Sugar-free chocolate with coconut and almonds (aka “Almost an Almond Joy”)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Rory

finishedThe first time I made this I had just eaten dinner and was having a major chocolate craving. Of course I was on a diet (because seriously, when am I NOT on a diet?), so I decided to make some of my sugar-free Chocolate Delight.

I also happened to be on a coconut kick around that time. Coconut meringues, piña colada ice cream, macaroons – I was on a tear. So when it came time for me to add my “toppings” to my chocolate, of course it was a no-brainer – I was definitely adding some toasted coconut. (Sidenote – there are few things that smell better than toasted coconut. It’s heavenly!)

THEN I had the brilliant realization that if I were to add some almonds to the mix, it would kinda be like I was eating an Almond Joy, which is one of my all-time favorite candies. So that’s what I did.

You already know my diet mantra – sometimes all you need is a hint of a flavor to get you through a craving. Well, this recipe does exactly that. While it didn’t have the gooey coconut filling of an Almond Joy, the flavor was there and it was AMAZING!

Sugar-free chocolate with coconut and almonds
(aka “Almost an Almond Joy”)

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk) – optional
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia (7 packets)
  • 2 tbs. shredded coconut
  • 2 tbs. almond slivers
  • Cupcake liners

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spread the coconut and almonds in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes (be careful not to burn the coconut.)

toasted2. Melt the oil, stir in the cocoa powder, then add the half and half, truvia, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. You can find the full instructions for Chocolate Delight HERE.

everything but truvia

3. Pour some chocolate into your cupcake liners, then sprinkle in the coconut and almonds.

pour

4. Put them in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat them.

takeabiteEnjoy!

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (No Carb, Gluten-free, HCG and South Beach Diet, etc.)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Rory

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce and cheese2

If you follow my blog then by now you should know that I’m big on the idea that sometimes all you need is a hint of a flavor to satisfy a craving. Does a cauliflower pizza crust taste like a real pizza crust? No, of course not! But it doesn’t taste like cauliflower. And with the right mix of spices and toppings, this recipe will help to alleviate any pizza cravings you might be dealing with.

The first time I made cauliflower pizza crust I actually thought that I would be able to pick it up and eat it with my hands, like a regular slice of pizza. That is not the case! You will need to eat this with a knife and fork.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded cauliflower
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese (you can use any cheese, but I think cottage cheese is healthiest)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt, to taste (I usually sprinkle the pizza with salt AFTER I’ve cooked the toppings)

Directions:

1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles using a blender or food processor.

shredded cauliflower

2. Place the shredded cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it uncovered for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.

microwaved cauliflower

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface).

3. In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the remaining ingredients.

mix ingredients

4. Pat the crust on to a cookie sheet. I make my pizzas small and thin, so they cook well and it’s easy to remove them from the tray. But you can make them any size you wish.

cauliflower crust on sheet2

5. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove the crust from the oven. (I like mine to be crispy around the edges. It makes the crust more “solid” when it comes time to eat the actual pizza.)

cooked cauliflower crust

Now that you’ve got yourself a healthy and delicious pizza crust, you’re free to make any type of pizza you like! You can stick with the basics and just add sauce and mozzarella cheese, or go crazy and make a white pizza or a Hawaiian. Just add your toppings and throw the pizza in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Oh, one thing I’ve learned – you should cook any veggie topping before you put the pizza in the oven. The 5-10 minutes that the pizza is in the oven, well, that’s only to heat things up and melt the cheese. If you want soft veggies or cooked meat, you’ll need to prepare that beforehand. You can do it while the pizza crust is in the oven.

Enjoy!

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce close up

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce and cheese

finished cauliflower crust pizza2top finished cauliflower crust pizza

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Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Rory

peanut butter cup wrapped

Peanut butter and chocolate. Both are great on their own, but when they’re combined? Heavenly!

I love this recipe. Not only is it fun to make, but in my opinion these peanut butter cups actually taste much better than their sugar- and chemical-laden counterpart! And it should go without saying that they’re much much MUCH healthier.

I’m usually able to get 10 decent-sized peanut butter cups out of this recipe. Which means…wait for it…that each peanut butter cup is only 87 calories! Want to eat two? Go ahead – you’re still clocking in at 40 calories LESS than the 210 calories that are in a pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

I keep these in the freezer until I’m ready to eat them. I try to give them 20 minutes to thaw, but I’m rarely able to wait that long.

Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk)
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia (7 packets)
  • 10 teaspoons of peanut butter (1 teaspoon per cup)
  • Cupcake liners

Directions:

1. Melt the oil, stir in the cocoa powder, then add the half and half, truvia, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. You can find the full instructions for Chocolate Delight HERE.

add cocoa

2. Pour a thin layer of chocolate into your cupcake liners, then put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

first layer hardened

3. Remove from the freezer. Add one teaspoon of peanut butter to each cupcake liner. (My peanut butter had been out of the fridge for awhile, hence the liquidy texture.)

peanut butter layer

4. Cover the peanut butter with another layer of chocolate. (OMG doesn’t that look good?!?!)

top layer

5. Put them in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat them.

peanut butter cup out of freezer

That’s all there is to it! Super easy and super delicious.peanut butter cuppeanut butter cup unwrappedpeanut butter cup unwrapped2peanut butter cup bitten

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Homemade Sugar-free Chocolate made with Coconut Oil (a.k.a. Chocolate Delight, Cocoa Crack, Chocolate Bark)

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Rory

cocoa crack with nuts

I love love LOVE this recipe. I’ve been making it for about a year, and I tried quite a few variations before settling on this one. I generally only make a little bit at a time. This way, when I have the urge to binge on chocolate (which may have happened once or twice in my life), it won’t be on more than a few pieces.

This recipe can be kind of tricky. The problem arises when I add the Truvia. Up until that point I have a smooth, liquid chocolate that is perfectly blended. But as soon as I add the Truvia, the oil begins to separate from the rest of the mixture (there’s a good picture of it in Step number 4, below). It’s so annoying! I don’t know if it’s because I’m adding too much Truvia at once, or if it’s because of some ingredient in the Truvia.

Whatever the reason, it’s not a big deal. It’ll only be noticable in the first few chocolates you pour out. But it can be kind of jarring that first time you take your chocolates out of the freezer and see that solid white hunk of oil. Don’t freak out! I promise, even if they’re “clumpy,” your chocolates will still taste delicious!

By the way, the only ingredients that you really need to make this chocolate are cocoa powder, coconut oil, and Truvia. Everything else is optional.

Homemade Sugar-free Chocolate
(a.k.a. chocolate delight/cocoa crack/chocolate bark)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk)
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia
  • Optional – nuts, coconut flakes, pretzels, raisins.

1. Melt the coconut oil.

melt oil

2. Stir in the cocoa powder and mix it well, then add the half and half, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract.

add cocoa add half and half everything but truvia

3. Stir in the Truvia.

add truvia

4. Pour the mixture into molds, ice cube trays, cupcake liners, or on a sheet of parchment paper. (Apparently those silicon cupcake liners are the best thing to use for this recipe, because it’s easy to pop the chocolate pieces out when you’re ready to eat them.)

If you notice, in the bottom two rows you can really see the separation. By the time I got to the top row, most of the separated coconut oil had drained out, leaving me with a more solid chocolate mixture.

truvia separation

5. Sprinkle in some nuts, coconut flakes, pretzels, or whatever else you like and then stick them in the fridge or the freezer for at least 15 minutes. I usually put them in the freezer, because it’s harder to binge on something when it’s frozen, you know?

This is what the above batch looked like when it had hardened:

coconut oil hardened

I know, I know, it doesn’t look appetizing. Stupid oil separation. But again, it’s no big deal – I simply poured some more of the chocolate mixture over that first hardened layer, and it made them much more appealing!

cocoa crack 2 layers

I had more chocolate mixture left, so I made a few more.

cocoa crack second batch

Now don’t those look amazing?! Trust me – they taste it too. And coconut oil is really good for you, so you’re actually doing something healthy when you eat these yummy treats. Just don’t O.D.!

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Diet-friendly Mashed Cauliflower (aka “Mock Mashed Potatoes”) – two versions

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Rory

mashed 1

I first heard about mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes almost 10 years ago, when I was doing the South Beach Diet. My first attempt at making it was a failure. I didn’t blend it enough and I only mixed it with skim milk. I remember thinking “What the hell, this doesn’t taste like mashed potatoes at all!”

My second time making it was last year. I did a lot of “research” (a.k.a. surfing the web reading recipes) before settling on what seemed like a potentially amazing recipe. And it was. In fact, it was so delicious that I STILL remember what that first bite tasted like. Mmmm. Now I understood what all of the fuss was about.

The problem with that recipe, however, was that it called for a lot of fatty and potentially unhealthy ingredients, including two cheeses, heavy cream, and butter. (I mean, with ingredients like that, how could something NOT taste good?) Thus began my quest to make a healthier version of mashed cauliflower.

It wasn’t all that hard. I removed one of the cheeses, reduced the amount of butter, and switched from heavy cream to low-fat half and half (or regular milk, depending on what’s in my fridge). After some trial and error I came up with two versions, which I’m sharing below.

One thing that I REALLY love about mashed cauliflower is that it pretty much eliminates my need for condiments. I love ketchup, and mayo, and especially ketchup and mayo mixed together. And when I’m eating something like a dry ass chicken breast, I have a tendency to overdo the condiments. But when I eat mashed cauliflower I don’t use any condiments at all, I just use the cauliflower kind of as a dipping sauce for my meat.

Mashed Cauliflower – Recipe #1

This version is my favorite.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of cauliflower
  • 2-4 tablespoons of low fat half and half (depends on my mood. Sometimes I like it creamier.)
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Steam the cauliflower, then let it drain.

2. Saute the garlic in the butter.

sautee garlic

3. Add everything but the salt to your blender or food processor (I use a Ninja) and blend until it reaches whatever consistency you like. I like it super smooth.

blended

That’s all there is to it! Add some salt and serve it with anything you’d like!

meat and mashed cauliflower

______________________________________________________________

Mashed Cauliflower – Recipe #2

Since there’s no butter, this is definitely the healthier of the two recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of cauliflower
  • 2-4 tablespoons of low-fat half and half
  • 2 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese spread
  • Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Steam the cauliflower, then let it drain.

2. Add everything but the salt to your blender or food processor and blend until it reaches whatever consistency you like.

3. Add some salt and you’re done!

______________________________________________________________

Each recipe makes three or four portions. AND you can freeze your leftovers if you want, which is always a good thing. Just make sure to use an airtight container.

mashed 2

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Happy birthday to me!

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Rory

I did NOT want to weigh myself this morning. Last Monday, which was 4 days before my birthday, I weighed 139 pounds. Had I continued to eat healthy all week, I know I could have reached my goal of 135 by my birthday. But I didn’t. No joke, between Wednesday and Sunday I ate nine slices of pizza. NINE! Who does that??

Why did I eat so much pizza? Well, I did a LOT of drinking, and to be honest, nothing cures my hangovers better than eating a bunch of carbs and drinking a lot of ginger ale. So that’s what I did. Every single day.

Plus it was my birthday week, or so my friends kept telling me, which apparently means you get a free pass if you’re on a diet.

So yeah, you can see why I didn’t want to weigh myself today. I thought about waiting until Wednesday or Thursday, so I’d lose a few pounds before the weigh in and wouldn’t have to face the full consequences of all my overeating, but when I looked at myself naked in the mirror this morning I didn’t think that I looked all that bad. So I hopped on the scale.

141.

Only a two pound gain after all that food. I couldn’t believe it! Maybe it’s because of all the dancing I did this weekend? Who cares…it’s just nice to see that I didn’t completely throw myself off track.

Now that my birthday is over, I don’t really have any “dieting deadlines,” which is kind of unusual for me. I’m always saying “I want to lose X amount of pounds by the holiday party/New Year’s Eve/my birthday.” But maybe it’s good for me to not have any short-term goals. This way, I can just focus on my long-term goal, which is getting down to 130 and then maintaining it, and putting an end to my yo-yo dieting once and for all.

Below: Me (in the middle) and my gorgeous friends, out on my birthday. I’m not exactly where I wanted to be, but I’m not far off, either.

bday2

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Sugar-free strawberry cream cheese frosting

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Rory

strawberr puree

My plan was to post a pretty pink strawberry cupcake with strawberry frosting for Valentine’s day. But things don’t always go according to plan, right? I’ve been having “technical difficulties” trying to make a sugar-free version of THIS cupcake. I’ve made three batches so far, but none of them have been good enough to share the recipe. I’m getting close though.

In the meantime, here’s a delicious, holiday-appropriate, strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Sugar-free Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
  • 2-3 teaspoons of Truvia (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (which is about 10 regular sized strawberries)

ingredients

Directions:

1. Mix the butter, cream cheese and vanilla with a hand held mixer.

miz cc and butter

2. Mix in the strawberry puree.

add strawberries3. Mix in the Truvia. (I always add Truvia last to every recipe. I add a little at a time until it reaches the level of sweetness that I like.)

add truvia

That’s it! It’s really yummy.

finished

I didn’t want to waste the frosting on the sub-par cupcakes (which turned out more like muffins), so I put most of it in an airtight tupperware and stuck it in the freezer, where it’s patiently waiting until I master these damn strawberry cupcakes. Hopefully this weekend.

on crappy muffins

P.S. – This was my first time ever using a pastry bag to pipe frosting…which is why it looks so bad!

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Sugar-free, gluten-free banana nut muffins. Yum!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rory

muffins 1

I have made this recipe several times and it has NEVER disappointed me, despite the fact that I’m always changing the measurement of the bananas depending on how many I have. I’ve made this recipe with two bananas, four bananas, big bananas, and small bananas, and it comes out delicious Every. Single. Time.

This time I used four huge bananas, which resulted in a lot more muffins than I was expecting. In addition to the normal 12, I had enough batter left to make 10 mini-sized muffins. After handing out a bunch to friends, I was still left with seven big ones and three small ones, all of which are in the freezer right now, just waiting to be eaten.

This time I also used almonds instead of walnuts, because that was all I had in my cupboard. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was pleased to discover that there was no difference in taste compared to when I use walnuts.

These muffins always get rave reviews, even from my two friends who don’t like bananas (weirdos!). This time was no exception. One of my coworkers said that based on its outside appearance, he was expecting the muffin I gave him to be really dry, and he was shocked by how moist it actually was (thank you coconut oil!). Another coworker was debating whether to take a full-sized or a mini, and I told her to take a big one. She emailed me a little while later: “omg so glad I took a big one! Delish!”

This recipe is a modification of the recipe found HERE.

Sugar-free, gluten-free banana nut muffins

Ingredients:

Dry:

  • 3 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbs Truvia
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, whatever)

Wet:

  • 3 eggs (pastured, organic)
  • 2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed (I used 4)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tbs pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease a 12-muffin tin.

3. Melt coconut oil.

melt oil

3. Mix the dry ingredients (except nuts) in a large bowl.

mix dry

4. Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl in the order listed.

add wet

5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, then fold in the nuts.

mix wet and dry

wet and dry mixed

add nuts

6. Transfer to muffin tins.

before

7. Bake for about 20 minutes. When a knife or toothpick comes out clean, they’re done.

8. Let them cool in the muffin pan for about 5-10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

cooling rack

That’s all! Enjoy!

ziplocs

muffins 2

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Sugar-free Vanilla “Thai-style” Coconut Milk Pudding/Ice Cream

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Rory

pudding and strawberries3

What better way to follow up a chocolate ice cream recipe than by posting a vanilla counterpart?

When I started making this recipe I fully intended to turn it into ice cream. Like I’ve said before, I have portion control problems, and sticking things in the freezer definitely helps to keep me from overeating. But when I took the mixture out of the fridge and tasted it I decided to skip the ice cream maker and leave it as pudding. Why? Because I found my eating the most delicious Thai-style coconut pudding!

I say Thai-style very loosely. I mean, is it the same as what I’d get when ordering from Thai Elephant? No, of course not. But I’m a big believer in the idea that sometimes all you need is a hint of a flavor to satisfy a craving. And this recipe definitely does that (if you happen to be having a Thai-pudding craving, which is a pretty random craving to have!).

But Thai food aside, this is a basic vanilla coconut milk ice cream recipe that is quite delicious.

Sugar-free Vanilla Coconut Milk Pudding/Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)
  • 4 tablespoons Truvia
  • 4 egg yolks, whisked
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 packet Knox gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

Sidenote: The arrowroot help keep the ice cream from turning hard as a rock when you put it in the freezer, but it’s not vital if you’re using gelatin. And now that I think about it, it might be completely unnecessary if you’re making pudding. Hmm, I’ll have to look into that.

Also, an instant thermometer makes making ice cream so much easier. You can’t let the temperature of the mixture get over 175 F when you’re heating it up, because then the eggs will start to cook. A thermometer eliminates any guesswork.

ingredients

Directions:

1. Add coconut milk to a sauce pan and heat over a low flame.

heat milk

2. Mix in the gelatin, and then the eggs, and stir constantly until the temperature reaches 175 degrees (or until it coats the back of a spoon).

add eggstoo hot

3. Remove the saucepan from the stove and immediately put it in cold water to cool it down.

4. Once it has cooled down a bit, add the Truvia, vanilla and arrowroot.

5. Put the mixture in the fridge for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

That’s all there is to it. You can either leave it as pudding or put it in the ice cream maker. OR you could split the mixture in half and do both!

pudding and cinnamon

pudding and strawberries

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Sugar-free Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream/Pudding, with Almonds (Paleo, Low Carb)

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Rory

yummy ice cream3

Oh. My. God. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

(I could stop this post right there, because seriously, that’s all that needs to be said about this ice cream recipe. It is AMAZING. Quite possibly the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Sooo rich. Soooooo delicious.)

I’ve had an ice cream maker for about a year, and in that time I’ve learned a LOT about making ice cream:

  • You can make ice cream with or without eggs. With eggs is called “Custard”  style; without eggs is called “Philadelphia” style.
  • Eggs act as an emulsifier…which basically means that the eggs are the glue that holds everything together.
  • Eggs keep ice crystals from forming and keep the ice cream from turning rock hard when it’s in the freezer (gelatin also helps to prevent ice crystals).
  • Ice cream that is made without eggs does not store well in the freezer and should be eaten right away.
  • If you use eggs, you need to cook the mixture on the stove so you’re not eating raw eggs.

I make my ice cream with eggs. Since I use Truvia instead of sugar, I feel like I should try to keep everything else as close to “real” ice cream as possible.

So why did I call this recipe “Ice Cream/Pudding”? Because when you add gelatin to an ice cream mixture you get pudding. And in the case of THIS recipe, quite possibly the best chocolate pudding I’ve ever had. Even better than Cozy Shack chocolate pudding, which up until a few days ago I would have said was the best chocolate pudding in the world. (It’s definitely the best store-bought chocolate pudding out there, in my opinion. But I digress.)

I tasted the pudding mixture right before I was about to pour it into my ice cream maker, and it was so freaking good that I considered skipping the ice cream maker altogether. But I have major problems when it comes to portion control, and I knew that if I didn’t turn it into ice cream and freeze it then I would end up eating all of the pudding within a day or two. So into the ice cream maker it went.

Sugar-free Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream/Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 tablespoons Truvia
  • 4 egg yolks, whisked (you can the the egg whites to make meringues!)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 packet Knox gelatin (helps to keep the ice cream from turning rock solid once you freeze it)
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (Ditto. But it’s not as vital as long as you’re using gelatin.)
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Sidenote: an instant thermometer makes making ice cream so much easier. You can’t let the temperature of the mixture get over 175 F when you’re heating it up, because then the eggs will start to cook. A thermometer eliminates any guesswork.

ingredients

Directions:

1. Add coconut milk to a sauce pan and heat over low flame. (I tried the double boiler method once or twice, but it seemed really unnecessary. Maybe I’m missing something, I don’t know.)

2. Mix in the cocoa powder, then the gelatin, and then the eggs, and stir constantly until thermometer reaches 175 degrees (or until it coats the back of a spoon).

miz chocolate and milk

add eggs

cook mixture

3. Remove the saucepan from the stove and immediately put it in cold water to cool it down.

cool mixture

4. Once it has cooled down a bit, add the Truvia, vanilla and arrowroot.

add truvia and vanilla

5. Put the mixture in the fridge for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

That’s all there is to it. When you take your mixture out of the fridge you’ll have a delicious pudding that you can either eat as is or turn into ice cream. If you want to make ice cream, it’s 15 minutes in the ice cream maker and you’re done. (If you want to add anything, like almonds, add it at about 10 minutes in.)

puddingmixture and ice cream makeradd nutsportioningportioned

yummy ice creamyummy ice cream2

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