All posts by Rene Averett

Desserts, Recipes

EZ Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

Add a seasonal touch to the holiday baking with these easy to make and yummy to eat mint chocolate cupcakes. These are like lava cakes when served warm. Sometimes it’s hard to believe these are low carb. This recipe uses peanut flour and coconut flour. I believe both are available at health food stores and possibly in the health food section of your grocery stores. Failing that, Netrition carries them at reasonable prices.

EZ Mint Chocolate Cup Cakes

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons CarbQuick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons Peanut Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Buttermilk or Sour Cream
1 Egg
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
1/2 tablespoon Butter
1/4 cup granulated Sugar Alcohol Substitute (like Ideal)
12 drops Sucralose or 6 packets Splenda
3 Chocolate Mint Candies cut into quarters – (I use Russell Stovers or York sugar free mint chocolates)

** Splenda raises the carb count because the filler used to distribute the sucralose contains up to 1 carb per teaspoon where liquid sucralose and sugar alcohols are 0 carbs.

Put dry ingredients (first five items) in a bowl and mix together. Add the rest of the ingredients, except candy, and mix until well mixed together.

In four small cake pans or large cupcake pans, put in about two tablespoons of batter and smooth. Put 3 of the quarters of the candy pieces on top of the batter. Spoon remaining batter over the tops, being careful not to fill more than 2/3 of the way. The cakes will rise.

Use 3 pieces of the quartered chocolates in each cup.

Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the top bounces back when you press gently on it.

Spread a zero carb, 0 calorie chocolate topping on the top (Walden Farms makes a very good one), add a dollop (about 1 tablespoon) of whipped cream and serve warm.

To reheat, put in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Each cake equals 2.1 carbs. Add 1 tablespoon of whipped cream and you add 1 more carb.

To make a fancier version, mix 2 tablespoons whipped topping per two cakes with 1 teaspoon of cocoa and spread over the cake like an icing. Sprinkle a tablespoon of chopped pecans or walnuts or crushed sugar free peppermint candy on top if you’d like.

Mint chocolate cake with a bit of crushed peppermint candy on top.

You can also use a different candy in the middle. It works well with plain chocolate, caramel chocolate, orange cream or raspberry cream chocolates. Just switch them out as desired.

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/22/2012 7:44 PM

Desserts, Recipes

Irish Apple Cake Made Low Carb

As we’re approaching St. Patrick’s Day. I started looking at some of the recipes I’ve used over the years to adapt to my new lifestyle. One of those is an Irish Apple Cake that isn’t really a cake, nor is it a pie. It’s more like a shortbread crust or a scone. But it is deliciously wonderful, no matter what you might call it. With a flour change, an adjustment in the apples and it is also reasonably low carb.

Irish Apple Cake

1/2 cup Carbquick (or use almond flour, Atkins baking mix or other low carb flour)
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Vanilla Whey Powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
4 oz Butter
1/2 cup Ideal sugar substitute plus 2 drops liquid sucralose (or other sugar substitute)
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 cup Heavy Cream plus water as needed
1 cooking Apple 2 1/2 to 3 inches (Granny Smith)
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves (optional)
1 tablespoon Irish Whiskey (optional)
2 tablespoons sliced Almonds (optional)
Beaten egg, to glaze

To serve:
Ideal sugar
Softly whipped cream
24cm (9in) ovenproof pie plate

In a bowl, combine flours and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingertips until it resembles the texture of breadcrumbs. Add sugar substitute, saving back 1 tablespoon and mix together. Make a well in the center and mix together with the beaten egg, cream and enough water to form a soft dough. Chill for 1 hour.

Peel, core and chop up the apple.

Bottom crust, apple filling and top crust in plastic bag.

Divide dough in two. Put one half on to your greased pie or cake pan and pat it out to cover the bottom. Spread apples and almond slices on the dough and sprinkle clove, the reserved sugar substitute and the whiskey on top. Roll out the remaining pastry and fit it on top. The easier way to roll this is to use a large plastic baggie or two large pieces of plastic wrap. Spray the inside of the bag (or wrap) with cooking spray and put the ball of dough between them. Pat down evenly with your hand, then begin rolling into a round. When it’s large enough for the top of the pan, place the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel off the plastic and place the topping on top of the apples and seal the edges down. If it tears, repair by pinching the pieces together. Press the top piece to the bottom and cut a slit in the middle of the top.

Brush with beaten egg and bake for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely browned. Sprinkle crystal sugar substitute over the top and serve with whipped cream if desired.


Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Info Calories: 190.3 Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 3.5 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/12/2013 3:15 PM

Desserts, Recipes

Light And Cool Raspberry Cream Gelatin

This is an oldie, but goodie recipe that is so easy to adapt to low-calories and low-carbs. Just start with sugar-free jello mix and the rest of it is pretty low carb. I use whipped topping in it, but you can also whip up your own whipping cream if you prefer. If you use whipped topping, check the carb counts as all are not created equally and some are higher. This is not a difficult recipe, but it does require 5 to 6 hours to prepare and chill.

1 package Raspberry flavored Jello brand sugar free
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
6 tablespoons whipped topping
1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen
6 large Strawberries, cut in half for topping (or 12 plump raspberries)
1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix 2 cups of boiling water into the gelatin mix in a large bowl. Stir for two minutes until all the gelatin is dissolved. Add 1 3/4 cups cold water and stir into the mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 2 to 2 1/3 hours until it begins to set up. (The mix will be gooey but not solid.)

Get out the cream cheese to soften while the mix is setting up. About 20 minutes before the gelatin is ready, beat cream cheese in a bowl until it is smooth. Process the raspberries in a food processor or chopped until they are chopped. Add to the cream cheese and use the mixer to blend them in. Stir in the chopped pecans with a spoon and set the bowl aside with plastic wrap over it until the gelatin is ready.

If you are using a special mold, prepare the mold. A thin coat of cooking spray will make it easier to remove from the mold later. I used heart cupcake molds, but this also works with a bigger mold.

Once the gelatin is set up, mix the 6 tablespoons of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a spoon. Spoon the mixture into the gelatin in small batches and stir in before adding the next. Repeat until all the cream cheese mixture is blended into the gelatin. If you are using molds, spoon the mixture into the molds and smooth with the back of the spoon. If you are leaving it in the bowl, cover the bowl with the plastic wrap again and put it back in the fridge to finish setting up, about another 2 hours.

  If you’ve put it in a mold, put the mold in the freezer to chill and firm up. This makes it easier to un-mold. Again, it will be about two hours.

When you are ready to serve, remove the molds from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap carefully, place a plate or baking pan over the top and, holding onto the mold, flip the pan so the mold is facing down. Tap the mold or push against flexible molds. If they do not release, run hot water over the back of the mold until it releases the gelatin.

To serve, place one of the gelatin servings on a plate or scoop out 1/2 cup of gelatin from the bowl into a bowl or plate and put a dollop of whipped cream on top and place half a strawberry or a fresh raspberry in the middle.

Makes 12 servings, about 1/2 cup each.

Nutrition Info: Calories 76.3 Net Carbs 2 g Protein 1.8 g
Without nuts: Calories 53 Net Carbs 1.9 g Protein 1.5 g

This is a great dessert for your Valentine or use it for an engagement party or bridal shower luncheon. It’s the perfect light treat after a heavy meal. I use pecans in it, but you can use walnuts also.

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 2/14/2013 1:20 AM

Desserts, Recipes

Strawberry Cream Torte For Valentine’s Day

Want to make something nice for your sweetie (or yourself) for Valentine’s Day and still stay on your food plan? This lovely cake is reasonably low-carb’d and delicious. It uses the same sponge cake recipe as the Tiramisu and a modified filling as well.

Valentine Torte

Using orange extract adds a light taste of orange to the cake and filling that compliments the strawberries or you can use strawberry extract to enhance it.

Cake:
4 Eggs, large
4 oz. Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour,
1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Splenda
3 tablespoon sugar alcohol substitute (like Ideal)

Filling:
3 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup Coconut Milk or Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 tablespoon liquid sucralose or Splenda
2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped or 2/3 cup whipped topping
1 teaspoon Orange or Strawberry Extract
4 oz. Cream Cheese

Topping :
1 pint of strawberries
1 tablespoon Splenda or other sugar replacement, granulated

Clean and cut up strawberries and put in a container. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Splenda or other sugar replacement on them. Stir to distribute the sugar. Add a tablespoon of sugar free orange syrup or a tablespoon of rum to help make a juice. Cover and put in the refrigerator to chill.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 300 F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Be sure to go up the sides. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and press into the pan. This will make removing the cake easier.

Separate the eggs and put whites into a grease free glass or metal bowl. Put the yolks in a separate bowl and set aside. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy, then add cream of tartar and continue to beat until they form stiff peaks.

To the egg yolks, add cream cheese and mix together. Add coconut flour, whey powder, sugar substitutes and almond extract. Mix well until smooth.

Fold the egg yolk mixture, one third at a time, into the whites, being careful to not break down the air in the whites. With a soft (rubber or silicone) spatula, fold just until blended, then spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the top of the cake.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a golden brown. Cool, then turn out onto a bread board. Cut the cake in half to form two rectangular layers. Try to cut exactly in the middle so the cake layers are equal. Set aside.

For the pudding:
Separate three eggs. Put the whites away to use for something else. (Meringue cookies are a good option.) Put the egg yolks in a sauce pan. Add the coconut milk (you can also use regular milk or almond milk. Regular milk will raise the carbs a little.) Add a tablespoon sweetener. Mix together and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle boil and cook for one minute. Add orange or strawberry extract. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Get out the cream cheese to soften while the yolk mixture chills. When yolk mixture is chilled, add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and vanilla extract until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Place the bottom sponge cake in an 8x8x2″ inch dish. Spread the pudding mixture over the cake and smooth, then spread one half the whipped cream on top of that and smooth. Place the top cake layer and cover with whipped cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Even though I’ve pictured the cake with strawberries arranged on top, cut the slices first, then put strawberries on top of each slice.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition Info: Calories 182.6 Net Carbs 3.8 g Protein: 6.8 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 2/11/2013 3:09 PM

Desserts, Recipes

Festive Cranberry Pecan Cookies

This is my third try to make a cookie with fresh cranberries that looks appetizing. Even with this recipe, the cranberries tend to add a touch of blue to the cookie. When I precooked the cranberries, it turned the whole cookie blue. In an attempt to disguise them, I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, which turned the dough a peculiar mocha-blue brown, but they were very good. This batch uses fresh cranberries chopped in the food processor.

Makes a soft, not too sweet cookie filled with tart fresh cranberries and pecans. This version doesn’t use any ingredients that you can’t readily find at your grocery store. The flours are probably in the health food section. To be honest, I haven’t tried this yet with almond flour and coconut flour, but this combo has worked for other cookies just fine. The batch I just made (and photographed) is from the second option, which is the lower carb version.

As with all cookies made with almond flour, they tend to be delicate so be sure to let them cool before moving them as they will crumble easily.

1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Almond flour
1/2 cup Cranberries
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1 large Egg
1/4 cup Butter, unsalted
1/4 cup Shortening, butter flavored
1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
12 packets Splenda or other sugar substitute (2/3 cup equivalent)
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone mat sprayed lightly with baking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together flours and baking soda. Set aside. Pour raw cranberries into a food processor and chop.

In a deep bowl, add shortening, butter, Splenda (or other sugar substitute), and egg. Cream together with a mixer. Add vanilla, cream and mix in. Then add 1 tablespoon of water and add the flour gradually in about three batches, mixing in well with the mixer. If the mixture is too thick to mix easily, add a little more water. Coconut flour tends to absorb liquid. When all the flour is mixed in well, add nuts and cranberries and stir in to evenly distribute through the batter.

Using two spoons, drop a heaping teaspoon of dough on the baking sheet and repeat, making about four cookies across each row. (I got 6 rows on my baking sheet.) You should get about 24 cookies from the cookie dough. Let sit a few minutes before putting them in the oven to bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 24 cookies. Nutrition Info per cookie:
Calories: 80.8 Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 1.3 g

Version #2 – Lower low carb

For those of us who have a variety of flours, this version uses CarbQuick instead of almond flour and adds vanilla whey protein powder, which improves the texture of the cookies and adds a bit more flavor. Since it uses a sugar alcohol crystal (Ideal or other brand) and liquid sucralose, it is lower in carbohydrates.

1/2 cup Carbquick
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 cup Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla
1 Egg, fresh
1/4 cup Butter, unsalted
1/4 cup Shortening
1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream,
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup Ideal sugar substitute (Sugar alcohol)
12 drops (1 drop = 1 teaspoon) liquid Sucralose
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Cranberries
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped

Follow the baking instruction above. It will make the same amount of cookies.

Nutrition Info per cookies:
Calories: 71.9 Net Carbs: .8 g Protein: 1.5 g
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/24/2012 5:58 PM