Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I've always craved carbs but since being on the candida diet, I've wanted them even more. The question is how do you stave off the desire for sweets when you shouldn't have them. For me, part of the answer is eating more protein. It helps keep me full longer so I don't want to snack as much. When I do snack, I need to eat something with protein, such as Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (Hint: save some of the bean water to use to thin the hummus if needed.)

1 large red pepper, cut into strips and roasted under the broiler until darkened (Hint: It's not necessary to peel the red pepper before using.)

1 T. chopped red onion

1 minced garlic clove

1 T. tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 T. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

3 T. cilantro chopped

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended. Add some of the reserved bean juice if the mixture is too thick. Serve with cut veggies for a great filling snack.

Sunbutter biscuits

It's been nearly a year since I started the candida diet, and I confess I still have the same struggle every day. I want something sweet. But what do you eat when you can't have sugar and should avoid chocolate? You turn to healthy fat, right? You know nuts, seeds and coconut.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me. You see I have no gallbladder which makes eating more than a little fat an unpleasant experience. This dilemma has lead me to endless searching for something to eat that will satisfy my sweet tooth but won't violate my two rules of no sugar and little fat. The result is sometimes I violate the fat rule which causes me days of stomach distress. You would think I would learn but I guess my drive for something sweet trumps my good judgment. PLEASE send me any recipe ideas you have to help me stave off my sweet/fat cravings.

Occasionally, I make something like Sunbutter Biscuits that satisfies my sweet/fat craving but doesn't upset my stomach. It's a versatile recipe too. You can eat them as biscuits or turn them into a berry shortcake as pictured above.

Sunbutter Biscuits
(makes 8-10)

Ingredients:
1 T. lemon juice mixed with 1 cup hemp milk or other unsweetened dairy beverage
3 T. ground flax
10 drop vanilla-flavored stevia
3 T. sunbutter (unsweetened)
2 T. olive oil
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with pan spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to blend. The dough will be soft. Scoop out portions of the dough with a large spoon or use your hands. To prevent sticking, wet the spoon or hands with cold water. Place the biscuits about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Extra biscuits may be frozen.

Brown Basmati Rice Pudding

I was getting myself into trouble in Hawaii by eating sticky brown rice wrapped in banana leaves. It was absolutely yummy and just slightly sweet but obviously carb overload for someone trying to keep candida under control. If I ever get this candida under control, I want to learn how to make sticky brown rice. Of course, I would never eat it with wreckless abandon as I did on my trip.

I did try something pretty close to that yummy treat---Brown Basmati Rice Pudding. But this time I ate one serving and froze the rest since I couldn't find anyone else to eat the extra.

Brown Basmati Rice Pudding
(makes 4 generous servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened hemp milk (or soy or rice milk)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 inch gingerroot, peeled and minced
6 cardamon pods, crushed or 1 tsp. ground cardamon
one cinnamon stick or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T. SweetLeaf Powdered Stevia
1 can light coconut milk or other alternative beverage if coconut is an issue

Directions:

Rinse and place the rice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the water, milk, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cardamon. Bring the rice to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.

Stir in the sweetener and coconut milk and continue to simmer the rice without a lid over low heat. Cook until the liquid evaporates and the rice pudding thickens. This takes about 30 minutes or more. Remove the whole spices if used. I left in the ginger. Serve hot or warm with blueberries on top. The blueberries add some extra natural sweetness.

Avocado-lime "ice cream"

The Big Island of Hawaii was my destination for a winter escape vacation. I had never been to any of the islands but chose Hawaii because I wanted more solitude and lots of island to explore. Hawaii delivered on both but it didn't have inexpensive veggies. I ended up eating far too many papayas (which were 50 cents each at the farmers' markets) and not enough veggies. I also indulged in some sticky brown rice sticks, wrapped in banana leaves, (also 50 cents each) which I should have passed on. Couple that with a long flight and exposure to germs, it's no surprise that I ended up with a full-blown cold, bordering on a sinus infection, when I returned home.

Now, I'm forced to be good again and return to my low-carb, low-glycemic diet. But I still want a treat now and then. I got inspired by the giant avocadoes I saw in Hawaii to create avocado-lime "ice cream."

Avocado-Lime Ice Cream
(makes 4 small servings)

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe avocado

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2-1 cup unsweetened hemp milk

10 drops liquid stevia

1 tsp. chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Chill the avocado mixture in the fridge. Freeze according to directions for your ice cream maker. Serve immediately. Ice cream can be stored in the freezer but will need softening before serving. If you don't have an ice cream maker, simply place the mixture in the freezer until somewhat frozen.