Cinnamon Pecan Sweet Potatoes - *****

 

HOLIDAY EDITION: Cinnamon Pecan Sweet Potatoes

This holiday, skip the obligatory traditional dishes.

"I can't wait for the cranberry sauce" is a rare remark. Yet year after year, like clockwork, there it remains. Free your time and your mind of the traditional imperatives of a Thanksgiving meal, focusing instead on a few worthy dishes that make your taste buds and nostalgia sing. You'll stress less, evading that spikein cortisol levels that's as predictable this time of year as the turkey itself; plus, you'll have more time to dedicate to embellishing the dishes you actually enjoy.

The most vibrant of resistant starch sources, sweet potatoes get their bright orange color from the antioxidant beta carotene. Their holiday spice flavorings - cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves - are a potent insulin sensitizing trio, helping to curb the imminent glucose spike of the ensuing pumpkin pie.

To make sure your gut bacteria also procure a well-deserved Thanksgiving meal, use the cooking and cooling method below to enhance the resistant starch content of the sweet potatoes.

Bredesen Protocol Approved 

Plant Paradox Approved

Paleo

Gluten Free

Grain Free

Dairy Free: Replace ghee with hazelnut oil or almond oil. Do not use coconut oil as the roasting temperature exceeds the smoke point of coconut oil.

INGREDIENTS

3 Sweet Potatoes (~4 cups cubed) 2 Tbsp Ghee, Melted 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 c Pecans, Chopped

1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F.

2. Wash, peel, and cut sweet potatoes into 3/4-1" cubes. Place the

3. cubes into a large bowl.

4. Combine the melted ghee, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sea

5. salt in a small bowl. Stir until combined.

6. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and stir until evenly

7. coated.

8. Place an air fryer tray on top of a baking sheet. Transfer the sweet potatoes to air fryer tray and air-fry for 12 minutes, stirring or

9. shaking halfway through. At about 8 minutes, add the pecans to

10. the tray with the sweet potatoes, and stir again. Air-fry for a few

11. more minutes, watching to make sure that the pecans don't burn and

12. testing the sweet potatoes to make sure they're tender.

14. To enhance its resistant starch content: Transfer sweet potatoes to

15. the refrigerator overnight, or to the freezer for 1 hour.

16. When you are ready to serve, warm the sweet potatoes back up in

17. the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

https://www.siabrainhealth.com/post/holiday-edition-cinnamon-pecan-sweet-potatoes

Mug Cake: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Almond Butter *****

 

• 1 Tbsp Grass-fed Butter or Ghee, melted
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour or 3 Tbsp Almond Flour
• 2 Tbsp Granular Monk Fruit
• 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder (For Chocolate Version)
• 1 Tbsp Almond Butter (For Almond Butter Version)
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Pastured Egg, beaten
• Splash of Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Sugar-free Chocolate Chips 

INSTRUCTIONS

For Chocolate

• In a microwave-safe coffee mug, melt butter in the microwave for 10 seconds.  Add coconut or almond flour, sweetener, cacao powder, baking powder, vanilla, and beaten egg.  Mix well.  Microwave on high for 55 seconds, being sure not to overcook.  If you overcook it, it will be dry. Top with sugar-free chocolate chips, if desired.

For Vanilla

• In a microwave-safe coffee mug, melt ghee in the microwave for 10 seconds.  Add coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla, and beaten egg.  Mix well.  Microwave on high for 55 seconds, being sure not to overcook.  

For Almond Butter

• In a microwave-safe coffee mug, melt ghee in the microwave for 10 seconds.  Add  coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla, and beaten egg.  Mix well. Swirl in the almond butter.  Microwave on high for 55 seconds, being sure not to overcook.  

https://jenniferbanz.com/keto-mug-cake

Apple Crumble

 

Low Histamine Apple Crumble Recipe (also lower oxalate, low lectin) for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance

This is one of my favorite desserts. It is satisfying and full of histamine lowering ingredients. Apples are a great source of quercetin – a well-known Mast Cell stabilizer.

And we’ve already discussed the great properties of Stevia and Monk Fruit.

Allspice, Clove, and Cinnamon are traditional in baked apple desserts. But these are all Histamine Liberators.

So, instead I use a little Cardamom – which has anti-inflammatory properties.

And here is my secret ingredient…

Camu Camu powder! This is a low histamine, low oxalate foods-based source of Vitamin C. It’s my favorite source of Vitamin C, actually. And it has a nice allspice flavor that works beautifully with apples. You want Organic and a reliable brand free of toxins. I use Navitas Camu Camu powder.

Pecans can be high in mold toxins. To reduce them, I recommend soaking pecans in salt water for 12 hours in the fridge. Then dry them until crispy in a food dehydrator or oven on lowest temperature.

One last tip – make SURE your apples are organic. Conventional apples are notoriously high in pesticide residues that can make Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance worse.

So, let’s put all this together for this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 organic apples (any kind)
• 1/4 tsp Pure Monk Fruit Extract 
• ½ tsp Navitas Organic Camu Camu powder, divided
• ½ tsp Organic Cardamom powder, divided
• ½ tsp Raw Organic Vanilla Powder, divided
• 2 Pinches of unrefined salt (like Himalayan, Real Salt, or Celtic Sea Salt)
• ¼ cup grass fed ghee or  Virgin Coconut Oil, softened
• 1/4 tsp Pure Monk Fruit Extract OR 10-20 drops Organic Better Stevia
• ½ cup of chopped, organic pecans (soaked and dried)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Use ghee or coconut oil to grease a 6×9” glass baking dish.
3. Wash apples and slice into ¼” slices. The quercetin is mostly in the peel, so I leave the peel on.
4. Mix together 1 pinch of salt and ¼ tsp each Monk Fruit Powder, Camu Camu powder, Cardamom powder, and Vanilla powder. Toss apples with this mixture.
5. Arrange apples in bottom of the baking dish.
6. Put ghee or coconut oil, chopped pecans, 1 pinch salt, Stevia or Monk Fruit, and ¼ tsp each Camu Camu powder, Cardamom powder, and Vanilla powder into a food processor.
7. Pulse the nut crumble mixture until well combined and the ingredients start to stick together. Don’t over process.
8. Layer the crumble mixture on top of the apples.
9. Bake 20-30 minutes, until apples are soft and cooked through. Keep an eye on the topping to make sure it doesn’t burn. If topping starts to get too brown, lower temperature or cover the dish.
10. This freezes well. Enjoy and freeze the leftovers!

Want to step this recipe up a notch? You can top it with Whipped Coconut Cream!

Optional Coconut Cream Topping:

• 1 package Coconut Milk, refrigerated overnight
  OR
  1 cup Coconut Cream
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Monk Fruit Extract
• ½ teaspoon raw vanilla powder

1. If using the Coconut Milk:
   After allowing Coconut Milk to sit in the refrigerator all night, remove it from the fridge.
   Then open the package and scoop the thickest cream from the top of the package.
   OR
   If using the Coconut Cream:
   Scoop out 1 cup of coconut cream.

2. Whip the coconut cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a whisk.
3. Top apple crumble with coconut cream.
4. You can use the leftover coconut water or coconut cream for smoothies or other recipes. You can freeze it in an ice cube tray to make it easier to use.

Oxalate Levels in Fruits

Fruits

 Very High

Apricots, dried halves

Blackberries

Boysenberries

Elderberries

Figs

Goji Berries

Guava

Mandarin Oranges, canned

Olives

Pomegranate, fruit and seeds

Rhubarb

Starfruit

Tangelo

High

Clementine

Grapefruit, Pink

Kiwi

Mulberries

Orange, Navel

Pears: Anjou, Magness

Persimmon

Medium

Apples: Braeburn, Mackintosh

Banana

Dates

Grapefruit, White

Grapes, Black

Mango, dried

Pear, Bosc

Plum, Red

Raspberries

Tangerine

Low

Apples: Fiji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Green, Pink Lady, Red, 

Applesauce

Avocado: Hass, very ripe

Blueberries

Cherries

Cranberries, fresh and dried, jellied canned organic

Grapes: Red seedless, Thompson green seedless

Jackfruit

Mango, fresh

Melons: Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon

Nectarine

Peach

Pear: Bartlett

Pineapple

Plum

Strawberries

Oxalate Levels in Vegetables

 Vegetables

(1/2 cup unless otherwise noted)

Extra High

Artichoke: Hearts, Jerusalem

Beets

Green Beans: French Filet 

Hearts of Palm

Okra

Plantains

Potatoes: French Fries, Idaho, Instant Mashed, Russet

Rhubarb

Spinach

Sugar Snap Peas

Sweet Potatoes/Yams

Swiss Chard

High

Carrots, raw

Green Beans

Kale, Curly

Potatoes: New, White, Red

Tomato Sauce (1/4 cup)

Medium

Broccoli, raw or steamed

Broccolini

Brussels Sprouts

Carrots, boiled

Celery, boiled

Collard Greens

Jicama

Leeks

Lima Beans

Parsnips

Peas

Peppers, Sweet Orange, Yellow, Green

Pumpkin Puree

Scallions

Seaweed: Dulse Flakes

Snow Peas

Sprouts: Mung Bean

Squash: Chayote, cubed; Hubbard, mashed  

Tomatillo

Tomato Paste (2 Tbsp)

Tomatoes, chopped

Low

Asparagus

Boy Choy, Baby

Broccoli Florets

Cabbage: Green, Napa, Purple, Savoy

Cauliflower

Celeriac

Corn

Cucumber, Regular, English (no skin)

Endive: Belgium, Curly

Escarole

Garlic

Ginger

Kale: Dino or Lacinato, Purple, Red Russian

Kohlrabi

Lettuce: Bibb, Boston, Looseleaf Green, Looseleaf Red, Romaine

Mushrooms: Button, Portobello, Shiitake

Onion: White, Yellow

Peppers: Mini Bell, Sweet Red 

Pumpkin, Raw

Radicchio

Radish, Daikon, Red, White

Rutabaga

Seaweed: Hijiki, Kombu, Nori Sheets, Wakame

Shallots

Squash: Butternut, Carnival, Delicata, Kabocha, Spaghetti, 

Squash, Summer: Yellow, Zucchini

Tomato Paste (1 Tbsp)

Tomato, Cherry: Sungold (1)

Turnip

Water Chestnut

Watercress