place back in the oven for an additional 15 mins stirring once more.  Then leave in for 30 more minutes, then take out and let cool before placing in an a container.   Once cooled, enjoy.

*Make sure your Stevia is from whole leaf stevia and doesn't have any unwanted additives, like sugar or dextrose.

Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

16 oz Almond Milk
1-2 tbsp Raw cocoa powder
1/4tsp Whole leaf stevia(or Raw honey 3TBSP)












Chocolate milk is a favorite of mine, but eating Paleo I do not drink it anymore.  I only buy almond milk, but I never buy almond with any added sugar because I watch my sugar intake very closely.  So why not make my own dark chocolate almond milk, because the store bought kind has 21 grams of sugar!  Its very simple to make.



On medium heat in a pot add your original almond milk. Once it begins to boil add in your cocoa powder and choice of sweetener.  Then place in the fridge to cool, once cooled drink up and enjoy guilt free chocolate heaven!

Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

3 Cloves of garlic
1 Red onion
2 Serano peppers
1c beef broth(1 cube+1c water)
2(12oz) can tomato paste
1TBSP Dijon mustard
1TBSP Yellow mustard
2TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1TBSP Olive oil
1/4tsp Whole leaf stevia






Love BBQ Sauce, but hate the ADD SUGAR?  Well here you go, a very simple and tasty BBQ sauce.  Put the garlic, onion, and peppers in your food processor and get them will minced(you can scoop out some of the seeds so you get the flavor and less heat).  Then in a medium sauce pan add 1 cup of beef broth, bring to a low boil.  Add 1 1/2 can of tomato paste, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, stevia(if you don't have any stevia you can use 2tbsp of honey).  I used stevia to totally be sugar free, yes honey is better for you but your body treats it the same as sugar, and if you are closely watching your sugar intake as I am you will be better off just steering clear of all types of sugars.  Add your food processor items and let this simmer for 15 mins so you get all the flavors blended well.  There you have it, enjoy with you chicken nuggets or on some turkey meatballs.

Turkey Meatballs

1lb  Ground Turkey
1/2 c Flaxseed meal
1 egg white
1 mince garlic clove
1tsp of salt
1/2 tbsp of cayanne pepper(or your choice of spices)

Pre heat the oven to 350.  Mix together all ingredients by hand and then roll into 1 inch balls, brown on a medium heated frying pan.  Then put in the oven at 350 for an additional 15-20 mins of cooking.  Top with your homemade tomato sauce or a brand that is sugar free(Trader Joe's), also great with some spagehtti squash.

Chocolate lovers Trail Mix

1c Almonds
*1c Sunflower seeds
*1c Pecans
*1c Pepitas
1 1/2c Sugar free raisins

Homemade Chocolate

5TBSP Coconut oil
*1tsp Stevia
1 1/2tsp vanilla extract
1TBSP Cinnamon
4TBSP Almond milk
1/2c + 1TBSP Raw cocoa powder

Mix your top ingredients together along with your homemade broken up chocolate and enjoy.  Here is how to make your home made chocolate; heat in a small sauce pan 4 tbsp coconut oil and stevia, 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 4tbsp of almond milk, and 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp of cocoa powder and stir it all together in the sauce pan. Remove it from the heat and stir it will get very thick, when its well mixed dump it on parchment paper and fold the paper over and roll it out flat(for a sweet twist you can sprinkle the flattened out chocolate a tsp of sea salt it brings out all the flavors sweet and the cinnamon and vanilla extract!) and place on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until solid. Then pull it out of the freezer and break it up into small bite size pieces. Then add to your mix of nuts, seeds and raisins. I keep the mix in the frige until ready to enjoy because the chocolate melts easily. This mix is very similar to the Vitality Mix sold in Earth Fare, which sells for 8.99 a pound! This mix is much cheaper to make and just as yummy!!

*You may sub of other nuts and seeds that you like better
*Stevia can be substituted out for 1TBSP Raw honey