Tag Archives: fruit

Desserts, Recipes

Light and Fluffy Gelatin Dessert

 

This is a recipe I recall fondly from my childhood. We used to have it often. Gelatin-based recipes are inexpensive, refreshing, and fruit-flavored. But they don’t have to be served without enhancements. By combining the gelatin with whipped topping, you have a lighter, tastier treat. Add in cream cheese and you elevate it to a whole new level. Lime gelatin with Thompson seedless green grapes is one of my favorite combinations, but you can vary it with a bunch of different gelatin options and fruits. See the notes below for other great combinations.

With sugar-free gelatin and reasonably low-sugar fruit, you can make a delicious dessert that won’t hurt your diet.

Photo: Lime Fluff

Lime Gelatin Fluff with Grapes

1 package (8 servings) Sugar-Free Lime Gelatin
1 cup Boiling Water
1 cup Cold Water
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Whipped topping
2 cups Seedless Green Grapes

In a medium-sized bowl, add the lime gelatin mix and 1 cup of boiling water. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water and stir to mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 90 minutes. It should be very thick or partially set before you continue.

Cut grapes in half if you wish or leave whole.

In a large, deep bowl, add the cream cheese, breaking it into 8 pieces, then use a hand mixer to beat it until it is creamy and smooth. Add the gelatin and continue to beat to mix the cream cheese into the gelatin. It will be in little pieces through it. Add the whipped topping and beat to mix it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Notes: Want to cut the carbs a little? Use only one cup of grapes.

This recipe can be combined with any sugar-free gelatin flavor and most fruits to make other combinations. Fruits that don’t work include figs, fresh pineapple, and grapefruit. A list of the fruits that prevent the gelatin from setting up is listed on the box.

Try strawberry or strawberry banana gelatin with fresh strawberries. Cut the strawberries in halves or quarters to distribute them better.

Try a can of drained mandarin oranges with orange gelatin to make a cream-tasting dessert reminiscent of Dreamsicles.

Try 1 cup of pineapples tidbits, liquid drained, with lime or lemon gelatin.

Try 2 cups of raspberries with raspberry or strawberry gelatin.

Try sugar-free cranberries with Cranberry or raspberry gelatin. Cook 2 cups of fresh cranberries with sugar substitute until they set up. Let them cool in the refrigerator, then mix into the gelatin, cream cheese, and whipping cream mixture.

Nutrition Info; Lime Gelatin Fluff

Nutrition Information: Other Gelatin Fluffs

Desserts, Recipes

Easy Cranberry Cake for the Holidays

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Photo: Cranberry Nut Cake

… or any other time you feel like eating it. I even like it for breakfast.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and adapted it to both low carb and low sodium. The original recipe is called a Cranberry Pie, but it’s really a very moist cake. I’ve made it three times now, varying the third version to use 1 cup of apples in place of 1 of the cups of cranberries. I believe it will also make a great blueberry, raspberry, peach, or pear cake. The carbs will vary depending on the fruit you use. I also used pecans instead of walnuts, but either will work well with it, and I suspect almonds or macadamia nuts would be good also.

As a cranberry cake, it’s festive and delicious for an easy holiday meal dessert. Warm it up a little, then top it with a little whipped cream or ice cream.

Photo: Slice of Cranberry Cake

Low Carb Cranberry Nut Cake

1 cup Low Carb Flour
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 cups fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/2 cup Butter, melted
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.). Prepare a 8″ pie pan or a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, then spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt and whisk together. Add the cranberries and nut, then stir to coat them with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then add to the flour mixture along with the melted butter and almond extract. Stir to mix the liquid into the flour, making sure to get all the flour mixed in. The batter may be thick, but if it is too thick to spread, add a little water.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even it. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Makes 8 servings.

Photo: Nutrition Info - Cranberry Nut Cake

Photo: Low Sodium Cranberry Cake

Low Sodium Cranberry Nut Cake

1/2 cup Almond Flour, finely ground
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 cup Sugar Substitute
2 cups fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil or Coconut Oil, melted
2 Eggs
1 Egg White
2 to 4 tablespoons Water
1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.). Prepare a 8″ pie pan or a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, then spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the almond and coconut flour, and sugar then whisk together. Add the cranberries and nuts, then stir to coat them with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg white, then add to the flour mixture along with the oil and almond extract. Stir to mix the liquid into the flour, making sure to get all the flour mixed in. The batter may be thick, but if it is too thick to spread, add a little water. a tablespoon at a time to get the mixture to a spreadable consistency. When using coconut flour, it will absorb a lot of liquid, so add liquid, mix it in, then let it sit and add more if necessary.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even it. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing. Nut flours are delicate and might break when you lift them out of the pan.

To flip to a plate, let the cake cool completely, then put the plate on top of the pan and turn it over. The parchment will allow it to release easily. Remove the parchment, then put another plate over the cake and flip it to get the top up. Serve with a low sodium whipped topping.

Makes 8 servings.

Photo: Nutrition Info - Low Sodium Cranberry Nut Cake

Breads, Recipes

Celebrate Fall with a Plum Bread

Photo: Loaf of plum bread

This fall, a friend gifted us with some fruit from her garden. She included plums, not enough to make jam, but sufficient for a plum bread. So I found this recipe, which is versatile enough to substitute in nectarines or peaches. I adapted it to low carb and tried it out.

First, I didn’t put it in a bread pan big enough for the dough and foolishly poured it all in when I saw it was overfilled hoping it would rise to a nice tall loaf. Unfortunately, the batter wasn’t thick enough to stand on its own while it cooked, so it oozed over the side of the pan, as you can see from the photo.

However, the flavor is wonderful and eating lumps of it didn’t bother me at all. But for this recipe, use a standard-sized bread pan. This bread us very moist and can be a breakfast or dessert bread.

I use a mixture of low carb flours fours for my bread. In this case, I used Bakesquick for 1/2 cup of the flour, 1/4 cup CarbQuick, and 1/4 cup Almond Flour. If you use Coconut Flour, use 2 tablespoons for 1/4 cup of flour and add an extra egg or egg whites.

Photo: Slice of plum bread

Plum Cake

1 cup chopped Plums (Nectarines or Peaches can also be used)
1 1/2 cups Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
6 ounces Vanilla Low Carb yogurt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (F.) Cut a parchment paper liner for the bottom of your loaf pan, spray with baking spray.

Remove the pits from the plums and chop them.

In a large bowl, use a mixer cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda and stir together.

Add 1/2 of the yogurt to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat mixing in the remainder.

Stir in the chopped plums. Pour into your prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm. Reheats easily in the microwave.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (8 per loaf):
Calories:245 Fat:21.3 g Net Carbs: 6.2 g Protein:8.1 g

Nutrition information per serving (10 per loaf):
Calories:196 Fat:17.1 g Net Carbs: 5.0 g Protein: 6.5 g

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out and how you liked it.

Desserts, Recipes

Fruit Cobblecakes are a Nice Change

We bought a bag of apples for the holidays and still had a few remaining toward the end of January, so I’ve been looking for recipes that use apples. I ran across one for an Apple Pudding and I tried it using low carb ingredients. It’s very good, but I wouldn’t call it a pudding. I’ve dubbed it a cobblecake because it’s more like a cobbler and cake combination.

It’s also a flexible recipe that you can easily substitute different fruit into it. So far, I’ve tried cherries as well as the apple version. But I’ve given you some other options like peaches and berries to try.

You can make it gluten-free by using almond flour, soy flour, or a gluten-free flour of choice. The only one I wouldn’t use is coconut flour, primarily because it won’t rise without an egg in the recipe. If you decide to try it, add 1/4 cup liquid egg whites and 1/4 cup coconut flour to replace the flour in order to get a puffy cake. The almond milk makes it a good choice if you’re lactose intolerant, although you can make it with cream or milk instead of almond milk if you prefer.

Apple Cobblecake
Apple Cobblecake

Basic Apple Cobblecake

1 cup Apple slices (about 1 medium apple)
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Gingerbread syrup (optional)
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 cub Low Carb Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or 1/4 cup Cream plus 1/4 cup Water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put the apple slices, cloves, and cinnamon into a microwave safe bowl and add syrup and mix. Microwave for 2 minutes.

In a bowl or the blender, mix the rest of the ingredients until they are completely blended and smooth.
Pour the batter into 1 quart casserole dish. Put the apples slices in the middle. Do not stir in.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool about 10 minutes and serve with whipped cream or low carb ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving with almond milk:
Calories: 151 Fat: 13.4 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 4.2 g

Nutrition Information per serving with cream:
Calories: 199 Fat: 18.6 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 3.6 g

Peach Cobblecake

Use the same recipe, but use only 3/4 cup of peaches.

Nutrition Information per serving with almond milk
Calories: 154.5 Fat: 14.2 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 2.7 g

Cherry Cobblecake with whipped topping. Photo at the top is the whole cake in a casserole dish.
Cherry Cobblecake with whipped topping. Photo at the top is the whole cake in a casserole dish.

Cherry Cobblecake

3/4 cup fresh or frozen Cherries (Cranberries or Blueberries)
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 cub Low Carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or 1/4 cup Cream plus 1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (for blueberries, try Almond Extract)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the cherries in halves or quarters and mircowave with a tablespoon of water for 1 minute to soften them.

In a bowl or the blender, mix the rest of the ingredients until they are completely blended and smooth.
Pour the batter into 1 quart casserole dish. Place the cherry pieces and any juice in the middle. Do not stir in.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool about 10 minutes and serve with whipped cream or low carb ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Cherry Cobblecake
Nutrition Information per serving with almond milk:
Calories: 159 Fat: 14.1 g Net Carbs: 4.7 g Protein:2.8 g

Cranberry Cobblecake
Nutrition Information per serving with almond milk:
Calories: 152.5 Fat: 14.1 g Net Carbs: 2.8 g Protein:2.6 g

Blueberry Cobblecake
Nutrition Information per serving with almond milk:
Calories:160.4 Fat: 14.1 g Net Carbs: 2.8 g Protein:2.6 g

Desserts, Recipes

Tasty Apple Yogurt Tart

Looking for a simple to make and low carb dessert? Look no further than this delightful Apple Yogurt Tart. It comes together quickly and tastes fabulous. For the base, I’ve used two flours that are usually available at grocery stores — almond flour and coconut flour. When cooking with these flours, allow the cooked results to completely cool and handle them carefully. They are delicate and break easily. If you prefer not to remove them from the mold (I used a silicone mold to make removal easier) then you can make them in a ramekin and serve them in it. Apples are not on the weight loss portion of the Atkins diet due to the higher count of natural sugars, but if you are on maintenance or are just trying to stay lower carb’d in your eating, this is great with apples. You can also use berries to top the tart.

I used Kroger Foods CarbMasters dairy yogurt product, but there are a couple of other low carb yogurts. The one I based the nutrition value on is CarbMasters at 4 net carbs for 6 oz. Look for a yogurt that is around that carb level. If you use Greek yogurt, it will probably be a little higher. Alternately, you can also use a 2-tablespoon layer of sugar-free vanilla pudding.

Apple Yogurt Tart

2 tablespoons Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
3 tablespoons Butter, softened
3 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup diced Apples
2 tablespoons chopped Pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 container low carb Vanilla Yogurt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.)

Bottom crust:
In a small bowl, mix almond flour, coconut flour, 1/2 sugar substitute, and 2 tablespoons butter together. If dough is too dry, add a little water. It should come together into a crumbly dough. Spray 2 round 2 1/2 to 3 inch mini-cake baking molds with cooking spray. Press 1/2 the dough into each mold to cover the bottom.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cookie tart is lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely before removing from the mold. Almond flour and coconut flour are very delicate and break easily.

Apple Topping:
In a skillet, melt remaining butter and add remaining sugar substitute. Add Pecans, apples and cinnamon and sauté over medium heat until apples are soft and a caramel sauce forms in the pan.

Once the cookie crusts are cool, remove from the molds and place on serving dishes. Spread 1/2 of the yogurt (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) over the cookie crust and top with 1/2 of the warm apple mixture. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you wish.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 434 Fat: 42.4 g Net Carbs: 6.0 g Protein: 5.5 g

Made with Strawberries (omit the cinnamon and pecans)
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 345 Fat: 31.3 g Net Carbs: 5.5 g Protein: 7.3 g

Note: The apple topping is also great over low carb ice cream.