mmm cheesecake!

Who said you can't indulge on a special diet?

This recipe is adapted from the Intro Diet on the Breaking the Vicious Cycle website.











Ingredients

Bottom:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup melted butter

1. mix together in bottom of loaf pan or muffin trays. Pat down with fork, set aside.


Cheesecake filling:

- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup homemade cream cheese (strain homemade yogurt in cheesecloth or coffee filter for 4-6 hours- recipe found here.
- pinch cinnamon
- 1/4 cup honey
- splash of pure vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour overtop of bottom.
2. Preheat oven at 325F. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. Let cool. Refrigerate overnight for best results.

Topping:
- frozen raspberries (no sugars added)
- 1/4 cup honey

1. while cheesecake is baking, place frozen raspberries in a saucepan over med heat. Keep stirring until it almost reaches a boil. Add honey. Let cool overnight.
2. Pour over cheesecake and serve.

Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Hi everyone! I have had a few friends ask for my yogurt recipe- This is a revised version from the Breaking the Vicious Cycle Introductory Diet by Elaine Gottshal. I make my yogurt without a yogurt maker. All you need are the following:

Tools:
- Large stove pot
- Thermometer (I use a milk thermometer- candy works too)
- Slow cooker (i use this as an incubator)
- small container (for starter)

Ingredients:
- Whole milk (any type of milk works- almond, rice, soy, goats or cow- please see note* for information on alternative milks)
- Commercial yogurt (you need 1 scoop/litre of milk)

*NOTE: You can use any type of milk, just make sure your starter is the same (ie: soy milk with soy yogurt). If you do NOT have a starter available, you may use probiotics instead.
**NOTE: You can make as much yogurt as you need- I make two bags (3L) each batch.


Preparation:

1. Put milk into stove pot. Heat at LOW-MED until it reaches 180-200f. (NOTE: alternative milks must be stopped at 180f or else it may burn) check temp with thermometer. Stir to ensure milk does not burn to bottom.

2. Once milk reaches desired temp, place in sink filled with ice water. Let cool to 100f.

3. While milk cools, take 1-2 scoops of starter commercial yogurt (or probiotic) in small container. Let this reach room temperature.

4. Once milk cools, pour into slow cooker- take a scoop of milk and add to your starter- mix and then pour into milk. Place lid and thermometer to ensure temp stays between 90-110f*.

5. Let sit for at least 24 hours. This is required to ensure the proper amount of good bacteria.

NOTE: DO NOT TURN ON YOUR SLOW COOKER- I use it only for incubating and ensuring temp does not fall down- as the temperature reaches 95f, turn slow cooker on for 5-10 minutes on LOW- then turn it off. DO NOT LEAVE SLOW COOKER ON- yogurt will curdle and kill all of the essential good bacteria.

6. After 24 hours- place slow cooker pot into fridge and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.

and voila! delicious, homemade yogurt- this sounds time consuming- but it really isn't- and you save A TON of money from purchasing commercial yogurt.

Photos to come :)

Baked Acorn Squash

With SCD, you have to get creative with fibre and carbs- and one of the best ways is squash!

This is a recipe I've revised from Eat Well Feel Well by Kendall Conrad. This is an essential book for recipes for SCD diets- definitely check it out!

Roasted Acorn Squash

acorn squash (cut into 1/2s)
olive oil
2 cubes butter
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
honey to taste
dash basil
Parmesan cheese*
orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 350f.
2. Cut squash in 1/2. Place on baking tray.
3. rub flesh with olive oil. Place one cube of butter in each 1/2. Sprinkle spices, orange zest and cheese on top. Drizzle with honey.
4. Place in oven for 40-45 minutes until tender.

*NOTE: Use Parmesan cheese at your discretion. Only you know your body and what triggers your symptoms. Please refer to the legal/illegal list of foods on this diet.

Carrot Muffins!

mmm muffins!

I've been craving carrot muffins with cream cheese icing ALL WEEK- and have been dreaming of ways to make icing with the SCD stamp of approval! This is what I concocted- and let me tell you- DELICIOUS! :D

Cream Cheese Icing:

1/2 cup homemade yogurt (strained in coffee filter for 3-6 hours)
dash of natural vanilla
1 teaspoon honey

1. Mix together and refrigerate.
NOTE: I like to make my yogurt with 1/2 whole milk 1/2 Half and Half. I find the cream cheese is optimal this way with a whipped topping consistency.



Carrot Muffins:

Dry Ingredients
2 cups almond flour (I used Bob's Red Mill- good for breads and muffins- hearty loaves)
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of sea salt
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
dash ginger

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup homemade yogurt
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 eggs separated
dash natural vanilla
3/4 cup organic carrots (shredded)

How to Prepare:
1. Place dry ingredients in bowl- sift if possible. If not, I like to 'fluff' ingredients together by flipping it in bowl.

2. In separate bowl, mix eggs yolks, vanilla and yogurt together.

3. Add wet to dry ingredients. Fold in carrots.

4. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Pour over batter and gently fold until white streaks disappear.

Place in muffin trays (I use silicon muffin cups) grease if you do not use liners.
Bake in preheated oven at 325 for 25 minutes- or until toothpick is clean.

Cool and top with icing.

Welcome!

As requested, I have put up a blog with new recipes I've adapted for SCD (specific carbohydrate diet). For more information concerning what SCD is and who it is good for, please refer to the following links:


Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Official Website

SCD Recipe

The SCD Diet can help if you are suffering with Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Diesase, IBS, IBD, Autism, and other gastreointestinal linked disorders.

I was introduced to Elaine Gottschal's book: Breaking the Vicious Cycle roughly 2 months ago and I decided to create this blog to share recipes and information with others who are in the same boat. I hope this helps you and your family as much as it has mine.