Drawer Full of Snacks - Caramel Corn

I think a lot of people who have desk jobs have a snack drawer. I know of least 4 people in my department that have one. If you do work at a desk and don't have a snack drawer, once 3 o'clock rolls around, what do you do?! I'm usually ready to crash and need a pick-me-up. Unfortunately, with being diabetic, I don't have the luxury of keeping junk food in my drawer and I have to be a little more picky so my sugars don't suddenly spike. Also not good for a diabetic is not to have emergency snacks. I had just started my insulin shots again and I had gotten lazy about restocking. One afternoon, I started to shake uncontrollably and I had trouble concentrating. My blood sugar was too low and I didn't have anything to eat to bring it back up. I had to run to the store for some orange juice so I could feel like I could function again. It's scary to feel like you don't have control of your body and I certainly don't want to go through that again. I've learned to keep my snack drawer stocked but again, sometimes it's hard to find something to snack on.

 

So with that said, November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and I've decided to focus on some homemade snacks to keep in my desk drawer that might be slightly healthier than what you find at the market. One of the staples in my drawer is popcorn and I know that with all that "butter," it can't be the healthiest thing to eat. But then again, I also want my popcorn to taste like something. I decided to experiment this weekend with plain organic popcorn and a bottle of Sohgave that I recently found at Home Goods.

 

 

Caramel Corn

Adapted from sparkpeople.com

 

1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (equivilent to 1 cup of brown sugar)

1/2 cup of agave nectar (such as Sohgave)

1/4 cup of butter

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

10 cups of air popped popcorn or 2 bags of plain microwavable popcorn*

 

 

Preheat the oven to 250*F. Spray a large baking sheet generously with cooking spray such as Pam.

Pop popcorn and set aside in a large bowl.*

In a saucepan, mix together butter, sugar, and agave over medium heat and stir occasionally. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Lower heat if the sauce begins to bubble too much or it may burn. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla, baking soda, and salt.

Pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the popcorn and gently mix so the popcorn is coated. Continue to pour more of the caramel sauce over the popcorn and continue to mix.

Once the popcorn is coated, spread onto your baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Approximately 15 minutes into the baking time, stir to avoid burning or sticking.

Remove from oven and stir gently to break up any clumps. Cool before serving.

 

 

*Sueshine Notes

-I stared at all the various popcorn brands in the snack aisle for a long time before settling on plain microwavable popcorn because 1) I didn't have an electric air popcorn popper 2) Everything seemed to be either "movie theater butter" or kettle corn flavored. I went with Albertson's Wild Harvest popcorn because it was organic, unflavored, and has no trans fats or artificial flavors.

-I made the mistake of not separating the kernels from the popcorn before I started. The end result was the kernels sinking to the bottom of my baking sheet and sticking to the caramel. Talk about trying not to chip a tooth when you're distracted with all the sticky goodness! So in other words, please take the time to let the kernels settle to the bottom of the bowl then dump them out.

-Unless you have a giant bowl that can hold two bags of popcorn, I recommend mixing in smaller batches. My puppy thanks me for not realizing this earlier and dropping a few stray pieces all over the kitchen floor.

 

 

 

 

I've missed caramel corn and this was certainly a suprising treat. This was the first time I used agave nectar and it served as a great substitute to corn syrup. One new snack in my desk drawer....I can't wait until 3 o'clock!

 

 

note: I'm not a doctor or nutritionist. You know your dietary restrictions and your body so be sure to keep with your doctor's plan for you. Also, remember to eat your snacks in moderation

Satisfied Cravings: Bananas Foster

Cravings are a constant challenge when you have dietary restrictions. You know that saying, "You always want what you can't have"? What I usually want is dessert and for the first time, the dessert I craved was something that I've never actually ordered, made, or even have a special memory of. I just knew that I had to have it.

 

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know that I love puff pastry. While I was looking for new recipes on puffpastry.com, I ran across a recipe for bananas foster. Bananas Foster is bananas covered in buttery-cinnamon-rum-caramelly (yes, not a word but it should be) goodness. Traditionally bananas foster goes over vanilla ice cream and although ice cream sounds delicious during these recent hot summer days in San Diego, sugar-free ice cream is one of those few items that I don't think has been mastered just yet. I crave bananas a lot but like a lot of fruit, I have to limit my intake because of the natural sugars and in the case of bananas, the starch.  I looked over the recipe and decided to make a few adjustments to the ingredients and the portion size to see if I could make it a little more friendly.

 

 

Bananas Foster with Puff Pastry

heavily adapted from puffpastry.com

 

1 package of mini puff pastry shells

egg wash - beat 1 egg, 2 tablespoons water

3 ripe, but firm, bananas

1/2 cup sugar substitute*

2 tablespoons light maple syrup

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt

 

 

Preheat oven to 425F.

Place pastry shells on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the egg wash onto the puff pastry shells. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut bananas into rounds.

In a skillet, combine the sugar, syrup, butter, lemon juice, rum, and cinnamon over medium heat. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add the bananas and coat until caramelized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the centers of the puff pastry shells. Spoon in the Greek yogurt and add the banana mixture to the top. Add another layer of yogurt to top if you would like.

 

Sueshine Note

*The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar. Instead, I used C&H Light which is a combination of real sugar and stevia and the 2 tablespoons of light maple syrup. This sugar substitute does not measure equal to real sugar (1/2 cup = 1/4 cup) so make sure you adjust to whatever substitute you are using.

*Worried about the alcohol? It burns off but if you are worried about the sugars in the rum, you can use imitation rum extract.

 

I decided to go with the smaller puff pastry shells because it lends itself to a smaller portion. I believe one of these is the perfect size dessert for after dinner and there is a little less guilt involved. Did I mention how easy this recipe was too? You can whip this up in a matter of 15 minutes and even less time if you are just making the bananas foster portion. I actually had some extra bananas so I might save it for that sugar free ice cream that needs improvement.

 

 

 

I forgot to show what the puff pastry shell looks like when it's baked as well as the hollowed section filled with yogurt but I just got too excited to pour on the bananas and sauce! Do I have you craving bananas foster now? :)

 

 

 

Please note as with all my attempts in making a recipe more friendly, I'm not an expert. Please make sure you take into account your personal diet. Only you can make the right decisions.

 

Caramel Asian Pear Bread Pudding

A lot of baked items that I write about and make on this blog have a memory attached to them. Unfortunately, I can't remember the first time or the first place that I had bread pudding. It couldn't have been that memorable then. I do know that I like bread pudding and I do know I've never made it before. So when I saw a recipe for it on Diabetic Living Online, I thought I'd try something new. But it felt weird to be making something that I had no real connection to. The recipe called for red pears and and I thought I'd change it up a little.

I do have memories attached to Asian pears. Usually fairly expensive (local grocery stores here in San Diego can charge up to $2.00 per pear), my mom, knowing they were one of my favorite fruits, would buy me one as a treat. I often remember carrying the round, slightly rough-skinned, yellow fruit in my hands in the special spongy wrap while my mom finished her grocery shopping, trying my best to resist biting into it. I was finally allowed to eat it when we got home because often times I would make a mess as I bit into it, getting the juice all over myself. That didn't stop me from munching happily away at the crunchy flesh. If you've never had an Asian pear, it's exactly what you would think a pear and apple would be like if they had kids.

Caramel Asian Pear Bread Pudding

3 large day old or dried bagels of your choice

3 tbsps margarine, melted

2 Asian pear (peel, core, and cube 1 pear into small pieces)

2 cups fat-free milk

3 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup sugar-free caramel ice cream topping

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 300F. Cut bagels into cubes. If using fresh bagels, place on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes or until slightly crispy.
2) Turn oven up to 350F. Spray 5-6 large ramekins with cooking spray. Place bagel cubes into a bowl and pour melted margarine over cubes. Mix until completely coated. Mix in the cubed pears. Place bagel pieces into the ramekins.
3) In a bowl, mix milk, eggs, caramel, and cinnamon together. Pour over the bagel mixture to slightly below the edge of the dish. Let the bagels soak in the liquid for approximately 5 minutes. Press down on the mixture gently with the back of a spoon.
4) Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
5) Garnish with extra pear slices and caramel topping.

Inspired by recipe on DiabeticLivingOnline.com

Sueshine notes about this recipe

Experiment with your bagels. Since it's fall, I used a seasonal bagel (cranberry walnut) from a local bagel shop. If a similar bagel is not available, you can always add dried cranberries or nuts into the bread/pear mixture for texture.

If you do not have access to Asian pears, you can always use regular pears. The original recipe called for red pears but I would pick a pear variety that is firm and crunchy so it can stand up to the baking.

Let the bagel soak in the liquid mixture. If you do not, you may end up with bread pudding with a side of scrambled eggs, especially if you are using a larger dish rather than ramekins.



I wasn't too sure how my first attempt at bread pudding would turn out. I'm actually very picky about my bread pudding,. I am not a fan of super eggy (Is that a word? You know what I mean though) bread pudding or when it's nothing but a bowl of mush. The bagels added a softness on the inside but a slight chewiness outside. The nuts and pears add a little crunch. The caramel adds the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth and contrast to the tartness of the cranberries. Best part about it? It was a lot easier than I thought it would be to make. I'm very pleased with how it turned and I think I created another new baking memory.