Category Archives: Desserts

Cantaloupe Icee: Vegan, Paleo, sugarfree, milk free

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cantaloupeAfter starting a vegan cleanse today, and looking for this recipe for an hour, I decided I better add it to the recipes here at OE, so I don’t have to search for it again! And you’ll thank me. This is so super easy and yummy, if you love cantaloupe that is. Not sure it would work for any other melons except maybe honey dew, since its texture is similar. So, if you try another fruit, let us know (in the comments).

I am not going to give you amounts because you’re going to make this one according to your tastes. I will give you ingredients:

cantaloupe, cut to fit into blender, maybe start with half a cantaloupe for your first try

ice, about half as much as the cantaloupe

lime, I only use about 1/4 of a lime for a half a cantaloupe, but hubby likes to have more. Lime cannot be substituted and I’ve never made this without it. It’s like the secret key ingredient in this somehow. Just trust me.

mix in the blender until smooth, I use the “smoothie” setting on my Blendtec.

Here are some optional things you can add. My cantaloupe was not sweet enough, so I added a few drops of stevia to help it. If yours is sweet, try it first without the sweetener before you add anything. I have not tried it with honey or any other sweetener, so I do not know if it will change the flavor. You could add a milk of choice to make this more like a smoothie instead of an icee, but the flavor of the milk, will cover the cantaloupe and lime taste.  You can add a drop of vanilla, but it will take away from the tartness of the lime, so choose wisely. Again, hubby prefers the tart. Experiment with it to see what you like. You will want to serve this immediately because it’s just not pretty when the cantaloupe starts separating from the liquid. And that’s all there is to it. So easy. Enjoy!

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Sugarfree Zevia Protein Muffins, with beets! (and other options)

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As promised, here is a fun Zevia muffin or bread recipe from www.zevia.com! The original recipe on their website used Cola, but since I prefer Dr. Zevia, that’s what I used.  Adding the cola to the ingredients makes a fizzy “concoction” in your mixing bowl, that my 8 year old son thought was WONDERFUL! The recipe suggests opening the soda early, so it’s not so fizzy, but all that fizzy action was the fun part for us!:) We had a great time making this. Go to the link above for the ingredients and directions, and here are my suggestions and what I used:

I prefer to make grain-free recipes if possible, so I used almond meal that I buy at Trader Joes. Almond flour or another gluten free flour may have given it a slightly better texture, but they were still good with almond meal.

I did not have enough protein powder at the time, and they still turned out fine. I used a stevia-sweetened vanilla whey powder.

We made both bread and muffins, and I think the muffins turned out slightly better. Only, don’t use cheap paper baking cups like I did, because they stuck to the bread, which ashamedly, did NOT prevent us from eating every bite (yes, we scraped the paper to get every last bite, I admit it.)

BEST PART: I had an organic beet I wanted to use up, and since the recipe offered that as an ingredient option, I said “heck yeah, we’re usin that beet!”

Well, that’s what makes this the perfect Halloween baking experiment for all of you mad scientists out there! It turned the ingredients a beautiful dark red, (like blood, Halloween, get it?) and when we added the fizzy soda, it was a bubbling cauldron of bloody red goo (insert evil laugh here)! Look at all that awesomeness below!

Now, that bloody red color changes as it bakes (unfortunately), but it was fun while it lasted! So, here’s my full confession: while the beet made it super fun and a really cool color, it wasn’t sweet enough, so I would suggest using the applesauce or banana OR you could add frosting like I did in the picture below! (it was stevia sweetened cream cheese frosting). If you don’t have ingredients (or time) for frosting, you could always add honey on top instead. I especially love www.cloisturehoney.com ‘s whipped cinnamon honey! O MY Amazing!

My last bit of advice would be to make sure you chop/process your beets small enough, if that’s what you use for this. I left a few chunks, and it wasn’t my most favorite bite when I found them:) If you are a huge beet lover, then by all means, leave the beets chunky!

I loved the way this recipe offered so many options, so it has the potential to taste many different ways, depending on what you use. Chocolate chips and pecans would be a nice addition, if that works for your family. If you try this, I hope you have as much fun as we did making it! And please let me know how it turns out, since there are so many varieties possible! Happy Halloween! Enjoy!

Please go to this post  to enter the GiveAway for FREE Zevia! They generously offered TWO free 6packs to the winner, so you can drink some and cook with some! Check out the Zevia website for all kinds of recipes for no sugar foods and drinks.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Strawberry Sorbet loaded with Vitamin C, and every other fruit possibility! (only need a blender)

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STRAWBERRY “SORBET” WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS
from http://www.OrganicEater.com

I just whipped up a monstrous portion of Vitamin C filled organic strawberry “sorbet”, and I had to share it with you asap because it’s so stinkin easy you won’t believe it! Strawberries are a great source of Vitamin C, and this sorbet is filled with strawberries, so here ya go. Here’s the fastest, easiest sorbet you’ve ever made. Hope you have a good blender!

(I realize it looks like ketchup in the picture, but it’s not. promise.)

1 bag (12-16 oz) frozen organic strawberries. I’m gonna tell you that it DOES matter if you use organic here. Strawberries are one of the most pesticide covered fruits according to the Dirty Dozen list. But if you can’t find/afford them, it’s still healthier than eating processed sorbet that used non organic strawberries at the factory! So, go for it. (no guilt here, remember)

1 cup almond milk (may need a little more, test as you go). Almond milk is a fantastic source of calcium! You should be able to substitute other milks, but unsweetened vanilla almond milk gives it a great flavor with no added sugar, so it depends on “where you’re at” on the good/better/best scale. YOU decide. If you’re into it, go to www.WholeNewMom.com to look for her – almond milk recipe.

Sweetener equal to  2 TBS pure maple syrup (grade B is the healthier one actually) or honey (we use local raw honey for health benefits). Liquid stevia or raw organic agave could be used as well. If anyone tries using an apple for the sweetener, let me know. Red or yellow, not green.

Blend until smooth. Eat immediately! Melts fast. It will have the consistency of a milkshake, but we still used spoons to eat it. We topped it with chocolate chips since it’s a weekend treat, but they weren’t necessary.  If you need to make this “to go”, like a smoothie, just add more milk, then pour it in a to-go cup with a straw.

Earlier this week I made pineapple sorbet and also banana sorbet, just like this, and they were both amazing. I was originally  inspired by a peach sorbet recipe that I saw on “The Chew” earlier this week, and now I’m trying all the fruits I can think of! This is an amazingly healthy, easy, fun, and delicious treat that we will be making all summer, usually without the chocolate chips:)

If you try this or another variation, let me know how it turns out! I can’t wait to hear about some of these creations. The possibilities are endless!

update 9/14/12: Dr. Axe had this Raspberry Sorbet recipe this week, and it uses water instead, but you’ll need to freeze it after blending:

  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/3 cup raw honey or stevia
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
    1. Directions blend together and freeze for a couple hours (you may need to stir every 30 min to keep from freezing into a solid block of ice)

      Encouraging Health,

      Organic Eater